When it comes to selling your SEO and PPC services, you might realize a ton of people get lost in the technical jargon and they always ask “so, what exactly is that?” or “what does that include?” Some people will get frustrated, but for clients like our example person Steve, who is the main partner of his law firm, what really matters isn’t just how it works, but the result: clicks from search.
We think it’s important to set the scene: at the end of the day, both SEO and PPC have the same goal which is to generate traffic from search engines. The only difference is how they achieve it and how quickly the results are generated.
PPC has to be thought of as a quick fix to traffic declines and anything associated like that. It’s a quick remedy, a prescription that kicks in fast and shows results in just a matter of days. Just like medicine, though, the effects only last as long as you keep paying. If you turn off the budget or decrease it, the leads stop flowing.
For Steve, PPC can provide that immediate relief, whether it’s new leads for his firm or a flood of website traffic from Google Ads. However, the moment he stops paying, the site’s visibility disappears and Steve is back to square one.
SEO can be staged as a workout and diet plan. Now obviously, this means it takes time, dedication, and a strategic approach. It’s slower to show results, taking months or even years to finally pay off. But once the results come in, they usually stick around for the long haul. Just like staying healthy, SEO needs constant attention, effort, and time. When done right, it’ll keep your business visible to the search results, even when you’re not putting money into it every day.
In an ideal world, Steve would hire someone to do both. In our metaphor, he would need medicine to fix his recent decline due to underlying health issues (PPC) and then implement a plan to maintain everything (SEO). As the results from SEO build up over time, he can gradually reduce his reliance on PPC.
Breaking it down like this – something some people might experience day-to-day or who have experienced before – it’s much more effective than diving into complex concepts like cost-per-click (CPC), topical maps, or even keyword strategies. When you explain it in a way they might grasp all the finer details of SEO vs. PPC – but they’ll have a clearer picture of how both are complimentary.
The end result? Clicks from search.
For clients, the takeaway is simple: PPC is the short-term solution, SEO is the long-term strategy, and when used together, they can deliver the best of both worlds. When you’re explaining, try managing expectations and helping them to understand the trade-offs. If you do this, you’ll empower your clients to make smarter/better decisions for their business – without drowning them in technical details.