PPC (pay-per-click) and SEO (search engine optimization) have always been subjects of debate and in previous years have been treated as separate strategies. Today, with the constant change of search algorithms and technology, both PPC and SEO have become an integral part in a digital marketing strategy.
With many updates and trends happening in 2017 for search, social and SEO, it’s important to understand how these two tactics, when combined effectively, produce powerful results.
1. Increase visibility and CTR
We all know this one is a given. When combining PPC and SEO effectively, a website will appear on the top paid position and eventually top organic rankings. That said, besides establishing a brand presence within a SERP (search engine result page) a takeaway from the increase in visibility is the opportunity to increase CTR (click- through-rate).
A study conducted by Bing demonstrated two things. First, most top organic listings receive 60% of overall clicks of a search. With that statistic in mind, the study also demonstrated that brands that combined PPC and SEO efforts received 91% of the clicks from a search. This increase in click volume and CTR improve organic rankings, because once a page exceeds the expected organic CTR for a position, the more likely that page moves up in the organic rankings.
2.Improve keyword strategy
We all know the importance that keywords play with PPC and SEO. However, most will overlook the importance of cross analyzing the data these two tactics bring to a digital strategy. Upcoming trends like voice search, long-tail keywords and phrases should be considered in every PPC strategy. By analyzing what phrases are organically driving traffic to a website, combining PPC and SEO efforts provides insightful data that will improve both strategies. In addition, from a PPC perspective, instead of paying a high CPC (cost-per-click) on a keyword, you can take that expensive keyword or phrase and incorporate it into your SEO.
3.Paid Social – Link Building, Insights, & Domain Authority
PPC does not just fall under SEM (Search Engine Marketing), but also paid social. Platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and more all have the capability to target desired users through first party data. This form of PPC benefits SEO in a few ways. First, paid social serves as a form of link building, because search engines analyze that traffic being driven to a website from a trusted source. Second, consider an important ranking factor for SEO and domain authority. Domain authority consists of many variables, but one takeaway is this: when it comes to paid social, social networks help search engines understand what websites are credible. Since paid social serves as a form of link building, search engines are giving credibility to a page and in doing so improving organic ranking.
4.Retargeting Organic Search
The fourth advantage of combining both PPC and SEO efforts ties into retargeting. Retargeting ads target past website users that have either visited a website organically or via PPC. By nurturing those past website visitors with retargeting content on paid social, display or search, you can direct traffic to a dedicated landing page built for conversion. In other words, retargeting ads do not have to lead past visitors to the same page. In fact, retargeting can nurture past visitors down the funnel through customized messaging on paid social, search, display and dedicated landing pages with dynamic text replacement to increase conversion rates.
In conclusion, PPC and SEO thrive very well together. Both drive brand awareness, traffic, and help achieve digital marketing goals. Always keep an eye on industry trends and algorithm updates to continuously improve digital programs.
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Originally Published 2017
