Good morning search marketers, "This is our first pandemic, we have no idea."
That comment from Matt Van Wagner on our Live with Search Engine Land episode Wednesday was strangely reassuring. Nobody has this figured out, and anybody who tells you they do — well, run. There are no marketing models for where we find ourselves now, and what works for one company may not work for another. But we can keep learning from each other. Here are 8 takeaways for B2B (and other) advertisers from my discussion with Brad Geddes, Michelle Morgan and Matt Van Wagner. You'll find the full video at the bottom of that article as well.
As marketing budgets are being lowered, frozen or redistributed, the question of which channels to use for greatest impact is top of mind for most marketers, said Greg Sterling, who reported on two recent surveys on SEO and PPC. In one, 64% of marketers said they'd choose Google Ads over SEO if they had to choose. Are they looking at their analytics? For most companies, organic search drives more traffic than paid — a BrightEdge study showed organic accounted for 53% of site traffic compared to just 15% for paid. A second survey of SMB owners found that just 30% have an SEO strategy in place.
"The smart answer to the question of whether to do SEO or PPC is 'and' not 'or' — both tactics complement one another," says Greg. "However, as budgets are being squeezed and paused right now — especially in the case of SMBs — the SEO vs. PPC question takes on new importance and urgency."
Keep reading for a Pro Tip from Amy Bishop, Search Shorts and more.
Ginny Marvin
Editor-In-Chief
