SEO and PPC: A Powerful Partnership
Search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) marketing strategies are both effective ways to drive traffic to your website. But due to the different nuances, marketers tend to stick to one or the other.
However, it’s actually more effective to combine SEO and PPC. Keep reading to see how they work together.
How PPC and SEO Work Together
PPC ads drive immediate, targeted traffic to your website. And can reach customers who are close to or ready to buy. You control your ad budget and bids and target specific demographics, locations, devices, and times of the day.
Although PPC offers nearly instant visibility in search results, your ad traffic is only going to last for as long as you pay for it. This is where SEO complements PPC.
SEO focuses more on long-term gains and generating sustainable, free traffic.
By creating quality content that ranks well on search engines. As well as helping users and guiding them along the marketing funnel.
Improved Visibility in Search Results
The more search engine results page (SERP) “real estate” you inhabit, the more visible your brand is to users. This helps you build greater credibility in the eyes of readers. And drive more clicks.
Instead of reaching just one position on the first page, you target multiple when using PPC and SEO. This can include a paid ad spot, organic spots (including featured snippets), and even video and image results.
By targeting relevant keywords in SEO content and then using PPC to also bid on those and related keywords, you can capture a greater market share and expand your brand’s reach.
A Consistent Brand Experience for Users
PPC and SEO work together to create a stronger, more recognizable online presence. One that helps users get to know your brand’s products or services. And its overall vibe. This helps build trust in your brand, which influences purchasing decisions.
For example, retargeted PPC ads keep your brand top of mind. Optimizing those ad landing pages with similar keywords, topics, and relevant internal links reinforces the key info you want users to remember about your business. Like using a special product material or offering certain discounts.
Access to More User Behavior Data
By using both PPC and SEO, you have two user data sources instead of one. Giving you a better understanding of your consumer base. So, you can make smarter marketing decisions that allow you to successfully connect with users and reach your goals.
There’s a reciprocal relationship between PPC and SEO—one feeds the other.
For instance, as users click on your PPC ads, you gain real-time insights into the effectiveness of keywords and ad copy. You gather concrete knowledge on what works (or doesn’t) from A/B tests, where you run different ad variations to compare their performance.
This information then guides your SEO decisions, helping you figure out things like:
What factors cause users to convert (i.e., taking the action you want them to take, like buying a product or filling out a form)
Which keywords and messaging drive the most traffic
Where users go after landing on your website
Use your SEO analytics to similarly inform your PPC campaigns. Like the keywords users search before landing on your site, the number of visits to different web pages, and average ranking position.
Better Budget and Time Management
When SEO and PPC are working together, you don’t need to spend as much on PPC.
Because you’re using a second channel that also brings in traffic—one that doesn’t need you to continuously pay for it. Which makes this duo more budget-friendly.
Using both SEO and PPC helps you make the most of the money and time you’re investing. The work you put into each one strengthens the other. And they often benefit from similar approaches.
How to Successfully Use PPC and SEO Together
PPC and SEO bring the best of both worlds: immediate traffic and a long-term organic presence.
Using both strategies helps you leverage the strengths of each. While overcoming the limitations of using one over the other.
Here’s how to unify them:
Create a Cohesive Keyword Strategy
A/B test different ads in your PPC campaigns to see how well certain keywords and messages convert users. Use your findings to shape your SEO keyword strategy, creating thoughtful keyword clusters.
Leverage Data to Strengthen Your PPC and SEO Efforts
PPC and SEO data points help you improve your efforts in both areas. And in other marketing avenues, like email campaigns and social media.
Use the data to either support the direction of the work you're doing. Or as evidence for the need to adjust.
PPC and SEO Performance Data
Here are key metrics relevant to both channels that’ll help you objectively measure PPC and SEO performance:
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SEO: How many times your webpage appears in search results
PPC: How many times your ad is displayed to users
Click-through rates (CTRs): how well your keywords, ads, and free listings, are performing
SEO: The percentage of users who click on your listing in search results after seeing it
PPC: The percentage of users who click on your ad after seeing it
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SEO: How many times visitors complete a desired action on your website (e.g., filling out a form, downloading an ebook, or buying something) after arriving from organic search results
PPC: How many times users completed a desired action on your website after clicking on your ad
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SEO: The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action on your website after arriving from organic search results
PPC: The percentage of clicks on your ad that results in a conversion
Using PPC Data to Shape SEO
Boost your SEO content by applying these insights from your PPC campaigns:
High-performing keywords: Identify which PPC keywords drive the most traffic. And add these and related keywords to your SEO strategy.
User intent: Figure out which type of search intent (navigational, informational, transactional, or commercial) drives the most clicks and conversions with your ads. This will help you create long-form content that meets user needs.
Target audiences: Use target audience data from your PPC campaigns to make sure your content is directed at the most relevant users
You can then use the insights to decide where you need to refine ad copy, adjust bidding strategies, and optimize landing pages.
Using SEO Data to Shape PPC
Use these SEO insights to refine your PPC ad copy and adjust bidding strategies:
High-ranking keywords
Queries that generate clicks from search results
Queries that have high CTRs in search results
Pages that attract the most traffic
Pages that have high conversion rates
Target Users at Different Funnel Stages
Use PPC and SEO to target users at different funnel stages, which can be simplified by breaking it into three parts:
Top of the Funnel (ToFu): The stage where users become aware of your product, service, or brand
PPC: Use PPC ads that target key audiences and relevant keywords, helping you generate brand awareness and traffic to your website.
SEO: ToFu SEO content answers questions and provides valuable information, helping you rank for informational keywords.
Middle of the Funnel (MoFu): The stage where users become more engaged with your brand but aren’t quite ready to convert
PPC: Use MoFu PPC ads to target keywords related to your products or services, helping you capture leads and further establish brand trust.
SEO: Use MoFu SEO posts to support users doing product or service research. These help you rank for commercial or transactional keywords and let users compare your brand to others.
Bottom of the Funnel (BoFu): The stage where users are ready to convert or buy
PPC: Use BoFu PPC ads to drive users to conversion-focused pages, such as product pages or lead generation forms.
SEO: Use BoFu SEO to create content that supports users looking to buy, helping you rank for navigational or transactional keywords.
By getting SEO and PPC working together, you get the right messaging to the right people at the right point in their buying journey.
Get PPC and SEO Working Together With RevKey
Integrating PPC and SEO can bring new success to your brand with higher rankings, more conversions, and better ad performance.
At RevKey, we can build and manage your SEO and PPC strategies for you so you can focus on your business needs. Contact us today to learn more.
