When you stop using PPC advertising the result may be a decline in online sales.

PPC Advertising = Short-Term Sales

You need to understand the difference between long-term and short-term goals. The use of PPC or other advertising techniques is a means of directing traffic for immediate online sales. Some netrepreneurs use this technique and find they have to rely significantly on advertising if they want a steady supply of customers.

I love the old adage, “Work smarter, not harder” or the one that says, “Use brains not brawn”.

PPC advertising is simply one tier in a fairly comprehensive structure for online marketing.

The use of site optimization strategies (SEO) will be the most beneficial to you in the long run. When you work to establish the overall reputation of your company and optimize your site so it is viewed as a trusted resource that just happens to sell a product or service you will also likely see a corresponding improvement in your site ranking.

If you concentrate some of your energies on site optimization there may come a time when PPC advertising may not be as necessary.

It may sound as if I am anti-PPC, but the truth is they can provide a much-needed boost to your sales objectives and they can be a cost effective way to reach that goal.

No, I am not anti-PPC; I am simply a stronger proponent of site optimization.

Let me put it this way, you can ultimately have a successful website independent of PPC advertising, but you will always struggle if you only rely on PPC advertising without proper site optimization techniques.

They can and do work together, but if I had to choose one over the other I would work on SEO techniques first.

Consider the success of brick and mortar stores. They often rely heavily on advertising to create a customer base. At some point their reputation grows to such a degree that many people would shop there without paying attention to any advertising. The principle is to use the advertising as a mechanism to develop customers while waiting for the time when you are considered reputable. Once that is established the advertising may be less important.

The same concept applies to online business. Use PPC advertising, but work hard on your sites reputation and internal marketing structure. You will find a positive reward for the long-term investment of internal site building and optimization.