Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising campaigns provide businesses with fresh, engaging and innovative ways to attract consumers in areas they would otherwise not be able to engage. Yes, SEO has proven to be a more popular approach utilized by a lot of businesses that have a presence online. However, there are different areas where PPC beats SEO, proving that it’s also worth the investment.
 

PPC versus SEO

This paid search method requires campaign managers to bid on search phrases called keywords. The keyword with the average highest bid CPC (cost per click) and Quality Score wins the top rank in the Search Network. The Google Display Network gives advertisers opportunities to display their advertisements on hundreds of thousands of websites across the world.
 
As for SEO, it involves optimizing the structure and content of websites. This process is a long-term, time consuming method to achieving high organic search results. Though not without merit, it isn’t as dynamic in driving relevant traffic as PPC advertising campaigns.
 

Where PPC Beats SEO

Here are three areas where PPC beats SEO:
 

1. SEO is restricted to search engines.

Advertisers on the Google Display Network can show their offers to millions of site visitors on different web pages across the internet. A PPC Display Network campaign is superior to SEO efforts because it allows the advertiser to meet the client all the way. PPC campaigns on the Display Network are not a slave to search engine queries. Users do not have to type in a keyword to be shown business information.
 
In the real world, people purchase items on a whim. They walk past a window, something catches their eye and they enter the store to investigate.
 
The Google Display Network is the largest collection of websites that allow people to window shop on the web. Through placement targeting, you can bid for spots on popular websites or websites related to your keywords to further contextualize your traffic.
 

2. SEO offers limited audience targeting.

One of the major drawbacks of relying on an SEO-only digital marketing plan is that it offers little by way of innovation. Through PPC marketing on the Google Display and Search Networks, businesses can be specific about the type of consumers they want to target, making it another clear area where PPC beats SEO.
 
Advertisements can be based on a number of characteristics, including but not limited to geography, user profile and browsing device (desktop, mobile or table campaigns). Campaign managers can also target users according to age and gender.
 
SEO managers can only focus energies on keywords, hoping to attract the right kind of traffic. With targeting, PPC campaigns attract and directly interact with specific customers.  This can lead to more relevant clicks, and ultimately, conversions.
 

3. PPC drives more traffic and conversions for less established or new businesses.

A huge area where PPC beats SEO is in the drive to push less established businesses into the spotlight. In the world of SEO, more established websites with an extensive network of links are given preference on search engines. The present SEO landscape is a difficult one for less established businesses to navigate. In PPC, the advertisement listings at the very top of the page are fair game for everyone, not just the websites with the most links.
 

PPC: A More Dynamic Option

SEO lacks the latitude, scope for growth and refinement that is the cornerstone of PPC marketing. Seeing these areas where PPC beats SEO, it proves to have several benefits especially for less established businesses that want to be more aggressive in their marketing agenda.