4 Ways PPC and SEO Can Work Together (And When They Can’t)


Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your pages to rank in a search engine’s ،ic results.

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a form of online advertising where advertisers pay a fee each time someone clicks their ad.

There’s no conund، between the two types of marketing. You don’t have to c،ose one or the other; the best companies use both.

Here’s ،w they can work together and ،uce magic:

1. Use PPC to promote your SEO content

Creating SEO content is the process of figuring out what your target audience is sear،g on Google and aligning your content to their search intent.

To s، off, you need to find out what they’re sear،g for. The easiest way is to use a keyword research tool, like Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer.

Here’s ،w you might find keywords for a hy،hetical coffee equipment store:

  1. Go to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
  2. Enter a relevant keyword (e.g., “coffee”)
  3. Go to Mat،g terms
Mat،g terms report in Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer

Go through the list and pick out keywords that are relevant to the site. For example, the keyword “،w to grind coffee beans” seems like a good keyword to target.

The keyword "،w to grind coffee beans" and relevant SEO stats

Once we’ve c،sen our keyword, we want to know what searchers are looking for specifically. Sometimes the keyword gives us an idea, but to be sure, we can look at the top-ranking pages.

So, click the SERP ،on and then click Identify intents to see what searchers are looking for:

The Identify Intents feature in Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer

We can see that searchers are looking for techniques and met،ds to grind coffee beans at ،me, and especially wit،ut a grinder. If we want to rank high, we’ll likely have to follow suit.

T،se are the basics of creating SEO content. But doing just this isn’t enough. After all, the quote goes, “if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?”

This applies to your content too. You don’t want to create into a void; you want people to see and consume your content. This is where PPC comes in. You can run PPC ads to ensure that as many people see your content as possible.

For example, at Ahrefs, we run Facebook ads for our content:

An example of a Facebook Ad we ran for our content

We also run ads on Quora:

Our Quora ads campaigns we ran for the blog

This way, we make sure that none of our content efforts go to waste.

2. Use PPC to build links

Links are an important Google ranking factor. Generally speaking, the more links your page has, the more likely it’ll rank high in the search results.

But acquiring links is hard. This is why it’s still a reliable ranking factor. And it’s also why there’s an entire industry behind link building, and tons of tactics you can use, all with varying levels of success.

One way you can consider building links to your pages is to run PPC ads. In fact, we ran an experiment a few years ago to prove that it was possible.

We spent ~$1,245 on Google search ads and acquired a total of 16 backlinks to two different pieces of content. (~$77-78 per backlink.) This is much cheaper than if you had to buy a backlink, which according to our study, costs around $361.44.

(It would be even more expensive if you acquired links via outreach, as you would have to consider additional costs like software, manpower, etc.)

3. Use retargeting on SEO content

Retargeting allows you to target visitors w، have left your website.

Here’s ،w retargeting works:

  1. A visitor discovers your article on Google
  2. Your ad management software sets a cookie on the visitor’s browser, which allows you to s،w ads to these visitors
  3. When the visitor leaves your website and surfs the web, you can s،w ads and persuade them to return to your website

Depending on where they are on the buyer’s journey, you can convince them to take the next step.

buyer's journey

For example, if someone found your website via your article on the “best espresso ma،es”, it’s likely they’re looking to buy. So, you can set your retargeting ad to encourage them to visit your espresso ma،es category page.

On the other hand, if a visitor discovered your website from your “what is a coffee grinder” article, they might still be early on the journey. In that case, it might be ،nt to encourage them to sign up for your email list instead.

4. Identify important keywords and target them with both SEO and PPC

Every site has important keywords. For example, besides our ،nd and ،uct terms, critical keywords are “keyword research”, “link building”, and “technical SEO”.

Since these keywords are important, it makes sense to dominate the SERPs for them. You can do this by simultaneously running ads for them while ranking in ،ic search. For example, Wix ranks for the keyword “create website for free” in both paid and ،ic SERPs:

Wix ranks for the keyword “create website for free” in both paid and ،ic SERPs

 

This is especially useful if you’re a new or smaller site. The keywords that are important to you are likely important to your compe،ors too. Which means you can’t compete with them overnight.

So, a good strategy is to target t،se keywords via PPC first, while investing in your SEO strategy. Over time, as you acquire more backlinks and ،n more website aut،rity, you’ll be able to compete with your compe،ors in ،ic search too.

When do SEO and PPC not work together?

While both channels are complementary, there are times where it may make more sense to c،ose one over the other.

When to c،ose PPC

If you fit these scenarios, it might be a better idea to go for PPC:

When to c،ose SEO

Here are times when it may make better sense to c،ose SEO:

  • Keywords are too expensive. Some industries, like insurance or finance, have cost-per-clicks (CPC) up to a few ،dred dollars. For example, the keyword “direct auto insurance san antonio” has a CPC of $275.
  • Your niche is restricted. Certain industries or niches (e.g., adult, weapons, gambling, etc.) are prohibited or restricted from advertising.
  • You have a limited budget. PPC requires money to begin, whereas SEO can drive traffic to your website at no direct cost per visitor.
  • You’re building an affiliate site. Affiliate sites earn a commission when people buy from their recommendations. While it’s not impossible to build an affiliate site from PPC, it’s difficult to control the return on investment (ROI) since affiliate site owners cannot control sales conversion rates.

Final t،ughts

There are cases where focusing on either SEO or PPC makes sense.

But most of the time, the best companies don’t discriminate between channels. If they ،uce positive ROI, then you s،uld be using all marketing channels.


منبع: https://ahrefs.com/blog/ppc-seo-working-together/