One of the main questions our customers ask us is why choose blog posts over AdWords.This happens due to a misunderstanding
of what content creation and distribution stand for.
Why pay for blog posts that bring ROI in several months, when you can invest the same amount in AdWords and improve your conversion rates right away?! That’s right, why?
AdWords search vs content marketing. Should there really be a “versus” involved?
The main misunderstanding comes from the opinion according to which it’s either one or the other, when the better approach would include both of them. People may visit your website after having clicked your pay per click ad and may even convert into buyers. That is, if the expectations set by the ad meet the reality of the website. If not, well…You might have just thrown away some bucks.
Whereas AdWords enforce a certain feeling of immediacy, they don’t always transform your visitors into buyers. Some people are only looking to find out more, whereas others are simply prospecting the competitor market.
Let’s try and have a closer look at one of the main statements that threaten the health of every potential content marketing campaign:
AdWords search brings immediate ROI, whereas with content it takes at least 6 months to get some traction.
This is true. What is also true is that AdWords are usually more expensive than content – some bids even reach 30$ for the more popular domains. On top of that, they do very little in terms of Search Engine Optimisation. You might get some initial traffic, but don’t be lured into thinking that you’re hitting it off for good. Once you stop the AdWords, all the targeted traffic will also stop.
With content marketing things are different. Here’s why:
Content marketing will serve the whole journey.
It can take quite a long time for your website or blog to get indexed by the Google bots. But, once you’ve started, it’s for the long run. Good things come to those who wait, so have patience.
Techniques for a faster discovery have been set in place, to help you with your trek:
- creating a sitemap
- submitting it to Google Webmaster Tools,
- sending your blog link to website directories,
- installing Google Analytics etc.
- getting backlinks: The more you share your page and the more people link back to it, the more chances you have for obtaining a higher rank on Google
- creating offsite content: guest blogging, submitting articles to the press.
KissMetrics, Moz, Copyblogger, Contently and many other websites can teach you more about it.
Content marketing is the cheaper option.
If you’re just starting out, regular (and qualitative!) blog posts are the fastest way to enhance the visibility of your website. Not only to Google, but also to your potential customers.
You are the only one who can offer relevant, interesting information regarding your product. The articles on your blog need to inform and educate your targeted audience. After all, your competitors are already doing it. Why wouldn’t you?
We’ve written a series of Content Strategy articles that can help you improve your writing skills, by simultaneously adapting your posts to your desired audience.
If you decide to go with AdWords, always remember to calculate your cost per end-user, once your visitors start converting. Don’t end up spending more on acquiring a customer than what you actually get from that user using your product.
SEO makes the world go round.
[Image credit: Iain Watson cc]
SEO will help you achieve a higher rank in Google, for some of the keywords that can be tracked back to your product or service.
On-site SEO is actually a combination of several elements:
- website optimization (UX and UI, Page Title, URLs, headers, concise content)
- content optimization (good blog articles with a compelling title, a keyword included in the title, a meta description, images with alt tags, links with anchor texts and will need to be mobile optimized).
- again – backlinks (How do you obtain them? By writing compelling copy that makes people link back to your website)
Immediate sales and leads are best obtained with the aid of AdWords. But is it only sales and leads that you’re looking to obtain?
Of course sales are important, it wouldn’t be called a business if they weren’t. But the key to surviving in today’s times, when products are rarely unique, lies elsewhere – in bringing added value to your customers.
Some people know what they want to buy, even before entering your website. If you are famous enough, you probably have reached that stage already. But how do you convert simple, one-time visitors into buyers? How do you convince them that your option is best? By showing them that what you stand for is unique in so many ways. Is that only done with the help of AdWords? The answer is no.
In the end, even Coca Cola blogs. And we wouldn’t be wrong saying that Coke sells without any advertising (paid or unpaid). So why do they still do it? Because it’s not about selling, it’s about communicating to customers and about educating them into adopting the values you stand for.
Conclusion
The two best work combined. Fig Creative state this in one of their articles:
“Adwords and content marketing complement one another: Adwords drives organic traffic to your website, and content encourages website visitors along the conversion process.”
If budget allows you, use PPC and continue to write content, in order to educate your end-users and also to get some consistent traction in a very short time. Remember that being a standout brand is about many things, among which developing a personality and constantly communicating with customers are but a few. Think about your long-term goals and decide how you can best pursue them in a sustainable way. If AdWords works out, stick to it. If content is done properly, keep walking down that lane. You may be surprised by the outcome.
