Hey guys just want to show some of the advantages of both methods. Lets see with SEO you can get a ton of targeted traffic its not free because you have to invest your time or pay someone to do it. With SEO it takes 6 months to maybe rank in the search with a new site that is . Media buy's you can have a flood of traffic in 10 minutes. With SEO you business is in someone else control. You can do all the work it takes to rank if you finally get there , next day it could be gone. With SEO you can work and work and get nothing because you made a simple mistake but did not know that you did and never rank and get visitors. With a media buy you can have as much very targeted traffic as you want for as long as you want and do not have to worry about maintaining your rankings. Because even once you get to the first page you still have to maintain your rankings. The search engine traffic is only 39% off traffic available on the net! Why settle for something that is so insecure like SEO. I have been doing SEO for years and can tell you my income really took off when I said I had it "No More" the hell with Google and there panda bears! Just a little advise to help you get the big picture because I ever hear is talk about ranking in Google. TBone
SEO brings in targeted leads. So far I havn't been able to bring in social media leads in a cost effective manner despite all the hype. Have spend over 1k+ on facebook advertising and even with 10k visitors, the sales rate is absolutely dismal. People on facebook just aren't in buy mode. Other social networking sites are even worse. I am however, testing facebook traffic on pay-per-impression types of ads and it's encouraging so far. My partner is able to achieve $2600+ monthly with facebook traffic. But SEO wise I have client last year that did 7 mil. So that's no comparison. Perhaps there are provider of better traffic for social network, but so far I havn't met such a person, who can deliver traffic that would convert into sales on consistent basis.
Definitely agree w/ you OP.. I see SEO as more of a temporary game where i'll get in, take my profits, and get out... Although I've been greatly successful, it's no way to live a life! Which is why I too have been learning alot about paid advertising, media buys, etc. When it comes to that that type of traffic source, once you test enough for profitable conversion, it's easy sailing from then. Then you can scale up to however way you please w/out google to worry about. Alot of people should do the same Take Cares!
Tac88 - I agree with what you are saying in principle, but your headline is a tease: you only have one sentence about media buys. I do like the idea of media buys but the problem is: you can lose your shirt if you don't know what you're doing. Have you done media buys? Have you had success? It would be good to have some practical input from you. I see you are linking to Chad Hamzeh's Traffic Black Book in your sig and I agree that if I was to recommend media buy training I would send people to Chad. He is a genuine guy and we have chatted on Facebook more than once. I also recommend his site Six Months Days From Today which not only trains you in media buys but also has a great forum where he and his partner are very active. Also, here's a good interview with Chad on media buys. Malc
I feel your pain, SEO is no where as viable as it used to be for a small business that cannot afford it. Media buys will only help some people and dependent on how well you use it. I can only imagine how much Google has profited from these changes over the last few years, imagine how many fed up people with SEO just gave in and purchased Google advertising.
" Media buys can be risky unless you know how to minimize that risk. I have had success with media buys...still do and I have a case study I'm going to share with others to help them succeed. I've shared the one method that took me from nothing online to making my first dollars with 2 guys so far. I can understand the concern, but once you see it happen, it's not as complicated as people make it sound. You do want a starting budget of at least $2,000...I would recommend somewhere between $2k-$5k to start. Best, -Ryan.
SEO cannot replace media buys, but you have to do SEO because of the ever increasing trend of people to get information via search engines. Results and studies have showed that organic traffic is large in number, more effective and contributes more to the conversion rate. So paid campaign cannot hold ground there.
Hi Ryan - good to have some genuine feedback from someone actually using media buys. I know it's early days for you: but like you, I feel it has huge potential. Look forward to seeing more feedback from you as you progress. Good luck Malc
I think you give the wrong impression! SEO traffic is on the way out now and is best regarded, for most of us, as additional traffic: not primary. Though social network traffic should probably be primary for most people - especially if time-rich and cash-poor - those with a bit of cash should certainly not ignore paid traffic, if they can put enough time aside to study it. Yes, you can lose your shirt with paid traffic, but also you can find a rich seam and then hammer it and make a fortune. Check out Chad Hamzeh's personal story, for example (Google it): his seam (after trying for one year or more) was, from memory, $55k in 2 months. Zero to hero! Don't ignore paid traffic. Once you understand it, it puts you in control - instead of Google being in control. (And look Google shafted Interflora, for 30 years the top UK flower delivery service, last week. They went from page 1 for "flowers", to nowhere overnight. Who's in control there?) But do ignore Google Adwords LOL. Not Google Content Network - which is good: but Adwords is toooooo expensive. Malc
Traxport121 - I'll respectfully disagree with you on your statement in regards to paid traffic. It's been the lifeblood of my success for my family. I use it for our ecommerce site as well as another site I use for CPA offers. Nothing has worked better to get the results your looking for and keep your marketing costs down. Plus, the velocity of money is the best...i.e. Walmart. Malc - I still use media buys today. I have been doing them since August 2011 and we're in the best financial situation ever. When I first did this test campaign it blew my mind how well it worked and still does today. I'm wrapping up a case study on what I did and how people can reverse engineer the whole process like I do to reduce their risk of "losing the shirt off their back" and actually profit. I don't shy away from anything. I'm giving this ebook/case study for free to gain some feedback. Let me know if you would like a copy and I'll send it to you. I'm planning on wrapping it up within the next 3 days.
From all point given above, I can say that SEO and media buys complement each because both have "unique" advantages. The important thing is you should know your marketing goals so that you can clearly identify the appropriate tactic.
Very interesting thread. But my nonprofit website is deliberately a zero-revenue, informational-only site. So I'll just have to stick with SEO, including the increasingly important area of social media. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed reading this thread's comments.
malcsimmis right. I gave the wrong impression from my post. What I meant was that SEO is not something useless as some people consider it and have mentioned in this thread as well. It gives tremendous results over long time if done properly. Similarly ad campaigns are great too. I just mentioned that websites generally face more organic traffic and there, SEO is ready to help you.