Which Should You Focus On First, SEO or PPC?

Digital Marketing | August 16, 2023

You are looking for positive results when you have just started your marketing effort.

Which Should You Focus On First, SEO or PPC?

 

Additionally, you want to get the best value for your money.

You want to ensure that the time and money you invest will result in a sizable amount of high-quality traffic ready to convert.

In other words, you desire a dependable ROI.

Although there are many other paths you may go down, they usually come down to SEO or PPC.

PPC vs. SEO

Both have been shown to work and will send qualified prospects to your website.

But which decision is best for your campaign?

Which should you prioritize first, and why?

In this blog, I will share my personal experience and highlight the pros and cons of each option.

The benefits of SEO

The cost-effectiveness of SEO is the main factor motivating marketers to select it over PPC.

The main line is that if you handle it internally, you'll pay much more for your visitors with PPC than SEO.

The worst sector is, without a doubt, the legal one, at a staggering $5.88 CPC.

An extensive budget is required to launch a PPC campaign .

Additionally, if you're new to the game, you must contend with the built-in learning curve, which means it can take some time until your CPA and ROI reach your desired levels.

The time investment required for SEO is far more significant than the money one. If you have a small marketing budget, SEO can be your only choice.

Long-term outcomes are another advantage that marketers frequently experience. You'll see that SEO grows significantly over time after an initially modest start.

This makes SEO more long-term than PPC, potentially producing high-quality, organic traffic for many years.

Finally, SEO will yield a more significant return on investment.

Just consider it.

There is a cost associated with each click you receive through PPC.

You must pay for traffic to be directed to your website. Your ROI will suffer as a result. But with SEO, it's essentially pure profit.

The rewards are unavoidably more significant because you're getting your traffic naturally. If you "take your foot off the gas," you'll still generate traffic to your website.

In essence, this is free traffic.

The benefits of PPC

The frequent immediate traffic increase is by far the most significant benefit:

You can immediately bring qualified; ready-to-buy leads. Even better, you can deliberately choose terms that have a purchase purpose.

It is, therefore, ideal for start-up companies with little to no brand equity. PPC quickly increases your brand's visibility and helps you drive traffic.

PPC is ideal if you don't have the luxury of waiting and need results almost immediately.

The conversion rate is another benefit.

Paid search results have a 1.5x higher conversion rate, even though you may spend more overall.

And this makes sense, given that advertisers can modify, optimize, and mainly target high-intent phrases in their ads.

Additionally, there are far more PPC prospects now than previously.

Although Google AdWords has had and still has the majority of business (almost 80% of companies concentrate on Google for PPC), many other solutions are now accessible.

For instance, social networks such as Facebook and Twitter allow sponsored advertising, and Bing Ads are beginning to gain traction.

The primary line is that AdWords is one of many options.

When should you prioritize SEO?

PPC might not be an option if you have a limited budget, then SEO is the apparent solution.

In this case, spending time on your marketing effort is more important than spending money on it.

It's by no means an easy journey, but over time you should see a positive ROI, which might be like the following:

You're seeking sustainability over the long run

Here is our perspective on SEO. It's like attempting to move a massive boulder.

But the work is definitely worth it. Your traffic leads and purchases will increase as your campaign progresses and your library of optimized content expands.

By continuing with SEO, you will notice a boost in tons of visitors for highly sought-after keywords like "content marketing."

You don't require immediate outcomes.

As we've already discussed, SEO is all about having a long-term perspective. Getting reliable results will take time, especially if your brand is young.

However, SEO definitely makes sense if you are more focused in the long term and don't need immediate, dramatic results.

What to expect from an SEO campaign?

Results for the first month are probably going to be somewhat meager. However, things usually pick up steam around the six-month point.

That can be seen as the turning point.

SEO is typically your greatest option if you have the patience to wait till lots of huge leads start coming in.

When should you prioritize PPC?

A)have a substantial budget

B)Aim for lightning-fast outcomes.

Once your campaign is begun, your keywords are picked, your budget is established, and your adverts are set up, you're likely to see a large boost in visitors.

This can sometimes happen in less than a day.

Your brand is immediately exposed to your target demographic with minimum effort.

Your PPC investment should yield a positive return if you follow the suggested procedures. Even though it will probably cost you more than SEO would, the payoff is far quicker and you can save a ton of time and work.

Google Ads is not your only choice if you choose to employ PPC.

Don't get us wrong; Google Ads is still usable and unquestionably useful.

You're likely to experience a large increase in traffic once your campaign is launched, your keywords are selected, your budget is selected, and your advertisements are configured.

It's not like you can post some advertisements on a PPC site and immediately receive a significant amount of traffic that is specifically targeted.

Even the fundamentals require time to learn.

It takes much longer to optimize your ads to reduce your CPC and raise your CTR.

Even for seasoned marketers, it's a relatively challenging procedure.

This implies that you can pay more than you should until you get the swing of things.

Once your campaign is over, your traffic stops

This is a true bummer.

You bring zero traffic when you cease investing money in your PPC campaign.

Naturally, this implies that you aren't making any sales through PPC, which is something to consider.

Even if you take a vacation from other marketing strategies like SEO, social media, content marketing, etc., they should continue to generate visitors to your website.

Unfortunately, PPC doesn't work like this.

You must consistently "stoke the fire," investing money into your campaign to maintain traffic and leads.

Considering every perspective

We have now discussed both SEO and PPC's positive, negative, and ugly elements.

Each has advantages and disadvantages, just like any other aspect of marketing.

Consider all the options before deciding which approach best satisfies your immediate and long-term requirements.

When should you prioritize SEO

PPC is not an option if you have a limited budget, so SEO is the solution.

In this case, spending time on your marketing effort is more important than spending money on it.

You're seeking sustainability over the long run

Here is my opinion of SEO.

It's like attempting to move a massive boulder.

Although it takes a lot of early work to get going, once it does, it keeps picking up speed. It becomes a formidable power over time.

The work is worth it.

Your traffic leads and purchases will increase as your campaign progresses and your library of optimized content expands.

By continuing with SEO, we’ve gotten many visitors for highly sought-after keywords like "content marketing."

You don't require immediate outcomes.

As I just said, SEO is all about having a long-term perspective.

Getting reliable results will take time, especially if your brand is young.

However, SEO makes sense if you are more focused in the long term and don't need immediate, dramatic results.

Results for the first month are probably scanty.

However, things usually pick up steam around the six-month point.

That can be seen as the turning point.

SEO is your most excellent option if you have the patience to wait till lots of huge leads start coming in.

When should you prioritize PPC

A PPC-first campaign requires the implementation of two elements.

You should A) have a substantial budget and B) aim for blazing-fast outcomes.

You're likely to experience a significant increase in traffic once your campaign is launched, your keywords are selected, your budget is chosen, and your advertisements are configured.

Sometimes, this might occur in less than a day.

With little effort, your brand is instantly exposed to your target market.

If you use recommended practices, you should get a good return on your PPC investment.

The payback is significantly sooner, and you can save a ton of time and effort even though it will likely cost you more than SEO would.

We should note that if you choose to use PPC, Google Ads is not your only option.

Don't get us wrong; Google Ads is still functional and certainly effective.

Conclusion

The two techniques that are typically given priority when a brand first launches its marketing campaign are SEO and PPC.

Both can produce results, but they do it in very different ways.

All SEO is about sowing a seed and seeing it grow.

Once you get favorable positions in the SERPs, positioning your brand for success can take some time.

The best aspect is the rapid expansion many firms see after they overcome their SEO challenges.

PPC, on the other hand, is focused entirely on quick results.

Although the initial cost is higher, the results are nearly immediately apparent.

You may transform from a no-name business with no sales to a PPC powerhouse overnight.

The main drawbacks are that you'll pay for it and that it's shorter than SEO.

I want to tell you which strategy works best for each brand every time.

But situations are rarely this clear-cut.

According to several factors and your particular marketing objectives, you should prioritize one method over another.

However, weighing the benefits and drawbacks while considering all the options while signing up for SEO agency in India and PPC Packages should help you decide which course is best for your brand.

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hardik-mody

Hardik Mody

Hardik Mody is a Senior Manager in Digital Marketing. He plans and coordinates the marketing activities of ValueHits, a full-service Digital Marketing Agency in Mumbai, India. With his experience and Expert knowledge in the field, he identifies potential customers and develops marketing campaigns. Also, he is efficient enough to meet the client’s requirements and well-organized in handling multiple tasks.