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SEO is a strategy that hinges on utilising optimization of both on-page and off-page website features. Brands do this to rank high on a search engine’s organic results.
On the other hand, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) involves paying for those coveted high-ranking search positions. It also includes a fee whenever someone clicks on the same ad or related web listing.
Both are good strategies to embrace when pushing brand exposure online. However, they are different, and so, too are their applications. SEO is famed for its ability to build organic brand authority, while PPC is known for its direct response impact.
In this article, we’ll go over the main differences in the SEO vs PPC battle and highlight which one you should go for, depending on your marketing situation.
What is SEO’s Role in Building Brand Authority
Brand authority is a score or measure of a company’s experience, influence, credibility, and trust over a specific market, niche, or industry.
Consumers prefer getting their information, services, or products from credible brands who are outright industry experts. For example, most people would rather get their news from credible sources such as CNN, BBC, Fox News, and CNBC as opposed to random tabloids.
The same is true for the online space. Customers and online visitors are more likely to click on search results that involve brands with some level of authority in the field they are interested in.
Before a brand can be considered an authority, it ought to have experience, industry knowledge, and influence over the market. Because this takes time to accomplish, brands invest in long-term strategies that eventually bring this goal to fruition.
SEO is a branding campaign technique that allows brands to grow and become authorities in their respective niches. It requires high-quality, optimised content for web pages to rank highly. This whole process takes time, making SEO an ideal long-term branding strategy.
Brand authority also comes from a perception of security from your audience. That’s why you should consider using only the best website builders when starting your site. Not only do such platforms make it easier to build websites, but they also use secure data encryption techniques to ensure website security.
Lastly, the brand authority that comes from SEO also focuses on backlinks. Backlinks work as votes from other sites that ‘confirm’ your credibility and authority as a brand. Think of them as endorsements from other trusted sites that can influence your brand authority.
What is PPC’s Role in Direct Response Impact
It’s an advertising method that involves advertisers or marketers paying for those top slots on search results. When using PPC, brands also part with a fee each time someone clicks on the ad.
PPC is usually associated with websites and landing pages, but social media posts also fall into this category. When brands have a product that’s time-sensitive and is designed to reach a large targeted audience in a short time, they use PPC.
However, the power behind this popular model of advertising is in its ability to get users to complete a desired action. This is what is known as direct response impact. It’s a marketing strategy designed to elicit a specific and almost immediate response from a specific audience.
For instance, you can use PPC to get your audience to subscribe, sign up, download, buy your offerings, or complete any desired outcome your brand would want.
PPC’s direct response impact is incredibly fast. These campaigns can be set up and launched instantaneously. This allows your targeted audience to see your ad, which in turn leads to rapid responses from the same.
Which One Should You Choose?
So, should you go for SEO’s enhanced ability in building brand authority or PPC’s power in direct response impact?
Here are some factors to consider when choosing between the two.
If your aim is to get your targeted audience to take action, go for PPC
Direct response ads typically have a clear call to action. This means that if your objective is to elicit an immediate response from your audience, you should go for PPC. This is because your ads are shown to your specified targeted audience, which increases the likelihood of a direct response.
If you aim to be sought after for guidance and information, go for SEO
If you have unique and authoritative content, consider using SEO. Think of it like this: would you rather get soccer information from a finance-savvy website like this or Lionel Messi?
Consumers are the same online. They would rather learn from the experts, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like health, finance, and housing. And because of the long duration it takes to become an authority, SEO might be perfect for such brands.
It takes time to build optimised, high-quality content that ranks highly. One study by Ahrefs found that more than 77% of all pages take more than a year to rank in Google’s top 10.
But this shouldn’t deter you from following a branding strategy influenced by SEO because once you start ranking highly on Google, it becomes easier to get consistent traffic to your website.
If you aim to be a trusted and reputable website, go for SEO
Universities, research institutions, and governments are trusted sources of information, and so are their websites. If you want to be like such reputable and trusted authorities, consider working your way up slowly but surely through SEO.
As a trusted and reputable site, customers expect that you’ll act in good faith with their data, meaning you’ll not sell it (at least not without their consent). But even if you do this, it’s not a guarantee that you’ll win over the trust of your customers. You’ll need to do more.
Trust isn’t solely built on quality content that ranks highly. It also hinges on how effectively and responsibly you handle consumer data and privacy. Measures like cookie consent, ethical data practices and transparency are great for the responsible handling of consumer data.
You’ll also need to implement secure cybersecurity practices. Cybersecurity practices are essential for protecting both your consumers and your business. Data breaches and cyber attacks are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated.
Shockingly enough, not many organisations are implementing secure cybersecurity practices. One study by PwC found that cybersecurity improvements have been sluggish, if not stagnant. Not only that, but about one-third of organisations have no risk management plan that caters to cloud and data service challenges.
A data breach not only damages consumer trust but also has severe repercussions for your business reputation and financial stability.
Measures like encryption, firewalls, regular security updates, and employee training on recognizing and mitigating cyber threats can help you in preventing data breaches and enhance customer trust.
If you have a time-sensitive product or service, go for PPC
PPC is great if you have a short window for making an impact. If you have to promote limited-time offers, fast-approaching events, or flash sale products, consider PPC over SEO.
If you’re looking for cost-effectiveness, go for SEO
Unlike PPC, organic traffic, derived from SEO, doesn’t incur ongoing click costs. You don’t pay when someone clicks on your listings or pages when you have organic traffic.
Not only that, but SEO is a compelling long-term investment because it compounds with time the more your SEO branding campaign intensifies.
In Conclusion
Which is better, SEO vs PPC?
Your choice should be ultimately influenced by your product(s), time sensitivity, and branding strategy, both in the short and long run.
Here’s another train of thought: combining both SEO and PPC might be the better option. These two strategies, if appropriately harnessed, can improve brand authority, elicit direct responses, and improve sales.