Every marketing dollar counts. But here's something that might be happening right under your nose: your paid search campaigns could be eating into your organic search success. Let's dive into this digital marketing dilemma and learn how to make your PPC and SEO efforts work together rather than against each other.
What is PPC Cannibalization?
Think of it like having two stores selling the same products on the same street - owned by you! Instead of doubling your success, they're competing for the same customers. That's exactly what happens when your PPC ads cannibalize your organic SEO efforts.
Red Flags You Can't Ignore
How do you know if you're falling into this trap? Watch out for these telling signs:
The Declining Organic Click-Through Mystery
Your SEO rankings look stable, but your organic click-through rates are dropping faster than your coffee gets cold. This could mean your paid ads are stealing the spotlight from your well-earned organic positions.
The Zero-Sum Game
Your PPC clicks are going up, but your overall traffic isn't growing. It's like running faster on a treadmill without actually getting anywhere - you're just spending more money for the same results.
The Conversion Shift
If you notice your organic conversions declining while paid conversions increase, you might be paying for traffic you could have gotten for free.
How to Stop PPC Cannibalization
Conduct a Keyword Overlap Audit
• Create a spreadsheet comparing your top-performing organic keywords with your PPC targets
• Identify keywords where you're ranking in the top 3 organic positions
• Consider removing these keywords from your PPC campaigns or adjusting your bidding strategy
Master Your Negative Keywords
This is like creating a "do not disturb" list for your PPC campaigns:
• Add exact-match negative keywords for terms where you dominate organic search
• Keep monitoring and updating this list regularly
• Focus PPC budget on keywords where organic performance needs support
Refine Your Brand Bidding Strategy
Smart brand bidding means:
• Creating specific brand exclusion lists
• Only bidding on brand terms when competitors are targeting them
• Using different ad copy for branded vs. non-branded terms
Pro Tip: The Balance Test Before excluding any keyword from your PPC campaigns, ask yourself:
• What's the cost per click?
• What's your organic position and click-through rate?
• Would removing this keyword from PPC significantly impact your overall visibility?
Making Them Work Together
The goal isn't to completely separate your PPC and SEO efforts, but to create a harmonious relationship where each channel complements the other.
Consider:
• Using PPC to test new keywords before investing in SEO
• Leveraging paid ads for time-sensitive promotions while maintaining organic presence for long-term visibility
• Analyzing data from both channels to inform your overall digital marketing strategy
Remember: It's not about choosing between PPC and SEO - it's about finding the sweet spot where both channels work together to maximize your ROI without unnecessary overlap.
Action Steps for Next Week:
Export your PPC and organic search data
Identify overlapping keywords
Create your initial negative keyword list
Set up regular monitoring of both channels' performance
What's your experience with managing PPC and SEO campaigns? Have you noticed any cannibalization in your marketing efforts? Need help sorting your SEO and PPC efforts? Get in touch with us. We offer a 30 minute free consultation call where we figure out what's hurting your SEO and how we can fix it. Book it here.
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