For years, people in this industry debated the merits of paid search advertising (PPC, Pay-Per-Click) versus organic search marketing (SEO, Search Engine Optimization).
Which one should you put your resources into?
Honestly, I thought we’d settled this argument a long time ago:
You need both! Duh!
But recently, the topic came up again amongst some of my clients.
I can see why. If you weren’t part of the original discussion, this conclusion might not seem so obvious.
Therefore, allow me to use this article to express a few forgotten truths in the SEO versus PPC debate.
1. Paid Search Can’t Replace Organic (& Vice Versa)
2. Neither SEO nor PPC Is Free
3. It’s Not a Zero-Sum Game
4. Statistics Can Be Deceiving
5. Look Beyond Traffic to Leads & Conversions
SEO or PPC? Choose Both!
When people ask whether they should choose SEO or PPC, make the argument that they shouldn’t make a choice at all.
Because neither is a substitute for the other.
And when you harness them together, you get the best of both.