The Connection between Google Adwords and Search Engine Optimization
When it comes time to write my weekly post, I always enjoy reading the latest blog updates from the rest of the Adster team. Not only do the posts entertain and inform me, but they help me get my writers mind focused. The last week or so, there have been insightful posts by David and Andrew that discuss in detail the advantages, and disadvantages of different online marketing methods. In the end, the answer was really to utilize all of the different options available to you for promoting your business online.
This got me thinking about a common theme that I come across talking to different business owners about Adwords. Where does pay per click fit into the overall online marketing strategy? The conversation usually goes something like this. “We have been doing search engine optimization for X amount of months and now we want to expand to Adwords.” Being the Adwords geek that I am, maybe I am a little bit biased, but it always catches my attention when I hear a business has focused on search engine optimization first and then wants to expand into Adwords.
As a pay per click guy, I make optimization decisions based on the data that Adwords provides. I might have mentioned once, or a hundred times that in addition to relevant traffic the power of Adwords for a small business is that it provides specific data on the searches visitors are typing in. Adwords provides the exact keywords that send Clicks and Conversions. This is pretty much the golden fleece of pay per click and search marketing. Without this information, your online marketing is flying blind
Adwords, or SEO first?
I cringe at the thought of small businesses who starts their online marketing efforts with a focus on organic search engine rankings for what they think are the right keywords, only to find out that what they thought were the right keywords do not convert. Know the right keywords to focus your search engine optimization marketing on with the data Adwords provides.
This seemingly innocuous decision of not working with Adwords first, before starting SEO efforts can really have some profound effects. Let me illustrate.
Going back to my favorite example of a plumbing company in Edmonton, they have spent the last 6 months ranking their new site for the phrase “edmonton plumbers” and they are ranked well, the site is getting traffic, and even a few phone calls that can be traced back to the search optimization strategy. But the plumber thought there would be more calls. A lot of time and effort was put into ranking for that keyword. Starting out with Adwords would have provided the information that told the plumber that the keyword “plumber edmonton”, while lower in overall traffic volume converts far better and with a high quality of lead. Out performing “edmonton plumbers”. For getting the most out of your online marketing budget, the data Adwords provides is what it’s all about!
Coming back full circle, the various options of promoting a business online each has their own benefits and drawbacks, and ultimately work in conjunction with each other to provide maximum exposure. In my opinion, I reccomend starting with an Adwords campaign to gather the valuable data needed to provide a direction in which to focus search engine optimization efforts. Just my two cents.