Aside from your email list (you DO have an email list, right?), search engines consistently drive some of the most valuable traffic for business websites. Users who actively seek your products or services through search engines are often ready to convert, making this traffic particularly valuable.

At VIA Studio, we recommend a balanced approach: leveraging both Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Paid Search (PPC) tactics. SEO offers sustainable, long-term growth, while Paid Search can deliver immediate results.

SEO is about improving your website's visibility organically on search engines. The process involves:


Identifying and incorporating relevant terms to attract targeted traffic.


Crafting valuable content that directly addresses user intent, thus enhancing relevance and engagement.


Ensuring your website meets search engine standards by improving site speed and structure.


Acquiring backlinks from reputable sources to enhance your site's credibility.

SEO's strengths lie in its cost-effectiveness, long-term sustainability, and ability to build authority and trust. However, SEO takes time to show results, is dependent on frequently changing algorithms, and can be highly competitive, especially for popular keywords. It may not be as cost-effective if it takes too long to show results.

Paid Search involves purchasing ads on platforms like Google Ads, prominently displayed in search engine results. Advertisers bid on keywords, which determines ad placement. Ads are clearly marked and placed prominently, typically at the top of the results page. Paid search allows precise targeting beyond just keywords, letting you reach specific audiences based on geography, demographics, device usage, and behaviors.

Paid search provides immediate visibility and traffic, high control over targeting, and scalability aligned with your budget. The primary limitations include ongoing costs, the perceived lower credibility of ads compared to organic results, and the need for continuous optimization to maintain effectiveness and ROI.

Longevity: Long-term impact, builds cumulatively

Scalability: Scalable with some technical constraints

Performance Tracking: Complex analysis (SEMRush, Ahrefs)

Longevity: Short-term impact, reliant on ongoing investment

Scalability: Highly scalable based on budget

Performance Tracking: Straightforward metrics (CTR, CPC, ROAS)

SEO is ideal if you’re seeking sustainable, long-term growth and have limited resources for paid media. It’s particularly effective for establishing your business as an authority within your industry. Effective tactics include:

Conducting regular keyword analysis and optimizations

Continuously improving your website’s technical performance

Paid search is particularly effective for product launches, new initiatives, time-sensitive promotions, or when targeting very specific, niche audiences. Strategic budgeting, constant campaign monitoring, and precision targeting can help maximize your return on investment in these scenarios.

Combining these strategies provides significant advantages. Paid search offers immediate visibility, complementing SEO's gradual organic growth. Insights from paid campaigns can refine your SEO strategy, helping you avoid expensive paid keywords by ranking organically instead. Paid search can also supplement organic traffic, reaching new or specific audience segments efficiently. Testing new messages or content ideas with paid search can inform and strengthen your long-term SEO strategy, providing a balanced, data-driven approach to growth.

specific business goals and market conditions

 should guide the balance between SEO and paid search. Begin by analyzing your current search rankings, keyword effectiveness, and conversion paths. VIA Studio can provide detailed audits and strategic recommendations tailored precisely to your objectives.

Connect with VIA Studio to optimize your search strategy.

Content Strategy

Advertising

Finding the Right Mix for Your Marketing: SEO vs Paid Search

As a Strategist, I have overseen numerous marketing campaigns. In my personal life, I have also overseen countless fantasy football teams. Between my time as a marketing strategist and a make-believe football coach, I have found many parallels between the roles.

I hope to share insights between my professional and personal experiences in this article.



Like in the campaign planning stage, every offseason, you have to do your research on the personnel and strategy changes in the NFL. Players sign with new teams, new coaches with different schemes are installed, and a brand new batch of players enter the league through the NFL Draft. Showing up on draft day for your league blind to these changes will leave you at a significant disadvantage for the draft and the season.

fantasypros.com is a good place to start your research

When planning campaigns, be sure to do similar research on market trends, new platforms and functionality, and review data from previous campaigns to get a better idea of what your campaign strategy will look like.

A thoroughly researched campaign and fantasy football team lay the groundwork for future success.

Heading into your fantasy football draft, like setting up your campaign, it is critical to know your competition's tendencies. Are there certain players, positions, or teams that they favor? Do they have specific draft tendencies? Knowing your competition will help you succeed in your draft.

Like a fantasy football draft, knowing your competition in marketing is vital. Do they have strengths greater than yours that you must work against? What about unique value propositions that you must counter? Are they currently running promotions that might undercut your promoted goods or services?

Researching and having answers in both cases will help you succeed no matter what your competition might throw your way.

Like the conclusion of a fantasy football draft, your campaign's launch is just the beginning!

You cannot treat a marketing campaign as a set-it-and-forget tactic. You need to work throughout its run to get the most out of your budget, targeting, and creative. Reacting to performance data and letting it inform your optimizations is key to a well-performing campaign.

For example, are particular messages outperforming others? Pause your lower-performing ads and dedicate more of your budget to high-performing ones. Are repeat customers making more purchases than new customers? Put more budget behind your remarketing ad group.

Like the campaign’s launch, your fantasy football draft is half the battle of your season. It is your opportunity to build out your roster for the season. But what happens when one of your players gets injured? Or your star wide receiver gets suspended? Or you see a rookie who you believe has the potential for a breakout season.

Justin Jefferson’s injury last season threatened many fantasy football teams.

You must play the waivers and replace him with someone offering better value. In fantasy football, like in marketing, it is essential to continually look for opportunities to improve your team or campaign.

While working to improve your team or campaign throughout the season, it is essential to remember the bigger picture or prize.

It can be easy to get too focused on the data/optimizations and week-to-week matchups of a fantasy football season.

However, what you do in the short term should not have lasting impacts in the long term. For example, what if a particular audience gets inundated and annoyed with your ads because you are targeting them exclusively? What about when you reach the finite limits of your existing customers or remarketing audiences?

Like a marketing campaign in fantasy football, you need to make short-term decisions week-to-week, but you can’t let them impact your overall season. If a player gets injured in week 1 but could potentially return mid-season, is it worth dropping him for the short term if he won’t be available to you later when he returns? Or, how long do you stick with a struggling player simply because you invested significant draft capital in him?

When making in-season decisions or mid-campaign optimizations, remember to see the forest through the trees and keep your eyes on the ultimate prize: maximizing your return on campaigns and the championship in fantasy football!


Marketing Strategy

What I Learned About Marketing from Fantasy Football

Non-profit Marketing

Copywriting

Art Direction

Photography

Reporting & Analysis

Dare to Care

Marketing Campaigns

Digital Marketing Optimization

Jack O'Lantern Spectacular + Winter Woods Spectacular

We provide strategically-led traditional and digital advertising services for our clients. From marketing strategy to marketing plans and the marketing campaigns they define - we can execute and maintain them to drive value for your organization.

Comprehensive campaigns that cover your marketing funnel and reach your audience when and where they need are our specialty. Whatever the mix of outdoor, broad, streaming, pay-per-click (PPC), display or social advertising you need - we can plan and execute for you.

We are Google Ads and Facebook Blueprint certified.




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Advertising: Case Studies

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Jack O'Lantern Spectacular + Winter Woods Spectacular

Advertising: Blog Posts

Finding the Right Mix for Your Marketing: SEO vs Paid Search

What I Learned About Marketing from Fantasy Football