Combining PPC & SEO Strategy For Nonprofits

Why Use PPC and SEO Together?

Google PPC ads and SEO both appear on the search engine results page, but serve different roles in any nonprofit’s marketing strategy. It’s a common misconception that if an organization is ranking well for keywords organically, they don’t have to invest in PPC ads, but there are ways to combine the two strategies to drive the most traffic to a website as possible. By optimizing both PPC ads and SEO collaboratively, organizations can increase the amount of traffic coming into the site rather than only using one channel.

Differences Between SEO and PPC

SEO and PPC are often grouped together as similar strategies because they both appear on the SERP with similar formats, but both channels have very different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to driving relevant traffic to an organization’s website.

PPC Strengths & Weaknesses:

• PPC allows for control over the keywords that a website appears for. The Google Ads platform allows marketers to filter out keywords that a website may not want to appear for, and bid on placements for keywords that are relevant to an organization
• The Google Ads platform also allows for marketers to remarket and appear on the SERP for users that have already engaged with the website in the past. This customization can allow for more personalized experiences for users that are further down the funnel.
• Through the PPC method of marketing, results are essentially immediate. Marketers can bid on clicks as soon as they start paying for the results, whereas in SEO it may take weeks or even months for pages on a site to begin ranking organically.

SEO Strengths & Weaknesses:

• SEO is in many ways considered “free” since marketers don’t need to pay for clicks and impressions unlike with PPC ads. Although organic traffic doesn’t technically cost money, the work that goes into optimizing and creating SEO-friendly content can become costly in terms of manual work on site.
• There are no policy restrictions unlike with PPC platforms. PPC advertising uses policies to ensure the content that is being advertised is appropriate. Google Ads can often be disapproved and limited if they are about sensitive topics. Organic traffic is not limited by those content restrictions.
• Many studies show that users are more likely to engage with organic traffic rather than paid advertising. Using PPC ads can ensure impressions, but organic traffic is likely to bring in the most engagement.

SEO Optimizations That Enhance PPC Performance

There are multiple optimizations that marketers can do that help organic performance as well as increase PPC results. Because Google prioritizes similar aspects for both channels, making certain changes can make a big impact.

Adjusting Landing Pages For Landing Page Experience

Google Ads prioritizes landing page experience in order to increase quality score and overall ad performance. By making simple adjustments like optimizing image sizing,  optimizing any code on a website (Javascript, CSS, HTML),  and reducing redirects, the landing pages will load quicker and be ranked better in both channels.

Optimizing for Local SEO

Local SEO focuses on attracting customers in more focused areas such as those in a particular town or city. It’s usually practiced by local businesses or brick and mortar businesses that aim to reach this audience to drive foot traffic to their physical location.

The benefits of Local SEO are greater local visibility means more foot traffic, more service customers, and more sales and donations. Optimizing your site for local search delivers more targeted traffic and more traffic for relevant search terms. Google My Business optimization can lead to enhanced Google Maps visibility.

Also by using all of the features that Google My Business offers, such as connecting your Google My Business to the Ad Grant/PPC account to gain more exposure which is through location extensions.

Ashley Brannan