SEO, PPC, or Social Media? Which First?
If you have ever started a small business, you undoubtedly know the importance of establishing a digital presence. With options like social media, pay-per-click, and SEO, the one question that may be the most difficult to answer is “where do I get started?”
In regards to these four platforms, there are pros and cons for each. The answer to the question really depends on the type of business you are starting, and what your digital goals are.
Social Media
One of the best ways to add some personality to your business online is Social Media. Many businesses choose to ignore social media, claiming that it will never lead to sales.
However, sales and profit should not be the goal of your social media page to begin with. Social media users rarely go onto a platform with the intention of purchasing a product. Rather, they are looking to connect with friends or catch up on news regarding their favorite subjects. Promotions on these platforms need to remain casual and informational, or even humorous.
Concentrate on brand recognition and building a personality for your business with your posts. This will gain you followers quickly, making you top of mind when they are ready to purchase.
With social media being so easy to set up and begin posting, we often recommend to clients that we start this feature first, regardless of if they have a current website or not. It is never to early to begin getting your brand in front of potential clients.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising Campaigns
The quickest way to get traffic to your site, pay-per-click should never be overlooked. Infant sites can take a long time to register in the organic section of a search engine. They have to establish a reputation and begin gathering traffic before they are properly recognized. Pay-Per-Click ads can help offset some of the traffic struggles that new sites are destined to face.
Search engines considerably improved the creators and users experience when it comes to pay-per-click. Reach has been improved by displaying ads on associated networks, and ads can be modified to include images and pricing with Google’s new Display Network. These features, along with additional tracking, are making PPC a great option to promote your product.
Unfortunately, depending on the industry that you operate in and the level of competition, PPC can require a substantial budget. While Google will undoubtedly get you the most impressions, other networks such as Yahoo! and Bing can offer traffic at a much lower cost. As long as visitors are reaching your site, does it really matter where they came from?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO, if performed properly, can be the most valuable portion of your digital landscape. If you have ever performed a search on Google, you can imagine how valuable those top positions can be. Potentially, proper SEO could give you top placement for all searches regarding your industry.
The downside to SEO is the time that it can be time consuming. It can take months to perform keyword research, add proper keywords to your content, adjust your title tags and meta descriptions, and track your results. However, the rewards for this work can last for several months, unlike PPC and social media which can dissipate the second you stop paying for ads or posting.
These top positions are highly sought after, and several of your competitors will have some idea of how to appear there. Make sure you pay attention to who is appearing before you, and even consider emulating some of their tactics in order to stay competitive.
What Comes First - Create a Strategic Plan
If you look at the benefits of each platform, you can start to create a strategy that works best for your business. In our experience, starting PPC and social media first will draw traffic to your site and begin building brand recognition. It is imperative during this time that you track all traffic to the site and the success of your social media posts and ads. You can then use this information to form a keyword strategy for all of your SEO work.
If you find yourself asking questions regarding PPC, SEO, or Social Media, Xynergy has a highly skilled digital marketing team that would love to help. Visit our digital marketing page to find out how Xynergy can turn your business into a digital powerhouse!
Contact us for help with your Digital Marketing.
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