SEO or Search Engine Optimization is one of the best ways to attract traffic. With more than 60% of today’s internet traffic coming from search engines, allocating the majority of your internet marketing efforts towards SEO can prove to be effective in the long run.

AdWords, on the other hand, is a PPC network that allows you to reach thousands – if not millions – of viewers in a relatively short amount of time. While SEO relies on generic search engine rankings, AdWords allow you to appear at the top of search results and other websites for a premium.

So, which of these two internet marketing instruments is best for you? Let’s find out, shall we?

The Goals You’re Trying to Achieve

One of the first things to consider when choosing between the two instruments is the goal you are trying to achieve. Are you looking to promote your website quickly? Do you want to have a sustainable source of traffic? What kind of audience are you targeting?

Answer these questions and you can clearly see the best tool to use. For a longer campaign, SEO is the way to go. You may need to spend a lot of time producing high quality content and optimising the site for SEO purposes, but you get a sustainable stream of traffic in return.

On the other hand, AdWords can be used at any time. You can set up a campaign in minutes and get instant results. You can also choose to stop the campaign at any moment, which means you can use AdWords for more short-term purposes.

The Budget You Have for Internet Marketing

Of course, both SEO and AdWords or PPC ads cost money. With SEO, you spend time and money on developing an optimised site, building relationships with other site owners and exploring back-linking opportunities, attracting viewers on social media, and evaluating the entire campaign regularly. You can choose to have a team of SEO experts or an SEO agency assisting you every step of the way.

The costs of AdWords, on the other hand, are more straightforward. You pay for exposure or actions depending on the kind of campaign you are running. You can even choose the amount of money you are willing to spend on each exposure or action, giving you complete control over how the ads are displayed.

So, Which One Is Best?

Both SEO and AdWords can be highly effective when used correctly. Which campaign to run depends highly on the goals you’re trying to achieve, the budget you have in hand, and of course the situation or challenges you are facing.

The best way to use these internet marketing instruments is together. Both tools complement each other perfectly. While you have an SEO campaign running and generating steady streams of traffic, you can use paid ads to gain traction and attract a lot of visitors quickly.

AdWords can also be used to promote a specific part of the site. As more visitors spend time on your site, search engines will also see an increase in traffic and rank your site higher in search results. As mentioned before, these two tools work brilliantly together.