Combining SEO and PPC: A Practical Guide to Maximizing Search Marketing ROI

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a backbone of digital marketing, creating order in the chaotic landscape that is the worldwide web. Its primary focus is the categorization of high quality website content through keywords.

Pay per click (PPC) advertising uses the same methodology but, rather than prioritizing the highest quality content, gives priority to the highest bidder. This creates a system where an effective PPC strategy can take the place of a SEO strategy, and vice versa.

However, savvy marketers know that SEO and PPC strategy have to work together. It’s not just about how much SEO content or paid advertising you have, but how they work together.

SEO and PPC Strategy: Three Approaches

The goal of any successful search engine marketing (SEM) strategy is to reach potential customers that may be interested in buying a product or service. Both rely on delivering content in the search engine results, with top of page spots drawing more visibility.

Where SEO strategy must consider a myriad of content and technical SEO factors, PPC advertising is more straightforward – be willing to pay more per click and the top placement on page is yours.

Success in both requires integrating three key components: 

• Keywords
• Content
• Audience targeting

Each plays a crucial role in building an effective strategy that leverages both SEO and PPC.

Keyword Strategy

Keywords are words or phrases that signal to the search engine what your product, service, or content are about. Successful seo and ppc strategies start with a list of keywords that are likely to be searched by a target audience.

The key to both SEO and PPC strategy is choosing keywords that have high monthly search volume, but low competition. Choosing these keywords improves SEO content chances of ranking higher on page, and lower paid ad costs.

For more on how to choose the right keywords, see SEO and Paid Search: Friends or Foes?

Advanced Keyword Management

Overlap in keyword targeting between SEO and PPC causes cannabilization: when paid ads steal a click that would have captured through organic search.

While it’s possible to target different keywords in each strategy, this is not always advantageous. A more effective strategy looks at ranked keywords, and lowers bids in the PPC campaign to avoid competing.

Implementing Bid Adjustments

While bid adjustments can be done manually, a Google Ads script can automate this process. This automated approach is most effective with a maximize clicks bid strategy:

• Step 1: Create single keyword ad groups (SKAGs) to ensure granular control
• Step 2: Set up a script in Google Ads.
• Step 3: Configure the script to:
  • Read organic keyword rankings from a spreadsheet
  • Adjust ad group bids based on organic position
  • Update weekly to maintain accuracy

For detailed script implementation, see our technical guide.

Content Strategy

Equally important as keywords, website content must be tailored to the target audience. This means understanding deeply the intent behind a user’s search query. To this end, there are two important distinctions:

1. PPC intent is mostly commercial and transactional
2. SEO content is mostly informational

Content Creation Basics

Content strategy in search marketing involves two distinct approaches:

While these content types serve different purposes, they work together to guide users through the buying journey. Informational content builds trust and awareness, while commercial content converts that interest into action.

For examples of commercial content, see Landing Page Best Practices.

Optimizing Content Creation

Learning what content drives engagement is the single most important task of a marketer’s job. PPC offers some advantages here – specifically, the ability to test content quickly.

Ad copy testing the following value propositions informs larger content topics:

Use winning ad copy variations in website content including:

Measuring success relies on a tool like Google Analytics or similar that tracks website engagment metrics.

Use PPC ad copy to inform SEO strategy and save time and effort testing concepts that don’t work. Appealing to different audiences through each channel can also provide valuable insights.

Audience Strategy

Unlike social media which has detailed interest and behavior targeting, search engines rely on keywords to target audiences. Despite this, it’s still possible to segment audiences into sections of a marketing funnel.

For a refresher on how marketing funnels work, see 5 Fundamentals of Full Funnel Marketing.

Understanding Audience Targeting

The marketing funnel consists of three key phases: awareness (top), consideration (middle), and conversion (bottom).

This natural division allows each channel to excel in its strength – SEO building long-term awareness while PPC drives immediate action.

Segment Audiences by Funnel Position

It’s not enough to just send the same message to everyone anymore. Users expect an experience personalized to them, speaking to their specific stage of the journey.

No more is this present than in paid media. While paid search is intent-based marketing, not everyone is ready to purchase now. Use SEO content to inform PPC strategy through top performing topics.

Follow this framework for messaging:

• Identify top performing website content
• Separate based on type

• Align paid media with what’s performing on site

This way you create a feedback loop where PPC campaigns inform seo strategy, and SEO and website content inform ppc strategy.

Measuring SEO and PPC Success

Measuring the success of a combined SEO and PPC strategy relies on several metrics:

Remember: look at performance across all channels for a holistic view of the impact. Looking at channel-specific performance is more subject to confounds like seasonality, market trends, macro-economic factors, etc.

Building an Integrated SEO and PPC Strategy

A successful search marketing strategy requires careful orchestration of SEO and PPC efforts. Through advanced keyword management, strategic content optimization, and audience segmentation, these channels can enhance rather than compete with each other.

The key is maintaining consistent measurement and optimization across both channels. Regular script updates, content testing, and performance tracking ensure your integrated strategy continues to deliver improving results over time.

Start by implementing one area of integration, measure the results, and expand based on what works for your specific market and audience. Remember – it’s not about choosing between channels, but making them work together effectively.