Posted by Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine advertising (SEA), also known as pay-per-click services (PPC) are two of the most important digital marketing channels today. Used together strategically, SEO and SEA can reinforce each other and take your online visibility and conversions to the next level.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about maximizing the impact of your SEO and SEA efforts by combining them for optimum synergy. You’ll learn:
- The fundamentals of SEO and SEA and how they work
- When to use SEO vs SEA
- The benefits of combining SEO and SEA
- Key strategies for integrating SEO and SEA
- Real-world examples of brands optimizing SEO and SEA together
By the end, you’ll understand exactly how to unlock the full potential of both search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising by aligning them for greater success. Let’s dive in!
How Do SEO and SEA Work?
To understand how to integrate SEO and SEA, we first need to cover the basics of how each works independently.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It refers to the process of improving a website to rank higher in the organic search results in search engines like Google.
The goal of SEO is to get more visibility and traffic from search. There are two core components:
- On-page SEO: This refers to optimizing individual web pages with elements like meta titles and descriptions, headers, content, etc.
- Off-page SEO: This refers to building authority and relevance by earning backlinks, citations, reviews, social shares, and other external signals.
By improving both on-page and off-page factors, sites can rank higher for relevant keyword terms without having to pay for placement. SEO traffic also converts better because it consists of users specifically searching for your products or services.
However, SEO takes time and continuous effort. It can take months for sites to climb the rankings. SEO also can’t guarantee first page rankings, as search is competitive.
What is SEA/PPC?
SEA stands for search engine advertising and PPC for pay-per-click advertising. This refers to paid ads shown in search engines like Google Ads. You create ads and bid on keywords relevant to your business.
When users search those terms, your ads can show above or alongside the organic results. You pay Google only when someone clicks your ad. The benefits include:
- Guaranteed first page placement
- Complete control over the keywords you target
- Fast implementation and ability to pause/adjust campaigns
However, SEA costs money, so it may not fit all budgets. There is also no guarantee of conversions from SEA traffic.
Now that we’ve reviewed both, let’s discuss when it makes sense to use one vs. the other.
When Should You Use SEO vs SEA?
Both SEO and SEA are extremely valuable for increasing search visibility and traffic to your site. However, they each fit specific use cases:
When to Prioritize SEO
- Your priority is saving money on customer acquisition long-term
- You want to target informational keywords with high search volumes
- Your focus is on building authority as a thought leader
- You have time to wait for rankings to improve over months
- Your goal is to increase brand visibility and awareness
When to Prioritize SEA
- You want to quickly start driving targeted traffic and leads
- You need to ensure first page placement for competitive keywords
- You have an immediate goal like promoting a time-sensitive offer
- You need to be able to turn campaigns on or off
- You want to target specific keywords, devices, locations, etc.
As you can see, both strategies have their unique place in an effective marketing plan. The keys are understanding your budget, goals, and time constraints.
Many businesses find success combining SEO and PPC ads simultaneously to maximize visibility. So how exactly can you align SEO and SEA together?
4 Benefits of Combining SEO and SEA
Rather than viewing SEO and SEA as separate strategies, you’ll see significantly better results by integrating them. Aligned properly, SEO and SEA together can:
1. Increase Overall Search Visibility
With SEO, you can target dozens of relevant keyword terms based on search volume and difficulty to increase domain authority. With PPC, you can supplement by bidding on additional competitive terms to fill gaps.
Running both programs means you can show up across more queries through organic and paid results. This compounds to build tremendous visibility.
2. Target Different Keywords
Certain high-value keywords may be out of reach organically for the time being. However, you can bid on them via paid ads.
Similarly, SEO might allow you to rank for long-tail, low-competition searches that don’t warrant ad spend. By combining efforts, you can hit both short and long-tail keywords.
3. Deliver More Search Traffic
More visibility equals more traffic. With greater combined exposure across organic and paid results, you’ll drive increased visitors to your site.
These compounding sources mean more overall site traffic to fuel other conversion goals. Plus, searchers see you as an authority visible across multiple areas of SERPs.
4. Lower SEA Costs Over Time
The traffic SEO generates will allow you to scale back paid search budgets over time. As organic rankings improve, you can reallocate spend away from high-converting keywords you now rank for.
This saves money while still maintaining presence through organic rankings. Aligned properly, SEO pays off substantially in the long run.
Now that you see the immense value of combining SEO and PPC, let’s get into the actionable strategies for integrating them successfully.
6 Key Strategies for Integrating SEO and SEA
Here are the top tips for aligning your SEO and SEA efforts to maximize visibility, traffic, leads, and sales:
1. Audit Keywords for Both SEO and SEA Potential
Start by auditing keyword opportunities for your brand. Assess terms by search volume, competition level, commercial intent, and business value.
Categorize keywords by suitability for SEO vs SEA. Target the broadest range through both programs.
2. Include PPC Data in SEO Keyword Research
Incorporate SEA campaign performance into SEO keyword research. Identify paid terms driving strong conversions that you can expand into SEO.
Also look for overlapping keywords ranking organically and via ads. These present optimization opportunities on both fronts.
3. Promote SEO Content With PPC Ads
Boost high-performing SEO content like blogs by promoting them through PPC ads. Send targeted traffic to amplify conversions.
Similarly, promote key landing pages via SEA to develop relevance signals. This helps improve SEO over time.
4. Sync Ad Copy With SEO Content
Keep ad copy and landing pages on-brand by aligning with SEO content themes. Use keywords researched for organic content in paid ads as well.
5. Analyze Conversions Across Channels
Dig into analytics to understand how users convert across SEO and PPC. Find strengths of each channel to further optimize and align initiatives.
6. Let SEO Performance Inform PPC Bidding
Continuously evolve paid ad bids based on SEO performance. Reduce budgets for terms ranking organically and reallocate spend more effectively.
Following these best practices will ensure your SEO and SEA work in harmony driving maximum search presence. But what does this look like in reality? Let’s look at some examples.
Real World Examples of Aligned SEO and SEA
Here are just a few examples of major brands leveraging aligned SEO and SEA strategies:
1. AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Amazon aligns SEO and PPC to dominate search across its services like AWS. Google “cloud computing” and Amazon shows up multiple times organically plus paid:
This blankets visibility across high-value searches via SEO authority and PPC.
2. Everlane
Fashion retailer Everlane markets across both SEO and SEA. They rank organically for “sustainable clothing” while also running paid ads:
The combined results means Everlane dominates the first page for this core term.
3. Salesforce
Salesforce ranks organically for branded and non-branded terms while also purchasing ads:
This allows Salesforce to control more real estate in results for competitive SaaS keywords.
As you can see, combined SEO and SEA unlock huge potential for search domination. You can emulate these examples to build an integrated strategy tailored to your brand.
Conclusion
Getting SEO and SEA to work synergistically takes thoughtful strategy and execution. But the results are well worth the effort.
Aligned properly, SEO and PPC together can drive more search visibility, traffic, leads and sales than either could alone. They allow you to target more keywords through multiple search channels.
The keys are auditing your opportunities, incorporating insights from each side, and optimizing budget allocation over time as SEO improves.
By following the tactics in this guide, you can craft a powerful integrated SEO and SEA strategy. Use the synergy between search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising to propel your online growth and conversions.
What tips do you have for maximizing SEO and PPC together? Share your insights and experiences in the comments below!