Marketing Is Like a Box of Chocolates
In the film Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks famously delivers the line, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” When you begin your online marketing journey for the first time, you might express a similar sentiment. You can create an expectation for how that piece of chocolate will taste, and you can also create an expectation for how you’d like your marketing campaign to play out. And sometimes, your enjoyment of the first piece of chocolate will lead you to eat another.
So what will you do with your metaphorical box of marketing chocolates? You may enjoy one piece, but two or three may taste even better when combined.
PPC and SEO
At a glance, PPC and SEO have a few base concepts in common. They both use keywords, they both aim to rank in the SERPs, and they both can be used to remarket. But like a mixed box of chocolates, the outward appearances will be the same while the central cores are vastly different. In today’s article, we’re going to explore some of the differences between PPC and SEO and how they can work together toward improving your marketing campaign. Below we provide answers to four questions.
How Are They Similar?
The base similarities between PPC and SEO is that both campaigns are largely focused on targeting keywords to gain a positive ranking in the SERPs. Though some practices regarding these keywords differ, both stand to gain positive results by having a quality white-hat website and a landing page that is actually relevant to the keyword in questions.
How Are They Different?
When you look merely at the base similarities, the shell of the chocolate, you may think the two are similar enough to invest in one alone. What you’ll soon learn, however, is that there are a few valuable differences. These are as follows:
- Organic vs. paid rankings: SEO’s primary focus is utilize an understanding of search engines to gain a spot in Google’s organic rankings. Following today’s chocolate theme, type dark truffles gift set into Google’s search bar. At the top and bottom of the search page, you’ll see paid ads. Scrolling down from the top a bit will show organic results. Many will click on the ads right away, while others may feel predisposed to scroll down to the organic options. The reason for this is because some consumers regard results in the organic rankings to be a sign that they’re where they are for a reason—if they’re there organically, it conveys reliability.
- Budgets are different: Understanding how PPC campaigns work in relation to SEO is essential. When you invest in a PPC ad, you’re bidding on a keyword. What you’ll bid depends entirely on the search volume of the targeted keywords and the competition for them. What you bid is what you’ll pay every time someone clicks on your ad. With SEO, your budget oftentimes goes toward hiring marketing companies with the expertise to improve onsite pages, create blogs, and leverage relationships with publishers holding a high domain authority to receive backlinks.
- The timeline of results: A big difference between the two marketing channels is the results timeline. With PPC, you may see results almost immediately, if you know how to gauge the success of your campaign. SEO, however, is a slower build. It can take months for your pages to rise in the SERPs, but it’s important not to become discouraged too prematurely. Many companies with a strong SEO strategy have seen exponential growth in the results of their company.
How Do They Work Together?
The differences and similarities between SEO and PPC allow them to work together to greatly improve the success of your business. Keywords are your best friends in these two avenues, and here’s how they play together:
- Double the data you can analyze: When you use both forms of marketing, you’re effectively doubling the amount of data available to analyze. You can better evaluate the conversion rates of specific keywords and decide if they’re better suited to both methods or one alone.
- Increases visibility: The combination of both methods works to lead more people to your site. It works whether they prefer paid ads or organic results, and even if it shows up twice with the same query. It also allows the opportunity for more people to see your ads.
- Helps dominate the SERPs: When you invest in both PPC and SEO, you instantly gain more of an opportunity to dominate the SERPs. You have two different marketing avenues working to gain new customers. The more you show up with websites that provide high-quality, relevant content, the higher your chance of success.
Should You Invest in Both?
Both SEO and PPC are powerful marketing tools that have proved their worth over the years. Many businesses have invested in one alone and found satisfying results. However, using both can be an exceptionally valuable way to bring your business further than it’s ever been. But the answer is something that’s ultimately up to you and your business. Below are a few items you may consider when making a decision.
- Your budget: Marketing treads the fine line of taking a conscious risk and genuinely spending what you can afford. With PPC, you bid on a select number of keywords and set a daily budget. With SEO, you may be paying a monthly fee to an experienced company. If your budget doesn’t allow for both, you’ll have to take the time to choose which is right for you. If you initially choose just one and note a significant ROI, you may be able to invest in both in the future.
- Your business goals: The type of business you own, as well as your projected ROI, is an important factor when choosing your marketing method. If you’re seeking out exponential growth to build an empire, you’ll want to do everything you can to gain the required amount of exposure.
- Your current marketing strategy: If you already have a marketing strategy in place, you have results you’ll be able to analyze that will influence your next move. There may be one avenue in which you’ve invested time and money that just isn’t working for you. If this occurs and you’re truly having difficulty with your strategy, it’s okay to try something else for a while. Or you may need outside advice to improve your current strategy.
Logical Position Wants to Help
Forrest Gump’s mother tells him that you’ll never know what you’re going to find in a box of chocolates. Sometimes that’s true; other times, however, an enterprising person will create a key of every flavor to be placed inside your box. We want to create that key for you and help you discover what you might find in that box, and we want to help meet your expectations.
Our search marketing agency serves thousands of clients like you, and we’ve created for each of them unique strategies that target every business’s personal goal. We’d love to offer you a free review of your account and offer you professional insight. To take advantage of this offer, we encourage you to contact us today.
