What is PPC (or SEM)?
Pay-per-click (PPC), also known as Search Engine Marketing (SEM), is an online advertising strategy that drives traffic to websites. Businesses pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. Basically, PPC is a method of buying visits to your website rather than organically earning them through search engine optimisation (SEO).
Advertising services such as Google AdWords are prevalent PPC platforms that allow businesses to create ad campaigns on search engines. These campaigns then display as sponsored results on search engine results pages (SERPs).
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of optimising your website to increase its visibility for relevant searches. The higher the visibility of your website pages in a search engine’s results, the more likely you are to attract attention and prospective and existing customers to your business.
SEO involves multiple elements, including keyword research, on-page optimisation (like meta descriptions and title tags), off-page optimisation (such as link building), and content creation, all designed to make your site more attractive to search engines.
Difference Between Google AdWords and SEO
Google AdWords and SEO both serve to increase your website’s visibility. However, while SEO focuses on organic search results, Google AdWords involves paying for ad placement in search results. This is the key difference – AdWords will display your site at the top of the SERPs as a paid ad, whereas SEO is all about getting your site higher up in the organic search results, which are free clicks.
Paid Search vs Organic Search (SEO)
Paid search, or PPC, is quick to set up, provides instant visibility, and allows you to control the budget and determine your ad positioning. However, the major drawback is that once you stop paying, the traffic stops.
On the other hand, organic search (SEO) drives free traffic to your site. While it may take longer to achieve high rankings, the results are long-lasting. Additionally, consumers often trust organic search results more than paid ads.
Benefits of Using SEO and AdWords Together
Increased Exposure
Using both SEO and AdWords together gives your brand a double exposure. Your website can dominate both paid and organic search results, creating a strong brand presence and instilling trust in users.
More Keyword Data
Running AdWords campaigns can provide valuable insights into keyword data that you can use to optimise your SEO efforts. The success of certain PPC keywords can inform your SEO strategy.
Leveraging PPC Data to Boost Your SEO Campaigns
With PPC, you get immediate results in terms of visitor data, which you can leverage to understand what works and doesn’t work. These insights can be used to refine your SEO strategy and make it more effective.
Integrating E-Commerce Feeds in AdWords Results
Google AdWords allows you to integrate e-commerce product feeds into your ads. This can attract attention and drive online sales, making your ads more profitable.
Using Search Data to Inform PPC Keywords
Similarly, you can use organic search data to inform your PPC campaigns. Identifying high-performing organic keywords can help you optimise your ad copy and landing pages.
Dealing with Negative PR
In the event of negative PR, PPC ads can be swiftly created and launched to counteract any damage. SEO, on the other hand, requires a more long-term strategy.
Social Media Visibility
Both SEO and AdWords can significantly boost your brand’s visibility on social media. They can attract traffic to your social media pages and increase engagement.
Test Potential Organic Keywords with PPC
Before committing time and resources to ranking for a specific keyword organically, you can run a quick PPC campaign to gauge its effectiveness and conversion potential.
Using the Google Ads Tools to Boost Your SEO Efforts
Google Ads offers various tools, such as the Keyword Planner, that can be leveraged to find new keyword ideas and plan your SEO efforts effectively.
Plan Your Winning Campaign with SEO and Google AdWords
The key to an outstanding online marketing plan lies in balancing and combining both SEO and AdWords. Understanding how they work together can bring significant benefits, from increased visibility to more effective keyword targeting and better overall results.
FAQs
Is Google AdWords Related to SEO?
While they’re different strategies, Google AdWords and SEO are related in that they both aim to attract visitors to your website. The primary difference is that AdWords is paid, while SEO focuses on gaining free, organic traffic.
Should I Do Google Ads and SEO?
Definitely! Both strategies can complement each other effectively. Google Ads can offer quick, paid visibility, while SEO builds long-term organic visibility.
How SEO and PPC Can Work Together?
SEO and PPC can work together by sharing keyword data and insights, dominating search results for increased brand exposure, and testing the viability of keywords or marketing approaches.
Which is Better Google AdWords or SEO?
It’s not a matter of which is better, but rather how they can best be used together. Google AdWords provides fast, paid exposure, while SEO offers long-term, organic visibility. The two strategies complement each other well.
Is SEO Better Than AdWords?
Neither strategy is categorically ‘better’ than the other. SEO can provide sustainable, long-term results and credibility, while AdWords can offer quick visibility and targeted exposure.
What Type of SEO is Best?
Both on-page and off-page SEO are crucial. On-page SEO involves optimising individual web pages, while off-page SEO refers to activities that drive awareness and referral traffic to your site from elsewhere on the web.
Should I Learn SEO or Google Ads First?
Both skills are valuable for digital marketers. Learning SEO first can provide a solid foundation of understanding how search engines work, which can be helpful when learning Google Ads. However, the order largely depends on individual learning preferences and professional goals.
