by LevelTen_Colin

PPC/SEO: The Bottomline

When doing marketing and advertising blasts for web sites, terms that pop up while executing the campaigns are the PPC and SEO facets. While the more traditional SEO is still a force to be reckoned with in a site’s place for prominence in search engines, PPC is employed now by companies wanting to get ahead in the race for Web prominence, and incorporating a large chunk of their budget for prime spots on the Web’s prized search tools.

Pay-per-click would give you an advantageous position with mileage, as searches for your product would pop up in the top tiers of search engines when a keyword of yours is searched. Add to that exposure  via links on websites and blogs,where among the topics discussed may comprise a keyword you are bidding on. A sure shot deal? Yes, but if you’ve enough cash for it, and if your campaign does not limit itself to just one or two paid search engines.

Such could be a mistake when companies wanting to go into PPC but content extending merely to just only Google, or only Yahoo for their search engine of choice. That’s because the Web is just more than a one search engine site. Competitors relying on “organic” means would still see their visibility stretch more farther, as it is on a good SEO campaign. If that happens, a one-sided PPC campaign may just be a feeble attempt; and may not shake up the market, as was the advertiser’s original intention.

Traditional SEO writing is not constrained by costs, but still carries with a magic touch for any website if executed efficiently. With the aid of polished graphics and strategically embedded meta tags which let out a combined scream of, “You’ll never go wrong with our site!”, the case for organic keyword implementation in dotcom businesses rings truer than ever. Notably for new e-trepreneurs who’d want a chunk of the online action–and profit.

Moreover, the chance for websites to increase their traffic and visibility through white hat means would bring a favorable light to them. Add to that the social media optimization (SMO) factor, as can be seen through forums where consumers offer their thoughts about the websites, among others. As noted Internet marketing expert Dr. Randall Hansen observes:

“…while buying keywords may be a good way to build or sustain traffic, most experts have much more respect for sites that build their traffic (visitors) organically …[1]“

Now, once sure of marketing strategy, be it PPC or SEO: the next question is: what tool can I use? One need not look further from where you’re reading. KeywordSpy, as an SEM tool has emphasis on both PPC and SEO keywords, allocating each a sizable portion in its interface once you begin that all too crucial first search for a keyword or a domain. Such is the case also with domains competing for a keyword: you get to see the top half of competitors paying for the keyword, while with the other half with the ones organically incorporating them. (Not to mention a nifty mini-screenshot of the landing URLs; a feature which has won Keywordspy favorable ratings among its users.) The site operates on the principle which realizes that neither one type of keyword quite dominates the other (PPC has still yet to pull away completely from SEO), giving the most comprehensive and worldwide-encompassing list at this point.

[1] Dr. Randall Hansen’s SEO Strategies for Enhancing and Optimizing Your Web Presence: A 10-Point Primer for Website Success (http://www.randallshansen.com/SEO_primer.html)