In the current climate of digital marketing, businesses that desire increased exposure have to pay for it. A company can go about this in two distinct ways. Either, it can purchase ads that appear on search engines, or it can invest capital toward search-engine optimization (SEO) efforts to boost online position “organically.” Though digital advertising is a part of search engine marketing (SEM) it has no bearing on a company’s organic rankings. Today, we’ll explore the pros and cons of both digital advertising and SEO efforts, and explain which strategy is better for your business:

Digital Advertising vs SEO; Pros, and Cons – and Impact on Business Growth

Digital Advertising

The nice thing about digital advertising is the certainty that surrounds the process. As such, if you pay for an ad to appear on a social media website like Facebook, it will show up there. Similarly, if you outbid your competitors to appear at the top of a search engine page, your ad will claim the top spot. However, because digital adverts on major networks are so cut-and-dried, it can be very expensive to rank for advertisements that contain certain lucrative keywords. Given that fact, some businesses find that digital advertising isn’t a cost-effective method to promote their business.

SEO

SEO concepts are much more complex than the rather straightforward guidelines that govern digital advertising. Plus, new SEO trends come in and out of vogue on a regular basis. Hundreds of factors can influence a website’s ranking on a search engine like Google. Some of those factors include:

• Website age
• Content quality/quantity
• Backlink profile
• Link relevance
• Bounce rate
• Page speed
• Mobile capabilities

The above list is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SEO implementation. Though SEO strategies are complex, they can deliver massive benefits in the long run –– provided you have a team in place that understands the intricacies of digital marketing. SEO tactics aren’t likely to affect website performance in the space of a few weeks, but over the course of time, effective SEO will greatly enhance a company’s digital presence.

What’s the Best Play?

Unfortunately, there’s no universal answer to this question. Both digital advertising and SEO tactics can offer businesses significant advantages. The key to using either (or both) successfully is to determine the needs and goals of your business first. The modern workplace is diverse and constantly changing. What works for one company may not prove beneficial for another. In general, though, companies that are serious about upping their brand’s digital footprint will utilize some combination of paid advertising and SEO. For more information regarding SEO and digital advertising best practices, consider reaching out to a digital marketing agency.