Web Marketing Guide - Pay Per Click

Why Pay Per Click When Visitors Click Anyway?

By Jeffrey L. Smith

What are the benefits of PPC vs. organic long tail optimization?

With PPC marketing budgets soaring into the 6 figure range for corporations throughout the US, What are the true benefits of using pay per click marketing as opposed to organic search engine optimization services?

First of all I should state, there is a heated debate regarding pay per click marketing as a viable method for advertising and promoting your website vs. organic or natural search engine optimization. Although studies have indicated that 85% of most people ignore PPC or the sponsored listings entirely, the remaining 15% who do participate and click sponsored advertisements, represents billions of dollars in monthly revenues for search engines globally as well as an amortized revenue stream for the businesses that use PPC. At this juncture it is safe to say that PPC is here to stay, but it is really necessary for businesses to rely solely on PPC as an avid marketing medium. Ultimately, it is up to each individual and we can only speak from our own experiences, so having qualified this as merely an opinion, please note the following.

The Upside of PPC

The upside of PPC marketing is, your listing appears in relevant searches within minutes and you can track the conversion of clicks to purchases for your products or services and gain a straightforward response to if the keywords you have selected are the best possible keywords for your website.

The downside is, once you start using it as part and parcel to your web promotion strategy, it can be a continuous crutch that augments your website promotion and overshadows the decision to seek other advertising alternatives. When convenience becomes habitual, the old don’t try to fix it if it isn’t broke mentality has a tendency to prevail. Meanwhile the only thing broken or going broke is the person who bids on the wrong keywords or fails to realize that if you site offers value, it inherently has the ability to rank organically from it’s own merit. Websites that offer resources, fresh prospectives or have a unique voice are considered contributors of valuable content, which is in essence what search engines treasure most.

The Alternative to PPC (pay per click) Marketing

As search engine optimizers continue to perfect their optimization methods (from observing search engine patterns and fluctuations over time, trial and error and applied fundamentals of logic which are the basis of search engine algorithms) organic search engine optimization becomes more prevalent and appealing to the masses as a viable form of advertising.

My suggestion, try both and see what works the best for your situation. If used properly you can at least identify the terms you would like to optimize organically as a result of a well planned PPC campaign. Although my prospective is biased as an SEO strategist, I prefer utilizing long tail search engine optimization that drives traffic from hundreds if not thousands of possible keyword combinations if a site is configured properly. Creating a balance between on page and off page SEO factors can do wonders when combined with article marketing, blogs or specific directory submissions. So why pay per click, when visitors click anyway?