{"id":145557,"date":"2019-08-29T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-29T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=145557"},"modified":"2024-07-29T10:40:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T15:40:37","slug":"seo-vs-ppc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/","title":{"rendered":"SEO vs. PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, &amp; Which to Choose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">The difference between search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is that SEO focuses on getting traffic from organic search, whereas PPC focuses on getting traffic from paid search, social, and display.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In this post, you\u2019ll learn how to decide which is better for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But first, let\u2019s cover the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What is SEO?\" data-section=\"what-is-seo\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is&nbsp;SEO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO is the process of optimizing your pages to rank in a search engine\u2019s organic results.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145570\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/1-google-two-results.png\" alt=\"The two types of search results on Google\n\" width=\"560\" height=\"524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/1-google-two-results.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/1-google-two-results-455x425.png 455w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/1-google-two-results-768x718.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/1-google-two-results-1536x1436.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It typically involves four&nbsp;areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Keyword research<\/strong> \u2013 Find what people are searching for<\/li>\n<li><strong>On-page SEO<\/strong> \u2013 Create content that searchers are looking for<\/li>\n<li><strong>Off-page SEO<\/strong> \u2013 Build trust and authority from other websites<\/li>\n<li><strong>Technical SEO<\/strong> \u2013 Ensure search engines can find, crawl, and index your content<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\"><em>SEO: The Complete Guide for Beginners<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Keyword research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Keyword research is the process of understanding the words and phrases (keywords) your target customers use when searching on search engines. Finding these keywords usually involves using a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/free-keyword-research-tools\/\">keyword research tool<\/a> like Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here\u2019s how we can find keywords for an online store that sells coffee products:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brainstorm words and phrases potential customers may enter on Google<\/li>\n<li>Enter them into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Matching terms <\/strong>report<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145571\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/2-matching-terms.png\" alt=\"Keyword ideas from the Matching terms report, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" width=\"572\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/2-matching-terms.png 1272w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/2-matching-terms-520x425.png 520w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/2-matching-terms-768x628.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 572px) 100vw, 572px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/keyword-research\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/keyword-research\/\"><em>Keyword Research: The Beginner\u2019s Guide by Ahrefs<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. On-page SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>On-page SEO is about creating the kind of content searchers want to see. Doing this involves figuring out <em>why <\/em>searchers are making the query. This is known as <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-intent\/\">search intent<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, people searching for \u201chow to make kefir\u201d want to learn. You can see from the organic results that they want a step-by-step tutorial on how to make the fermented drink:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145572\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/3-how-to-make-kefir-serps.jpg\" alt=\"Search results for the query, &quot;how to make kefir&quot;\n\" width=\"566\" height=\"417\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/3-how-to-make-kefir-serps.jpg 1416w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/3-how-to-make-kefir-serps-578x425.jpg 578w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/3-how-to-make-kefir-serps-768x565.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 566px) 100vw, 566px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, people searching for \u201cbasketball shoes\u201d want to buy. The organic results show us pages of different basketball shoes on e-commerce websites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145574\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/4-basketball-shoes-serps.jpg\" alt=\"Search results for the query, &quot;basketball shoes&quot;\n\" width=\"564\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/4-basketball-shoes-serps.jpg 1410w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/4-basketball-shoes-serps-483x425.jpg 483w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/4-basketball-shoes-serps-768x675.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Knowing search intent is important because you\u2019ll want to align your content with it. But on-page SEO doesn\u2019t just end with search intent. It also involves other important factors like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strategically placing keywords, such as in the&nbsp;title.<\/li>\n<li>Creating a compelling title.<\/li>\n<li>Using short and descriptive URLs.<\/li>\n<li>Optimizing images.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/on-page-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/on-page-seo\/\"><em>On-Page SEO: The Beginner\u2019s Guide<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Off-page SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Off-page SEO is where you do things outside your site to show Google that your pages deserve to&nbsp;rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of those things is building high-quality backlinks. This is important because backlinks are one of <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/now-know-googles-top-three-search-ranking-factors-245882\">Google\u2019s top three ranking factors<\/a>. They act like votes from other websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145575\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/5-links-votes.png\" alt=\"Custom illustration of how links push webpages to the top of the SERPs\n\" width=\"540\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/5-links-votes.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/5-links-votes-393x425.png 393w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/5-links-votes-768x831.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/5-links-votes-1420x1536.png 1420w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can see who links to you using Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> (free via <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools<\/a>) by entering your domain and going to the <strong>Backlinks <\/strong>report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145577\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-backlinks-report.png\" alt=\"Backlinks report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" width=\"980\" height=\"601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-backlinks-report.png 1960w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-backlinks-report-680x417.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-backlinks-report-768x471.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/6-backlinks-report-1536x942.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides links, other important off-page factors (especially for <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/local-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/local-seo\/\">local SEO<\/a>) include reviews, citations, and&nbsp;more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/off-page-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/off-page-seo\/\"><em>Off-Page SEO: What It Is and Why It\u2019s Important<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Technical SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Technical SEO is all about making sure search engines can find, crawl, and index your content. This is important because you can\u2019t rank if search engines don\u2019t know you&nbsp;exist.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145579\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-can-you-rank-in-organic-search.png\" alt=\"A flowchart showing whether you'll be able to rank in organic search\n\" width=\"521\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-can-you-rank-in-organic-search.png 1489w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-can-you-rank-in-organic-search-317x425.png 317w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-can-you-rank-in-organic-search-768x1031.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/7-can-you-rank-in-organic-search-1144x1536.png 1144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if we block search engines from crawling this article, it\u2019ll be unlikely that we\u2019ll rank since they can\u2019t see and understand what\u2019s on the&nbsp;page.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/technical-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-seo\/\"><em>The Beginner\u2019s Guide to Technical SEO<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"SEO: pros and cons\" data-section=\"seo-pros-and-cons\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SEO: pros and&nbsp;cons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Should you invest in SEO? Let\u2019s look at the pros and cons of this <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/types-of-marketing\/\">marketing type<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the advantages of&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Organic traffic has staying power<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As long as you can rank high on Google for your target keywords, you can get consistent search traffic to your website.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, this is what organic traffic coming to our blog looks&nbsp;like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1958\" height=\"708\" class=\"wp-image-145580\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8-ahrefs-blog-traffic.png\" alt=\"Organic traffic coming to the Ahrefs blog, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8-ahrefs-blog-traffic.png 1958w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8-ahrefs-blog-traffic-680x246.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8-ahrefs-blog-traffic-768x278.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8-ahrefs-blog-traffic-1536x555.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1958px) 100vw, 1958px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Theoretically, we could stop publishing for a while, and traffic would still continue to&nbsp;flow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. SEO can be cheaper in the long&nbsp;term<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Our blog ranks for over 95,000 keywords and gets an estimated 419,000 monthly organic visits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we were to buy that traffic through PPC, it\u2019d cost us an estimated $548,000 per month (or $6.5 million per&nbsp;year).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1814\" height=\"452\" class=\"wp-image-145581\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/9-blog-traffic-value.png\" alt=\"The value of the traffic coming to the Ahrefs blog, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/9-blog-traffic-value.png 1814w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/9-blog-traffic-value-680x169.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/9-blog-traffic-value-768x191.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/9-blog-traffic-value-1536x383.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1814px) 100vw, 1814px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Given that our content team is &lt;10 people and we\u2019re not getting paid millions each in salaries, it\u2019s reasonable to say that SEO is cheaper in the long&nbsp;run.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some downsides to&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. SEO takes&nbsp;time<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017, we conducted a study to find out <a href=\"\/blog\/how-long-does-it-take-to-rank-in-google-and-how-old-are-top-ranking-pages\/\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-long-does-it-take-to-rank\/\">how long it takes to rank in Google<\/a>. We discovered that only 22% of pages in the top 10 were published within a&nbsp;year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145583\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/10-how-old-are-pages-ranking-in-top-10.png\" alt=\"Pie chart showing how old the pages ranking in Google's top 10 are\n\" width=\"540\" height=\"572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/10-how-old-are-pages-ranking-in-top-10.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/10-how-old-are-pages-ranking-in-top-10-401x425.png 401w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/10-how-old-are-pages-ranking-in-top-10-768x814.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/10-how-old-are-pages-ranking-in-top-10-1450x1536.png 1450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s clear\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-long-does-seo-take\/\">SEO <strong>takes <\/strong>time<\/a>. If your window for making an impact is short, SEO may not be the right strategy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. SEO requires unique and authoritative content<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine you\u2019re trying to prepare a delicious plate of duck confit. Would you rather learn from Gordon Ramsay or&nbsp;me?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Gordon, you\u2019ll create the perfect dish. With me, you\u2019ll burn the&nbsp;duck.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People are the same online. They want to learn from experts, or at least people who\u2019ve walked the walk. This is especially true for important and sensitive topics like finance and health.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google calls these Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics, and you\u2019ll need to prove to Google that your website has the required <a href=\"\/blog\/eeat-seo\/\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/eat-seo\/\">expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T)<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So to do well in search, you\u2019ll likely need expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, all\u2019s fine and dandy if you\u2019re the domain expert. But if you\u2019re constrained with limited resources, creating such content can be expensive and time-consuming.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Some keywords can be really competitive<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at the SERPs for \u201cbasketball shoes\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1776\" height=\"868\" class=\"wp-image-145584\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/11-serp-overview.png\" alt=\"The SERP overview for &quot;basketball shoes,&quot; via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/11-serp-overview.png 1776w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/11-serp-overview-680x332.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/11-serp-overview-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/11-serp-overview-1536x751.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1776px) 100vw, 1776px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a new online store that sells basketball shoes, you\u2019ll have to compete with established brands like Nike, Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods, and Foot Locker. It\u2019s daunting.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So while these keywords may be dear to you, understand that it\u2019s going to cost you tons of time, money, and effort to even begin competing. While not impossible, you\u2019ll probably need to start from the bottom\u2014target keywords with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/keyword-difficulty\/\">low difficulty<\/a>, slowly build your <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-website-authority\/\">website\u2019s authority<\/a>, and&nbsp;more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What is PPC?\" data-section=\"what-is-ppc\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is&nbsp;PPC?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>PPC marketing is a form of online advertising where advertisers pay a fee each time someone clicks their ad. Search ads are the most common format, but social media ads fall into this category too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"536\" class=\"wp-image-145585\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/12-google-ads.png\" alt=\"An example of a Google ad for the query, &quot;seo check&quot;\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/12-google-ads.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/12-google-ads-680x228.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/12-google-ads-768x257.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/12-google-ads-1536x515.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what PPC advertising for Google Ads typically involves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Keyword research<\/strong> \u2013 Find what your customers are searching for<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bid setting<\/strong> \u2013 Decide how much you want to pay for a&nbsp;click<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ad creation<\/strong> \u2013 Create a compelling and relevant ad<\/li>\n<li><strong>Audience targeting<\/strong> \u2013 Choose who should see your&nbsp;ad<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/ppc-marketing\/\"><em>PPC Marketing: Beginner\u2019s Guide to Pay-Per-Click Ads<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> Besides keyword research, the principles behind PPC advertising for social ads are similar.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Keyword research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like how you choose to target a keyword for SEO, you\u2019ll have to choose keywords to target for PPC advertising too. That means doing keyword research.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Bid setting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Bid setting is where you decide how much you\u2019re willing to pay Google for an ad click. If competitors outbid you, Google won\u2019t show your ad much\u2014leading to fewer clicks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Ad creation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ad creation is where you decide what your ad will say and where it will send people. For example, this ad here sends people to Shopify\u2019s homepage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1420\" height=\"510\" class=\"wp-image-145586\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/13-google-ads.png\" alt=\"An example of a Google ad for the query, &quot;dropshipping&quot;\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/13-google-ads.png 1420w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/13-google-ads-680x244.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/13-google-ads-768x276.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1420px) 100vw, 1420px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The ads you launch are given a Quality Score by Google. This tells you how relevant and useful your ad is. Generally speaking, higher Quality Scores mean your ads will be seen by more people, and you\u2019ll also pay less for clicks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/6167130?hl=en-GB\"><em>Five Ways to Use Quality Score to Improve Your Performance - Google Ads Help<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Audience targeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Audience targeting is where you decide who should see your ad. You can target people based on who they are, what they\u2019re interested in, where they are, and much&nbsp;more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/2497941?hl=en-GB\"><em>About Audience Targeting - Google Ads Help<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"PPC: pros and cons\" data-section=\"ppc-pros-and-cons\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">PPC: pros and&nbsp;cons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Should you invest in PPC? Here are the pros and&nbsp;cons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>What are some advantages of&nbsp;PPC?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. PPC is&nbsp;fast<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>PPC is almost instant. You can head over to any ad platform and start a campaign right&nbsp;away.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. PPC allows for granular targeting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Most PPC platforms will allow you to choose who you want to target (e.g., demographics, geography, interests, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. PPC allows for quick experimentation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The nature of PPC is fast feedback. You can set up a campaign, run A\/B tests, and monitor the results to see what works and what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comparatively, SEO takes time and, thus, it can be difficult to attribute success or failure to any single individual change or tactic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>PPC is not all sunshine and roses. There are some downsides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. PPC can get prohibitively expensive<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re in a competitive industry like insurance, PPC can get expensive fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145588\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/14-cpc.png\" alt=\"CPC values for keywords related to &quot;car insurance,&quot; via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" width=\"515\" height=\"277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/14-cpc.png 1030w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/14-cpc-680x366.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/14-cpc-768x413.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, it can cost you $40 per click on average if you\u2019re bidding on the keyword \u201ccar insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. PPC can lose effectiveness<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrew Chen <a href=\"https:\/\/andrewchen.co\/paid-marketing-addiction\/\">writes<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The longer your campaigns run, the less effective they become\u2014people start seeing your ads too often. The messaging becomes stale, and novelty effects are&nbsp;real.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>PPC is not set-it-and-forget-it either. Ad blindness is real. You\u2019ll have to constantly refresh your existing ads (headline, copy, images, etc.) to make them work in the long&nbsp;term.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. You\u2019ll need money to make&nbsp;money<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>PPC means you\u2019ll need a budget to begin a campaign. You may even lose money in the first few months as you figure out how to optimize your campaigns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"SEO vs. PPC: Which is better?\" data-section=\"seo-vs-ppc\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SEO vs. PPC: Which is better?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Neither SEO nor PPC is better or worse than the other. Both are legitimate sources of traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the real answer: it depends. There are some situations where one channel may make more&nbsp;sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at&nbsp;them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. You have an innovative product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To get organic traffic, you need to target topics people are <em>already <\/em>searching for. But if you\u2019re building a disruptive company with an innovative product, then it\u2019s likely that no one is looking for&nbsp;it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think back to Uber. Barely anyone was searching for \u201cride hailing\u201d before the company was formed in&nbsp;2009.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"957\" class=\"wp-image-145589\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/15-google-trends.png\" alt=\"Search trends for query &quot;ride hailing,&quot; via Google Trends\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/15-google-trends.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/15-google-trends-680x326.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/15-google-trends-768x368.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/15-google-trends-1536x735.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this scenario, it may be better for you to leverage <strong>social media PPC<\/strong> to build awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> On the contrary, if many people are searching for your product or niche, then SEO will be a good choice.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. You\u2019re gearing up for a launch\/you have a one-time offer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you preparing for a product launch or promoting a one-time event? Since SEO takes time, your event may be over before you start ranking.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, you can consider using PPC or other channels like <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/influencer-marketing\/\">influencer marketing<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. You\u2019re targeting informational keywords\/you\u2019re creating top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally speaking, keywords where people are looking to learn, not buy, are poor candidates for&nbsp;PPC.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is because very few people will <em>immediately <\/em>convert into customers, so it\u2019s difficult to make a return on your investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, take the keyword \u201chow to make zoodles.\u201d It gets 2,700 monthly searches and has a CPC of only $0.35:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145591\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/16-how-to-make-zoodles.png\" alt=\"SEO metrics for query &quot;how to make zoodles,&quot; via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" width=\"551\" height=\"321\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/16-how-to-make-zoodles.png 1224w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/16-how-to-make-zoodles-680x397.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/16-how-to-make-zoodles-768x448.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 551px) 100vw, 551px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Although you could theoretically drive 100 clicks for only $35, most of these people are simply wondering how to turn their zucchinis into noodles. They aren\u2019t in the market to buy anything (yet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We know this because the SERPs are all blog&nbsp;posts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1786\" height=\"934\" class=\"wp-image-145592\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/17-serp-overview.png\" alt=\"The SERP overview for &quot;how to make zoodles,&quot; via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/17-serp-overview.png 1786w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/17-serp-overview-680x356.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/17-serp-overview-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/17-serp-overview-1536x803.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1786px) 100vw, 1786px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019ll be a better idea to create content, rather than run ads for such topics.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. You\u2019re trying to promote commercial content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally speaking, people don\u2019t want to link to commercial content like landing or product pages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So to rank them higher in organic search, you\u2019ll have to consider using strategies like the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/orchard-seo-strategy\/\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-strategy\/\">middleman method<\/a>. Here\u2019s an animation of how it&nbsp;works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" class=\"wp-image-145593\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/18-middleman-method.gif\" alt=\"GIF showing how the middleman strategy works\n\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need results quickly, then consider using PPC because you can drive traffic directly to a landing page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. You have a low\/non-existent budget<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I experienced this a few years ago when I was working at a wearable tech startup. There was almost no budget to run&nbsp;ads.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we turned to SEO and <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-marketing\/\">content marketing<\/a> to build brand awareness and <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-drive-traffic-to-your-website\/\">drive traffic to our site<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. You\u2019re a website flipper<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/empireflippers.com\/\">EmpireFlippers<\/a>, this is the formula for how a website is valued:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145594\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/19-empireflippers-business-value-formula.png\" alt=\"EmpireFlippers' business valuation formula\n\" width=\"540\" height=\"327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/19-empireflippers-business-value-formula.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/19-empireflippers-business-value-formula-680x412.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/19-empireflippers-business-value-formula-768x465.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/19-empireflippers-business-value-formula-1536x930.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you wish to sell your site, you should \u201cmanipulate\u201d the multiple in your&nbsp;favor.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How? Using&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Website buyers love SEO because organic traffic is harder to acquire but stable over the long term. If you\u2019re selling your site with a solid SEO base, you\u2019re already signaling to buyers that you\u2019ve done the hard work. All they need to do is to maintain or scale&nbsp;it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas, if the site is reliant on PPC, it takes much more work to manage. Ads need to be refreshed and optimized. Plus, if the ads broke, the business could go bust overnight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you\u2019re into the website flipping business, it may be better for you to focus on&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-much-is-my-website-worth\/\"><em>How to Value Your Website\u2019s Worth (Better Than a Calculator)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"SEO and PPC: The best of both worlds\" data-section=\"seo-ppc-best-of-both-worlds\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SEO and PPC: The best of both worlds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The best businesses use SEO and PPC because they complement each other. After all, if both channels work, why won\u2019t you want to do&nbsp;both?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how you can use them in tandem:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Use PPC ads to promote your content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Each piece of content we produce takes around 10\u201320 hours to create. It\u2019ll be a waste if no one sees it, so we run ads to distribute it to as many interested people as possible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only do we run ads on Facebook:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145596\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/20-facebook-ads.jpg\" alt=\"An example of a Facebook ad\n\" width=\"498\" height=\"611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/20-facebook-ads.jpg 1244w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/20-facebook-ads-346x425.jpg 346w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/20-facebook-ads-768x943.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But we also run them on Twitter and&nbsp;Quora:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"942\" height=\"275\" class=\"wp-image-145598\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/21-quora-ads.png\" alt=\"Quora Ads manager\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/21-quora-ads.png 942w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/21-quora-ads-680x199.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/21-quora-ads-768x224.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 942px) 100vw, 942px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We also run YouTube ads for our YouTube videos:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/samsgoh\/status\/1295086793008853003<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Use retargeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Behavioral_retargeting\">Retargeting<\/a> allows you to target visitors who have left your website. This gives you the opportunity to persuade visitors to return and reconsider a purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how it&nbsp;works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A visitor discovers an article from a coffee website after Googling.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>The page sets a cookie on the visitor\u2019s browser, which allows the coffee website to retarget them, i.e., show ads to these visitors.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>The visitor leaves the&nbsp;page.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>As they surf around the web, they\u2019re shown ads to revisit the website. Depending on where they are in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/buyers-journey\/\">buyer\u2019s journey<\/a>, they may be prompted to check out a free offer, try a trial, or buy a product.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> To be transparent, due to privacy concerns, we don\u2019t use retargeting ourselves.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Pursue keywords your competitors are bidding on<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine if you could see the keywords your competitors are bidding on in Google Ads. You could potentially find lucrative keywords and pursue them via PPC or&nbsp;SEO.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do this, paste a competing domain into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> and head to the <strong>Paid keywords <\/strong>report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"972\" class=\"wp-image-145600\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/22-paid-keywords.png\" alt=\"The Paid keywords report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/22-paid-keywords.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/22-paid-keywords-680x331.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/22-paid-keywords-768x373.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/22-paid-keywords-1536x747.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, you\u2019ll see the keywords your competitors are bidding on, the landing pages they\u2019re sending traffic to, and the ad copy they\u2019re using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider targeting keywords that may also be lucrative for your business via PPC or&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/ppc-seo-working-together\/\">4 Ways PPC and SEO Can Work Together (And When They Can\u2019t)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fish <strong>and <\/strong>chips. Wine <strong>and<\/strong> cheese. Korean fried chicken <strong>and<\/strong> beer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like SEO and PPC, these pairings <em>just <\/em>work. If you want to have the best of both worlds, you should be using&nbsp;both.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Any questions? Hit me up <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/siquanong\">on Twitter<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this post, you\u2019ll learn how to decide which is better for your business. But first, let\u2019s cover the basics. SEO is the process of optimizing your pages to rank in a search engine\u2019s organic results.&nbsp; It typically involves four&nbsp;areas:<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":145603,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335,196],"tags":[],"coauthors":[339],"class_list":["post-145557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-seo","category-paid-marketing","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SEO vs. PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, &amp; Which to Choose<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SEO and PPC: Learn what both channels are, how to choose them, and how to use them in tandem.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SEO vs. PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, &amp; Which to Choose\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Which should you choose?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-08-29T06:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-29T15:40:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Si Quan Ong\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Which should you choose?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@siquanong\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Si Quan Ong\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e09e43a1a939a6723fb3c1ebd243f2e7\"},\"headline\":\"SEO vs. PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, &amp; Which to Choose\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-08-29T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-29T15:40:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2669,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"General SEO\",\"Paid Marketing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/\",\"name\":\"SEO vs. PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, &amp; Which to Choose\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-08-29T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-29T15:40:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"SEO and PPC: Learn what both channels are, how to choose them, and how to use them in tandem.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-vs-ppc\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\",\"description\":\"Link Building Strategies &amp; SEO Tips\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ahrefs\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/ahrefs-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/ahrefs-logo.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Ahrefs\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/Ahrefs\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ahrefs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/ahrefs\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/ahrefscom\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e09e43a1a939a6723fb3c1ebd243f2e7\",\"name\":\"Si Quan Ong\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/SiQuanOng_2x.jpga792b2ebf044ff0f390a6e1c76bf4a0e\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/SiQuanOng_2x.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/SiQuanOng_2x.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Si Quan Ong\"},\"description\":\"Content marketer @ Ahrefs. I've been in digital marketing for the past 6 years and have spoken at some of the industry\u2019s largest conferences in Asia (TIECon and Digital Marketing Skill Share.) I also write about my curiosities on my Substack.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.siquanong.com\\\/\",\"si-quan-ong\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/siquanong\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/si-quan-ong\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"SEO vs. PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, &amp; Which to Choose","description":"SEO and PPC: Learn what both channels are, how to choose them, and how to use them in tandem.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"SEO vs. PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, &amp; Which to Choose","og_description":"Which should you choose?","og_url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/","og_site_name":"SEO Blog by Ahrefs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/","article_published_time":"2019-08-29T06:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-07-29T15:40:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Si Quan Ong","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_description":"Which should you choose?","twitter_creator":"@siquanong","twitter_site":"@ahrefs","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/"},"author":{"name":"Si Quan Ong","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e09e43a1a939a6723fb3c1ebd243f2e7"},"headline":"SEO vs. PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, &amp; Which to Choose","datePublished":"2019-08-29T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-29T15:40:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/"},"wordCount":2669,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png","articleSection":["General SEO","Paid Marketing"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/","name":"SEO vs. PPC: Differences, Pros, Cons, &amp; Which to Choose","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png","datePublished":"2019-08-29T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-29T15:40:37+00:00","description":"SEO and PPC: Learn what both channels are, how to choose them, and how to use them in tandem.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-vs-ppc\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/fb_seo_vs_ppc.png","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/","name":"SEO Blog by Ahrefs","description":"Link Building Strategies &amp; SEO Tips","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Ahrefs","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png","width":2048,"height":768,"caption":"Ahrefs"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ahrefs","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ahrefs\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/ahrefscom"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e09e43a1a939a6723fb3c1ebd243f2e7","name":"Si Quan Ong","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SiQuanOng_2x.jpga792b2ebf044ff0f390a6e1c76bf4a0e","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SiQuanOng_2x.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SiQuanOng_2x.jpg","caption":"Si Quan Ong"},"description":"Content marketer @ Ahrefs. I've been in digital marketing for the past 6 years and have spoken at some of the industry\u2019s largest conferences in Asia (TIECon and Digital Marketing Skill Share.) I also write about my curiosities on my Substack.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.siquanong.com\/","si-quan-ong","https:\/\/x.com\/siquanong"],"url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/author\/si-quan-ong\/"}]}},"as_json":null,"json_reviewers":[114,159],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145557"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=145557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}