How many of you have heard of this phrase?
SEO also known as Search Engine Optimization, it is the process of optimizing the website to allow users to easily reach their desire findings via search engines such as Google. However, different countries/regions have their own prominent search engines.
I believe SEO is no stranger to many of us, especially for marketing students. How many times have you heard about this phrase “Google is your best friend” or “Just Google it”. Do you know that Google processes an average of over 40,000 searches every second which leads to 3.5 billion search queries per day and a total of 1.2 trillion searches per year? To further support my point, I just googled this.
Black hat vs White hat
There are two different techniques that businesses take to optimize their websites for search engines – Black hats vs. White hats SEO.
Black hat SEO – It is a strategy used to achieve higher search rankings by violating search engine rules. It is used by companies that are looking for a short-term rapid financial return instead of long-term investment on their website. (E.g. using keyword stuffing, hidden texts/links, spamming, etc.)
In contrast to black hat SEO, white hat SEO practices integrity utilization of a search engine by using keywords, quality content and creating a user-friendly website. Companies that utilized white hat SEO are more likely to result in a long-term investment on their website. Additionally, creating quality content is vital as it displays uniqueness and appropriateness of the site on search engines.
Undoubtedly, we should avoid using the black hat technique as this unethical and illegal strategy will potentially damage the company’s image and reputation, the search engine could possibly ban the website once it captures any black hat methods used with the assistant of search engine algorithm.
Paid Search Marketing (PPC)
Paid search marketing works on a pay-per-click model whereby advertisers pay whenever people click into their advertisement and visit their website.
For example, when you search for tables on Google, you will see the paid search results at the top of the page with the sponsored label. The first product that appears on the page would usually mean that the listed company pays more than the other companies whenever people click their product and enter their website.
SEO vs PPC: which is better?
This is a commonly asked question by businesses. However, there is no definite answer to this question, because it really depends. While PPC helps a company to achieve its goals it aims to accomplish, SEO also make the website visible by generating more traffic and opportunities which transforms prospects into customers. The best businesses often use both PPC and SEO as they complement each other. Furthermore, both methods are beneficial, so why not do both?
With that being said, SEO is of great significance for any business as it helps to create brand awareness, positioning and build a relationship with prospects. However, it is advisable to comply with the guidelines of search engines, so that business can ensure a lasting growth and safety of their website.
Thanks for reading and feel free to share with me your thoughts! I’ll see you in my next post! 🙂
Angela's Digital Marketing Blog 
Sure enough, search engine has greatly improve our findings online! What are some examples of White Hats SEO?
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Hi Junior! Thanks for the comment. Some examples of White Hats SEO would be to use keywords, link building to improve link popularity and writing quality content for viewers. This technique is usually used by those who plan to make a long-term investment on their website. You can also call a White Hat SEO an Ethical SEO. Hope you gain some useful information here! 🙂
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wow, I totally agree with you that there isn’t one that is better! SEO and PPC both has its pros and cons. It really depends on the company’s objectives and their budget allocation. It is great that you mentioned about the black and white hats strategies. However, I would like to know which do you think is better for companies to use for their SEO marketing? Furthermore, do you think that SEO can be done by the company themselves or hiring a professional; to do it would be more advisable?
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Hi Jarrett! Thanks for agreeing! I would definitely think that utilising white-hat strategy is better for companies to use the ethical way when using SEO marketing! It would be better to follow Google’s guidelines and create a long-term investment for the website. This will help the company to achieve a successful SEO and prevent any potential damage to the brand!
It is advisable to have a professional to use the right tools as they are able to keep track of competitors! Therefore, engaging a professional helps in maximizing success!
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Indeed search engine dominates the world now! With advanced technology and development, search engines have benefitted us in our daily life by making it easily accessible and convenient. Since search engine information is easily obtained and spreadable, do you think companies can utilise this to understand their competitors better and create better innovations and be the top?
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Hey Yui! YES, I feel that companies can use SEO helps companies to create fast, robust and user-friendly websites that can rank higher in search engines, and brings more qualified customers! It is important for companies as it keeps the search results fair, it is also more likely to have a repeat customer. What’s better is SEO is cost-effective!
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Hi Angela, thanks for the insightful post! I do agree SEO and PPC complement each other. However is SEO important to every business?
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Thanks for the comment Xinyi! Yes, I do think that SEO is important for every business because it helps the company to be on top of their competitors and display to people who search-related topics. With a good ranking of search results, people may recognize the company better than others! So I believe that it is necessary to do SEO!
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I agree that SEO and PPC are important when it comes to marketing a brand, however, I do think that the brand has to carefully consider the potentials of each function and know how to effectively utilize them. Do you think that businesses MUST utilize SEO or PPC for them to be able to be known?
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Hey Charmaine! Glad that you benefited from the post! I think that it is better for companies to utilize SEO or PPC in order to generate faster leads and sales. Because SEO and PPC allow your companies to be on the high rank of search results, hence, it will allow you to be on top of your competitors!
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