The debate over SEO (Search Engine Optimization) vs. PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising resurfaces every few years, and it seems to be back again. Which one is better? Should you focus on organic search, PPC, or both? We’ve been working in the search marketing industry for more than ten years, and we’ve seen this argument crop up in many different forms. Most of the time, people don’t seem to understand what the real issue is. It’s not about whether one method is better than the other, it’s about how to use both methods to drive exponential growth.
This article will be discussing the benefits of tracking organic rankings for PPC keywords and using PPC to help improve your clients’ SEO. By understanding how the two are interconnected, you can develop a more holistic and effective digital marketing strategy for your business. We’ll examine how we can use this data to better budget our resources and make our agency more competitive in both organic and paid searches.
Why You Should Track Organic and Paid Search Keywords
Client reporting can often be seen as someone else’s problem, with a lack of ownership leading to a “not my pig, not my farm!” attitude. If you only focus on the campaigns being managed by your agency, you might miss important information.
In other words, if your client is willing to pay for clicks, they should also try to get an organic ranking for those clicks. Especially keywords that drive conversions and revenue. If you double the effort you put into searching for the right keywords, you will see positive results.
If you are not handling both sides of the search equation for clients, tracking and reporting on organic rankings for PPC keywords can help position your agency as an expert in multiple digital marketing tactics. Your reports should show both organic and paid results to show that your agency is up-to-date with the latest trends. By providing excellent service and going above and beyond for clients, you can encourage them to use more of your services without even trying to sell them.
Imagine this scenario for a moment. Your client has hired your agency to manage their PPC ad campaigns, but they work with a different agency on SEO. Your agency provides a comprehensive digital marketing dashboard that covers the client’s entire business, including paid search, social media, and SEO. This provides the client with a holistic view of their online presence and performance.
They get monthly reports on their organic search growth (which is not growing because they are not working with an agency on this) and how PPC and SEO could be improved to work smarter together.
“So many clients over time have had multiple agencies working on different parts of their campaigns,” adds Michael Gasser, Co-owner of Squeeze Marketing. “And then they realize that we are the ones that are effectively reporting in a way that allows them to assess the other agency’s work as well. If we’re just running Google Ads for the client, we’re not just reporting Google Ads data. We’re reporting their full suite of data. We connect to every applicable data source.”
If a client decides they want to try a new SEO agency, who do you think they will think of first? We can build a history of their keyword tracking that will come in handy when it’s time to make an SEO proposal.
Gasser says that they often have conversations with clients in which the clients say that they get all their information about SEO campaigns from the company, but that other companies are running SEO campaigns too. The clients then usually ask if the company does SEO.
As a matter of fact, they do.
Why Go the Extra Mile and Track Both Organic and Paid Search Keywords?
The answer to the debate about SEO vs. Paid Search is not simple. No two clients are alike, and each will have a different approach to organic and paid search. Agencies that focus on search engine optimization should track how their keywords are performing organically, as well as how their keywords are performing in pay-per-click advertising.
Tracking organic rankings can give you valuable insights into your client’s market, improve your optimization opportunities, and create an automated upsell funnel to generate more business. Monitoring the performance of paid search campaigns is easy because there is a lot of keyword data available through Google Ads reporting.
Interesting Organic vs. Paid Search Statistics
The relevance of a web page is determined by how closely the content on the page matches the query. The ranking of a website is determined by algorithms that look at factors such as keyword density and backlinks. Paid search results are the ads that appear at the top of SERPs for a given query. Both types of campaigns need to have strong keywords to succeed.
SEO and PPC: How They Work Together
We see Search Engine Optimization and Paid Search as complementary to each other. Sure, they can be used on their own. But they are so much better together.
Keyword Research
If you track your organic rankings for PPC keywords, it can help you with your keyword research. Organic and paid results can give you a good idea of which keywords to target. You can also use this information to figure out where your agency can improve.
If you only look at the keyword research, you might assume that all of these keywords are worth targeting with SEO and PPC. However, if you consider other factors, such as how much search volume each keyword has and how difficult it would be to rank for each keyword, you might decide to target different keywords.
However, when you look at the paid search estimates using Google Ads metrics, you discover something different. Although “emergency electrician Los Angeles” has a lot of unpaid, or organic, results, there are very few paid advertisements. Additionally, the estimated cost per click is lower than average. This may mean that this keyword is less competitive and that it would be easier to get quality traffic.
Improved Click-Through Rates
If you track the organic rankings of the keywords you use for your PPC ads, you can improve your click-through rates. When given the choice between an organic listing and a paid ad, people tend to click on the organic listing more often, even if it is lower down on the page.
Increased Digital Footprint
An additional advantage is that appearing as both a paid advertisement and an organic listing on the first page for the same keyword maximizes the amount of space dedicated to your business on the search engine results page. This not only increases the click-through rates on both listings, as discussed above but also increases your client’s overall brand presence on the SERP and pushes their competition out of the way.
The average number of organic results on the first page of Google is 10, although this number can vary depending on the particular search query. A paid ad on the first page of a website takes up about 10% of the total space on the page. This is a rough estimate, as the time an ad is shown can vary based on the type of ad and if extensions are included. However, it should be accurate enough for this example.
If you add an organic listing for the same client on the first page, you will instantly double the size of their search engine results page (SERP). By ranking for a few enhanced results, such as answering “people also ask” or ranking an image, video, or map result, you could easily triple your ownership of that critical first page.
Being on the first page of a search engine is important for anyone in the digital marketing world.
How do you measure the success of an SEO strategy vs. a PPC campaign?
Start with your business objectives. The main objective in most cases is to increase income, generate leads, sell more, or create more involvement. SEO and PPC strategies that are successful can create impacts that can be measured on your business by using a few key metrics at different stages of the customer’s journey.
The following is a list of metrics that can be measured for both SEO and PPC with many similarities between the two that can be used to advantage.
There are some metrics in which SEO or PPC zealots can claim superiority. However, experienced marketers know that neither channel exists independently and that we should instead focus on how each channel contributes to common goals.
Attribution Is the Future Present
This means that you have multiple opportunities to interact with potential customers and turn them into conversions. No two conversion paths are the same, just like no two snowflakes are the same. Multiple stages in the customer journey need to be considered to get an accurate picture.
When it comes to SEO vs. PPC, attributing success to either strategy becomes more difficult. The example below shows multiple conversion paths that include touchpoints for both “Organic Search” and “Paid Search.” In each of these cases, it took multiple interactions before the customer converted.
Your conversion rate for “Organic Search” compared to “Paid Search” will depend on your brand recognition and what products you offer. It’s important to look at the attribution model you prefer and use the information you get from different channels to decide how much money to spend and what to focus on.
Put your strengths to work while compensating for your weaknesses.
The most polarizing arguments for SEO vs. PPC often fail to recognize that each company has different strengths, weaknesses, and resources. The same task could be simple for one organization but very complex for another organization with different team structures, historical baggage, or finances.
Here are the most common factors to consider when deciding how to invest your resources:
Your Website & Landing Pages
Look at your website and see if it is good enough to help you achieve your goals. Do you have control over the code and the templates, so you can easily edit them? If you want to be successful with SEO, you may need to build a new site that uses best practices. (And that can get expensive.)
PPC campaigns usually don’t require a whole website to assist the customer’s journey. A landing page is a great way to convert visitors into prospects or customers, without having to use a CMS. A landing page is a powerful tool that can be used to test and improve offers and experiences for different groups of visitors.
Time & Money
If you have lots of spare time and want to earn some extra money, SEO might be a better option for you. Some ways you can spend your free time to benefit your website are by creating engaging content, building partnerships with other websites, and ensuring your site architecture is easily accessible to search engines.
If you have a lot of money, you can spend it on PPC and get results quickly. If you had a higher budget, you could test different approaches and find the one that works best quickly.
Team & Talent
If your team can create content, build links, establish credibility, and share expertise, you have the makings of a successful SEO campaign. PPC teams tend to be more analytical with a little bit of creativity.
To be successful, you need to either assess the team you have or build the team you want. Thankfully, people have not yet been replaced by AI, so it is still advisable to invest heavily in talented humans. Although it can be difficult to become skilled in PPC or SEO, it is possible to improve with time and practice. It is very difficult for one person to be an expert in both areas. To have success, it is important to manage your expectations and not put all your effort into one thing.
Content & Brand Equity
Do you have a site that is rich in content and has a lot of authority and expertise? SEO might look more appealing. Brands that have been around for a while can use their good reputation and strong customer base to improve their SEO ranking. A brand-new startup doesn’t have a solid foundation to start from.
If you’re starting a new website or trying to promote a new brand, PPC can give you the quick boost you need to be noticed.
Competitors
When deciding if SEO or PPC is right for your business, you should also consider how your competition is using these marketing strategies. Do you think that you will be able to beat Amazon and be the first organic search result on Google for a generic term like “board games”? Not likely. You can make your business stand out in a local market or niche industry by paying a little more attention to SEO.
How to win the “SEO vs. PPC” debate
Nobody has won this debate in the past decade. A winner is unlikely to emerge in the next decade either. Do not pigeonhole yourself or close off potential job prospects by declaring allegiance to one side and alienating the other.
Instead of fixating on one search channel, accept that paid and organic search channels both have their ups and downs. You should be comfortable saying “it depends” and be able to back it up with an assessment of your unique situation and a healthy discussion. By championing integration, you can improve your results and reputation.
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