The Difference Between PPC and SEO

The Internet marketing world can be a tricky one for many newcomers. PPC, SEO, SEM, Google analytics, Google algorithms, the list goes on of tools and ways to optimize you brand and business ideas into a successful online campaign. But lets start out small, the first thing anyone comes in contact with when “Google-ing” anything is the Pay Per Click (PPC) and Organic (SEO) results.  Once you type in a single word or phrase, Google, Yahoo, Bing or any other search engine uses these phrases to pick out the most qualified article or information for you. Lets take Google for example:

Everything highlighted in a darker shade and the right hand corner column is PPC ads, all other results in the white are organic search, otherwise known as SEO, or non-paid search results.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, and more.  When typing in a keyword or phrase, each search engine has a specific algorithm of determining a web site’s relevance. The more relevant your site, the higher your site will show up on a search engine.

Some key factors in SEO ranking are HTML, quality content and architecture and layout.  Social media, a strong following and great inbound links are also ways to increase organic rankings.  Keep your website relevant and updated consistently to keep your readers interested and information fresh.

Pay Per Click (PPC) is an advertising model that is used to direct users and traffic to your web page.  You can use different PPC programs, Google Adwords for example, to bid on keywords or phrases that will attract users to your site.  Every time a person clicks on your ad, you pay a certain amount set for that online ad. You can choose demographics, times and dates for your ads to show up that you believe will attract the most attention to your site.  PPC ads can appear instantly while SEO results can take a couple months to generate rankings.

Each company and website is very different. You may decide to choose one or both of these internet marketing methods to target your audience.  Either way it takes time to learn Search Engine Marketing and to understand which works better for you.