Why your PPC budget might be better spent on SEO

Your digital footfall is, now more than ever, likely one of the most important aspects of your business.

So, if you're looking to increase traffic to your website, you might be considering investing in either pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, search engine optimisation (SEO) or both. But how much budget should you assign to each, and which business can bring you the most success? While both can be effective strategies, there are some key differences between the two that are important to consider.

What is the difference between PPC and SEO?

PPC advertising involves paying for ad space, and can refer to doing this in a few different places - but let’s focus on search engine results pages.  You can gain brand visibility, instantly, and appear in the top spots, if you’re willing to pay more than your competitors.  You bid on keywords and pay each time someone clicks on your ad. SEO, on the other hand, involves optimising your website to rank higher in organic search results. This involves a variety of tactics, like creating high-quality content, building backlinks, and optimising your website's structure and code to meet Google’s ever changing standards.

What is the difference between PPC and SEO?

PPC advertising involves paying for ad space, and can refer to doing this in a few different places - but let’s focus on search engine results pages.  You can gain brand visibility, instantly, and appear in the top spots, if you’re willing to pay more than your competitors.  You bid on keywords and pay each time someone clicks on your ad. SEO, on the other hand, involves optimising your website to rank higher in organic search results. This involves a variety of tactics, like creating high-quality content, building backlinks, and optimising your website's structure and code to meet Google’s ever changing standards.

Why is organic web traffic more useful than web paid traffic?

While PPC can be a great way to drive traffic to your website quickly, there are some benefits to focusing on SEO instead. For one, organic search results are viewed as more trustworthy by users. In fact, according to a recent study, organic search results are clicked on 94% of the time, compared to just 6% for paid search results. Additionally, organic search traffic tends to have a higher conversion rate than paid traffic.  And whilst it takes longer to get the results, if you continue to optimise your relevant content pages, you can stay in the most sought after ranking positions long-term.

When to choose one versus the other

So, when should you choose PPC over SEO, or vice versa? It really depends on your goals and your budget. If you're looking for quick results and have a larger budget to work with, PPC might be the way to go. However, if you're looking for a more sustainable, long-term strategy that will help your website rank higher in search results over time, SEO is likely your best bet. It’s also an option to additionally invest small amounts of money into PPC, to get great results over a longer period of time.

While both PPC and SEO can be effective strategies for driving traffic to your website, there are some key differences between the two that are important to consider. Ultimately, your decision should be based on your goals, your budget, your timeline, and your competitor landscape. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, you can make an informed decision that will help you achieve your marketing goals.

The Yoyo team are here to help, whether you have just a few questions, need a long-term precision roadmap for optimisation and everything in between - get in touch for a chat about how we can help.