SEO vs. Adwords – Which is Better For Marketing February 14, 2018at 02:21 am By: James Byrne After Dark Grafx Adwords and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or Organic Search Engine Optimization should be the first place that you start to place your SEM budget. These two components are among the main traffic drivers to your website. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaigns should encompass this mix in order to be successful online. Bing Ads are quickly becoming the second choice for more cost conscious vendors. A smart approach to quickly building targeted traffic to your website would be to use these in tandem. So… What is Google Adwords? If you are a newbie, then you have heard terms like PPC, Adwords Paid Search, CPC, bids, campaigns thrown around by marketers during general conversation. These are simple buzzwords that are used to explain certain sections, reports and functionality of Adwords. QUICK STUDY: PPC = Pay Per Click Adwords Paid Search = Adwords CPC = Cost Per Click Bids = How much you will bid on a keyword Campaigns = A section in Adwords where you can setup a group of keywords to target. (ie: Web Design – then place all your targeted keywords under this group) Google Adwords is an advertising platform owned by Google. Advertisers can pay to use this platform to place their advertisements high in the Google Search Results based on how much they bid for their proposed keyword(s). Google places these ads on their network of websites to include but not limited to: Youtube, Gmail, etc. and thousands of other websites that are a part of the Adwords program as publishers of content. Also known as Google Adsense. But that is another post. When you setup your Adwords account, you can choose to pay when someone sees your add (CPM means Cost Per Thousand Impressions) or when someone clicks on your ad. (CPC means Cost Per Click). Basically, it is a huge auction site where advertisers compete for the highest advertising space. Granted, Google says that it “rotates” the ads so that everyone gets an equal share, but we have found that the more you pay, the more you show! Get a Free Google Adwords Consultation Today! No obligation…please contact us toll free at: 1-888-578-8300 or click here to contact us. PROS Of Using Google Adwords: You can get listed in Google Quickly. CONS Of Using Google Adwords: Expensive. If you do not have a defined budget and goal (of how much a customer is worth) then you should really research and find this number before you spend one marketing dollar on advertising. What is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) also known as Organic Search Engine Optimization is a manually programmed and monitored service to help get your website listed high in the search engines using multiple “white-hat” (meaning Google won’t penalize you because we do it correctly) tactics to help get your website listed over several months. Getting listed with Organic Search Engine Optimizaton starts with analyzing your site design and code to make sure that it meets “search engine guidelines” or “search engine friendly”. A search engine friendly website can easily be read by search engines quickly. Next, utilizing Social Media, posting to websites, forums, classified websites, building backlinks, videos and all things needed to get listed. Get a Free Search Engine Optimization Consultation for your Website Today! No obligation…please contact us toll free at: 1-888-578-8300 or click here to contact us. PROS Of Using Organic Search Engine Optimization: Cost effective. You will get listed on more than Google’s own networks. Build a larger web foot print. CONS Of Using Organic Search Engine Optimization: It takes time and patience to get listed for your chosen keywords or phrases within the search engines. Some professions such as real estate or loans will take longer to get listed (upwards of 6 to 12 months) whereas a local landscaper or construction business who is targeted with their key phrases may get listed in as little as 60 days. CONCLUSION: So which one is right for your business? It depends, if you are interested in getting traffic right away and have a budget, then Adwords is your choice. If you have time and want to develop a wider footprint with maximum exposure then Organic Search Engine Optimization is the way to go. The BEST WAY TO MARKET WITH SEO is to utilize a mix of Paid Adwords, Bing Ads, etc. PPC, along with Organic Search Engine Optimization. Then, if after a few months, you realize you are getting more traffic from Organic listings than Paid Listings, then you can simply turn off the Paid Advertising or Pause It! I generally tell clients to use Paid Advertising to do “A” and “B” testing. Meaning, try two different advertising headlines for the same product or keyword. Then, once you see which one had more clicks, you use that in your marketing. Then turn off the Paid Listings and market it via SEO and Social Media. QUESTIONS? – CALL US TOLL FREE: 1-888-578-8300 or click here to contact us.