The idea behind marriage is a union, a new entity borne out of two individual people that is stronger and more complete than either person’s own life. And it is with purpose that I use such a serious term regarding search marketing here.
I see articles almost daily that are titled something to the effect of “Paid Search vs. Natural Search” or “PPC vs. SEO”, but I find the opposition language flawed. While my parents’ marriage may have deserved a “vs” in its description, search engine marketing’s two components need to be thought of as a harmonious marriage in order to achieve the best results.
The merits of PPC and SEO stand alone as effective avenues toward reaching target consumers with a relevant online message. What many are just beginning to realize is that when combined, a combined paid search/natural search strategy yields far greater results than either one alone.
Integrated search visibility (SEO + PPC) is more than the sum of the two. A synergy is created when combined.
Take, for example, a study executed by iCrossing which points to how drastic the increase in searcher action can be when combining SEO and PPC. An experiment they conducted compared results of a paid search campaign to the same campaign after adding natural search efforts. It provides strong evidence that the combination of paid and natural search generates results much better than the sum of each on its own. The results in that particular case were impressive:
Clicks: Up 92%
Page Views: Up 44%
Time on Site: Up 39%
Clearly, the results showed a significant relationship between concurrent PPC and SEO campaigns and increased online visibility and performance. While Marketing 101 will tell you that the more impressions consumers are exposed to, the greater the brand awareness, message retention and overall chance of purchase.
Ensuring your brand and message appear in both paid and natural search is just applying tried and tested marketing principles to new media. The difference, of course, is that rather than paying for a certain number of consumers to see your message, you’re investing in relevant consumer action.
