green-up-arrow-and-chart-thumb797017.jpgIn the previous article, we discussed that companies spend the majority of their marketing dollars on PPC as opposed to SEO.  Since the SEO has a distinguishably better ROI, the question was why?  Below are a few comments, again from SEOmozzers, addressing the question: 

PPC is something that the client has been able to pick up and play with themselves prior to talking to an SEM pro.PPC is plug-and-play web marketing that works out of the box, SEO is perceived as requiring a pre-existing skill set that doesn’t do anything overnight.I often find myself driving to work instead of cycling because it’s quicker and easier. Unfortunately it’s also more expensive and not as good for me long term.  I know this but…      

 How many of us can relate to this statement?  We hate disciplining ourselves in the short term for long term gains.  

What we are seeing in our agency is that because of the down turn in the economy, companies are asking us to work on their SEO because they see it as a wiser investment in the longrun. We keep needing to tell our clients that although SEO has a higher ROI in the long run, short term gains are seen quicker with paid search.     

In the midst of an economic recession though, companies are forced to work through these short term disciplines in order be the most efficient with their marketing dollars.

It seems like everyone’s answer is right in line with mine. Companies don’t like or understand PPC more (though they like to think they do), it just gets more money because it’s trackable and the results are immediate. At least in the US, business owners are all about instant gratification. Only now in a down economy do they see that investing in long term things like SEO/content is worth their dollars more. 

SEOs and the industry can do more by education only. We have to focus more on explaining that there is no secret formula, no magic. SEO is just like every other branch of marketing, just a little more technical. Ask an ad buyer, is there a specific path they use to get sales out of a magazine placement? Nope. They learn about the audience, mold the message and look of the piece to match, and then set it out there. It takes time to craft that message and get it right, it takes time to brand build. In SEO, it’s the same thing. This is not a black craft as many business owners think. It’s just forcing them to marry marketing and IT, which can be very scary sometimes.

A down economy is the perfect chance for hearty businesses to focus on SEO, but only if they are in it for the win. It’s a strategy, sure, but it’s got to be for the right reasons. Developing good content for the benefit of the end user has to be the end goal, not just to gain more business. That comes with the focus on the end user. Cause and effect.      

 Well said.   One of the suggestions as to why companies use PPC more is that they like the control.  They like how measurable it is, even if the ROI is not as good as SEO.  But with the downturn, they are forced to work through their dislike and fears of SEO because of the obvious long term benefits.