Ask The Expert

07.28.10

Anne Garcia, Campaign Manager

If you are seeking answers to interactive marketing and branding questions then ASK The EXPERT! In this monthly series we will have a rotating expert, to answer your questions in various areas including: SEO, SEM, Social Media, Website Design, Website Analytics, Website Usability, Affiliate Marketing and Content Management Systems by a different expert each month!

Q: If I am already ranking high on search engines through natural search, why should I invest in PPC ads?

A: Although it is very important to have high rankings in natural search, it is equally beneficial that your company is present in the sponsored listings section as well. If a customer or prospect is searching for your company, you need to make sure that your name is visible to those searching for it. In today’s market, it’s no holds barred for your competition to bid on your company name. So if you’re not bidding on your company name and branded terms, your competition may be and you could be losing valuable traffic. More so, changes to organic rankings could make your company name drop below the top search results. In 2009 alone, Google had between 350 and 500 changes in its search algorithm. Most recently, this past May, Google’s “Mayday” affected deeper page content and long tail SEO. If your organic search rankings drop, or possibly even disappear, will searchers still have visibility to you? SEO and PPC together give you more real estate on the search engine results page, building your brand awareness and authority to searchers.

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