As long as you are a business owner, no matter how recently you have begun, it is impossible to not know about digital marketing. Ever since online purchase and transactions have become a thing, people have become more inclined towards the trend to experience the convenience it has to offer.
To take advantage of the expanded digitalization, startups are required to adapt to digital marketing strategies such PPC, SEO, content and more. It provides them with the opportunity of reaching potential customers and enhancing their brand awareness.
If you have just started your business or are still in the startup stage, you would definitely want your company to grow. But being in the initial phase of business puts on few restrictions in terms of both budget and timeframe.
Consider choosing the best digital marketing agency in California that suggests the right strategy based on your business objectives for achieving profitable results. In this blog, you will get a definitive guide to evaluate the pros and cons of both strategies to finalize which is better, SEO vs PPC for startups.
What is the difference between SEO and PPC?
SEO is a long-term digital marketing approach while PPC is a paid ad strategy that benefits faster results. Let’s understand both the strategies comprehensively that can help make informed decisions
Search Engine Optimization is a process used to improve your ranking on search engine sites such as Google, Bing and others. This strategy involves optimizing website content, metadata, URL links based on specific keywords relevant to the product or service your business offers. It helps you achieve desired results in the long run.
On the other hand, PPC (pay-per-click) marketing involves paid advertising of your product or service website on search engines. When you run a PPC campaign, your website becomes visible as the top result on search engines irrespective of its organic ranking. It consists of choosing keywords and making bids to display your ad. Every time your ad is clicked, the amount you have bid on is deducted. This way you get instant visibility and improved conversion rates.
SEO vs PPC for Startups – Pros and Cons
Although the motive behind adapting any of the strategies from SEO or PPC is the same, it is essential to choose one that aligns with your goals and requirements. Both the strategies have their own share of pros and cons.
Pros of PPC for Startups:
- Faster Results and Conversion
When you run a PPC ad, you don’t have to wait for your website to grow organically as it will appear at the top of search engine results without ranking. This will increase the traffic on your website providing you with wider reachability and more conversions. But to achieve this, it is crucial that the bid is made on the right keyword otherwise the attracted traffic will not result in conversion. With the relevant keywords and strategic bid, you can achieve faster results.
- Qualify Traffic and Leads
The paid ad only appears when the user is searching for the keyword that is specified in your campaign. If someone is clicking on your displayed link, it means they are genuinely interested in your product or service. This helps you reach potential customers, increasing the conversion rate. With the help of PPC advertising, you can also build qualified leads for your business till the time it expands.
- Competitive Advantage
If your business falls into the category having high competition, it can take a long time for your online presence to grow organically. This can lead to missing out on potential leads even though your product or service is the best in the market. PPC advertising approach can save you losing out on prospectives by providing instant reach and helps you withstand the market competition till the time your website ranks in the top search results.
Cons of PPC for Startups:
- Can Get Expensive
Owning a startup business requires you to follow a strict budget. In case your initial strategy for PPC ad campaign doesn’t work out, you need to change your approach. This trying and testing process in running an ad campaign can make your marketing expensive. If the PPC campaign is not managed strategically, it can sometimes burn a hole in your pocket.
- Short-term Approach
This strategy cannot be used in the long term as it includes continual investment. As soon as you stop advertising, your visibility will disappear. If we consider the worst-case scenario where you get very few leads, this strategy results in more loss than profits.
Pros of SEO for Startups:
- Wider Qualified Reachability
Optimizing your website for Google algorithm based on search intent can help enhance your visibility to prospective customers. SEO can rank your website higher for the targeted audience to know your brand resulting in increased credibility. Using the right keywords in your content can help search engines to find your website and position you according to the value it offers for the searchers.
- Improves User Experience
Attracting traffic is not the ultimate goal but converting them to take action is. This can only be achieved if your website is user-centric and easily accessible. Applying on-page SEO improves the loading speed, navigation and authority of the website. It enhances the user experience and encourages them to click on CTA buttons. This leads to an increased conversion rate.
- Long-term Approach
SEO strategy can be considered profitable in the long run as it helps your brand online presence grow. The reach you will get with this approach will be completely organic. The only process it involves is to keep updating your website from time to time based on relevancy and targeted keywords. This organic traffic will help in getting continuous sales for your business even in the longer run.
Cons of SEO SEO for Startups:
- Time-consuming
It takes comparatively longer time in providing effective results. With SEO, you cannot except meeting your objectives overnight. This can result in a loss of potential customers in the early stage of your business growth and can affect your competitiveness.
- Changing Algorithm
Google constantly keeps updating its algorithm. If your website is not updated in alignment with ongoing trends, you can lose the ranking and authority. Sometimes changing algorithms can even make google deindex your website in case the content is not updated.
Which is Better for Startups – SEO vs PPC?
Overall, if we look at the advantages and disadvantages of SEO and PPC, choosing one can be tricky. While SEO offers wider reachability and longevity, PPC offers fast results with an advantage over competitors. But PPC can become expensive sometimes with continual investment while SEO takes time to provide profitable results.
To choose one of the two most effective strategies – PPC vs SEO for startup, you need to finalize your business objectives for which you want marketing. For example, if you are happy with your current revenue but willing to expand your online presence, you can opt. for SEO. But if you want quick results and an increase in your revenue in this competitive market, it is advisable to go with PPC management company in California.
If you want your startup to generate sales with increased visibility, choose ad marketing as your ultimate digital marketing solution. PPC marketing can sometimes even result in loss if campaigns are not managed properly.
To avoid the chances of failure, consider the best digital marketing expert advice that can analyze your requirements well to provide profitable results for your startup.
