Is SEO for everyone?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) has become a buzzword over the past few years that has been thrown around as an essential investment for website owners. But is it really the best way to generate business online for everyone?

Alongside SEO, PPC (pay-per-click) is one of the most well-known online marketing options and the main alternative to SEO. PPC involves paying providers such as Google and Yahoo for advertising space on the search engine's results page or around the net. The adverts are displayed to users searching for particular key terms, making them targeted to potentially interested members of the public.

PPC is often considered best for companies willing to pay more for traffic as it tends to offer faster results. But the price is dependent on how competitive the key search terms you are linking your advertising to are. You will need to have a minimum daily investment set aside that is affordable for your business and not all companies can afford this in the long-term. Furthermore, particularly competitive key terms can be very hard to turn a profit from before a business has established a sound customer base.

SEO, meanwhile, can be kicked off in-house before being outsourced to more knowledgeable partners once the company starts to show stronger signs of growth. This can make it advisable for start-ups to look at SEO before PPC as it will give them the basics of an accessible website from which to grow. They can then invest more funds into both if needed as profits increase

Many businesses opt for a mixture of the two, but it's worth considering whether or not investing is suitable for your company before you start spending.