Having a propensity for the melodramatic, I may over-stated the title somewhat. Ok, maybe we can cease the hostilities and work together. It’s just that I am usually asked about these 2 kissing cousins in a format relative as such. If it’s not that it’s an article or a Blog post seeking to tear asunder this little Search Marketing family. It doesn’t have to be this way.

In truth, they serve somewhat separate functions and as such can usually play well together with minimal supervision in the playground (keep them away from the pool though; they have a ‘weight’ problem). During the marketing life cycle of your internet business both of these strategies can find a home to co-exist within.

Having great ranking organically is always the way to go. Unfortunately it isn’t always possible to achieve high rankings in short order in many competitive markets. This is where PPC work comes in are. It can be used as a supplement to the Organic SEO work, or as a stop gap measure while awaiting results from the Organic Search marketing work.
In truth, PPC ads are often the ONLY way to get traffic to a site for a given set of keywords/terms, unless you are targeting non-competitive terms/markets or have a strong SEO program in place and have achieved high rankings (top 3 pages minimum).

The main advantage of PPC advertising is that you see results within a few days. As quickly as it takes the editors - at your chosen vendor – to approve your ads and keywords. Paid search, done right, can certainly provide enough targeted traffic to create the revenues and return an ROI when done right. Keyword research and due diligence is important in both PPC and organic SEO. I suggest some reading up on this to ensure you are targeting the right word. Consideration should be given to the PPC ad copy as well. Try and track different versions to max out your conversion rates. Some form of Split Testing should be used on the target/landing page for the PPC efforts.

By the Numbers.

One thing to be aware of is the relative power of each form of Search Marketing. Organic SEO is by far the preferred method of search marketing. This is why we use our PPC as a ‘filler’. Whenever possible we want a Top Organic Search Listing. Here’s why;

• 80% percentage of visitors generated by Search Engines
• 23% number of people that use the first few results
• 39% don’t go past the first page
• 19% of people never go past the Second page.
• 9% go no further than the Third page of results

That’s a FULL 62% of users that do not go past the first page of results!

These numbers have stayed fairly stable since 2002, and if anything, more emphasis on first page results and the second page has faded somewhat. As we can see, being in the top 3 pages of results is essential, and being on the 1st page is not far off in terms of importance.

When given the statement, “Seeing a company listed among the top results on a search engine makes me think that the company is a top one within its field”

• 36% Agreed
• 39% Were neutral
• 25% disagreed.

That’s a full 75% that do not oppose such a statement. This is the beginning of the TRUST factor.

Why Organic SEO?

Varied research tends to show a preference for organic results over paid/sponsored listings in the area of 60-75%. That is nothing to sneeze at. This means your PPC endeavors are scratching and clawing against the competition for a mere 25% market share. Not an appetizing thought. The trust factor is playing heavily in this decision making as merely 14% of end users trust sponsored results. A full 29% are actually ‘annoyed’ by them.

There are also numbers emerging that show Organic Search referred visitors convert at a higher rate. Up to 14% higher if you believe some folks. Surfers are getting wise to PPC ads as up to 54% recognize the sponsored results as paid results.

Pay Per Click Pain

There are many problems affecting the PPC world these days from high profile ‘click fraud’ cases to soaring costs and poor customer support on the part of the suppliers (Google, Yahoo and the like). It is also a favorite playground for misuse by Web Spammers (Black Hats, MFA’s etc..) which has created more restrictions and tighter policing from the suppliers.

Another major hindrance to PPC is the cost. A three month targeted SEO campaign can in the area of $1500. While nothing to sneeze at, it is likely a bargain compared to the PPC costs in that same time period. The kicker is that the Organic SEO positioning is far more affordable to maintain and more of the cost outlay is on the front end of the program. You could go on spending $1000/ month on your PPC as opposed to $100-200/month for Organic SEO maintenance. Given the early factors affecting the traffic for each type, the massive ROI implications should be obvious.

It’s a balancing act;

In the end, as with many things in the business world it is about compromise, strategy and effective planning. They are two distinct tools with areas they perform well in. It’s easiest to think of PPC as the short term solution or for driving traffic on call (promotions etc..). Our Organic SEO is an ongoing endeavor that will produce the best ROI and have the longest lasting results. It’s just a matter of using them together effectively that will give your internet business the most effect Bang for the Buck

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