Throughout the internet there rages a debate that has gone on for many years and will likely continue on as long as the internet exists: which is better, SEO or PPC? It is not a simple question to answer in just a few words, but it is a very important issue to understand overall. Let us take a look at some of the advantages that search engine optimization has over traditional pay-per-click advertising.

Why Invest in SEO?

Search Engine Optimization Canada: An Overview

First, let us begin by understanding what SEO is to begin with. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of helping boost a website’s ranking in the search engines. There are a very large number of methods by which this optimization is attempted but in the end the goal is the same: put a website on page one of the search engines (and position number one if possible).

SEO Advantage #1 – Costs Can Potentially Be Much Lower

When using search engine optimization Canada techniques the overall costs may be much lower than the equivalent PPC advertising. It is true that PPC advertising can put a site on page 1 of the search engines the same day, but it comes at a price, and sometimes a very high price. Certain terms – medical terms and legal terms, for example – can cost as much as $50-100 per click to appear on the first page of the search engines for their respective niche terms. This high price can add up very quick and become incredibly expensive. SEO costs, by comparison, generally tend to be much lower.

SEO Advantage #2 – Long Term Results

One of the most severe disadvantages to pay-per-click marketing is that when you stop advertising, your site is immediately removed from the search engine’s ad displays. This means it is not possible to receive any traffic by the PPC results, unless you are willing to begin paying for them again. Search engine optimization, by contrast, may help a site stay ranked in the search engines for years to come. This means that traffic can continue to flow to your site into the future, even though you not longer pay anything additional. Effective SEO measures can have a long term and lasting effect on website ranking and traffic flow.

SEO Advantage #3 – Increased Credibility

It is a fact that the higher a site is ranked in the search engines the higher the perceived credibility will be for its visitors. If you were to go online to Google.com, for example, and type in the term, “Debt Payoff,” you will get millions of results back. The top three sites that appear are likely to be extremely relevant to your search and you will likely perceive them as very credible resources on the topics of “Debt Payoff”. This credibility is very important to the website owners as it will likely increase their traffic conversion and visitor action to a large degree, all other factors being equal.

As yo can see, the advantages of SEO over PPC marketing are quite substantial. There are many other advantages as well but hopefully this has given you a good bird’s-eye view of the value inherent in search engine optimization Canada.