Why AdWords and SEO Really Do Work Better Together

The universally recognised Taoism symbol of balance, Yin and Yang, depicts the idea of balance in all things; light and dark, hot and cold, night and day. Essentially the symbol represents the criterion of forces within nature which cannot exist without the other. Now what does this have to do with digital marketing? Everything, of course, but especially the balance between paid digital marketing and, organic digital marketing. We’re often asked, “Which one do I choose,” or, “which one will work best for me,” when what you should be asking is, “how can I achieve the right balance of organic and paid digital marketing,” and, “what is the right balance for me”. Furthermore, and more specifically, it’s the balance between Google AdWords and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) where you can strike gold for your business.

Keeping this mind about digital marketing, it’s also important to note that these relationships between these natural forces are not stagnant; they are always moving depending on external factors and, the same goes for your digital marketing. If your marketing goals differ during different times of the year, for example, the right balance of your paid and organic digital marketing will flow and change, therefore meaning that while one avenue may be more useful than the other at particular times, it’s crucial to always keep the right balance.

So to demystify the thought that ‘it has to be one or the other’ we’re here to tell you that if you’re really serious about achieving results, then Google AdWords and SEO really are better together.

Google AdWords can be very lucrative for business but like many forms of marketing, as soon as you stop investing in it, the new leads disappear and the business has nothing left over to show that it ever happened. A major advantage of AdWords is that it often has immediate benefits and can be turned back on at any time. One SponsoredLinX staff member likens it to buying take away food – you get results fast but you wouldn’t want to solely live on it. Paying for every click as your only digital marketing tactic isn’t something you want to do forever or all the time.

That’s where SEO comes in. Everyone knows organic traffic is free, but wouldn’t logic dictate that a business should go straight into SEO and not worry about AdWords? In reality these two methods work very well together so in most cases a business would want to cover both bases, but there’s a reason you should get into AdWords first and then follow up with SEO as an addition to your digital marketing formula as the next logical step.

When you compare the main features of these two methods there are some obvious similarities and differences. They both work through Google search (for the purposes of this blog we’re discussing SEO in the context of exclusively targeting Google organic search traffic due to their overwhelming traffic share) and they both aim to bring in new business by targeting keywords that are likely to convert into leads and sales. On the other hand they vary most significantly in their speed. Where Google AdWords works quickly and allows for frequent tweaking and strategy changes, SEO is a slow moving process that gradually builds momentum.

Given that both tools are attempting to capture people using the same platform, Google Search, you’re probably starting to see how you can use the pros of both SEO and Google AdWords to get the maximum benefits for your business. The goal is to combine the speed and flexibility of AdWords with the power and momentum of SEO. Your AdWords campaign will still cost you per click but if done correctly, will make you a significant profit despite this and, your SEO will still be slow but thanks to your correct use of the pay per click ads you’ll know for sure it’s moving in the right direction.

An NYU study which had its findings published online in 2010 found that based on the results of their field experiment, that “… when paid search advertising was active implying that both sponsored and organic listings were available to consumers, the combined CTR [click-through-rate] from both of these listings was 5.1% higher than when paid search advertising was inactive, and only the organic listings were present…” (Yang & Ghose, 2010). The findings from the field experiment led the researchers to conclude that in order to obtain a versatile marketing strategy, that utilising both paid and organic digital marketing methods need to be implemented.

When you look at the Yin and Yang symbol, think of the circle encompassing the Yin and Yang as your digital marketing strategy. Inside this circle lie your Google AdWords and SEO digital marketing techniques. Remember, the idea of Yin and Yang is that one cannot exist without the other, like Left and Right, North and South and, Time and Space. AdWords and SEO is the Yin and Yang in the marketing world. If you want to learn more about how you can take advantage of Google AdWords and SEO, speak with your Client Manager today, or get in touch with our Digital Strategy team on 1300 859 600, or simply visit our website. We would also like to take this opportunity to invite you to our August Optimise Webinar on why Google AdWords and SEO really are better together. Keep an eye out for email invitation, coming to an inbox near you!

 

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