The more quality prospects you have, the greater your chances are of transforming them into leads. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising come into play. While both methods have the potential to generate online traffic for your brand, one happens to be free and the other is, well, as its name implies–paid. So, should you choose one method over the other in your internet marketing strategy? 

To understand how to take advantage of SEO and PPC ads, you first need to understand how each of these tools function. While there are several types of PPC ads, Google search ads are the most widely recognized and utilized by far. You’ll typically find PPC ads on top of and below the organic listings in Google. Advertisers pay each time a user clicks on your ad, and to improve your chances of your ad appearing in a prime location on the search results page, you have to bid well and leverage keywords strategically. 

Here are some of the benefits of PPC ads:

• Placement/visibility: PPC ads have prime positioning on SERPs, so users will see these ads first.
• Targeting: You can target your ads to specific users based on parameters that you define–specific keywords, location, site history, and more.
• Customization: Since these ads are paid, you have a number of options at your disposal to customize them, like bullets, phone numbers, links, visuals, etc.
• Budget flexibility: You have the flexibility to determine how much you spend on your ad campaign per day.
• Time/effort: PPC ads are fairly simple to set up and brands can begin seeing substantial results in a matter of days.
• Conversions- PPC ads typically hold a high conversion rate

Cons:

• Cost: Depending on how popular your keywords are, costs for PPC ads can get a little pricey. In addition, to experience consistent results, a continued investment is necessary.

Now, let’s talk SEO. SEO involves including specific content on your website that is intended to improve your site’s placement and positioning in the SERPs. This content typically comprises keywords. The basic premise behind SEO is that you’re building web traffic at no cost to you by scoring higher rankings in the organic search results. While this process usually takes a bit more time than PPC ads, the amount of targeted traffic you receive will likely prove more beneficial in the long run.

SEO is great to leverage for:

• Brand awareness: With high visibility on the SERPs due to targeted keyword usage, your brand is placed in front of potential prospects.
• Credibility: Some users tend to avoid advertised businesses for lack of trust. There is a greater perception of credibility and trust with organic results.
• Cost: Since SEO is technically free (only requiring your time and effort), the cost-per-click is much more economical than PPC ads.
• Sustainability: PPC ads stop sending traffic to your site the minute you stop paying. On the other hand, organic traffic has the potential to continue to build over time and retain this positioning so long as your competition does not ramp up their efforts.

Cons:

• Time: Organic traffic can take time to cultivate. And, there’s always the potential that your specific keywords will be taken. 

So, which one should you use? PPC ads are great for launching your community online and can provide immediate traffic to your website.   SEO takes substantially more time and effort to produce consistent results than PPC ads, but has the potential to produce great, quality leads for no cost. In the perfect world, you should leverage both. While each holds their own pros and cons, they provide the most optimal benefit by supporting each other. Over time, you will be able to increase your keyword rankings while attracting targeted traffic that is more likely to convert. And, what’s better is that you can reap the benefits of two traffic sources without necessarily having to break the bank or wait until the end of time.

Rentbot can help.

At Rentbot, we design websites for your multifamily properties that attract, convert, and retain tenants. All of our websites include SEO to help you get more traffic, and our turnkey solutions provide inclusive services that cover website hosting, support and maintenance. And, if you’re interested in PPC ads, we can help get you set up with our Google Ads services. We’ll provide geo-targeted keyword research, optimized campaign setup, full-feature ad creation, automatic inclusion of new Google Ad features and monthly reporting and strategy calls. Or, if SEO is more your speed, through our advanced SEO package, we’ll provide geo-targeted keyword research, SEO setup, page-targeted keyword optimization and more.  No matter if you go SEO or PPC–we’ve got you covered. Get started with a free consultation today.

About the Author

Jonsette Calloway joined the Rentbot team in 2015. With a background in public relations, advertising and copywriting, she has helped a multitude of clients achieve their marketing and communications goals within various fields, but she particularly enjoys working with the apartment industry.