Organic SEO vs. Pay Per Click AdWords

Both organic search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising can be very effective if they are implemented properly. As the paid ads become more prominent in Google search listings, it is important to include AdWords in your marketing strategy to supplement organic traffic. For those business owners who haven’t done either, there are many puzzling questions. Which campaign is good for long-term investment? Which is less expensive? Which works faster? Which captures more keyword searches? How can your company stay ahead of competition?

If your budget allows, it is highly recommended that you take advantage of both organic search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising. The pay-per-click advertising should be focused primarily on Google AdWords because of its dominance. However, if you have budget constraints and need to choose one or the other, here are some considerations that may help you make an educated decision:

• Long-Term Success vs. Quick Results

  If your internet marketing plan is for the long run, organic search engine optimization is definitely the better solution, because it can bring in unlimited traffic for virtually unlimited keyword searches. Over time, your traffic grows steadily and your business keeps getting higher exposure. However, search engine optimization can take months or longer to achieve maximum results, depending on many factors, including the competition, the history of your web site and your optimization campaign. If you need to generate leads and sales immediately, Google AdWords can help you accomplish that goal quickly. Immediately after you start an AdWords PPC campaign, your ads will be seen by searchers. Many Minnesota business owners think managing an AdWords pay-per-click campaign is easy and take the do-it-yourself approach. The truth is that doing it the right way is very complicated and requires extensive experience. Not having an in-depth understanding of how the paid rankings and cost per click are calculated can be very costly. Many business owners tried AdWords briefly on their own, but gave up because of high cost and low return. We have been helping businesses in the Minneapolis St. Paul with Google AdWords pay-per-click management to bring in the right visitors while minimizing the cost.

• More Keywords vs. Specific Keywords

  If your goal is to attract web traffic from a wide range of keyword searches, then organic optimization is your answer. Searchers use a variety of queries to conduct and refine their searches. Compared with AdWords campaigns, organic optimization has no limit on the number of keyword variations or combinations. However, there are circumstances in which targeting a limited number of commonly searched keywords can generate quality leads through pay-per-click advertising.

• Maximum Exposure vs. Limited Visibility

  Because search engine users are tired of advertisements, about 70-80% of them do not click on the displayed advertisements. These users consider organic listings more trustworthy and credible. Search engine optimization targets the majority of web users. Although paid advertisements attract only 20-30% of web users, they can be very effective if the target keywords have large search volumes. From our AdWords PPC management experience in Minnesota, we have seen that SEO and PPC complement each other and make the marketing more effective.

• Big Budget vs. Small Budget

  Search engine optimization is a long-term investment that requires a considerable budget. For some small businesses, paying for the up-front cost can be a challenge. Google PPC, on the other hand, does not require a big budget to start with. An initial budget of a few hundred dollars can get a marketing campaign up and running. In the long term, as the cost per click keeps increasing, paid search advertising may reach the point of diminishing returns.

• Less Control vs. More Control

  Organic SEO doesn’t have much control over which pages are listed in search results. It is up to the search engines to decide which pages are most relevant to the searched keyword phrases. As a result, the listed pages may not be the best landing pages for conversion. With Google AdWords, you have precise control as to which pages you want visitors to see first. You can optimize these landing pages for maximum visitor-to-lead conversion.

Integration of AdWords Pay-Per-Click with Organic SEO – Minneapolis St Paul, MN

Both search engine optimization and pay-per-click have unique advantages. If your budget allows, it’s best to integrate both into your marketing strategy. Kick Ass SEO has helped many clients with both organic search engine optimization and Google AdWords PPC campaigns, with great results. We provide top-ranking SEO and cost-effective PPC management for companies in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota and across the country. Contact us, and our experts will provide the best options that maximize your marketing effectiveness.