A client recently asked about investing in pay-per-click advertising vs. investing in content to improve organic search rankings. While every marketer’s situation is unique, here are some of the pros and cons of each strategy.
The biggest advantage of pay-per-click advertising is that results are immediate. Paid placement can immediately get your business on page one of the search results for your keywords. So if time is of the essence and you need a quick burst of traffic to your site, there probably isn’t a better investment. However, keep in mind that the results are fleeting. Stop advertising and the traffic stops coming.
Contrast the immediacy of pay-per-click results with the slow but steady return on an investment in content. In addition to the traffic generated today, a blog post carefully written around your keywords will continue to draw traffic long after you pay a writer. For example the post “How to Find Credible Sources for Articles, Blog Posts and Whitepapers,” continues to draw a steady stream of traffic to Content for Biz, since it was first published March 30.
In study after study, organic search results are clicked more often than paid results. Organic search results are perceived to be more relevant and trusted. And over time, quality content can deliver page one placement for your keywords.
Are you hurried or patient? The choice is yours.
