When it comes to online marketing, boosting traffic to your business’s website is your ultimate goal. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this but the two basic options available to you are pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO).
So what exactly is PPC and SEO and what are their benefits? PPC is basically paying for traffic towards your site. This is done through Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, and other  online programs. Do you recall seeing a small green ad box under the first search results on Google? These are a result of PPC, allowing your paid ads to show up in the sponsored results section. The amount you pay for these ads depends on the specific keywords you choose and how competitive they are.
On the other hand, you have SEO marketing which allows you to the build traffic for a cheaper price. This type of marketing targets the organic search results which appear below the sponsored results. This can be in the form of creating indexable content, crawlable link structures, keyword domination, on-page optimization, effective meta descriptions/tags, etc.
So now you are probably thinking, when should I use SEO vs. PPC, or should I use both?
To be frank, it honestly depends. You should always use SEO but the major advantages is that it is less costly and provides better quality leads. This is the case for a variety of reasons. First, a lot of google users these days tend to naturally ignore the paid results when using the search engine, making it a less effective way to market your organization. As a result this makes natural search traffic more reliable for your business because those potential customers come to your page as a result of specific keywords/ phrases. Furthermore, being able to rank highly for a specific keyword or phrase shows to your audience that you are a credible source.
Something to note is that we are NOT saying to disregard PPC. There are actually a variety of benefits that come with PPC because if used properly, businesses can indeed see a return on investment. A few advantages of PPC are increases in sales due to attracting new customers, control over advertising costs because users pay as you go and receive clicks, real time analysis of ad performance, increase in brand recognition through re-marketing, and advertising on other sites that generate a lot of traffic.
So back to the original question of whether you should use SEO or PPC, it still depends. PPC is a great way to get your business off the group and generate immediate traffic to your site. SEO is very important because in the long run it can bring you the most qualified leads in the industry. So in conclusion, if executed properly for your business, SEO and PPC together can create a top marketing plan that can help you generate traffic to your website.
At Topco Marketing, a Los Angeles based google partner and internet marketing company, we specialize in website design, SEO and reputation management. Here we can help you decide in the best marketing plan that will help generate the most traffic for your business at the best possible cost. Contact us today at 310-734-1438 or info@topcomarketing.com.