SEO Web design and pay-per-click ads are both methods of acquiring traffic. Regardless of using one or both means of getting attention, site architecture remains key to success.
Web Development over Web Design
While Web design plays a role as to whether a site captures the attention of viewers and encourages follow-through responses, site development or architecture is vital for ranking and initially driving traffic. According to the designers at digITech, regardless of how many topics a site contains, a centralized theme organizes all of the information on all of the pages. The theme must also stem from a single keyword that easily expands into phrases contained within titles and meta tags, which tie all of the pages together. Whether using pay-per-click or search engine optimization, engine crawlers pick-up on page relationships and rank sites accordingly.
Pay-Per-Click
When getting research results in search engines, pay-per-click or PPC ads are the highlighted entries at the top of the page or listed in a column on the far right. These keyword-based ads are paid for by site owners in an effort to increase traffic to a website. The cost for implementing this type of advertising varies from 0.05 cents to $50.00 every time someone clicks on an ad and visits a site, which is why the technique is referred to as pay-per-click. Ephricon Marketing explains the technique in greater detail. While the method guarantees more traffic, PPC does not guarantee greater conversions.
PPC-Good or Bad
If not managed properly, PPC advertising can cost site owners a small fortune. Consider purchasing an ad for a miniscule amount of 0.05 per click. If the add attracts 100 visitors to your site in a day, you pay $5.00 for the traffic. In a month, that equates to $150.00. While you get more traffic for next to no effort, you’re not guaranteed sales. Unless sales exceed expenditures, PPC becomes a bad investment. Pi Portent offers some solutions to this problem and options for good PPC management. For example, whether first launching a site or introducing a product, use PPC ads for a limited time frame to bring customers in or to encourage a return visit for a special event.
PPC vs. SEO
While pay-per-click ads provide a means for site owners to pay their way to the top of rank listings, search engine optimization, organic SEO or free advertisement requires more work. In order for engine web crawlers to recognize and rank sites, each page must contain keywords or keyword phrases that interrelate. SEO also depends on whether webpages have quality content, appealing design and relevancy to a particular audience. Analytics also evaluate the amount of traffic a site receives. Search Engine Guide cautions that while PPC garners traffic, it does nothing to optimize sites. If a PPC campaign stops, the ranking stops and, subsequently, so does the traffic. Business owners may also lose out if someone else is willing to pay more for the same keywords.
PPC campaigns may be advantageous if used properly. However, in the long run, nothing starts or continues traffic flow and creates sales more than good web design and development. Online businesses must consider all of these factors.
