With first page websites receiving 91.5% of traffic, it’s important that you get your website to the top of Google if you want to be visible to those who require your product or service. But how?
When it comes to boosting traffic to your website, you have two basic options: PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising or SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
PPC is a way in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked, so essentially, it’s a way of buying visits to your site rather than attempting to “earn” those visits organically. Search Engine Advertising is one of the most popular forms of PPC. Here, you can advertise your company on the top spot on Google, so when someone searches a keyword relevant to your business, you are the first one to come up.
SEO, on the other hand, is the process of getting traffic in a free, organic way. All major search engines such as Google, Bing & Yahoo all have primary search results where web pages and other content are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users. With SEO, payment is not involved like it is with PPC. It allows your website to be optimised and ranked at the top of Google with no fee’s paid.
So which option is better for your business? This depends on a variety of different aspects.
How large is your business?
When choosing between SEO and PPC you need to decide on a budget. With PPC you can set your daily spending limit as low as you’d like, however the UK average cost-per-click is between £0.66 to £1.32.
With SEO, this can be considered a cheaper option if you can optimise in-house, however, outsourcing your SEO to an SEO agency like ourselves is usually the wiser option if you want to see top-quality results.
Does your business depend on Credibility & Trust?
If your site returned organic results through SEO, you can appear much more credible compared to those who paid to be at the top through PPC. Many users skip ads and trust organic results more highly. Being visible provides your business with that all-important stamp of approval.
Will you need a targeted audience?
When you invest in PPC, it provides a laser-targeted way to get in front of potential customers. Ads can be targeted by search keywords, time of day, day of the week, geography, language, device and audiences based on previous visits. Organic traffic, by comparison, is far more scattered.
When deciding between the two you’ve got to consider the unique situation of your business. A hyper-local business with little competition and a requirement for just a few leads per week would likely develop good visibility in the local & organic search results. Whereas a new e-commerce store that is competing with a page of results from Amazon, eBay or any other major department stores & online retailers are likely going to struggle in organic search, so PPC may be the preferred option.
A clear digital marketing strategy & clear short- and long-term goals are essential in making an SEO or PPC decision.
For more information on PPC or SEO feel free to browse through our website or talk to a member of the team on 01482 333 833. As a PPC company & an SEO agency within Hull, we can provide you with our expert knowledge and help you decide which option is best for your business.
