When launching a new site for the first time, many marketers develop an obsession with traffic, and no matter where it comes from, they want it to hit high numbers so they can start measuring behavior on their site and testing new ideas. The question here is: where should they put their attention and their money?
Most of the marketers I have met see SEO as the default choice for online marketing. Still, I think this bias is the natural result of marketers who have previously worked as copywriters or who have had communications roles…
This type of work usually involves strong interactions with those who work in SEO within their own business; among other things, it is less expensive than paid advertising, so it becomes a more coveted choice to accumulate a little more budget.
On the other hand, some marketers think that pay-per-click, PPC, is the best place to start. In my experience, this is a more common belief among executives with experience in the offline industries.
These people understand that advertising is a must for any business looking to grow their customers (or to grow in a few months); therefore, once they intend to go ahead with advertising, many start with Google campaigns. AdWords or Facebook ads, although there are infinite ones.
While it is recommended to market sites with important channels, including SEO, PPC, PR, social media, and so on, it is not always possible. When resources are limited, must make difficult decisions.
Below you will find the pros and cons of getting started with SEO and PPC.
SEO
Advantage
- It does not require a significant and upfront investment
- SEO professionals can get started without first learning the ins and outs of your business model
- Sites with a lot of SEO traffic are an asset, and spending money on them is an investment in your business
Disadvantage
- Seeing results before 6-9 months is rare
- Building an in-house team could be very expensive in the long run if more than 3 people are needed
- It is more challenging to measure ROI than a PPC
- It is more challenging to predict probable future success
- Updates to Google’s algorithms can cause significant fluctuations in traffic
PPC
Advantage
- Results are measurable in days, sometimes hours
- Measuring ROI and the possibility of achieving long-term profits is very easy.
- Updates on Google AdWords are frequent, but they rarely have a big impact on campaign performance.
Disadvantage
- Profitable campaigns aren’t an asset, and the moment you stop paying for ads, you’ll lose traffic
- PPC managers will need to fully understand your online sales process before starting, which means you will need to be
- very open with your business.
- Traffic costs will always increase over time
Both SEO and PPC require patience until you can see an ROI, as well as a lot of work that the people around you will have to do, and who knows what you do.
When making the decision, my advice is to ask yourself a question: “If I can’t prove within 6 months that this site is profitable, will I close the project?” if the answer is yes, then the only way will be PPC.
If you have the budget to get started with PPC campaigns that will cover many relevant keywords, and if there is pressure to produce results quickly, you should move on. If money is low, but you intend to invest in online marketing over the long term, then SEO is the best solution.
The crucial question is, what will you do when you’re on a tight budget but still need to produce quick results? In such a scenario, you can test a small, super-targeted PPC campaign that only includes keywords that best describe your site’s offer.
All of this will give you some idea of how a prospect would react to your site, and if the results are encouraging, you will be motivated to move your budgets to other places to get your campaigns bigger.
Regardless of your path, the only thing that needs to be consistent is that the more work you put into what you do, the better the results, so be prepared to roll up your sleeves!.