Data-driven 10X Digital Marketing
Organic content is a reliable way to connect with your audience and build trust. As its compliment, paid content distribution through PPC marketing and Google Ads can be a powerful tool for reaching new audiences and driving traffic to your site.
The Differences Between SEO vs. Paid Advertising
Search engine optimization (SEO) is all about optimizing websites to rank higher in search engine results. SEO drives organic traffic, while paid search advertising is a form of pay-to-play marketing where businesses bid on keywords to have their ads appear in search engine results.
SEO and paid advertising can effectively drive traffic to your website, but which is the right choice for your business? The answer may be easier than you think, depending on your goals, budget, and audience. Here are a few things to consider for each approach:
Organic Content and SEO is a Long-Term Strategy
With SEO, it can take months or even years to see results, but the results tend to stick. SEO is also a complex process that involves pulling different levers, from backlink strategies to keyword research or website optimization.
Once you rank higher in search engine results, you’ll continue to get organic traffic even if you stop investing efforts into SEO. With paid advertising, on the other hand, your ads will stop appearing as soon as you stop paying for them. Over time, as you build your organic content, your website will become more authoritative in the eyes of search engines, leading to higher rankings and more organic traffic.
Paid Advertising is Flexible and Fast
Paid advertising is a budget-flexible option to get your content out quickly. Your final cost ultimately depends on your industry and bidding keywords. With paid advertising, you have more control over where and when your ads appear. Unlike SEO, you’re not at the mercy of search engines.
In some cases, search engines update their algorithms in ways that can suddenly cause websites to fall in rankings. Because algorithms are proprietary, there is little you can do to prevent these changes, which is frustrating. Paid advertising is independent of search companies and will display consistently no matter what.
Finding Perfect Content Balance
So, how do you strike the correct balance between the two? Should you have one without the other? Do the two forms of content compete with each other? Our experts at 10x digital have outlined three ways to get it right:
Define Your Goals
To strike the right balance with your content, you must clearly define your goals. Vision (and sticking to that vision) is everything. Think to yourself:
- Are you trying to build brand awareness?
- Do you want to drive traffic to your website?
- Does your sales team need to generate leads?
Once you clearly understand your goals, you can start planning your content mix. In most cases, it’s never a perfect 50/50. So, balancing your approach against the primary outcomes you hope to achieve is essential.
Know Your Audience
Your target audience will play a significant role in determining the right mix of organic and paid content. Paying for content may be a better option if you’re trying to reach a new audience. In contrast, organic content is critical if you’re looking to build trust and credibility with an existing audience.
Test and Measure
The only way to know what works best for your business is by testing different strategies and seeing what succeeds. When in doubt, A/B test it out. Try different combinations of organic and paid content, track the results, and over time, you’ll be able to fine-tune your strategy to find the perfect balance for your business.
In fact, paid advertising is an excellent way to test different keywords and see which ones convert into sales or leads. You can then use that information to optimize your website content for those keywords. Paid content distribution, when done correctly, can be a valuable asset of an effective organic strategy.
Create a Balanced Marketing Strategy
Still trying to figure out where to start? Try experimenting with SEO and paid content distribution. Test different strategies and see which works best for your business. Over time, you’ll be able to fine-tune your content system and find the perfect balance for your needs.
No matter which option you choose, make sure you’re clear on your goals and budget before you start. Remember to track your results to determine what’s working for your brand. And for extra support, our team at 10x Digital can provide innovative content approaches and data-driven marketing support to elevate your efforts.