SEO, Pay-Per-Click or Both?

There are basically two methods of getting search engine traffic (and, of course, leads) from the Internet:  Organic Search and Paid Search.

Organic Search: Organic search is the result of organically – or ‘naturally’ – ranking on search engines for searches related to your services in your service area.  Improving Organic Search is done through Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Pros: 

• It’s continues to improve “forever”. Once you start to see results of the SEO, they tend to continue to improve over time.  What works today will likely be even better in a year.
• It works for all search engines. SEO for Google also improves rankings on Bing, Yahoo, etc.  One investment works across the entire Internet.
• Lower cost (over time). The average cost per lead ultimately is far less with Organic Search versus Paid Search – once everything is firing on all cylinders.

Cons:

• It takes time (and patience). SEO efforts done today may not show tangible results for weeks or even months.  And everything done has an accumulative effect on traffic.  SEO is NOT a magic bullet.  It involves many moving parts that all work together to steadily increase search engine traffic.
• It’s an investment that requires trust in the company hired to produce results – and not all SEO companies are the same. It’s why we offer no-contract, month-to-month services – so we can earn your business one month at a time.

Paid Search: Simply give a credit card to Google (and/or Bing).  Set up the right kind of ad campaigns.  Get leads. Paid search is the way you advertise on search engines.

Pros: 

• It’s fast. Ads can be showing typically within 24 hours.
• It’s targeted. Done properly, the ads can generate high quality leads that turn into real business.
• It can be a faucet for generating leads – increase ad spend when you need more and reduce ad spend when your leads outpace your ability to service them.

Cons:

• It can be expensive. Typically, only about 10% of ad clicks turn into a lead.  If we assume an average close rate of 50%, it means you need 20 clicks on the ad to get a paying customer.  If you pay an average of $5 per click (though it varies by industry and market), then the lead would cost $100.  It is important to make sure the cost per customer makes sense for your business model.
• It requires regular over-site and management to make sure it works. Its why we’re able to offer it as a service.  The goal of Paid Search Management is to continually maximize the ROI as much as possible.

So which is better?  SEO or PPC?

That’s the million dollar question and the answer, quite frankly, is both.  Our most successful clients take advantage of any and all methods for getting leads so long as those leads are affordable.  The Internet is easily the biggest source of leads available to any cleaning business, far surpassing historically traditional marketing channels including print media.

It is critical to understand how to leverage both search engine optimization opportunities and how to properly maximize ROI for paid advertising campaigns so you can steadily grow your cleaning business. Or hire an Internet Marketing agency with experience in your industry who can do it for you.

If cash flow is driving your decision in the short term, then your choice between SEO or PPC advertising should be based on your immediate goals.  We typically find businesses fit one of three categories:

1. I need leads now! Give Google a credit card and your ads could be running as soon as tomorrow.  Once your leads start coming in, consider re-investing the additional revenue into adding SEO.
2. I have leads, but I want to grow at a manageable rate.  It may be best to start with search engine optimization so your leads can steadily grow and you can grow your staff, etc. along with it.
3. I have a marketing budget and I am ready to take this thing to the next level.  Talk to your friendly Internet Marketing gurus and put together a plan and a budget that makes sense for your growth goals – utilizing both SEO and PPC advertising.