Marketers often think that search engine optimization and pay-per-click are on different spectrums. They’re not necessarily wrong since SEO is an inbound marketing channel, while PPC is an outbound marketing channel.
Most marketers believe that one trumps the other. This belief has caused a division in the digital marketing community, with some advocating that outbound channels are better, and others holding the opposite view.
As a result, most marketers focus on using one of the two strategies to achieve results. However, the reality is that SEO and PPC can complement each other well if used in conjunction.
Most agencies struggle to offer SEO and PPC services because they lack resources or personnel. If your agency is in the same boat, consider getting white label marketing solutions from Rocket Driver.
Most businesses approach digital marketing agencies to assist them with achieving their marketing goals. For instance, a cosmetics brand might partner with an agency to increase sales of its eyeliners.
Both SEO and PPC strategies ultimately work to help clients achieve their goals. However, how they garner these results differs drastically.
SEO efforts focus on helping a website rank higher in search engines. For instance, let’s assume a customer searches for “the best eyeliners available under $25.” Your agency will want your client’s website to appear on Google’s first page for this keyword. SEO is an effective way to acquire new customers. But the issue is that SEO takes time. Most marketers agree that SEO needs three to six months before showing results. They also agree that desired results often take six to twelve months.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is PPC. Pay-per-click campaigns also aim to redirect customers to a website, but these campaigns have a different approach. Firstly, it requires bidding on keywords. Then, you must set a marketing budget and run advertisements for a set duration. PPC campaigns are worthwhile because they generate immediate results.
Savvy marketers will have read the opening few paragraphs of this post and immediately connected the dots. Combining SEO and PPC might seem unconventional, but it’s an excellent way to generate traffic for your clients in the short and long run.
Combine PPC and SEO keyword data
Keyword research is crucial for PPC and SEO. It’ll determine which keywords you choose to concentrate your efforts to try to rank for in search engines. Similarly, it affects which keywords you bid for to run PPC ads.
Since both strategies generate keyword data, you can use the shared data to develop a better digital marketing plan for your client.
Bid on higher-ranking competitor’s branded keywords
Outranking some competitors can often be difficult. For instance, let’s assume your client wants to rank for “how to make a woodfire oven pizza at home.” Your client will be against Food Network, Food and Wine, Taste of Home, etc. While outranking these competitors in search engines is possible, the reality is that the time, resources, and effort required make it a futile attempt.
However, your agency can adopt a different strategy. There will still be competitors that rank higher than your client but below these giant conglomerates. Bidding on branded keywords could help your client’s PPC advertisement appear above their organic listings when customers search for these branded terms.
Many marketers refrain from adopting this approach because they’re unsure if it’s against Google’s terms and conditions. However, it’s important to note that Google’s guidelines don’t prevent advertisers from bidding on branded keywords.
Use PPC ad copy for metadata
Another effective way to combine PPC and SEO strategies is using PPC ad copy for meta descriptions on your client’s website. Search engines use meta descriptions to understand the context behind web pages. They then rank web pages in search results accordingly. Search engines like google and Bing also use meta descriptions as brief introductions to websites in the search results.
Using PPC ad copy for meta descriptions is valuable because PPC campaigns give insights into how effective ad copies are. For instance, running PPC campaigns will allow you to determine which ad copy generates the most clicks. Using ad copy with the highest clickthrough rates means more people are also likely to click on your client’s organic search result.
Use PPC ads to inform your organic content
Your agency can also use PPC advertisements to inform your organic content strategy. Since PPC advertisements yield immediate results, you can use them to discover which headlines generate better results. An excellent real-life example of this is the New York Times. The news organization performs A/B testing on headlines to see which generates more clicks. They’ll show different headlines to readers every thirty minutes to see the results. Research shows that almost 29 percent of NYT articles have multiple headlines. In addition, A/B-tested articles are 80 percent likelier to rank higher in SERPs.
Nurture SEO visitors with PPC remarketing
Nurturing leads is extremely important. It’s important to understand that not every user obtained organically through SEO will convert. Obtaining traffic via SEO isn’t easy. But marketers often forget about leads that didn’t convert and don’t spend time nurturing them.
That’s where PPC remarketing becomes crucial. It fulfills a function that SEO cannot, which involves retargeting people who have already interacted with your client’s website, social media profiles, or email before.
A user might browse your client’s website and not purchase any goods or services because they’re not ready. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t reconsider and change their mind in the future. PPC remarketing allows you to remind these users about your client’s brand. It helps your client generate more leads and sales that they might have lost if you only used SEO strategies.
Let’s use an example to illustrate. You could set up Google or Facebook ads to target people who visited your client’s website in the last 45 days. You could offer them a 15 percent discount on their next purchase to entice them to buy from your client. Similarly, you could target users who abandoned carts on your client’s website and remind them to complete their orders. Research shows the average cart abandonment rate was approximately 70 percent in 2022. This number increases to nearly 86 percent for mobile shoppers.
Get Started with Rocket Driver
While most marketers like to separate PPC and SEO strategies, they can complement each other if used correctly. If your agency’s looking to implement these strategies together, Rocket Driver can assist you. Established in 2011, Rocket Driver is an industry leader that offers exceptional white label PPC services. It’s also a white label SEO reseller agency, meaning you can outsource SEO services.
Agencies interested in kickstarting a white label partnership with Rocket Driver can check out their website,www.rocketdriver.com/. They can also contact Rocket Driver to gain more details.
Alternatively, agencies can book a demo with Tom Lombardi, one of the founding partners. The 45-minute demo will provide a one-on-one tour of Rocket Driver, detailing how the industry leader can help them scale quickly.