How to improve your website SEO using PPC

This is a shortened version especially for LinkedIn. Read the full article on the 47 Insights blog.

1. Research and test keywords

You’ve done some keyword research and found a bunch of phrases that you think your pages should be optimized for. The usual technique is to optimize your pages and wait, and wait, to see how they eventually rank in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Alternatively you could run a small PPC campaign with the same keywords. Ideally you should be testing to find which keywords (and the resulting search phrases) people use to generate the most purchases or conversions.

Keywords and search phrases – what’s the difference?

Keywords are the words you use to target your campaign. Search phrases are the words people actually search to trigger a match with your keywords.

Example (modified broad match keyword):

+online +accounting +software

Resulting search phrases:

best online accounting software
online accounting software reviews 2017
xero accounts software online tutorial

2. Research and test ad copy

Testing your ad headlines and copy can give you insights into what would work for your page title and meta description tag, as these are both also displayed in the search results. But bear in the end the following differences:

• Google AdWords headlines are now two lines, to a maximum of 30 characters each. For testing purposes, this equates to the page title, which should be 55 characters or less.
• Google AdWords description line is now a maximum of 80 characters. This equates to the meta description (160 characters or less).

3. Test landing pages

Google AdWords gives each keyword a quality score out of 10 based on a number of factors. One of these is how relevant the landing page is. Testing different keywords with different landing pages can help you to work out which landing page might perform best for which keyword. You can then SEO the page based on your ad testing.

4. Understand the potential value of your website SEO

Search engine optimization is a time consuming business. Anyone who tells you differently is either a liar or not doing it correctly. Understanding the value of any SEO efforts carried out on a website is important to both the business and any third party engaged to do the work. But sadly the work isn’t always appreciated. So, much like PR agencies using Equivalent Advertising Value (EAV) as a KPI, marketers and their agencies might consider communicating the value of SEO activity as 'EPPCAV' (Equivalent Pay Per Click Advertising Value). Suddenly the true value of long-term SEO is more tangible, especially to the C-suite.

These four benefits are reason enough to try a short PPC campaign in preparation for longer term SEO activity.

PPC, SEO or both?

PPC and SEO are both forms of search engine marketing that complement each other. If you’re only using one of these tactics you’re probably leaving money on the table for your competitors.

This is a shortened version especially for LinkedIn. Read the full article on the 47 Insights blog.