Organic SEO and PPC = Buying and Leasing

By Jason Hagelberg

When researched, you can find many explanations of the difference between Organic Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click (or paid search services). Many individuals highlight one over another, toting it as the key to your website's success. However, let's take away some of the mystery and compare it to a situation most of us can relate to…purchasing a vehicle.

When looking for a vehicle, a great amount of research can be done quickly due to the volume of information available online. Once you’ve selected the type of vehicle, you then have to decide whether you intend to own or lease. Here in lies the great correlation to SEO and PPC.

Organic SEO (Purchasing):
Organic Search Engine Optimization can be related to buying the vehicle. Every bit of that vehicle will be solely yours. Upon full payment you make all the decisions and hope that your research will payoff in light of your investment.

Organic SEO is much the same. All of your changes made during the optimization of your website are yours to keep and do not disappear or decrease once you’ve completed payment. You have paid to optimize your website (which should include your technical structure, on-page and off-page content, and your internal and external link profile) to directly influence the search engine results displayed in the main area of the results page.

If your site is optimized well, you will be reaping the rewards in search results for some time to come, however, keep in mind that just as a vehicle manufacturer continues to upgrade with new models, so to search engines continue to change their algorithms and methods to deliver the best results.

Here lies the limitation for organic SEO - it can not last forever. Just remember that you get what you pay for, and as in buying a car, researching to find the best search engine optimization services will allow your investment to last longer.

Paid Advertising (Leasing):
Pay Per Click and paid advertisement services in general are very similar to a leasing agreement. When leasing a vehicle you can often get more short term bang for your buck than with purchasing. Often times the leasing payments can be lower, and you can generally afford a better vehicle.

This same concept applies to PPC and other paid advertisement services. These can usually produce a higher ranking faster than Organic SEO with a better short-term bang for your buck. Beware, just as many leasing agreements have limitations, so do Paid Advertisement services. Pay Per Click advertising is just what the name describes. You are paying a certain amount for every time someone clicks through the ad to your website.You are not leasing the space for a set amount of time with PPC, but rather leasing for a set amount of clicks. Once those clicks have been used up, you are no longer represented in these results, similar to having nothing at the end of the lease (although you may have nothing after the end of two weeks depending on your PPC advertising budget).

When to use what:

Organic SEO:

For a website you want to rank well for the long-term.

With limited funds – Organic SEO gives you a larger return on investment over a longer period of time.

To give your website a great foundation to build on.

Will force you to have great content. This by itself should increase any conversions you are aiming for.

When done by a good professional SEO Company, will last longer and give you a better return on your investment.

PPC and Paid Advertisement Services:

Are best for short term pushes - feature a limited product or advertise seasonal items.

As a great way to get a new site with a new domain seen quickly.

To help determine interest in a product or advertisement.

Will generally attract more traffic in a shorter amount of time.

What's best for me?

Most sound financial experts will recommend that it is usually better to purchase than lease. It saves you money in the long run and gives you something material for your investment. However, many of these same financial experts will say that there are times when it would be right to lease. The same is true of SEO experts. Without a doubt, if you are looking for longevity in the rankings, it is recommended to go with Organic SEO. The only people that disagree are the avid salesmen of the Paid Search Services. However, it is again important to realize that there are times when paid search services are the perfect thing for a website to use.

The choice comes down to what you are looking to do for your site. If you are trying to get your site to be seen by people in the long run with the best return for your investment, than Organic SEO is the best choice for you. If you are looking for some quick traffic with a new or seasonal item, PPC can be great, but leaves you nowhere when your advertisement dollars are gone. Most websites should start with the base that a good and solid SEO Company can give them through Organic Search Engine Optimization and then target intermittent or seasonal audiences with Paid Advertisements.

In the same fashion as car shopping, do your research. Check out the company that is offering services and find out their results and achievements. Don't get stuck with a “lemon” or nothing to show for your money. Whether going for the lease or the purchase, check into them and do some research. That one small step can usually save you agony in the long run.

If you are interested in learning more about a company that has a solid SEO and PPC background, look into Webtivitydesigns.com, a leading Sarasota SEO Company.