SEO (search engine optimization) or PPC (pay per click) – that is the question. Are you wondering whether SEO or PPC will be better and more beneficial for you and your business? Both have their pros and cons but SEO stands out as a clear winner.
Why? Here’s the top 7 reasons why SEO is the best option for you.
In this article we’ll take a look at:
What is the difference between SEO vs PPC?
The main difference between SEO vs PPC is that traffic coming from pay per click ads costs money (but, as a bonus, is instant). By no means is search engine optimization free – it takes considerable time, patience and dedication (and we all know time is money).
However, the traffic that results from organic search rankings, as a result of SEO, is not associated with any cost per click. Another difference is that PPC ads appear at the very top of Google’s search returns, with all other organically ranking sites following below.
7 reasons to choose SEO over PPC
1. Credibility and trust
Appearing at the top of Google’s search returns can offer a great deal of perceived credibility. Organic results are looked highly upon by viewers, while PPC ads are often overlooked because people are aware that they are targeted ads that are being paid for.
2. Low cost
While traffic coming from SEO isn’t entirely free (it takes considerable time and effort to rank high in Google’s search returns), you won’t be charged each time someone clicks on your site in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). On the other hand, PPC ads do just this – each time someone clicks your ad you will be charged! Overall, SEO is much more cost effective than PPC.
An example from the Ahrefs blog highlights the massive cost benefit of SEO over PPC. According to Ahrefs, they receive more than 240,000 visitors per month from search. This massive amount of traffic would translate into approximately $733,000 per month in PPC ads! In comparison, only 3 or 4 people on their team are employed to create content – a crazy savings with SEO!
PPC ads can also get very expensive. Some highly competitive keywords can cost you more than $50 per click – meaning that each time someone clicks on your ad you will be paying over $50!
3. Sustainable results
With PPC, the moment you stop paying for ads, the traffic you’ve been receiving dies. On the other hand, traffic coming from organic rankings (as a result of SEO) is long-lasting. SEO provides consistent traffic as long as you are able to rank high in the SERPs.
4. Higher click-through rates
Online users typically trust organic rankings and hold them in higher regard than paid ads that pop up at the top of the SERPs. Therefore, they are more likely to click on a site that ranks high using SEO. By focusing on SEO and climbing Google’s search returns, you will experience a much higher click-through rate (CTR) than that from PPC ads.
In addition, longer page descriptions and titles, which may not be allowed with PPC ads, can result in better click-through rates as well.
5. Scalability
Unless your business has endless amounts of money to throw at PPC ads, high levels of traffic will be hard to upkeep! However, with SEO, once you establish a strong hold in the rankings, and work to upkeep your rankings, you can continue to maintain high levels of traffic in addition to gaining new traffic by targeting additional keywords!
6. Visibility
Investing time into SEO over PPC and climbing the search results for relevant keywords guarantees that your site will experience visibility. Organic search returns will always be seen by users online. However, PPC ads can be easily blocked by ad blocking software and therefore may not even be seen!
7. Control
With SEO you have complete control over the content that you are creating and sharing, as well as what terms you rank for. This means that you can present yourself in any way that you see fit and by using as many characters as you’d like. PPC ads however, place restrictions on images, content and word counts!
Key Takeaways on SEO over PPC
If you’re trying to decide whether SEO or PPC is better for you and your business, check out this list of reasons to choose SEO.
- Build credibility and trust with your audience by ranking organically rather than paying for your position in the SERPs.
- Invest time and effort into SEO rather than having to pay for every click you receive.
- Enjoy sustainable traffic that comes from organic rankings, rather than relying on PPC traffic that will disappear as soon as you stop paying for ads.
- Typically, links that rank organically receive higher click-through rates than paid ads.
- Scale your traffic with SEO without having to dish out wads of cash! Rank for new keywords to get additional traffic and upkeep your high rankings to keep your steady train of traffic coming in.
- Remain visible in the SERPs by ranking organically. PPC ads can easily be blocked by ad blockers but organic rankings are forever!
- Control exactly what you share and how you share it! Avoid character count limits and other restrictions by focusing on SEO over PPC ads.
So there you have it! There are many reasons to choose SEO over PPC and that’s why we suggest SEO as a focus for your website. However, if both are an option, SEO and PPC can also work well together. If you have to choose, take some time to reflect on your goals and review your resources in order to decide for yourself which will work best for you!
