There is often a large debate on whether to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Pay Per Click (PPC) management as to which of these services is the most valuable to use and which will give you the best Return On Investmest (ROI), and rightly so.

Both services have their advantages and disadvantages, however, what is more important is to look at what your website offers and what service is right for your website.

Websites that would benefit from Search Engine Optimization may include:

• Websites with a large amount of content – You may have heard the expression “Content is King”. Content that is optimized to include keyword terms used by those searching for your products or services has a large factor in increasing your website listing.
• Websites that keep old content and update content regularly. Sites with a hierarchical structure or even blogs fall into this category.
• Websites that contain research articles which increase content significantly.

Websites that would benefit from Pay Per Click management may include:

• Shopping Cart Sites – Products which are changed and updated often. Promotions which last for a limited length of time.
• Websites that are coded using a coding technique that can not be easily indexed by search engines. Some examples are sites coded in FLASH or sites with Content Management Systems (CMS) which may be very pricey to perform SEO on.
• Websites that offer limited time promotions.

Sometimes it is best to use only one of these two services, however often it is best to put both services to work, in order to maximise visibility in search engines. If you are after a quick fix, then Pay Per Click management is your best solution. If you are after SEO, then it is also a good idea to use paid listings in the beginning to increase website visitors before your pages are fully indexed in search engines and ranked highly – which may take up to 3 months or longer.

Search Engine Optimization is definitely a long term solution, whereas Paid Listings are very much a short term solution. Often it will come down to what the customer want’s or can afford. Likewise, SEO is more pricey up front but gives a better Return On Investment (ROI) in the long run. Pay Per Click is cheaper up front but will no doubt become more expensive and offer a lower Return On Investment in most cases in the long run.