Is PPC or SEM a more effective marketing technique?

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a powerful tool which allows companies to promote their products and grow their business online. Thereby ranking their content higher among search engine traffic and majorly influencing consumers buying behaviours. SEM involves both Search engine optimisation (SEO) marketing, which earns engagement through free listings and Pay per click (PPC) paid advertising, which essentially buys online site visits. 

SEO 

SEO is a process that improves the location and visibility of a website in organic search results. This allows consumers to easily access products or services that fit their needs, as a search engine results page (SERP) will generate website positioning according to relevance and popularity. By optimising a website, marketers increase their SERP, driving more traction to their site and therefore promoting products. 

PPC 

PPC is an alternative search engine marketing technique where businesses pay for ad space but are only charged when their ads are clicked on. PPC is a common marketing technique that can be utilised on multiple online platforms through text, videos and photos, usually depending on who is being targeted. PPC allows businesses to buy visits to their sites, growing brand awareness and hence increasing sales. 

Conclusion 

Both search engine techniques are effective marketing tools to grow a business and increase sales. Despite being more costly, PPC is a great revenue for new business to explore, allowing for fast initial brand growth, as consumers can become more quickly aware of a company’s products or services. However I believe by continuing to optimise your SEO, companies will benefit more greatly in the long term. As a site that ranks more relevant on SERP is more likely to be of higher desire to consumers, compared to those who have paid for advertising. 

Barney, N. and Horwitz, L. (2022) What does search engine marketing (SEM) mean and how is it used?, Content Management. Available at: https://www.techtarget.com/searchcontentmanagement/definition/Search-engine-marketing-SEM (Accessed: 16 November 2023). 

Castillo, L. (2023) Must-know seo statistics [recent analysis] • gitnux, GITNUX. Available at:https://blog.gitnux.com/seo-statistics/#:~:text=other%20marketing%20tools.-,70%25%20of%20online%20marketers%20believe%20that%20SEO%20is%20better%20than,delivers%20better%20results%20than%20PPC. (Accessed: 16 November 2023). 

LocaliQ (2023) What is PPC? learn the basics of pay-per-click (PPC) marketing – wordstream, What Is PPC? Learn the Basics of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing. Available at: https://www.wordstream.com/ppc (Accessed: 16 November 2023).