I think one of the most common questions our clients ask is, “Which is better, SEO or PPC?” 

We get it – these companies are trying to get the highest possible returns on their marketing investment, and there are a lot of ways to allocate that budget.

It would be awesome if there was a straightforward answer to this question, but there are far too many variables involved for it to be simple.

Is SEO or PPC better for a Business’s Digital Marketing Efforts?

Read on for some questions to ask about your company or business that will help you and your SEO team develop an effective strategy.

How patient is our organization?

Quality, sustainable SEO campaigns can take several months to begin getting traction. Alternately, PPC can achieve quick results, but can be very expensive – particularly in certain industries. There are company cultures that have less patience than others, and if yours falls into this group, it may be an internal challenge to get the commitment required for a successful SEO campaign.

How is your competition succeeding?

Researching how and where your competitors are marketing can be incredibly helpful. For example, if one is blitzing the market with PPC, and another is blatantly absent, it could be that they determined SEO was a better investment. By learning from their mistakes, you can avoid the same expensive pitfalls.

The same approach can be applied to companies running successful PPC campaigns. Keep in mind, though, that not every approach works the same for every company, even within the same industry, and this is a good conversation to have with your SEO agency.

Do you have the budget for both?

The logical approach is one that includes running adaptable PPC campaigns alongside a long-term SEO campaign. If you are successful in both areas, you will have tapped into the two biggest and most valuable sources of online leads.

You need to ask yourself if you have the budget to truly support both campaigns. If your budget is spread too thin, you will fail in either SEO, PPC, or both, and end up striking out instead hitting a home run.

Not Sure What to Do?

If you’re struggling to figure out your SEO or PPC campaigns, contact us. Our team is ready and waiting to collaborate with you on your digital marketing campaigns.