KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEO AND GOOGLE ADS
Many people get confused between search engine optimization and Google Ads marketing in South Africa. This article will discuss the two Google Marketing services and highlight the primary advantages and disadvantages associated with each one.
BASICS
WHAT IS SEO?
SEO is the process of improving a website’s organic position on search engines such as Google and Yahoo. Appearing on top positions of Google for targeted keywords (or phrases) will drive valuable traffic and sales to a site.
WHAT IS GOOGLE ADS?
Google Ads is the process of paying Google to display your website advert on its search engine and partner sites. Google Ads works on a Pay-Per-Click basis whereby you pay for each click that takes place on your website’s advert.
WHAT DOES AN SEO RANKING WEBSITE LOOK LIKE
An organic search engine ranking has a Title, Description, Logo and Website link appear on Google organically. It is situated directly below the Google Ads Adverts.
WHAT DOES AN GOOGLE RANKING WEBSITE LOOK LIKE
Google Ads are displayed at the top of Google with the word “Sponsored” written above the Advert. Google Ads have a Title, Description, Logo, Image, Website link and Add-ons to make their adverts more engaging and appealing.
INTERMEDIATE
HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT SEO?
Search Engine Optimization requires making updates to a website and improving its online presence by sharing valuable content on the Internet. SEO Requires you to hire a professional SEO company to implement:
A. On Page SEO
B. Off Page SEO
ON PAGE SEO
On-Page is the means of making important updates to your website and optimizing it around important keywords for your business. The updates can be major or minor, depending on the overall state of the site. These updates include:
META TITLES
Titles displayed on search engines
META DESCRIPTIONS
Descriptions displayed on search engines
WEBSITE CONTENT
Analysis of a website’s written informatuon and media
SPEED OPTIMIZATION
The download speeds on your website
MOBILE FRIENDLY
Website compatibility with different devices
SSL CERTIFICATE
Secure Socket Layer to protect website user’s personal information
SITEMAP INSTALLATIONS
Installation of a Sitemap to ensure the correct indexing of your website on Google.
NAVIGATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Internal linking strategy to improve your website’s navigation.
OFF PAGE SEO
Off-Page SEO is the means of sharing valuable content on relevant and high-quality websites to receive a link back to your website. High-quality websites that link back to your website is a vote of confidence that positively contributes to your search engine position. Websites that link back to your site should include:
HIGH DOMAIN AUTHORITY
Sites that have a DA of 20+ and higher
LOW SPAM SCORE
Sites that have a SPAM Score of 20 and less
RELEVANCY
Linking from websites that compliment your industry
LOCAL
Linking from sites that reside in your country.
HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT GOOGLE ADS?
Google Ads requires hiring Certified Google Ads experts who will find valuable keywords, Construct Optimized Adverts and Target a specific group of people based on their interests, income, age, gender and education. There are 5 types of Google Ads:
GOOGLE SEARCH ADS
These are text ads that appear on Google’s search engine.
GOOGLE DISPLAY ADS
These are banner adverts that appear on Google’s partner websites.
GOOGLE SHOPPING ADS
These are image adverts with prices that appear on Google Shopping.
GOOGLE VIDEO ADS
These are video adverts that appear on Youtube.
GOOGLE APP ADS
These are adverts that drive application downloads and purchases on Google.
ADVANCED
ADVANTAGES OF SEO
SET-FEE
Search Engine Optimization works on a set fee. The price of SEO does not fluctuate throughout the year, it stays consistent on a set amount. Google Ads budgets can be expensive if the competition is high,
MORE TRUSTED
Organic rankings are more trusted than paid rankings as organic rankings have Google’s approval which creates more credibility and trust around a business brand. Google prefers to list websites that have been established for long periods of time.
TONS OF TRAFFIC
Appearing on Google for multiple, high-traffic keywords will dive tons of organic traffic to a website. Many businesses solely rely on SEO to grow their establishment if the online demand is large enough.
24 HOUR LISTING
Websites that appear on good positions of Google will be available throughout the day and night. Google Ads positions disappear once the daily budget has been reached, while SEO stays consistent in its position.
AFFORDABLE
Search Engine Optimization can save companies money on marketing costs. High-ranking websites can drive expensive traffic for a set fee, and have the option to discontinue other forms of PPC Marketing.
HIGH RETURN OF INVESTMENT
SEO has the highest Return-of-Investment than any form of marketing online. The traffic is extremely targeted as it appears to an audience who has shown interest and done research on a specific topic, product or service.
LOCAL TRAFFIC
Google have given preference to local websites over international websites. This makes it easier for local websites to compete against bigger companies overseas on Google, even though the SEO services overseas are more effective.
ADVANTAGES OF GOOGLE ADS
INSTANT TRAFFIC
Google Ad campaigns drive instant traffic to a website. This means that adverts can appear on Google within 24 hours upon creation. SEO, on the other hand, takes several months to drive traffic to a site.
TOP POSITIONS
Google Ads appears at the Top 4 positions of Google, usually above the organic rankings. Websites that appear on the top positions of Google create the most trust and receive the most valuable traffic.
AUDIENCE TARGETING
Google Ads allows you to target people based on their characteristics. This feature allows you to save money by avoiding wasted clicks on people who are not likely to purchase items from you. You can also target people who have previously visited your site. This is known as remarketing.
PERFORMANCE AND OPTIMIZATION
Google Ads allows you to measure the impact and success of your Ads with conversion tracking. Conversion are important actions that occur on your website such as leads or telephone calls. Google have systems that measure and track these actions so you can make constant improvements to your campaign.
FLEXIBLE BUDGETS
Google Ads allows marketers to specify a daily budget for their campaigns. Marketers have the option to increase or decrease budgets with several clicks, and Google will not exceed the specified daily amount.
A-B TESTING
Google Ads have integrated AI technology on their systems to maximize performance. Marketers are required to submit multiple lines of titles and descriptions when creating ads. Google do A-B testing to figure out the most effective combination of titles and descriptions.
FULL CONTROL
Google Ads gives you full control over where and when you advert will appear on Google. It allows you to use location targeting to target specific countries, cities and suburbs. You can also display your ads at various times in the day.
DISADVANTAGES OF SEO
RESULTS TAKE TIME
Unlike Google Ads, which delivers instant traffic, SEO can take between 3-24 months to rank for targeted keywords. The amount of time varies according to the level of competition online.
ALGORITHM UPDATES
Google are constantly updating their algorithms to improve the user experience on their search engines. SEO tactics are constantly evolving and if SEO specialists do not evolve with the search engine, they will implement ineffective and redundant techniques.
STRICT GUIDELINES
Google have become extremely strict with the overall health of a website. Websites need to have fast download speeds, they need to be mobile friendly, they need to contain an SSL certificate and be free from viruses and malware. Failure to meet these standards will result in low-ranking positions.
HIGH COMPETITION
Entering the market with highly competitive industries will require a lot of SEO work and time. For instance, competing in the insurance market is difficult as top insurance companies have been in the industry for decades and will hire Top SEO experts to rank their websites.
NO GUARANTEES
SEO specialists cannot give guarantees with ranking websites on Page 1 of Google. The search engines update their systems often and these updates can make previous strategies obsolete and a waste of time.
DISADVANTAGES OF GOOGLE ADS
HIGH COST PER CLICK
The CPC amount varies according to industry and competition. In highly competitive markets, the Cost-Per-Click can range from R500-R1000 per click. A click does not guarantee a sale, it requires several clicks to achieve a sale.
BIG BUDGETS
Google requires big budgets to unlock the full potential of the new AI. Limited budget limits reach and testing abilities. Bigger budgets provide more exploration and opportunities to capture higher quality traffic.
LIMITED EXPOSURE
Companies with limited budgets will not be able to appear on Google Ads throughout the entire day. Once you reach your Daily Limit, your advert will disappear off Google until the next day starts again. This might lead to missed opportunities and sales.
EARLY STAGES OF AI
AI is an incredible invention, and Google’s future will depend on it. However, AI is in the early stages of advancements and will make mistakes along the way. Many marketers still use traditional and manual Google Ads practices as they do not trust in AI.
BOTS AND FAKE CLICKS
The internet is swarming with bots posing to be real people. The bots have become so advanced that they can emulate human behaviour when they browse Google. Google’s failure to recognize these fake clicks from these bots can waste some of your budget.
CONCLUSION
Most businesses in South Africa should implement both SEO and Google Ads to drive leads and sales. If a business has limited budget, it should only focus on Google Ads as it delivers instant traffic to a site. The Google Ads budget is dependent on the competition. Low competition keywords cost between R2- R10 per click. Medium competition keywords cost between R10- R50 per click. High competition keywords can cost between R50- R1000 per click. SEO Services cost between R3500- R35000 rand. It depends on the number of keywords a business would like to rank on Page 1 of Google. A business can chose to focus on 5-10 keywords (R3500) or 50-100 keywords (R35000).