In the search engine results page (SERP) below, would you want your website displayed at the top of the search page (paid results) or just under the ads (SEO organic results)?
Almost every company wants to be at the top of the organic results, but it takes time/effort to implement long-term SEO strategies. So if you’re not at the top of the SERP for a keyword search team and you need leads fast, the next best strategy is paid search. SEO and paid search may have different approaches, but they can both help your business succeed.
– Budget – Control your ad spend & scale it up or down daily.
– Speed – Get fast results. Place your ad today, get clicks right away.
– Testable & adjustable – Try different search terms; adjust your bid up/down for each. Test which works better.
– Measurable – See the clicks and conversions you get for each search term, budget, landing pages, etc.
– You’re targeting your ad specifically to people “in the market” for your product/service or your competitor’s.
These unique benefits demonstrate how SEO and paid search are both aimed at giving you results, but a paid strategy is more beneficial when needing immediate results.
The main downside to paid search (other than cost) is that it’s like a faucet. When you pay, the faucet goes on, your ad is displayed, and leads come. When you stop paying, the leads faucet stops.
Starting with paid search can give you a chance to test who your target customers and demographic are, which is crucial to getting conversions. Putting your content in front of the right people will give you a better opportunity to grab their attention and drive them through your funnel.
Learn more about paid search from other industry experts and get an in-depth view of the various options.
Organic SEO on the other hand allows for you to build a foundation through a long-term process. By putting in the time and effort to optimize your site for Google search, you will eventually get more visitors and customers. Even though the results are not as quick as with paid search, SEO is the best way to develop long-term results that you can rely on.
Every situation is different but you may need both strategies: SEO and paid search. A strategic SEM agency can help guide you along. Maybe start with paid and learn/grow to organic over time, but either way… you have to START!
