So your business is ready to take its marketing online? Well there are a ton of different options out there, and it can be rather confusing as to what each one is and which online marketing tactic to go with.

Below I will talk about the differences between PPC, PPV, and SEO to clarify which is best for which type of business.

PPC

PPC stands for Pay Per Click and covers any paid online advertisement that you see online (text or picture ad). You will typically see this at the top of Google’s organic search results. Other places include Adsense boxes in blogs or ads within your Gmail account.

The benefits of going with PPC ads is that it doesn’t take a lot of time to reach a large audience, it only takes money. You are only paying when someone clicks on the actual ad itself, which means you get highly qualified traffic if the ad copy is written properly. The obvious disadvantage here is the same as the advantage and that is you have to pay every time someone clicks.

If you can get a positive ROI on PPC ads (a lot of testing) then it is well worth it to start and run a PPC campaign. Of course there is varying competition here and cost per click on ads vary. If you do a bit of research and happen to find one of the many free vouchers to start a new Google Adwords campaign, I’d definitely recommend giving it a shot.

There are other options within the PPC realm including paying per impression instead of click. This is where you may get charged for every 1000 views instead of per click. There are many different options to go for and places to target. Other companies such as Facebook also offer paid ads that you can look into.

PPV

Pay per view marketing is under-utilized as it seems like a bit of an underground option. This is where you have an ad pop up or have your ad come in the way between what the end user wants. So if they download a piece of software, they may agree to see your ad while waiting or after installing. There are many different tactics here and the lines are often blurred. This isn’t a spam technique as the user agrees to see the ad beforehand.

PPV is a great option for some companies, but may be a failure for others. It really depends so it is best to research more here.

SEO

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SEO or Search Engine Optimization means optimizing your site so more people can find your site organically. This typically involves on page and off page optimization. SEO is great for all websites, but takes time. For example, if you were a window cleaning company and Summer was just around the corner, going with an SEO campaign is not the best option, as it takes time for your site to build authority. Going with PPC ads will be the best option here.

In saying the above, having your site listed in paid ads as well as organic search results helps boost visibility, which can only help your business. SEO also works great for companies that have a blog where there is constant content added for blog development, as fresh new content helps cast a wider net to searchers.

SEO also works best with an SEO friendly web design. If your site has thin content or lacks good ad copy, then a lot of work will need to be done to really make your website stand out. If your site has a lot of content and provides solid value, then an SEO campaign will have a solid head start.

Other options or mixing campaigns

There are a ton of other options out there like social media campaigns or email marketing. It’s always a good bet to test everything and set up segmentation to measure thing. Whether it be call tracking or Google Analytics, utilize the right tools so you can test what works and what doesn’t.

In conclusion, PPC provides a quick fix, while SEO takes more time. PPV is another option but only works with certain industries like software. What works the best for your business?