In the mid-2000s, when digital marketing was in its early stages and the masses were slowly embracing websites like Myspace, Youtube, and Facebook, there was a rush to advertise to the millions of new browsers. While many were skeptical at first whether internet marketing was a profitable venture, their fears were put to rest when findings showed that the industry generated $2.69 billion in revenue by the end of 2004. Once marketers began to explore the world of internet marketing, the next decision was to figure out the best way to appeal to consumers.
Google was one of the first search engine sites to sell advertisements associated with searched keywords. With bidding starting at $.05 per click, Google followed the model set by Goto.com and implemented what we now know as Pay Per Click Advertising or PPC. Being the pioneering search engine marketing (SEM) strategy, PPC was the clear favorite for entities looking to plaster their ads on the screens of the steadily growing number of web surfers. When the idea of organically improving your search engine ranking through the strategic use of keywords and meta information — otherwise known as SEO — came along, business owners were hesitant to embrace it.
In marketing conferences around the country, if you listen closely enough, you’ll hear an energized discussion about the efficacy of PPC versus SEO; but like Sundays and brunch, they simply go better together and here’s why.
Increased SERP Visibility
The ultimate goal of any product seller or service provider is to make the most of their digital presence. This is best achieved through the optimization of major search engines. Most entities feel they have reached success once they rank #1 for a desired search term and will often invest less into PPC ad campaigns. Although you may top organic search results, two to three PPC ads remain above yours that will likely occupy the screen of browsers, especially on mobile. By maintaining your SEO efforts and PPC ad campaign, you can dominate the search engine results page (SERP) and attract more leads.
Dual Sources of Keyword Research
The text in your PPC ad is what attracts consumers. By using those ads to gauge which keywords convert to more clicks, you can draft better meta descriptions, titles, and on-page content. Beefing up these aspects will help you improve the overall success of pages you wish to rank organically, and is more efficient than if you were to solely test keywords on organic pages.
Probably the most notable benefit of running PPC and organic campaigns simultaneously is that you get double the feedback. You’re getting constant feedback from both campaigns, allowing you to better determine which keywords have the highest conversion rate and use that data to influence your overall digital marketing strategy.
Combat Against Negative PR
As much as you try to put your best foot forward, there’s always a possibility that someone will have something negative to say about your business. When that happens, your collaborative SEO and PPC efforts can combat the negative PR. One of the best examples of this thus far is the BP oil spill.
“Oil spill” was one of the most highly-searched terms for some time after the industrial disaster on the Deepwater Horizon occurred, but BP used that to their advantage. They purchased PPC ads that linked to pages about their cleanup efforts and had organic pages that ranked highly for the search term as well. In the mix of the negative news stories and online forums were BP pages that put a positive spin on the conversation which allowed BP to recover from the incident faster than if they had done nothing.
The digital marketing experts at Market My Market can jumpstart your SEO and PPC campaign to fully optimize your digital presence. In collaboration with web design and development, social media, and email marketing, we can help you generate quality leads that convert into loyal consumers. Contact us at (800) 954-9441 to discover how you can get started today.