Best Practices for Search Engine Optimization: Part 4

(Part three of this series on SEO can be found here.)
Previously, we took a look at Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing. But how does it compare to organic SEO?
Organic SEO vs Pay Per Click
Organic SEO |
PPC Advertising |
• Costs Associated with Content Creation | • Geographic, Device, and Additional Targeting |
• Slow to Build Traffic | • Near-Instant Traffic |
• Difficult to Target Audience | • Costs Associated with Keyword Bids |
• Long-term, Regular Traffic | • Burst, Campaign-Specific Traffic |
• Traffic Continues After Campaign | • Traffic Ends Immediately After Campaign |
Each strategy has its own strengths and work well together. For example, if a website is launched with a new domain, it may take months to be indexed organically in Google; PPC advertising would help build initial traffic until organic visitors increased.
A well-rounded internet marketing campaign would build steady, regular traffic through organic methods (link building, content creation), augmenting it with targeted PPC campaigns (focus on seasonal traffic, key geographic targets, etc.). Such a campaign would also make use of some of the rising stars in organic and paid SEO:
- Video Content: sites with video are 53 times more likely to have a front-page Google result
- YouTube Advertising: YouTube is the #2 search engine
- Mobile Targeting: Nearly half of Americans now own a smart phone
To recap: There are a thousand companies claiming to have found the perfect SEO combination, and asking you to commit big dollars to their system. SEO doesn’t need to be a mystery. Quality-driven, functioning, unique-content sites with rich media are being rewarded.
At Appleton Creative, we don’t offer you a system, we offer you a partnership. We’ll work with you to determine the things that are important, such as which searches are converting into business for you, and what long-tail searches will convert best and thus, worth your focus. We bring a flare for detail to the award-winning websites we design, program and manage.
Appleton Creative is an Orlando-based boutique agency offering marketing solutions in the areas of websites, print and video. If you need a friend in the business, call Amy at 407-246-0092 Ext. 7# or e-mail: amy@appletoncreative.com.
Tags: Social Marketing / SEO, web design, web development, online marketing, search engine optimization, Google Adwords, organic search, ppc, sem