All businesses know that it is important to rank well on Google. In order to have a better positioning and a good visibility of their website, they are most often forced to choose between the SEO strategy and the SEA strategy. But in reality, which of these two web marketing strategies best promotes the success of a business? We help you see more clearly!
What is SEO strategy?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or natural referencing in French aims to optimize the positioning of a website on search engines, thanks to a set of digital marketing processes, tools, and techniques. Its main objective is to make the site appear among the very first results displayed during a search on a search engine such as Google for example. The purpose of this policy is to increase the traffic on the site, to establish its notoriety, and to generate added value.
A content marketing agency specializing in SEO is well suited to help you set up such a strategy very effectively. This will be structured around SEO tools such as backlinks, quality content, and rank brain.
What is SEA strategy?
SEA (Search Engine Advertising) or sponsored links in French, is made to designate paid referencing. It is actually the management of advertising or sponsored links. Its methodology consists of buying advertising space on search engines to make its web page appear there each time Internet users carry out research related to the activity of the company. On Google, these advertising actions appear at the top of the SERPs in order to stand out from the natural results.
SEA does not affect your SEO. Rather, it is an excellent tool for bringing in traffic. By listing the right keywords and allocating the right funding to them, you can reach your target audience. Thanks to effective advertising content, you will increase your click-through rate and gain visibility. But it is better to know that here, the positioning of the searches is based on an auction logic. It is therefore up to you to select your keywords well and allocate a good budget.
SEO or SEA: which one to choose?
The ideal for an organization is not to choose between SEO strategy and SEA strategy, but to use both. Indeed, SEO and SEA are complementary, so it is possible to combine them. The SEA strategy, based on the purchase of keywords, allows you to obtain immediate results. It is a concrete and practical solution to promote your site in record time. This strategy is frequently used by managers of large companies who want to publicize their structure quickly and effectively.
SEO also requires a strategic distribution of keywords, but in addition, the writing of relevant content and incessant promotion of this content via social media and net linking campaigns. SEO strategy is a long-term job that requires thoroughness. So don’t expect to find yourself on top of all searches after a week. It will take several months to get real results, while your efforts force Google’s algorithm to place you in the best places.
The fact that the two strategies are complementary, leads us to say that they have an influence on each other. If you refine your landing pages very well for SEA, it will be profitable for SEO and vice versa.
However, if it turns out that you should choose a strategy to focus on at a given time, here is our advice: To generate brand awareness in the short term, it would be more interesting to go with the SEA. The listing fee will quickly boost brand visibility. But in order to build loyalty among Internet users, having a good SEO strategy is more appropriate. This will give visitors confidence and gradually increase quality traffic.
In conclusion
As a business, it is not desirable to be dependent on a single source of traffic or a single web marketing strategy. The SEA is a propellant engine that quickly reaches the top of the SERP ranking. Well thought out, it is undeniably a cost-effective and flexible solution. SEO takes a long time to deliver a return on investment, despite the enormous amount of work involved upfront. But it is undoubtedly an essential tool in a digital marketing strategy for the benefit of your business.
The intelligent combination of these two approaches widens your room for maneuver to reach as many Internet users as possible, retain them, and eliminate the risk of gaps in your communication.
