SEO + PPC = Powerful Results
In “The key channels of search engine marketing“, I defined the differences between the two most popular online marketing methods - search engine marketing (SEO) and pay per click (PPC). Now I’d like to explain why it is a good idea to utilize both SEO and PPC simultaneously. Both SEO and PPC can be used to attain specific goals. Using one only may cause you to reach less than half of your online target market. Combining PPC and SEO is an optimum internet marketing strategy that provides excellent results.
Why Invest in PPC When You’re Already Investing in SEO?
Launching a PPC campaign can be properly done within a matter of days. Launching a website with ongoing effective SEO can take months and even years. Sure you can get a website up and running in a day if you wanted to, but it takes the search engines 60-90 days to index your web pages, rank them and then you still have to optimize the pages to move up the ranking ladder. Pay per click can quickly get you to the top of search engine results because that’s what you’re paying for. It is always a good idea to launch your PPC campaign as you’re building your website and adding effective SEO. Furthermore, I suggest sending PPC traffic to your website in those first 60-90 days so that search engines learn that your site is popular and should therefore rank it higher. After that time period, you should have enough user data to determine how to fine tune your PPC landing experience and move from a general website experience to a specific experience which gives you have more control over where your traffic goes and what it does.
Your PPC data can also help optimize your website. With pay per click campaigns, you learn which keywords produce the highest return on investment (ROI) and which product and services are of most interest to your target markets. Take this all data and insert those keywords into your website meta tags, content, and even blogs and newsletters. Super charge those product and/or service pages that are receiving most of your PPC traffic. Using PPC as a tool for determining how and what to optimize on your website can save you weeks and months of testing time.
The question I hear most regarding PPC is “Do enough people click on paid ads to be worth my investment?” True, 85% of clicks go to the left side (organic links). This means that most people are in research mode, looking for tips, history, reading testimonials, and the like. They aren’t paying attention to the ads. That is perfectly alright and even good. It has become second nature to ignore the ads on billboards, storefronts, and buses. This is called “ad blindness.” This is because the ads are irrelevant at that time and therefore are tuned out. When we are interested in certain products and services, the ads suddenly appear on our conscious level and then we really scrutinize them, looking for information that matches our needs. Let’s back up a bit. If 85% of online shoppers are in research mode, then there are at least 15% who are in the buying mode and are searching for ads that speak directly to them. It’s good that research mode folks aren’t clicking on your ad - that would drive down your ROI. Those that are clicking are more likely to buy, thus are worth your investment.
Finally, I can’t emphasize this enough: Once they click on your ad, you’re given information that tell you more about who is in the market for your service or product. The more you learn, the more testing you can do, and the more fine tuning you can make to your ad, landing page, and website that can increase your ROI.
If you’re still not sure if you should invest in pay per click, contact us, send us your questions, and we’ll offer you our consultation services for free. If you need help managing a pay per click campaign, we are here to help you obtain your goals.
May your best ads win!
Miscellaneous | Michelle Egan October 7, 2009
