PPC v's Organic SEO

PPCv's Organic SEO

by Donna O'Hanlon
of http://www.oyster-web.co.uk

Last updated: 19 Dec 2006

There are two main methods of using search engines to market a site: organic search engine optimisation
or Pay Per Click advertising.

PPC works by paying a search engine a fee everytime a searcher clicks on a listing and connects to your site. The more an advertiser pays the higher the listing will be in the search engine results.

Organic search engine optimisation is the process of using knowledge of algorithmic techniques to improve the ranking of a site. These techniques include link building, adding new and original Content to a site and updating it regularly and ensuring the (HTML) code used is ethical and SEO spider friendly.

These two methods can be used together to increase a site's ranking and accessibility. It may not always be beneficial to do this, possibly due to budget or resource limitations. If both are tried with a small budget or minimal resources, this may result in both campaigns achieving no results at all. It is more beneficial to use one or the other. But which one?

Pay per click advertising is a reliable way to get your site listed in the major search engines - it's immediate and cheap. This form of search engine marketing is ideal for seasonal businesses that only run during certain times of the year or new businesses that need quick results. However, if you want consistent, long term results an organic search engine optimisation campaign is more suitable. An ptimised site with original content and other important seo factors can make an impact on search engine listings and be consistent until a change in a search engines algorithm, possibly beyond that.

Small businesses can benefit greatly from PPC advertising. By using specific keywords the search engine results will be specific to your site. Also, by using specific keywords you can reduce the cost f PPC. However, research has shown that the average user is six times more likely to click on organic results rather than choose paid results. Users are becoming more aware that PPC ads are purely for the purpose of advertising, resulting in users losing trust in them as they are not part of natural results.

A PPC search engine marketing campaign is easier to manage within a business than organic seo. You are dealing directly with the search engine, as opposed to paying someone to handle an organic seo campaign. Organic seo is also a huge task with a lot of techniques and rules to learn. In the long term, PPC is more suited to those looking for quick results or businesses with a low budget, although research indicates that users are more attracted to organic search engine results as they are more
relevant and non-biased.

Also, if you're on a limited or small budget and using ppc, when the budget runs out and you are unable to pay for sponsored links, your ppc campaign will terminate. This is becoming more likely to happen as the cost of ppc is increasing - almost by 100 percent during the Christmas period.

There are a lot of obvious advantages of organic search engine optimisation over a pay per click campaign: long term results that are relevant and more trusted by users. But before a decision is made on which method of search engine marketing to use, certain things must be considered such as budget, target market, the nature of the business and any other factors that are specific to a particular business. It may make more sense to use PPC. However if the budget is big enough then it is acceptable to have an organic seo campaign running alongside a PPC campaign. This would definately be effective but if you can only choose one method of search engine marketing, be sure to working out what the your individual business needs are.