Keyword<\/strong>: “Plumber”<\/p>\n3 x local service ads<\/p>\n
1 x text ad<\/p>\n
Find results on links (3 x external sites)<\/p>\n
Local pack<\/p>\n
Local listing\u00a0<\/p>\n
Local listing<\/p>\n
Local listing<\/p>\n
People also ask<\/p>\n
Question<\/p>\n
Question<\/p>\n
Question\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question\u00a0<\/p>\n
Organic 1: Directory<\/p>\n
Organic 2: Wikipedia\u00a0<\/p>\n
Organic 3: Directory<\/p>\n
Organic 4: Government careers site<\/p>\n
Organic 5: Portal<\/p>\n
Organic 6: Local business<\/p>\n
Here we see that the three-pack has good organic visibility right at the top of the page so SEO is likely useful if targeting a small geographic area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, if you are targeting a larger area and can’t likely rank in the pack then the first non-directory or portal listing is the position 6 organic listing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is around the 22nd link on the page (so unlikely to generate significant organic traffic).\u00a0<\/p>\n
By conducting this relatively simple analysis for your keywords and reviewing the landscape you can make some estimates regarding whether ad coverage or SEO will generate the required results.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/span>3. How do the results vary by location?<\/span><\/h3>\nThere is a common mistake that a lot of local businesses make, which is to assume that what they see when they Google their target keywords at their location is what everyone sees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is important to track your results from different locations as the ads, local pack and organic results (typically localized) will vary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What we recommend here is that you either conduct manual rank reports from different locations or ideally, use a rank tracking tool that will show you your rankings at various points across the geography you cover.<\/p>\n
Note: <\/strong>You may see that your results are strong within a given distance of your location but drop off further away from your location. Sometimes, a combined SEO and PPC approach can be useful.<\/p>\n<\/span>4. How much business do you need?<\/span><\/h3>\nThis is an important question and where we start to see some intersectionality from these questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you are a small business servicing a local area and need maybe one or two good leads a week, then SEO may give you more than you need.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We have helped hundreds of small businesses that fall into this category, and once SEO is dialed in, they never spend a penny on PPC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you are a larger business, have multiple teams and service a large city or geographic area, you may also need some coverage with PPC on top of SEO to ensure you generate enough work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/span>5. What do you have more of \u2013 time or money?<\/span><\/h3>\nAn important difference between SEO and PPC is that you can do SEO yourself or within your business without any real costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All the information you need is out there to improve your visibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Time is money. So, if you have a larger team costing you money, then spending money to generate leads quickly makes sense.<\/p>\n
This is where we have to consider the pros and cons we discussed earlier, as improving SEO can take a while, whereas PPC can be almost instant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is important to determine what is right for your completely unique situation and objectives and lean in that direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/span>SEO vs. PPC: Your unique roadmap\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\nHopefully, you can see it is impossible to answer this question in a generic way. You really have to consider all the variables.<\/p>\n
A hyper-local business with little competition and a requirement for just a few leads per week could likely develop good visibility in the local and organic search results with a little spend or some DIY SEO.<\/p>\n
A new ecommerce store that is competing with a page of results from Amazon, eBay and other major department stores and online retailers is likely going to struggle in organic search (in the short term, at least).<\/p>\n
Do you need leads now? Are you looking at the long game? Do you have much in the way of website authority? What is the competition like in organic search? What is the cost per click in paid search?<\/p>\n
A clear digital marketing strategy and short- and long-term goals are essential in making an SEO or PPC decision.<\/p>\n
<\/span>The third option: SEO and<\/em> PPC