Should You Prioritize SEO or PPC first?

You've launched a website and after all that hard work...crickets. You research ways to drive traffic to your site and there are two obvious choices – SEO and PPC. But which one should you do first?

On one hand, SEO is free but you're looking at the potential time investment and how long it could take to see results.

Then there's PPC – you get excited about an instant swarm of traffic but you're fearful of giving platforms like Google Ads your credit card info.

In this article, I’ll give you a simple, direct answer as to which one you should start with first to set the foundation to get the results you’re looking for. Let’s dive in.

What is SEO and PPC?

If you're new to online marketing, here's a quick overview:

• SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of earning free, natural traffic from search engines like Google.
• PPC (pay-per-click) is a form of paid advertising where you pay platforms like Google Ads for clicks that go to your website.

Why SEO Should Come First

When starting out, SEO should be your first focus. Here's why:

• You learn about your potential customers. By researching and creating content around keywords people search for, you gain invaluable insights into your audience. This will help mightily when setting up paid platforms later.
• You build authority and trust. Sharing your expertise, success stories, testimonials, etc. improves your credibility. This boosts conversion rates and signals to search engines that you're a trusted source.
• You improve the site experience. Optimizing content, page speed, calls to action, etc. increases the chances of visitors taking action vs. bouncing away.
• You make mistakes without financial risk. With SEO, you can make tweaks and test approaches without paying for each click and conversion.

Yes, SEO takes time. That's why many new sites start with PPC first. But for long-term success, you need a solid SEO foundation. Basic SEO sets you up for sustainable growth vs short bursts of paid traffic.

Getting Started with SEO

To help get started, grab my free 7-day online marketing jumpstart guide. It outlines simple SEO tips to set your foundation and boost confidence that you can manage your own marketing.