The worlds of PPC and SEO are inextricably linked. They revolve around the same basic concepts and ultimately have the same goal–catching your attention. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula. Online marketing is a combination of science and art, data and instinct. While that may sound intimidating, we can take comfort in knowing that as much as our world changes and as unpredictable as consumer behavior can be, some guiding principles hold true.
The World In Which Your Website Lives
Whether you have hired someone to launch a high-end performance marketing campaign or are managing your online advertising yourself, your PPC and SEO efforts will revolve around keywords. At first glance, keywords and phrases may seem like a no-brainer. After all, you know your business, and the words associated with it appear rather obvious.
While your initial intuition is a good starting point, it is a large world out there with multiple points of views and numerous quirks of language. It is important to do your homework and use free online tools like Google’s Keyword and Traffic Estimator Tools to generate ideas and spot trends that may not have occurred to you. Chances are, you will not only confirm that your first impulse was a good one, but also discover a whole host of keywords with tremendous potential.
PPC and SEO Lesson Number 1:
Coupling intuition with information will lead to the best possible result. Search engines are constantly updating their algorithms in order to deliver the best results possible. When a new iteration emerges, the online marketing world inevitably goes berserk. Part of that is due to past experience. Updates are not flawless, and exceptional sites have seen their page ranks plummet due to an unanticipated quirk.
Part of it, however, is unfounded. If you have generated high quality content and been diligent about web site maintenance, you will quickly recover from any algorithm anomalies, if you feel the effects of them at all. It is not enough to parrot the cliché, “content is king.” You must actually translate that philosophy into practice.
PPC and SEO Lesson Number 2:
High quality work and diligence will pay-off in both the short and long term, no matter what algorithm changes come your way. Along the same lines, while it is important to remain current and evolve with the internet, your online marketing should never be gimmicky or constructed carelessly.
Rather than employ quick fixes that fleetingly boost your page rank, you need to invest a great deal of time, energy, and thought into every aspect of your PPC and SEO. When you engage only in white hat SEO practices, you build a solid web presence that provides valuable and relevant content on a consistent basis. Taking short cuts, however, will ultimately backfire. You will dilute both your brand and your page rank, simply because you were not willing to do it right the first time.
PPC and SEO Lesson Number 3:
Gradual, deliberate action leads to valuable and relevant extensions of your web presence. Anything less is a disservice to you and the community as a whole. The internet can be a confusing and overwhelming place, especially when your primary area of expertise has nothing to do with technology or the web. While it is important to remain informed about new trends and practices, the most important SEO and PPC principles remain the same. If you let them guide your actions, you will forge an engaging and remarkable web presence that will always find its way to the top of search engines everywhere.
The inextricably linked worlds of PPC and SEO are guided by the same basic principles. By adhering to them you will forge a remarkable online presence in an ever-changing world.
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