Starting Your Business Online: SEO or PPC?

You’ve got a great business idea, and you’re ready to take it online. But where do you start? Should you focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising? The answer is… both! But if you had to choose one to start with, the best option is almost always SEO. Here’s why:

SEO vs. PPC

SEO is the process of optimizing your website for search engines. This means making sure your website is friendly to both search engine crawlers and users. Good SEO includes things like using relevant keywords, fast page load times, and mobile-friendly design. The goal of SEO is to improve your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

PPC, on the other hand, is a form of paid advertising. With PPC, you pay to have your ad shown at the top of SERPs. In most cases, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Both SEO and PPC can be effective tools for driving traffic to your website. But which one should you focus on first? 

The Case for SEO

There are several reasons why SEO is a better choice than PPC when you’re just starting out. First, it’s important to remember that people trust organic results more than they trust paid ads. In fact, a study by Nielsen showed that only 47% of people trust ads served in search results. This means that if your website appears in the top spot of SERPs through SEO techniques, people are more likely to click on it than if your website appears in that spot because you’ve paid for it. 

Second, SEO is more cost-effective than PPC in the long run. With PPC, you have to keep paying for ads in order to maintain your visibility in SERPs. With SEO, once you’ve achieved a top spot, you can hold onto it without continuing to invest money each month. In other words, with SEO you get “free” traffic once you’ve reached the top spot; with PPC, you have to keep paying for that traffic indefinitely. 

Finally, good SEO helps you learn about your potential customers. As you research keywords and analyze SERPs, you gain insight into what people are looking for online—and how they want it delivered. This information is invaluable as you continue to market your business online. 

When starting your business online—or when revamping your online presence—SEO should be your first focus. It will help improve your visibility and credibility with potential customers while also providing valuable insights into their needs and desires. Once you’ve achieved a strong SEO foundation, then you can supplement it with PPC ads for even more visibility and traffic.