The other day, I came across the below infograph, which compares SEO to a healthy diet and PPC to plastic surgery.
I find this an interesting idea for explaining these online marketing methods. I’m sure it helps set client expectations and is useful in differentiating the services to clients, who often expect instantaneous results from SEO, despite all the information out there that SEO is anything BUT instant.
However, I think this infograph also draws attention to potential pitfalls when it comes to managing online marketing, particularly when it comes to PPC. For example, we’ve all seen example of plastic surgery gone bad.
The same thing can happen to your PPC campaigns, if you put them in the hands of an inexperienced or careless doctor…er, PPC specialist. If you choose someone simply based on price, you can actually end of spending lots of money but will never receive good results (though someone charging exorbitant prices does not mean s/he provides quality services). Likewise, you don’t want to put your SEO under the control of someone who practices extreme dieting (i.e., black hat tactics), because the end results will be anything but healthy for your company’s online presence and your bottom line. Keeping your website safe from these shysters involves doing your research before hiring someone. If you’re wondering how you find a good person, there’s a great video about that here.
In the end, while this infograph does a good job of indicating the TIMEFRAME on which SEO and PPC work, as well as gesturing towards INHERENT DANGERS with each one, it privileges the SEO over PPC. Most people naturally assume that dieting is the healthier (though more difficult) means of achieving sustainable results, when compared to plastic surgery. However, this analogy does not apply to PPC and SEO. A company’s investment into PPC or SEO depends on its unique situation. Oftentimes, a mix of both PPC and SEO creates the ideal online presence for a company. PPC can often be very effective for short-term offers or for branding purposes. However, neither approach is inherently better than the other, and a good online marketer will be able to present the best combination and options for your company, its current situation, and its future goals.
If you have any questions about implementing SEO and PPC for your company, feel free to contact Digital Dogs. You can also leave your questions or feedback in our comment section.
