SEO vs PPC | Main differences, pros and cons and how to choose

PPC and SEO are powerful methods that help brands improve their online visibility. By using a strategically designed PPC or SEO approach, you can increase your brand's visibility, simplify the process of finding and contacting customers and ultimately increase profits. However, although they have similar objectives, PPC and SEO vary considerably

We'll analyse SEO and PPC, discussing their differences, advantages, disadvantages and additional aspects. Let's get started!

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SEO vs PPC: A brief overview

What is search engine optimisation (SEO)?

Search engine optimisation includes a series of strategies designed to improve the position of a company's website in the SERPs. Since Google is currently the most widely used search engine, capturing more than 81 per cent of the world's search engine market share, presenting your business on this platform can significantly increase its visibility and performance.

SEO tactics are most effectively integrated into web pages and blogs, as they make full use of the fundamental components of SEO - keywords and links. For SEO, your content needs to be engaging, informative and to the point, addressing users' questions, while the layout of the site should be organised and simple to navigate so that visitors can quickly locate the information they are looking for.

There are various types of SEO, but the main difference is between on-page and off-page SEO. On-page SEO consists of the following:

Keyword-rich H1 tags and meta descriptions;
Alternative descriptive texts that include keywords;
Various types of content (including keywords).

While on-page SEO emphasises content and the user experience on the site, off-page SEO encompasses:

Inbound links and backlinks;
Marketing through influencers;
Guest posting;
Social media marketing;
Links from consumer feedback platforms.

Here's a detailed article about SEO that will answer all your questions.

What is PPC?

SEO aims to improve website rankings, while PPC is more centred on generating profits. PPC is a marketing strategy that involves creating an advert, promoting it on a search engine or social media site and paying for it every time someone clicks on it.

PPC adverts can be tailored according to criteria such as location, gender, age, profession and other factors, helping you to reach the right target audience. These adverts can publicise a range of offers, such as promotions, articles, events or downloadable content.

Google Ads is the main PPC platform. According to Google's approach, every 1 dollar invested in Google Ads usually produces a return of 2 dollars in revenue. In addition to Google, you can also generate PPC adverts on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

SEO vs PPC: Comparison table

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Benefits of SEO

Increases brand recognition

The first advantage of SEO is that it can help publicise your brand. As we've already said, effective SEO optimisation through high-quality content improves your search engine ranking, which increases visibility. This increased visibility helps potential SEO clients discover your site, making SEO a reliable source of sustained traffic.

Builds trust and credibility

Another benefit of an effective SEO strategy is the ability to increase the trustworthiness of your site. Sites that occupy the top positions in search results are usually seen as more reliable and trustworthy by users.

What's more, organic search results are usually more reliable than PPC adverts. Linking your content to reports and studies indicates to search engines that your site is trustworthy, improving your ranking and motivating more customers to engage with your brand.

Cost-effectiveness

Another advantage of SEO is its affordability. Although it can take time to get results, SEO is generally more cost-effective over time than PPC. Once you've achieved a good ranking, you won't have to keep spending money to maintain it, since the clicks you receive are free. However, you do have to work continuously to stay on top.

With this in mind, SEO is generally more cost-effective than other outbound marketing methods, such as cold calling and print advertising, which often produce less profit or lead generation for the investment made.

Long-term benefits

As mentioned above, a significant advantage of SEO is its long-term approach. When done correctly, SEO can produce lasting advantages, in contrast to PPC, which offers a short duration of effectiveness. After achieving high rankings, the effort and resources invested will undoubtedly produce benefits over time.

Improved user experience

SEO involves not only satisfying search engines to improve the ranking of your content, but also improving the overall user experience. The main aim is to improve your position so that people can connect with your brand - the better your ranking, the more visitors will view your site.

A well-optimised site tends to be easier to use and a better user experience results in increased conversion rates, trust and brand loyalty.

Competitive advantage

The final advantage of SEO is that it can give you an edge over your rivals. An optimised website allows you to differentiate yourself in a competitive market. If your site is easy to navigate and easily found, customers will be more inclined to choose you over alternatives. This can be especially advantageous in extremely competitive sectors.

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Disadvantages of SEO

Intense rivalry

Although SEO can increase your visibility, getting to the top takes a lot of time and effort. Many companies are competing for the same keywords, which results in intense rivalry for the first page of search results.

It is therefore essential to constantly improve your SEO strategy, as competitors can implement specific tactics that can lower your SERP rankings.

Constantly changing algorithm

Search engine algorithms are always evolving and keeping up to date means regularly reviewing and improving your SEO strategy. This means that reaching the top position takes time and maintaining that position isn't guaranteed either.

In certain cases, changes to the algorithms may require brands to completely overhaul their entire strategy. Unlike PPC, which allows you to buy visibility, SEO has to align itself with search engine criteria in order to remain competitive.

Time-intensive

Another drawback of SEO is the length of time it takes to be effective. Although SEO is a cost-effective approach, it requires crawling, indexing and building your site's credibility before it can produce results.

As already mentioned, brands must create SEO-optimised content in order to stand out. Given the time and resources needed to master and apply SEO, hiring external SEO services can be a smart decision that helps you save time, money and effort.

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Benefits of PPC

Target audience appeals

One of the main advantages of PPC is that it allows you to precisely segment your audience. You can tailor your adverts according to different demographics, such as geographical area, language and previous engagement with your site. This precise segmentation increases your brand's visibility, allowing you to connect with your audience before your rivals.

Targets at various stages of the funnel

Customers can be at various stages of the sales funnel, so applying a uniform strategy to everyone may not produce the expected results. PPC accommodates a variety of content formats that appeal to all audience segments, including blog articles, guides and case studies. This makes it possible to focus on each customer segment in the most efficient way.

Overall control

Another advantage of PPC is the significant control it gives you. You have the option of selecting where your adverts will be displayed, adapting the call-to-action button and its destination and selecting the exact landing page links to guide users to specific sections of your site. You can also modify the demographic segmentation to get the results you want.

Quantifiable results

One of the main advantages of PPC over SEO is its ability to provide quick and quantifiable results. Once your ad is live, you can conveniently monitor its performance by viewing it online or via the campaign platform and analysing the statistics.

For example, with Instagram ads, you can see the real-time metrics of your advert directly on your profile. It shows the number of clicks received, the sources of those clicks, the cost associated with each click and various other important metrics. This allows you to quickly modify and improve your adverts for better results.

Increases sales

Since PPC adverts generate results immediately after they are launched, they can quickly increase your sales. Even if you're improving an advert you've previously launched, you can quickly raise it and increase your sales.

In general, if your PPC campaign is effective, it can generate more traffic - and therefore sales - unlike SEO, where results take longer to appear.

Quick entry

Another significant advantage of PPC is that it provides a low entry threshold, allowing accessibility to practically anyone, even if they are a newcomer to the sector. Unlike SEO, which can require months to produce noticeable results, PPC allows you to present your adverts to your target audience instantly. This is especially helpful for new companies or products looking for quick exposure and momentum in the market.

Budget flexibility

Finally, PPC allows you to set a budget that suits your company's needs. You can start with a limited budget and monitor the results closely. If the results are positive, you can increase your budget.

The adaptability of PPC is especially beneficial for small businesses or those facing budget constraints. In this way, they can access the paid advertising market without a substantial initial outlay.

Brand visibility

PPC adverts can appear on different platforms, such as search engines, social networks and affiliate sites. This presence on several platforms considerably increases your brand's visibility and audience.

For emerging or unknown brands, PPC is a great strategy for gaining visibility and increasing brand awareness. You can also publish the same advert on several platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, or use various formats, such as videos and landing pages.

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Disadvantages of PPC

High cost

In contrast to SEO, PPC tends to be more expensive, particularly during the initial stages, as you are investing funds with no immediate return. Perfecting campaigns can also take a long time, thus increasing expenses.

The main elements that influence PPC costs are:

Keyword competition: The price fluctuates based on the degree of competition from the keywords you choose to bid on;
Relevance and quality: These elements, together with the landing page, influence the ranking of keywords;
Continuous supervision: Consistent evaluation of keyword performance is crucial for economical bidding;
Quality score: Striving for a high quality score can improve the cost-effectiveness of your PPC campaign.

Understanding these cost elements can help you control your PPC budget more efficiently.

Sales are not guaranteed

One disadvantage of PPC advertising is that, while it can increase traffic to your site, it doesn't guarantee that those leads will convert. What's more, if an advert is broadcast over a prolonged period, it can diminish its impact, causing viewer fatigue or encouraging users to use ad blockers to avoid seeing it repeatedly.

To avoid this problem, put the emphasis on personalising your ads. In this way, you can establish an effective connection with your customers and address their interests and needs, motivating them to get involved and convert.

Click fraud

Although PPC offers important information about the level of interest in your adverts, it is also susceptible to click fraud. In simple terms, these clicks are often artificially created by rivals to force you to spend more money without receiving any genuine revenue in return. Worldwide, advertising fraud results in an annual loss of around 80 billion dollars for brands.

As you incur costs for each click on a PPC ad campaign, some rivals may use strategies to drain your budget with fraudulent clicks. By getting additional clicks that don't result in genuine leads, you're putting yourself at risk of financial loss without realising it.

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SEO or PPC: What is better for your business?

So which is more advantageous for your company? SEO or PPC? If you don't know the answer, think about your needs and your budget:

Would you like to increase sales and do you have a larger budget to utilise? PPC could be the ideal option for you;
Do you want to increase the visibility of your website and connect with more people about your brand, but you're on a tight budget? In that case, SEO is the best choice.

Also, take a look at the table below for a quick overview of the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy to help you make your decision:

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FAQ

What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of optimising a website to improve its positioning in the organic results of search engines such as Google. The aim is to increase the site's visibility without paying directly for adverts.

What is PPC?

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is a marketing strategy where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their adverts. The most common is Google Ads, where advertisers pay to display their adverts in the sponsored results.

What's the big difference between SEO and PPC?

The main difference is that SEO focuses on attracting free, organic traffic, while PPC involves paying for adverts to generate immediate traffic.

Which is more effective: SEO or PPC?

Effectiveness depends on the objectives of your marketing strategy. SEO tends to generate lasting results over the long term, while PPC can bring quick results. Many companies choose to use both together.

Is SEO a free strategy?

Although SEO itself doesn't involve direct ad costs, it does require an investment of time and effort in content optimisation, link building, analysis and monitoring tools.

With PPC, can I guarantee that my site will be visited?

Yes, with PPC you pay to ensure that your adverts are shown and, as a result, increase paid traffic. However, this depends on how you target your adverts and how effective your campaign is.

Can SEO be more advantageous in the long term?

Yes, SEO tends to be more advantageous in the long term, since once you achieve good positioning, organic traffic can continue to come without additional costs for adverts.

Does PPC offer faster results than SEO?

Yes, PPC can generate traffic almost immediately, while SEO takes longer to show results due to the need to gain positions in search engines.

Can I use SEO and PPC at the same time?

Yes, many companies use SEO and PPC simultaneously to get the best results. SEO can provide long-term traffic, while PPC offers quick results and increases immediate visibility.

What are the costs involved in SEO?

SEO can have costs for analysis tools, hiring specialised professionals, content creation and link building strategies. However, there are no costs directly related to paying for clicks or adverts.

Are PPC results sustainable without continuous investment?

No. PPC depends on continuous investment. If you stop paying for adverts, paid traffic will cease immediately.

Can I optimise my PPC with SEO?

Yes, SEO practices such as choosing keywords, creating relevant ads and a well-optimised landing page can improve the performance of your PPC campaigns.

How do you choose between SEO and PPC?

If you need quick results, PPC may be the best choice. If your focus is on a long-term, sustainable strategy, SEO may be more effective. The ideal is to combine the two approaches for best performance.

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Summary

SEO and PPC marketing are both powerful methods for increasing sales, cultivating contacts and boosting online visibility. The challenge of deciding between PPC and SEO has remained for years, but our guide aims to simplify your choice.

After all, why limit yourself to just one strategy? Integrating SEO and PPC management allows you to improve your results and achieve the best results for your brand!

Contact Studio.351 and our team will help you choose the most effective way for your business.

Want to master SEO? Discover everything you need to know to optimise your website, increase your traffic and reach the top of Google with foolproof strategies!

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