5 Benefits of SEO and PPC Working Together
Wondering whether to spend your marketing budget on PPC (Pay-Per-Click) or throw extra resources at SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)? Well now there’s another option; align the two approaches. Both SEO and PPC are about targeting online searchers, so it makes sense that together they’ll complement each other. In this article the Imagefix team looks at the advantages of PPC and SEO working together.
If that’s the case – you might ask – why don’t marketers use the two together more often. The simple answer is that the two approaches tend to be dealt with by specialists with different skill sets, and this has led to a development of a silo mentality. At Imagefix, however, we believe that the advantages of PPC and SEO working together are too tempting to be ignored any longer!
If you’re a seasoned user of SEO or PPC you won’t need any explanations, but for many people the differences between the two terms remain hazy. So, here’s our brief explainer.
What Does PPC Do?
Pay-Per-Click utilises online ads which incur a fee each time someone clicks on them. These ads occupy prime position at the top of the search engine listing pages, or on social media platforms, and they’re powered by smart technology. This means that your ad appears only to shoppers who are actively searching for products like yours.
The results of a PPC campaign are fast; traffic is driven to your website almost immediately. Once the campaign ends, though, the surge in visibility, conversions and awareness will cease as quickly as it started. PPC is a short-term strategy and is usually utilised for website promotions or new product launches.
What Does SEO Do?
Search Engine Optimisation is a long-term strategy, it is also free. The goal of SEO is to achieve an improved ranking in Google and the major online search engines. The techniques used to make your website ‘search engine friendly’ include technical optimisation, keyword research and integration, link building and content creation.
Whilst there’s no fee to pay for SEO, the strategy is labour intensive and – for best results – requires professional skills and software. Organic SEO can take 3-9 months to show significant results, dependent on your sector. Once this process gains momentum, though, your ranking position will make a real and long-lasting impact on your business.
5 Advantages of PPC and SEO Working Together
Traditional marketing wisdom has it that PPC works fast and SEO works slow. PPC tends to get used for promotions, sales, or new products, therefore, and SEO uses keywords to raise your ranking in the search engines. At Imagefix we’ve been helping our business clients align the two approaches.
Here’s 4 ways we’ve found to increase leads, boost revenue, and gain a Page One spot in Google.
1. Strengthen Your Keyword Strategy
Keyword research is central to successful PPC and SEO. Knowing what words searchers use to find products really is the key to sales growth. PPC ads provide huge amounts of data which help businesses to understand which keywords achieve the most conversions. Cross referencing this knowledge strengthens your SEO content strategy and helps you to prioritise keywords in website titles and meta descriptions.
PPC data makes your keyword research more efficient and effective, leading to content that attracts more engagement.
2. Reinforce Your Presence on Google
If you have a keyword that is already ranking in the top three non-paid (organic SEO) results on Google, you may not see the need to add PPC into the mix. Think again. The Imagefix team has seen improved lead generation from using PPC to supplement organic results.
When scanning search engine results, the eye tends to scan the paid adverts first, then scroll down the page. When that eye see the same company a second time, the chances that they’ll click through are greatly increased.
Even a Page One search engine ranking will benefit from PPC, as searchers tend to click through more readily to repeat listings.
3. Enhance Your Social Media Offering
If you want to learn more about your searchers, therefore, choose a highly specified group to research, using PPC on social media. You may choose to make your Facebook ad visible only to 35-year-olds, interested in electric cars, who live in the West Midlands. Retrieving data from this group will give you important insights into shaping content for your SEO campaigns.
Focused PPC campaigns provide detailed insights into your target audience, which can then be used in SEO.
4. Test Your Messaging
Marketing is all about demonstrating an understanding of the problems your customers need a solution to. With SEO and PPC working together you are able to test different messages in order to see which achieve the best results.
Use PPC paid ads to try a range of keywords and copy to see which gets more clicks. This can then be used to inform your SEO strategy. The fine tuning made possible by PPC strengthens your performance in the search engines.
Use PPC to test your messaging and keywords. You can use this to inform your SEO strategy.
5. Get Speedy Results
One of the major advantages of PPC and SEO working together is that your business will benefit from PPC immediately and simultaneously reinforce your SEO. A PPC ad can be live in just a few minutes and be driving traffic to your website soon after. This will build trust in your site more quickly than waiting for organic results, and it helps to grow brand recognition amongst consumers.
PPC provides fast results, whilst simultaneously strengthening brand recognition and trustworthiness which improves your ranking.
Can We Help You Benefit From Using PPC & SEO Together?
Is SEO and PPC a whole new world to you? Would you value some advice, or guidance on how to use both to create a successful marketing plan? Imagefix is here to help. We are a digital marketing agency with over a decade’s experience of SEO and PPC working together to grow business sales.
Find out how you can improve your website’s visibility, increase your sales leads, and target your marketing more efficiently by contacting our friendly team today. Our goal is always to see our clients succeed online – so let’s get started right away!
Call the Imagefix marketing team today to get a personalised quote for a PPC and SEO strategy on 01525 715608
