Pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) are the two central pillars of search engine marketing. Both methods will drive traffic to industrial company websites, but they work differently. In this article, we explain why industrial companies need both SEO and PPC and how to use both channels together.
Why Industrial Companies Need Both SEO and PPC
Industrial companies need both SEO and PPC in order to capture buyers throughout a long research and decision process. PPC delivers immediate visibility and aggressive keyword testing while SEO builds long-term and cost-effective organic trust. Both channels can work together by sharing crucial keyword, messaging, and lead-quality data.
SEO vs. PPC for Industrial Companies
What SEO Does Best
SEO is best for building long-term authority. It generates sustainable and high-quality traffic once your site starts to rank organically for niche industrial terms.
What PPC Does Best
PPC is best for getting immediate traction. It gets your site listed at the top of search engine results, and the rapid data obtained from this performance can then be used to inform your content strategy.
How PPC Supports SEO
Testing Keyword Opportunities
The primary way that PPC supports SEO is by identifying the best keyword opportunities before building out a content strategy. You can run keywords as paid search terms for a period of time and see if they drive RFQ submissions.
Identifying High-Converting Search Terms
PPC can also be used to identify which search terms lead to quality conversions. The search report provided by Google Ads will show the actual queries that industrial buyers typed before they converted.
Testing Messaging Before Creating SEO Content
The immediate visibility afforded by PPC allows you to test messaging before trying to foster long-term engagement. You can try out different headlines and descriptions and build your content strategy according to the results.
Filling Visibility Gaps While SEO Builds Momentum
While you’re waiting for domain authority to be built and for content to begin ranking, you can use PPC to remain visible for the most important search terms.
How SEO Supports PPC
Improving Landing Page Quality
SEO improves landing page quality, which allows your business to pay less per click than competitors with weak sites. A well-optimized page will improve your site’s Quality Score on Google, which determines both your ad ranking and your cost-per-click.
Building Trust With Industrial Buyers
Strong SEO footprints help build trust with industrial buyers that PPC alone cannot achieve. Paying per click will bring engineers and procurement managers to your pages, but they need technical articles and product depth to make your brand stand out during the research phase.
Supporting Long Sales Cycles
SEO supports long sales cycles by engaging industrial buyers throughout the entire research process. PPC can get you immediate visibility during early stages, but organic search and strong content will keep your brand in the running.
Reducing Paid Search Dependency Over Time
As your brand begins to own organic rankings for core search terms, you can start to reduce your dependency on PPC. You can also redirect your PPC budgeting toward more competitive and harder-to-rank searches.
Industrial SEO and PPC Keyword Strategy
Product and Service Keywords
Product and service keywords should be the foundation of your SEO and PPC strategies. These keywords have high commercial intent and describe the exact products your brand makes and the services you offer.
Long-Tail Technical Keywords
Long-tail technical keywords are low-volume, high-intent terms that industrial buyers will search during the research process. PPC tends to be cheaper for this keyword type, but SEO content that covers the spec deeply tends to rank well.
Industry Application Keywords
Industry application keywords target the use case rather than your specific products and services. This type attracts industrial buyers early in their research, and they work particularly well for awareness-stage PPC.
Problem-Solution Keywords
Problem-solution keywords belong in SEO content strategy because they match how industrial buyers search when they have a pain point but don’t yet know the solution.
How to Use SEO and PPC Across the Buyer Journey
Awareness Stage
When an industrial buyer is exploring options for a problem, SEO content with great product depth (e.g. application guides, problem-solution articles) should be the focus.
Research and Comparison Stage
During this stage, both channels need to help buyers compare suppliers, read specs, and download data sheets. SEO content should be built out for spec pages and technical content, while PPC focuses on high-intent product terms.
Decision Stage
When the buyer is ready to request a quote or at least create a shortlist, PPC with direct RFQ landing pages performs best. SEO content that has strong trust signals then acts as crucial support to convert the buyer.
Retargeting and Follow-Up
Because industrial sales cycles are so long, SEO and PPC should be used to retarget visitors that weren’t converted.
Best Ways to Combine SEO and PPC
Retarget Organic Visitors With Paid Ads
After aligning keyword research and using PPC data to prioritize SEO content, you should retarget any organic search visitors that did not successfully convert.
Build Landing Pages for Both Channels
When SEO and PPC teams collaborate on landing page structure, both channels will benefit from the same asset. They can do so through clear spec content, prominent RFQ forms, and fast loading times.
Measure Lead Quality Across SEO and PPC
Measuring lead quality across both channels will help you know how to budget for search engine marketing. PPC leads tend to be faster and more price-sensitive while SEO leads have higher close rates and longer sales cycles.
How to Measure SEO and PPC Performance Together
Organic Traffic, Keyword Rankings, and PPC Clicks
Traffic and keyword rankings indicate whether your SEO strategy is building momentum. PPC clicks reveal how successful your PPC strategy is working.
CPC and Conversion Rate
CPC is a metric that indicates when competition is increasing, which signals that SEO needs to be accelerated. Conversion rate change, meanwhile, means something has shifted in buyer behavior.
Leads, MQLs, SQLs, and Revenue
Leads, MQLs, SQLS, and revenue are the most important metrics because they give a full picture of which channels are producing a closed deal.
Overall ROI Across Both Channels
Combining ROI across channels demonstrates how both strategies convert buyers in a sequence rather than in isolation.
Get Help With Industrial SEO and PPC
Zupo is a full-service B2B SEO agency that specializes in industrial SEO. You can count on our unique expertise with commercial audiences to design long-term and brand-specific content strategies that make the best of both SEO and PPC channels.