Search Engine Optimization Advertising
• Protection from SEO algorithm updates. One major weakness of SEO is that algorithms change from time to time. When that happens, sites that have been optimized in one way can lose rankings - and profits - practically overnight. But when you pay for traffic, you're assured a steady stream of visitors, no matter what changes Google and the other search engines make.
2. How high are the average CPCs in your industry?
In addition to setting your overall advertising budget, take a look at what other people in your industry are paying for ads.
PPC platforms typically allow users to bid what they're willing to pay for a single keyword click - a fee that's referred to as "cost-per-click" (CPC). For instance, if you want to reach people searching for the keyword phrase "car insurance online, " you could use the Traffic Estimator within the free Google External Keyword Research Tool and see that the average CPC for the phrase is $2.76.
But average CPCs can run much higher - $28.55, for example, for the phrase "auto insurance." Those prices make it more difficult for new advertisers to turn a profit from PPC traffic. In such cases, SEO might be a better choice.
3. How competitive are the SERPs in your niche?
You also will want to determine how competitive the search engine results pages (SERPs) are for your target keywords. To do this, enter your keywords into the Google External Keyword Research Tool, which will tell you the estimated competition level, as well as the number of advertisers bidding on your keywords and the average CPCs.
In the most competitive industries, you may find that results pages for your target keywords are dominated by authority websites. They can be nearly impossible to displace without a significant investment of time and money. In such cases, it may ultimately make more sense to pay for traffic via PPC promotions.
But it isn't always necessary to make an "either-or" choice. When combined, PPC and SEO can be quite powerful. Ask yourself these three questions and determine the optimal mix of PPC and SEO for your website.
