by KansasDragon » Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:18 pm
This thread is an interesting read, lots of good point counter-point discussion.
Isn't it a good idea to use PPC to work on testing and identifying quality keywords, not just the ones that look promising, but the ones that actually SELL a product? Just because words bring traffic effectively doesn't mean a thing, it's only worthwhile if they actually SELL something.
Then once you've tested via PPC, you can then do the additional work of SEO on your site, optimizing for those keywords you have tested and proven produce sales. As your SE traffic increases you can reduce your spend on the PPC.
Of course the real bottom line here is, are you selling on the page, or are you providing information on the page. If you're able to SELL on the page, and can get a quality ROI on the PPC, then by all means, use PPC, and use it to the extent that you continue getting increased profits at an acceptable ROI rate.
If it is just a information page, with some side advertising to try to monetize the page, then I'd much prefer SEO, since PPC is probably not going to produce sales at a high enough rate to give me a good ROI. I'd be using those pages to guide people gently to my products, or promotions. (but then again, only testing can answer the question of whether PPC can be effective on these pages.)
Yikes, after reading what I typed, I realize, I've read way too much Perry Marshall.. but he is a good resource.