Save yourself from getting lost between different role terminologies in Digital Marketing, especially with Digital Marketing strategies such as SEM that aim to increase a website’s visibility and drive traffic through search engines. 

SEO and PPC are the two intersecting aspects of SEM and our hot topic of discussion today!

Before we go into the details, let me get the base right for you by explaining what SEM is:

SEM or Search Engine Marketing involves promoting websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) through search engine optimization (SEO) and paid advertising such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. These ads appear at the top or bottom of the search results, labelled as “sponsored” or ” ad.”

While there can be some overlap in SEO and PPC, both are very distinct from each other. 

Let’sLet’s draw some comparisons between SEO and PPC to understand them better!

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

SEO refers to optimizing a website to improve its organic (unpaid) search engine rankings. The goal is to increase the website’s visibility and attract relevant traffic by appearing higher on results pages. 

6 step SEO strategy that needs to be followed without fail is:

• On-page optimization: Optimizing website elements like meta tags, headings, content, URL structure, and internal linking.

• Off-page optimization: Building high-quality backlinks from other websites, social media promotion, and online reputation management.

• Keyword research: Identifying relevant keywords and incorporating them strategically within the website’s content.

• User experience (UX) optimization: Ensuring the website is user-friendly, loads quickly, and provides valuable information to visitors.

• Content creation: Producing high-quality, informative, and engaging content that aligns with user intent and addresses their search queries.

• Maintenance & Analysis: Regularly monitor your website’s performance using web analytics tools such as Google Analytics. Analyse and improve.

The benefits of SEO include long-term sustainability, cost-effectiveness (as it doesn’t require direct payment for clicks), and credibility gained through organic search rankings. However, SEO can take time to show results, requires ongoing efforts to maintain rankings, and is subject to search engine algorithm changes. Not to mention, specific resources, tools and services demand investment in SEO.

2. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising:

PPC advertising involves bidding on specific keywords or search terms to display targeted ads in search engine results.

Advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked (pay-per-click). The most common PPC platform is Google Ads, where ads appear above or below the organic search results.

5 Key aspects of PPC advertising can be listed below:

• Keyword targeting: Choosing relevant keywords to trigger your ads when users search for those terms.

• Ad creation: Crafting compelling ad copy that attracts users’ attention and encourages them to click.

• Bid management: Setting maximum bid amounts and budgets to control costs and ad placements.

• Ad extensions: Enhancing ads with additional information like links, phone numbers, or location information.

• Performance tracking: Monitoring key metrics like click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS).

PPC offers instant visibility, precise targeting options, and control over ad placements. It can complement SEO efforts by providing immediate traffic while waiting for SEO results. However, PPC requires ongoing budget allocation, and costs can increase if the competition for keywords is high.

To conclude, SEO focuses on optimizing a website’s organic visibility through various strategies, while PPC involves paying for ads that appear in search engine results based on chosen keywords. Both SEO and PPC have their advantages and can be used together or separately, depending on a business’s marketing goals, budget, and timeline.

If you wish to build a career in SEO or PPC, here are our two cents :

SEO is a long-term strategy that requires ongoing efforts, and results may take time. It can take several months to see significant improvements in organic rankings and website traffic. SEO experts focus on sustainable, long-term visibility and continuous optimization for better results. Their tactics involve technical optimizations, content creation, and off-page promotion to improve organic rankings.

While as a PPC expert, you need to perform extensive keyword research, create compelling ad copy, set up and manage strategies, design landing pages, and conduct A/B testing. You must monitor campaign performance continually, adjust budgets, and optimize campaigns based on data and insights.

Both have their perks, but combined as a comprehensive search engine marketing approach, they work wonders for the brand you are working with! 

Now that you got an overall idea of SEO and PPC Join us and gain in-depth knowledge of SEO while working on live projects with us,