You Should Be Integrating PPC and SEO: Here’s Why

How your site appears in search engine results has a huge impact on the amount of traffic you’ll receive. Higher up on the page is better, and recent changes to Google mean you’ll have to work even harder to get that coveted top spot. Every day, digital marketers are innovating ways to increase their presence in search results as efficiently as possible. Here’s how to use both PPC and SEO to help your site climb the search result ladder.

What’s the difference between PPC and SEO?

Search Engine Optimization and Pay-Per-Click both utilize keywords to attract clicks from potential leads, but they are part of different SEM strategies. PPC refers to the sponsored links and ads that appear in Google results. These are a form of paid advertisement used to promote organizations. SEO, on the other hand, relies on the creation of content using ranked keywords and is nominally free to promote via blogs, social media, etc. Search results containing SEO keywords are referred to as “organic” because they are not ads. Although users are more likely to click organic SEO results, PPC ads do offer a slight advantage in conversion rates. There are pros and cons to each, and they are often used together.

Why should I use both?

In a recent study by Nielsen Research, the importance of coordinating paid and organic SEM campaigns was demonstrated. When a brand name appeared in both organic and paid search results, the brand attracted 92% of total clicks. When the brand was mentioned only in organic results, the brand only 60% of clicks. At first it might seem more prudent to focus your efforts on one or the other, but this is definitely a case of more being better.

Organic and paid campaigns also influence each other, with ads causing certain SEO keywords to rank higher and vice versa. Understanding the way the two approaches work in tandem helps you to control how your company appears in search results. That way, you can gather accurate information and better predict how changes in one strategy will affect the other.

How do I integrate PPC and SEO in my online marketing efforts?

First of all, you should try to ensure that the same people are handling both these important aspects of your marketing strategy. In some companies, SEO is handled in-house, while the PPC ads are sent off to external agencies. This approach makes it difficult to share insights and metrics between the teams. It’s best if all keyword-based marketing initiatives are shared by the same people, or at least teams working closely with one another, in order to create a campaign that is proactive rather than reactive.

Once you have a good sense of how the two approaches impact one another, you can design an SEO strategy based on data you gathered in your PPC ad campaign, improving your overall visibility through smart, integrated digital marketing.

For help combining your SEO and PPC efforts into one online marketing solution, contact the professionals at AMMA Digital Marketing at 800-466-0684, or send us an email to set up a free consultation.