SEO vs. PPC: Which is the best search engine marketing option?

The search engine is the ultimate marketing medium for all marketers. Search engines are the best place to market your products not because it’s the only online marketing medium out there.

After all, we have other online marketing mediums like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the rest. But what makes search engine marketing better than all other forms of online marketing is that they are unlike other forms of online marketing where you try to catch the attention of the viewer.

In search engine marketing, the viewer is actually the one searching for your product or services when they are in need of it. What this means is that search engine leads converts more and better to sales because they are more motivated or ready to make a purchase.

As we all know there are only two ways of making it to the first page of search engine result. You either pay for it using Google PPC or you work your website up there through effective SEO.

Having done real estate PPC and SEO management for real estate agents, I have come across so many realtors asking me which one of the two they should focus on. So here I am going to tell you which of the two search engine marketing option you should focus your strength or budget on.

Search engine marketing differs from other forms of online marketing in that the viewer is the one searching for the product or services when they are in the need for it. (Source)

PPC is for beginners

You heard me right. PPC is for beginners. If you just started selling a product or service online, the worst thing you should do is start with SEO.

I am not saying you shouldn’t perform internal optimization on your website. Internal optimization is a must for all digital marketers both new and old. But what I discourage young digital marketers from is building their nest on SEO entirely by pursuing Links here and there or hiring an SEO expert.

The first thing I encourage newcomers to do is to use PPC to generate leads and sales and after the sales are coming in on a regular basis, then they can use part of the money gotten from sales to fund their SEO campaign.

SEO requires time

If you are looking for a quick way to start generating leads and sales and you are looking at SEO, then my friend you are in for a heartbreak.

SEO is unpredictable. You can’t tell the specific time it will start to yield results. But with PPC, you can start ripping result instantaneously.

Depending on how competitive your niche is, it can take three to six months or even a year for you to claim the first page in Google result pages. That fit can only be achieved if your SEO agency is very knowledgeable and versatile in SEO.

So, why waste time and money waiting to suck the Google juice when you could do that using PPC.

Another reason why I ask new digital marketers to stay clear of SEO and make use of PPC until they are profitable is due to impatience. It’s hard for new digital marketers to invest money and wait for like three to six months before making a profit out of their investment.

Because of this fact, new digital marketers tend to demand instant result from their SEO agency or make unrealistic demands. In worst case scenario, they will demand a refund claiming their SEO agency is not doing anything.

My final verdict

Being a digital marketer myself and selling digital services, I made the mistake of hiring a real estate SEO expert to help me generate leads in my early days instead of funneling that money into PPC which would have given me instant results.

I paid dearly for that and after three months I was unable to break to page 1 of Google, but I was able to make it to 11th position on search. I knew the SEO company I hired was good but what was not good was my pocket which was not deep enough.

Well after three months of using this SEO company, I ran out of money to continue with them. I only managed to pay for one extra month, after which I stopped because I ran out of money.

My regrets

My regrets were that I could have used that money on PPC first. When the sales start coming from PPC consistently I would have had enough money to hire the SEO company and run it until I hit the top spot on SERP.

So, my final verdict is if you are new to selling products or services online, your only alternative is PPC. SEO should be left to only the old guys who are already making money.

Do you share the same view as mine? Which do you think new marketers selling digital products or services should focus on?

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DISCLAIMER: This article expresses my own ideas and opinions. Any information I have shared are from sources that I believe to be reliable and accurate. I did not receive any financial compensation in writing this post, nor do I own any shares in any company I’ve mentioned. I encourage any reader to do their own diligent research first before making any investment decisions.