Google Maps Marketing | Google Map Marketing

Yep, story of the three little pigs provides the perfect analogy…

Comparing SEO and PPC marketing relates to the classic story of the three little pigs and really helps to define their fundamental differences in terms of the value each of these advertising mechanisms create.

For the purposes of this comparison, we can use the 2 pigs at the opposite ends of the house building spectrum to provide a relevant analogy to PPC vs. SEO. So, let’s recap the house building (investment) practices of the “straw house pig” and the “brick house pig”. A brief summary of our characters are as follows:

The Straw House Pig

• The “straw house pig” benefits from convenience. In the original story, the straw house was built quickly and easily without much trouble. The problem facing that pig was the lack of security but also the high cost of maintenance over time. When a storm came or the wind blew (events other than the big bad wolf), this straw house would be damaged if not destroyed and the rebuilding process would begin again. Of course, the good news was that it required very little heavy lifting, expertise, or time to build.

The Brick House Pig

• The little pig that built the brick house camped out for a while, worked hard, planned a permanent structure, and laid down bricks, one by one, until the structure was complete. After completion, the brick house would require some light maintenance, but it remained solid and strong – able to provide the little pig a better return on her investment of time over the longer term than the straw house pig. Storms could come and go with little to no effect on the plight of the “brick house pig” and the house at times provided life saving protection and security.

The straw house pig’s method compares well with a business owner whose online marketing campaign has complete dependence on Pay Per Click as a means of obtaining competitive Google positions. It’s relatively simple to set up an Adwords campaign in an hour or 2 at best. Thus, it’s fast and convenient and easy to do. Optimizing a PPC (pay per click) campaign to a higher level (quality scores and CTR) requires a few blog reads and a willingness to learn but in many industries makes little difference in click costs. Even when a PPC campaign is fully optimized, the cost of running a budgeted campaign is often very significant and click fraud (competitors clicking on your sponsored links you pay for) is a big budget eroding factor. The learning curve to being a pro at Pay Per click advertising is short and so is the barrier to entry. The low barrier to entry means that just about anyone can do it. Your competitors can jump in the fray and outbid your positions in a matter of hours. As a result of the low barrier to entry, Pay Per Click advertising based on an auction style system, continues to go up in price as more competitors bid on sponsored links. Ultimately, the cost per customer is higher in competitive niche markets using Pay Per Click / Sponsored links as a local online marketing strategy than a solid local SEO strategy.

Summary: Straw House Pig = PPC strategy

In contrast, the “brick house pig” built a house designed for a long term, low maintenance benefit. Building it required time, expertise, hard work, and sacrifice. This compares well to a planned and executed local SEO strategy.  Simply put – those companies occupying top Google maps and organic positions invested (time and/or money), remained patient, and had local seo expert help them obtain organic and/or map positions that remain stable 24 hours a day without the high cost of Pay Per Click (sponsored links). Those web assets (sites and listings) were developed with engaging, quality content that was well thought out. Without a doubt, those companies are in the best position to have online marketing success for the long term because they enjoy the best return investment, more consistent placement (your campaign never comes off of page one because of budget depletion), and a much higher barrier to entry.

Summary: Brick House Pig = SEO Strategy

Brick House pigs will grow in a down economy. Brick House pigs will have the best chance at growth when Google is now the most important factor in small local business advertising.

If you were a little pig, what kind of house would you build?