SEO or Pay-per-Click?
Jeroen Seynhaeve 2023-11-01
Discover whether SEO or Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is the right digital marketing strategy to grow your business. Learn the key differences, benefits, and how each can drive results.
While all digital advertising campaigns share a common objective—attracting and converting customers—the way they achieve this goal can be divided into two main categories: “organic” strategies and “pay-per-click” strategies.
Organic strategies play the long game
Organic digital marketing focuses on building sustainable, long-term growth. These strategies include SEO (search engine optimisation), SMN (social media networking), and EM (email marketing). Instead of paying for clicks, these methods aim to strengthen your online presence and build trust with your audience. While organic strategies do require investment in setup and management, the clicks, likes, follows, subscriptions, leads, and sales they generate come at no extra cost.
Organic : Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
With over 1.13 billion websites (and growing—one new site launches every three seconds), you may wonder how your site can ever stand out. The answer lies in search engines like Google and Bing, which filter and rank websites based on keywords, backlinks, and other factors. Google, with a reported 83% share of desktop search and 96% share of mobile search, leads the industry. SEO works by optimising on-site elements (content, structure, speed) and off-site elements (backlinks) to improve rankings. Because search algorithms are secretive and constantly changing, SEO requires continuous monitoring, testing, and refinement.
Organic : Social Media Networking (SMN)
With 3 billion monthly active Facebook users, 2 billion on Instagram, 1.2 billion on TikTok, and 745 million on LinkedIn, social media marketing is both highly accessible and fiercely competitive. Platforms make it easy to connect with customers directly, but standing out in such a crowded digital space requires creativity, consistency, and strong branding.
Organic : Email Marketing (EM)
Email marketing remains a powerful tool for nurturing loyal customers, even though younger audiences may prefer other platforms. Despite challenges from spam and scam emails, well-crafted, permission-based email campaigns can deliver strong results. While email may not be ideal for attracting new customers, it excels at maintaining long-term relationships, driving repeat purchases, and building brand loyalty.
Pay-per-click advertising strategies focus on immediate results
Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns deliver instant visibility by placing your ads in top positions on search engine results pages or social media timelines. Platforms like Google, Meta, and LinkedIn charge for every click, impression, or action generated. Running PPC requires three main investments: creating the ad content, actively managing and optimising the campaign, and covering the costs of clicks or actions billed by the platform.
Pay-per-click : Google Ads
If SEO isn’t generating results fast enough—or only ranks your site for certain keywords—Google Ads can fill the gap. By leveraging Google’s powerful AI and targeting tools, businesses can bid on relevant keywords to ensure guaranteed visibility in search results, reaching high-intent customers quickly.
Pay-per-click : Social media advertising
Social media platforms like Meta (Facebook & Instagram) and LinkedIn also offer PPC options. These ads extend beyond your organic followers, allowing you to target users based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Since platforms have collected years of user data, advertisers can reach precisely defined audiences, making social media ads highly effective for awareness, lead generation, and sales.
Conclusion
Choosing between SEO and PPC depends on your business goals. If you need fast results, market testing, or guaranteed visibility, pay-per-click advertising is the way to go. If you’re focused on building brand authority, trust, and long-term growth, organic strategies like SEO, social media, and email marketing are essential. In practice, most businesses benefit from a balanced mix—using PPC for immediate impact while investing in organic growth for sustainable success.