ABC's of Internet Marketing, Website Promotion & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
ABC's of Internet Marketing, Website Promotion & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
So, is pay-per-click where you should be investing your hard earned marketing dollars? And if so, how can you measure success? The short answers are – maybe and not easily.
First let me say, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are two completely different animals. They each have their place in the world but neither is a direct or complete replacement for the other.
There is one fact that does stand out however. In almost every case, organic search engine optimization will eventually achieve lower per-click costs than pay-per-click. The reason is actually quite simple. PPC, aside from the rising costs and fraud, requires continuous (infinite) payment to keep visitors flowing to your website while organic SEO requires (typically a more significant) upfront cost to achieve maximum visibility (top 10 placement) but then costs very little to maintain search engine placement over time.
But how can you measure success? Using cost per click to measure the effectiveness of these two disparate marketing options is like measuring time travel in miles-per-hour. Pay per click is an advertising expense while search engine optimization is more like a capital investment. Both can significantly increase a company’s online visibility but it is important to recognize that one is an ongoing expense while the other is a short term investment with long term benefits.
Pay Per Click Marketing
Advertising expenses like TV spots, print ads, billboards and yes pay-per-click marketing, all have one thing in common. They only exist as long as the sponsor is willing to pay for them. When the payments stop; the ads go away (and so does the business derived from the ads). In some cases, ads may continue to exist for a period of time (think magazines in your Dentist’s office or ads that end up on YouTube). And there is obviously some small residual benefit that occurs because visitors bookmarked your site or remember your domain name. For the most part however, pay-per-click marketing campaigns simply go away when you stop paying for them.
Does cost per click make sense for PPC? Absolutely! There is a definitive point in time when your PPC campaign starts and when it stops. And therefore, there is a direct correlation (for the most part) with making a sale or getting a lead from a PPC visitor.
Search Engine Optimization
Unlike pay-per-click, organic search engine optimization has no clear point in time where the benefits (i.e. - visitors) from the campaign ends. When you stop paying for organic search engine optimization the results continue for an extended period of time - usually many months or even years. Assuming your investment in organic SEO was well planned and successful (i.e. – top 10 placement for one or more quality keyword phrases), visitors to your website will continue long after payments have stopped.
So, can cost per click effectively measure the real value of organic SEO. The simple answer is no. It can’t. You can absolutely tell how much money was spent on the organic SEO campaign but, the total number of visitors coming to your site can not be accurately determined until the organic search link no longer appears on the search engine results pages.
Quality Organic SEO Takes Time
It is also important to note “the other side of the coin”. Putting an effective organic SEO campaign in place takes time. Initial results may not appear for weeks or even months. Organic search engine optimization takes patience. Unlike PPC, SEO does not provide immediate results. Remember, if your website isn’t in the top 30 (first three results pages), you are not likely to get much benefit from your organic SEO investment. I have seen reports that show 98% of all searches stop within the first three pages of search results. That means only 2% of searchers go to page four and beyond. Think about your own use of search engines. Even if you make it to page three, how much attention are you really paying to the websites you are visiting? If you do not see what you are looking for in 2 seconds or less, you’re hitting the back-arrow, returning to the search engine and moving on to the next link.
Conclusion
The bottom line: If your business needs its marketing campaign up and running immediately or you need to test ROI and conversion potential of candidate organic SEO phrases; pay per click is the way to go. PPC can also be very successful when implemented and maintained by a professional who is skilled at maximizing your ROI. But, if you want the absolute best long term value for your marketing dollar, organic SEO just can’t be beat.
ABCs of Internet Marketing Website Promotion Search Engine Optimization SEO - To learn more about this author, visit Frank 's Website.
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The cost of Pay-Per-Click advertising is high and rising. Click fraud (estimated by some to be as high as 35%) just makes things worse and increases click costs. And now, more and more people are saying they do not click on sponsored ads. Why you ask? Simple, they do not trust they will get relevant information when they click on a sponsored ad versus an organic link. Web surfers now understand through personal experience that PPC ads simply go to the highest bidder pretty much without regard for relevancy. In the early days (i.e. - 3 to 5 years ago); this was not the case. Back then, relevancy mattered (Overture, now Yahoo, was a leader in this area).
So, is pay-per-click where you should be investing your hard earned marketing dollars? And if so, how can you measure success? The short answers are – maybe and not easily.
First let me say, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are two completely different animals. They each have their place in the world but neither is a direct or complete replacement for the other.
There is one fact that does stand out however. In almost every case, organic search engine optimization will eventually achieve lower per-click costs than pay-per-click. The reason is actually quite simple. PPC, aside from the rising costs and fraud, requires continuous (infinite) payment to keep visitors flowing to your website while organic SEO requires (typically a more significant) upfront cost to achieve maximum visibility (top 10 placement) but then costs very little to maintain search engine placement over time.
But how can you measure success? Using cost per click to measure the effectiveness of these two disparate marketing options is like measuring time travel in miles-per-hour. Pay per click is an advertising expense while search engine optimization is more like a capital investment. Both can significantly increase a company’s online visibility but it is important to recognize that one is an ongoing expense while the other is a short term investment with long term benefits.
Pay Per Click Marketing
Advertising expenses like TV spots, print ads, billboards and yes pay-per-click marketing, all have one thing in common. They only exist as long as the sponsor is willing to pay for them. When the payments stop; the ads go away (and so does the business derived from the ads). In some cases, ads may continue to exist for a period of time (think magazines in your Dentist’s office or ads that end up on YouTube). And there is obviously some small residual benefit that occurs because visitors bookmarked your site or remember your domain name. For the most part however, pay-per-click marketing campaigns simply go away when you stop paying for them.
Does cost per click make sense for PPC? Absolutely! There is a definitive point in time when your PPC campaign starts and when it stops. And therefore, there is a direct correlation (for the most part) with making a sale or getting a lead from a PPC visitor.
Search Engine Optimization
Unlike pay-per-click, organic search engine optimization has no clear point in time where the benefits (i.e. - visitors) from the campaign ends. When you stop paying for organic search engine optimization the results continue for an extended period of time - usually many months or even years. Assuming your investment in organic SEO was well planned and successful (i.e. – top 10 placement for one or more quality keyword phrases), visitors to your website will continue long after payments have stopped.
So, can cost per click effectively measure the real value of organic SEO. The simple answer is no. It can’t. You can absolutely tell how much money was spent on the organic SEO campaign but, the total number of visitors coming to your site can not be accurately determined until the organic search link no longer appears on the search engine results pages.
Quality Organic SEO Takes Time
It is also important to note “the other side of the coin”. Putting an effective organic SEO campaign in place takes time. Initial results may not appear for weeks or even months. Organic search engine optimization takes patience. Unlike PPC, SEO does not provide immediate results. Remember, if your website isn’t in the top 30 (first three results pages), you are not likely to get much benefit from your organic SEO investment. I have seen reports that show 98% of all searches stop within the first three pages of search results. That means only 2% of searchers go to page four and beyond. Think about your own use of search engines. Even if you make it to page three, how much attention are you really paying to the websites you are visiting? If you do not see what you are looking for in 2 seconds or less, you’re hitting the back-arrow, returning to the search engine and moving on to the next link.
Conclusion
The bottom line: If your business needs its marketing campaign up and running immediately or you need to test ROI and conversion potential of candidate organic SEO phrases; pay per click is the way to go. PPC can also be very successful when implemented and maintained by a professional who is skilled at maximizing your ROI. But, if you want the absolute best long term value for your marketing dollar, organic SEO just can’t be beat.
ABCs of Internet Marketing Website Promotion Search Engine Optimization SEO - To learn more about this author, visit Frank 's Website.
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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