Convincing potential clients or managers of the advantages of organic search has over pay-per-click ad campaigns is quite the challenge – here at SEO Advantage, we’re always trying to get potential clients to migrate from PPC to SEO because of the long-term benefits it holds over PPC.
But to a marketing manager at a large corporation, PPC is quite attractive because it’s the most familiar to them…and there’s a clear connection between money spent and results. Ads can be set up and implemented quickly. Marketers and budget managers can easily calculate ROI and see clear profits within a few days at most.
It’s difficult to sell SEO against PPC since initial results may not show for six months. If a professional search engine marketer is being honest, they cannot possibly pinpoint exactly when you will begin seeing the fruits of your investment nor will they be able to tell you precisely what the impact will be.
Search engines also can change their algorithms during this timeframe, obscuring the impact of an SEO campaign.
But there are many reasons why SEO is better – 75% of all search traffic is driven by SEO, versus only 25% for PPC so potential opportunities are three times greater with SEO. And according to this heat map image by Rand Fish, searchers focus more top search results anyway. (some argue being in the top spot of search results carries a high degree of brand value as well)
PPC ad campaigns are also getting more competitive…current studies conclude PPC profits are shrinking and may be gone altogether in some industries.
Since SEO builds on itself, traffic continues to grow if you keep doing the right things. As traffic continues to grow from the original baseline, a company may see a doubling or tripling of their investment.
Read this Search Engine Watch article for more insights on why SEO is better than PPC and some of the barriers of convincing potential clients or marketing managers at your company of the benefits of investing in SEO.