Once you set up a website and connect it with major search engines like Google, the next steps of a digital marketing plan include Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising.

Depending on what services you select, you can expect to see results from your digital marketing services in as little time as a couple hours or in as much as three to six months. This is because there are key differences in the purpose of SEO and PPC advertising.

Pay-Per-Click Ads are an faster strategy that bids on high-ranking relevant keywords and places your paid advertisement at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs). While potential customers can see your PPC ads in as little as hours, for best result, we caution that there is a 60-90 day optimization time that serves as a training period for your ad campaign, which our team uses to further refine your ads to improve your overall strategy. The important difference between PPC ads and other paid advertisement is you only pay when someone clicks on your ad and visits your site, offering some level of conversion.

Search Engine Optimization is a longer-term strategy that builds keyword relevance on your website over time and involves several different active practices like creating optimized and relevant webpages and blogs using important keywords, improving website performance, creating links between your website and high-authority sites, and more. As your site builds authority over months and years, it climbs its way higher up the search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords.

You can expect to see leads from pay-per-click advertising as soon as your ads go live on the search platforms. SEO services may take as much as six months to show a full effect, but these services build over time and cement your business as an authority in your field with the use of optimized keywords and increased performance technology through the website’s coding language and other technical upgrades.

Measuring your return on investment (ROI) is an important part of any marketing plan, as it lets you know what is working well and what you need to change to alter your end result. There are several different ways to measure a return on investment over time. One easy formula to use is:

[Net profit (total of converted sales - cost of investment) / total digital marketing costs) x 100 = ROI

For example, if you earned $12,000 in February from converted sales and paid $2,000 for digital marketing overall, then:

[$10,000 / $2,000] = 5 x 100 = 500% ROI

It’s important to understand that digital marketing is a part of an overall marketing plan and that your overall business may still fluctuate with industry or market trends. At Creekmore Marketing, we provide our clients with a live marketing dashboard that allows them to track and analyze conversions and see changes in traffic patterns over time. We use industry tools and these insights to pivot our strategies to ensure your marketing plan is performing at it best—so you don’t have to do the work of web marketing yourself.

In 2023 and 2024, Google went through several massive changes to how they approach searches, adding beneficial new features, FAQs, snippets, and other functionalities to their search pages. These changes impact businesses of all sizes, especially smaller local businesses.

That’s why one of the very first digital marketing goals that our Account Managers complete for new clients is making sure that their Google Business Profile is verified and able to receive updates and reviews.

Customers trust the reviews of others when making key purchases, and Google and other search engines are paying attention to this—meaning that positive reviews draw customers in and boost a business’s ranking while negative reviews can turn customers away. Businesses with a high volume of recent 4- and 5-star reviews are deemed to be more trustworthy, especially when those reviews are in-depth and include images or keywords relevant to the business.

The modern business landscape, with its constant fluctuations, demands a strategic approach for businesses eager to establish or boost their online presence. Our experienced Account Management team at Creekmore Marketing has over a decade of experience in helping businesses navigate this complex online environment and select the right services to grow their impact.

From logo design and AI-powered interactions management services to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, let us show you how our digital marketing company can help your business achieve its marketing goals.

Contact us online or give us a call at (859) 309-5987 for your free consultation and learn how Creekmore Marketing can grow your business in 2024 and beyond!