Over the years I’ve been asked over and over again which is better…pay per click or search engine optimization. I’ve never really had a definitive answer for this question. It really depends on what your company objectives are and how quickly you would like to reach these goals. It is very important to note that pay per click is not what it once was; less populated, easier to use, and much easier to gain higher pay per click rank.
It is equally important to note that pay per click can be just as costly as search engine optimization. Here are a few things that you should know before starting any pay per click campaign.
- Your entire marketing budget should not be throw into any one marketing channel. A good mixture of advertising is the best if you have the ability to do so. Many avenues which allow your company to reach out to potential buyers and customers is always recommended. However, if you are limited with your budget, pay per click is fast and delivers good results.
- Be patient with pay per click results. With any marketing effort, things take time. Pay per click is not magic and is the fist step in reaching out to potential customers to engage in the sales process. It may take several touch points before anyone turns into a customer or buyer.
- Ensure you are using all of the new Google features to reach out to your prospective visitors. Mobile ads, Click to call, Google Boost, and additional deep links.
- If you are using a search firm to run your pay per click campaigns let them do their job. The majority of PPC firms and management companies know what they are doing and will produce results. The more you interfere…the more difficult their job becomes. Work with your firm not against it.
- The problem with online marketing is…online marketing. With proper analytics measurements, ppc campaigns, and other forms of online marketing you can really make a new site or current site hum. The problem is this; online marketing has more accountability than any form of marketing. Because every click and visitor can be tracked advertisers expect much more than what can be possible with this form of advertising. Keep it real and make sure to remember pay per click is not the solution to all of your visitor desires.
- If you are willing to pay for your traffic while your search engine optimization takes root…it is a good way to go. In fact, it is better to hold two number one spots or more than one spot for any keyword which is important to your business objectives. IE ~ If you are targeting a specific keyword…it is better to hold to positions on page one which in turn will double the opportunity to be found and add in two touch points.
- 4 out of 5 web visitors ignore the paid search results and pay per click [depending on what vertical you are in] can be very expensive.
- PPC is a excellent way to augment any marketing effort and works very well. Just keep your expectations based in reality.
- Pay per click is here to stay and is evolving rapidly. The more changes that come…the better the results.
- Most importantly, you will not be the only one targeting your keywords. Remember the 80 | 20 rule. When competition is thick in your industry be prepared to fight harder for your results.