SEO vs PPC: Which is Better In 2023?14 min read

SEO or its long form name of search engine optimisation is a process. Albeit it is a complex process at that!

Putting it simply, when you do SEO you are (hopefully) making it easier for the search engines, Google et al to be able to understand your web pages.

A variety of strategies and different techniques are utlised. These include; search term research, on-page optimisation, content, internal linking and link-building.

The rationale behind all of these activities is to elevate your website to the top positions of the search engines ranking pages (SERP’s) for the given terms that your business targets.

When the goal is achieved your potential new customers are able to see your business when they search for the products and services they need.

Being able to drive almost immediate traffic to your website is probably the most important benefit of PPC. Particularly useful if you are a brand new business, with no Google organic ranking positions.

PPC is quick to set up and can target ‘ready to spend’ customers extremely quickly. What’s more you are able to make decisions based around your customers location amongst a wealth of other targeting options.

Running PPC ads allows your business to reach your desired audience, channeling different demographics as you see fit.

All of the above can assist with improving the overall effectiveness of your advertising, ultimately increasing the chances of conversions.

PPC does have some drawbacks.

It should be noted that in pretty much every single niche there is going to be plenty of competition. This means that cost per click (CPC) can be expensive for the most competitive of keywords.

Businesses with smaller budgets may struggle to make the impact that they are looking to.

In addition, PPC or rather a properly structured PPC campaign has many different facets. The platforms such as Google make it easy to get started, but not so easy to master.

You need to be prepared to invest significant amounts of time and effort to fully understand the way your specific platform works. Failing to do so is almost certainly going to leave you producing a less than desired result.

It should be remembered that PPC is never a ‘set and forget’ product. 

Your competition is changing on an almost daily basis, with new ones joining all the time. This means that you need to almost live and breathe with your PPC account to get the best out of it.

A final negative to PPC is that once you stop it has no residual value. In the same way as other paid advertising, once you stop paying your ad stops showing.

We all want fast results, that’s a given.

But if you are a business owner that really does need immediate results then PPC is likely to be of value to you.

However, if you are seeking a sustainable, longer term result then SEO could well deliver.

You see, in pretty much every case it just comes down to the timing of results that will determine your main focus.

We mentioned earlier that PPC can sometimes seem expensive. Well it’s true, especially in the case of highly competitive niches with lots of advertisers. 

Gaining traction on the most valuable of keywords with a smaller budget can really be hard to achieve. 

That said, there are generally ways to leverage some of the lesser used search terms to your own advantage, which often results in an improved ROI.

If you have a more modest budget then SEO might be a good way to get the gains you need. Provided of course you are willing to spend it on a regular basis.

Understanding your target audience is of utmost importance when it comes to making the decision of SEO or PPC.

When you run a paid ads campaign you are in control around the choices made in terms of who gets to see your ad. This can be of benefit if you have a niche type audience, or when targeting a specific geo location.

If your targets are more generalised then SEO might be the better marketing strategy for your business.

We all operate in an industry or similar. Often referred to as a niche.

Some of these niches are more saturated than others, making it tough to stand out.

If you operate in a highly competitive niche then it will be harder to rank organically. Things will take longer and you need to be better at what you do.

When there is less competition SEO results tend to come quicker.

Worth bearing in mind when you make the decision on which strategy you are going to invoke.

Although this post is really seeking affirmation as to whether you should choose either SEO or PPC, we want to throw a spanner in the works!

You see, some of the best marketing strategies include a hybrid approach.

As an example, if you are a business that is looking to engage in SEO you might also consider running a small PPC campaign at the same time. 

This way you can pull in some much needed revenue while you are working on the longer term organic approach.

Another factor to consider as well is that there are definitely profiles of customers that won’t click on ads. Just as there will be people that predominantly choose to use ads as their information source.

Combining a strategy can provide even greater results, while at the same time mitigating some of the risk associated with each strategy.

Maybe it’s food for thought?

Reaching here you will likely have a better understanding of the pros and cons of each strategy.

Can you say without question that one is better than the other? Maybe not!

The reality is that both SEO and PPC have their own very unique benefits. They also have their own negatives.

Your decision should revolve around one of budgets, time-scales and target audiences.

Perhaps even after analysing all the data you still can’t choose. Then maybe the hybrid model is the one you should look at?