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What Internet Marketing Campaign Should Launch First? SEO vs. SEM

When planning upcoming marketing initiatives, it’s a common question you may be asking yourself: What Internet marketing campaign should I launch first, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), or a Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Pay-Per-Click Marketing (PPC) campaign? While both types drive traffic, they vary substantially in development, implementation, and cost.  Take the following points into consideration when deciding which avenue makes the most sense for you:

Top Benefits of Starting an SEM Campaign First

1. Immediate traffic to your site.  In most cases you can have an SEM campaign up and running within a matter of minutes.
2. Search engines that offer SEM services make the campaign setup process very simple so oftentimes new business owners can easily establish a campaign, select keywords, write ads, etc.
3. Adwords campaigns can be very reasonably priced compared to it’s SEO counterpart.  Small business owners can start a campaign for as little as $100 a month, and without the long-term contract.

Things to Consider: If you are new to the SEM process, it’s easy to lose budget dollars very quickly if your campaign parameters are not properly set.  Carefully go through your campaign settings, and make sure all daily budgets and costs-per-click (or costs-per-impression) are appropriately set so your costs do not escalate out of control.  Also, keep in mind that in order to achieve a high ad placement, you will need to make sure the content on your website closely reflects the content and keywords used on your ad campaign.  Doing so will help deliver a higher campaign conversion rate.

Top Benefits of Starting an SEO Campaign First

1. With SEO you are building a base for long-term traffic, rather than quick or immediate site traffic.
2. Studies indicate that searchers tend to gravitate more towards organic search results rather than “paid” or sponsored listings.  For example, one recent study found that 70% of searches will scan organic (SEO) listings, whereas 30% will scan the paid (SEM) listings first.
3. With SEO, you will earn traffic long-after you’ve paid for the initial bulk campaign fees.  This is dissimilar to an SEM Campaign:  if you cancel an SEM campaign, the traffic stops immediately.

Things to Consider: If you are not technically-inclined, you may need to hire an SEO professional or team to manage your campaign.  Be wary of any firms that makes guarantees of any kind because the rules of SEO are constantly changing – elements that deliver top rankings today may not be the same elements that deliver rankings next week, or next year for that matter.  The SEO industry is at the mercy of algorithmic formulas developed by search engine companies such as Google, MSN, and Yahoo.

Ideally, search engine optimization is something that should occur as your are building your website.  If you are just starting out, consider hiring a qualified SEO consultant, or learn the basics yourself.

Overview

In truth, there is not a “one-size-fits-all” answer to this question.  Business owners should carefully consider both their long-term and short-term marketing objectives to determine what path makes the most sense for them.  If you are looking for long-term growth, then SEO should be part of your integral marketing mix.  On the other hand, if you are looking to do some quick promotions for an upcoming sale and want to generate some extra traffic, an immediate SEM campaign is worth exploring.

HooKMedia helps companies and business owners design, create, and implement successful marketing strategies.  For more information on how we can help promote your brand, please contact us or request a quote.