Is SEO or PPC better for my small business?

 Working in both marketing and public relations capacities, we’ve come to realize search engine optimization (SEO) and Pay-per-Click search engine marketing (SEM) work well together to create a solid website presence and search results listing. And since more than 40% of e-commerce sales for products in 2013 were generated by user-based search engine queries, companies with online shopping capabilities should invest heavily in #SEO and #SEM. But many small businesses still struggle with which approach is better, so we’ve outlined the very basics of each in this post.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

It’s quite common small businesses don’t have excessive funds to support e-commerce yet and instead rely on in-store customer patronization. That being said, #smallbusinesses without online sales functionality can absolutely benefit from a well-designed, optimized website, and should utilize proven SEO and keyword optimization tactics to create a trusted, content-rich site that ranks high in organic search results. Investing in your small business’ online presence helps drive quality consumer web traffic, boosts business recognition and can help drive sales inquiries.

Pay-per-click Advertising

Alternatively, companies could also use a pay-per-click (#PPC) search engine marketing ad campaign to quickly draw consumer attention on search engine results pages (#SERP.) PPC ads through search engine providers like Google AdWords or Bing Ads can be very budget-friendly advertising assets and help to bring online visibility to your small business. You select the keywords you want your business to rank for, set your budget and the programs do the rest. But, it’s important to remember that many consumers are growing increasingly distrustful of advertising and view organic search results with more credibility.

So which approach is better? Well, they’re both equally important, but your decision will be heavily dependent on your small business’s budget, time and labor resources. Still on the fence about your approach? Contact us below for a free consultation!