With Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), the best strategy is always to pick the most generic keywords with the highest traffic volumes and the most expensive cost-per-clicks. All SEO traffic is completely free so you want the keywords that generated tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of searches each day. In some PPC campaigns, you can expect to pay upwards of 20 pound per click — so you can see how SEO can very quickly pay for itself and be very profitable, indeed. It is a good idea to use a good Keyword Tool when you are coming up with keyword ideas and to look at their historical search volumes. The keywords with the most searches are the ones that will really make your Search Engine Optimisation campaign pay.

If your company sells trampolines, for example, your most valuable keyword won’t be “10 foot trampolines” or “trampolines with safety enclosures”, it will be “trampoline” or “trampolines”. You need to be broad and non-specific. You need to be greedy with your SEO keywords and get as many free clicks as you possibly can. You can even put a monetary value on this. Let’s say the average cost per click for the keywords “trampoline” or “trampolines” is one pound for position 2 in the search results and there are 5,000 impressions per day. This would mean that your SEO campaign could be getting you 5,000 pounds worth of free traffic each day and 150,000 pounds worth of free traffic per month.

Of course, an internet marketing effort cannot rely on five or six popular keywords. Search Engine Optimisation should always be supported by a PPC campaign to target the more specific, long-tail searches. These won’t have as many impressions, but that can be good. They won’t spend ridiculous sums of money each day and often the more qualified search terms with 3, 4 or even 5 keywords are more valuable. This is because the search engine user knows precisely what they are looking for and, if you can offer it to them, it is likely to lead a conversion or a sale. Indeed, there has been a lot of debate about what is better SEO or PPC, but the truth is they work better together instead of choosing one or the other. Two other important points worth mentioning: You can cover your entire product catalogue with a PPC campaign (it is unrealistic to SEO tens of thousands of keywords) and at the same time quickly update prices and product information in ad text.

In addition, with the high volume SEO keywords we discussed before, it is good to have a PPC ad in a low, cheaper position on the first page. As before, they support and compliment each other as the user can see two ads from your company in the search results. Doubling your exposure in this manner can make your company look like a major player in the world of search advertising.

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