Paid vs. Organic Search Engine Marketing Explainer for Multifamily

Paid Search

Paid search engine marketing (often referred to as PPC) is one of the most common forms of digital marketing and, if done right, can help garner an immediate impact. This channel is best utilized for short-term gains, such as driving leasing traffic or announcing pricing promos and specials. In some instances, paid search ads will also be necessary for property rebrands and introducing yourself under a new name, if applicable.

Many marketers face challenges in the PPC realm, including fluctuating costs due to competition. Keyword bids and ad space are based on supply and demand, so the cost can increase if you target the same audience as others and compete for eyeballs.

Paid search advertising efforts may include:

• Keyword research: Identifying high-value search terms that are relevant to your community and have the potential to convert.
• Ad copy creation: Writing compelling headlines and descriptions that resonate with your target audience and include clear calls to action.
• Location targeting strategy: Ensuring your ads reach the right geographic audience, such as people searching for apartments in your local area.
• Campaign budgeting and negative keyword strategies: Allocating resources effectively to maximize click volume and adding negative keywords to improve the quality of clicks.
• A/B testing ads: Experimenting with different headlines, descriptions, and calls to action to determine which combinations drive the best results.
• Landing page optimization: Designing dedicated pages that align with your ad messaging to increase conversion rates.
• Ad extensions: Enhancing ads with additional information such as site links, call buttons, or location details to improve click-through rates.
• Seasonal or promotional campaigns: Highlighting limited-time offers, such as discounts or move-in specials, to create urgency.

Organic Search Engine Marketing (SEO)

On the organic front, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is more of a long-term tactic and takes some time to get fully ramped up and provide you with value. A well-rounded “on-site” SEO strategy is based on various factors, including keyword-rich website content and your website's overall value and integrity to users. Your main goal is to increase organic search traffic and to build brand recognition and trust with your audience. Google aficionados often refer to domain authority as something that, as it becomes stronger, the better chance you have of showing up at the top of organic search results (SERPs).

Beyond keywords and content, there is also a technical performance aspect of SEO. You will want to ensure a good user experience for your prospects and make sure they can find what they are looking for in a realistic amount of time. Site speed, links, and layout are all things to consider. Many tools (both paid and free of charge) exist to help marketers assess the overall health of their websites.

Over the last few years, your online business listings and reviews, especially on Google Business Profile (GBP), have become a huge driver of organic search traffic based on their prominence on Google search and map results. Driving highly rated reviews, optimizing your GBP, and managing your local listings are critical for organic search marketing success.

Investing in at least a basic SEO strategy for your business, if not a robust and longer-term effort, is important. If there is ever a situation where you need to rely less on paid efforts (for example, budget constraints), you will already have built a great foundation of organic efforts to fall back on.

Organic efforts may include:

• Website SEO and content development: Creating and optimizing content with relevant location-based keywords, meta tags, and internal links to improve search engine rankings.
• Google Business Profile (GBP) optimization: Keeping your GBP updated with accurate information, engaging photos, and regular posts to improve visibility in local search results.
• Managing other business listings: Ensuring consistency across platforms like Bing, Apple Maps, Facebook, and Yelp to strengthen your online presence.
• Technical SEO: Improving site performance with fast loading speeds, mobile-friendliness, and secure HTTPS protocols to enhance user experience and search rankings.
• Backlink building: Acquiring high-quality links from reputable websites to boost domain authority and referral traffic.
• Review management: Actively soliciting and responding to online reviews to foster trust and increase engagement.
• Schema markup implementation: Adding structured data to your website to improve how search engines display your listings in SERPs.
• Competitor analysis: Monitoring competitors' strategies to identify gaps and opportunities in your own organic efforts.