As a local business owner, it is critical to understand that you have two main options when attracting new online traffic for your local business; the first is to utilize paid traffic, while the second is to aim for organic traffic.
With this in mind, deciding the best route for your local business, budget, and bottom line can be difficult.
Nonetheless, with the correct information and strategy, you can make the most of both organic and paid traffic strategies to increase the online presence of your local business.
This post will explore the differences between paid vs. organic traffic and help you choose the best approach to meet your marketing goals while achieving the highest ROI possible.
Ready to get started? Let's dive in!
Understanding paid traffic
Paid traffic reaches your website via paid advertisements; examples of paid traffic sources include search ads, social media ads, and sponsored content.
Also, when running paid traffic ad campaigns, you typically manage how much you spend on advertisements by setting daily limits or opting for lifetime budgets.
With this in mind, PPC (pay-per-click) advertising is the most common type of paid traffic.
Notably, with PPC advertising, you can set specific keywords for your ad; when consumers type those keywords in, your ad appears.
Additionally, when they click on your advertisement, you must pay the agreed-upon amount determined when setting it up.
What is organic traffic?
Organic traffic consists of visitors that reach your website from non-paid sources; for example, your site may have appeared on the search engine results page (SERP) or within a social media platform.
With this in mind, organic traffic usually results from SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
At the same time, creating SEO-friendly content allows businesses to be found on search engines more efficiently and is the largest and most targeted source of organic traffic.
Specific types of content you can produce to gain organic traffic include:
- Blog articles
- Infographics
- Videos
- Landing pages
It is important to remember that organic traffic concentrates more on informational content, while paid traffic focuses more on promotional content.
Is paid or organic traffic better for local businesses?
Now that you know the difference between paid and organic traffic, how do you determine which is right for your local business?
In reality, it pays to invest in both paid and organic traffic sources.
Comparatively, paid traffic is more measurable than organic traffic, making it easier to determine worthwhile vs. wasted efforts.
Paid online advertising campaigns are also easier to set up and can increase short-term ROI (return on investment) more quickly.
On the other hand, organic traffic is more challenging to measure but offers far more sustainability.
Unlike paid advertising campaigns, organic traffic will continue to visit quality content for months or years, meaning that ROI from organic traffic typically exceeds paid traffic even though it takes longer to achieve.
Consequently, regarding cost-effectiveness, organic traffic is generally the better option.
In reality, it typically takes six months to a year to start noticing results from SEO, but you can learn the skills quickly and for free.
Moreover, paying for SEO content can still be considerably cheaper than paid advertisements in the long run.
Things to consider when deciding between paid vs. organic traffic
Given these points, there are a few factors to consider when deciding which traffic to target, including:
- Your budget
- The amount of effort you are willing to put in
- Your timeframe to see results
- Your goals
First, paid traffic can be risky for local businesses, especially if they are new to PPC methods.
Correspondingly, many companies lack the budget or the experience to run profitable paid advertising campaigns.
In addition, while you can easily set your budget, exceeding it is easy.
Thus, focusing on organic traffic is usually the better option for small businesses on tight budgets.
Also, consider how much time and effort you wish to put into your marketing efforts.
Again, paid traffic is typically quicker, as paid campaigns are easier to set up and require less time than earning and generating organic traffic.
Conversely, organic traffic methods won't deliver quick results but often provide superior outcomes if you exercise patience.
In conclusion
Ultimately, maintaining a variety of paid and organic traffic sources will help improve your overall growth strategy while yielding solid returns for your local business.
Again, paid and organic traffic have advantages and disadvantages, as paid traffic can provide quick and targeted results, while organic traffic can deliver a more economical and lasting impact.
Yet, combining the two allows local businesses to ensure maximum growth in online presence and revenue.
Talk Soon,
Erik
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