SEO vs. PPC: Which is Better for Marketing Your Nutrition Coaching Services?

Hey there, nutrition coaches. We get it — you’re here because you want to take your marketing to the next level.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) vs Pay Per Click (PPC) — we’re pitting two of the most powerful marketing strategies against one another. If you’re a small business, and these two acronyms sound like gibberish, don’t worry.

We’re going to break it down so you know exactly which strategy to choose, and how to ensure it amplifies your marketing efforts — from the moment you hit GO.

Back in 2022, our SEO agency was working with Alex, an amazing nutrition coach based in Atlanta. Alex was a pro at what she did. She had a very small number of clients, but they were raving about getting insane results! However, there was a problem. All of Alex’s attempts at marketing were costing her big bucks, yet still falling flat.

Once we started working with Alex, we dove straight into SEO and PPC strategies that could give her the reach and results she deserved. Her client roster blew up — instantly.

Let’s slow down though and start from the very beginning.

What are SEO and PPC?

Are you in a rush? We know you want to quickly find out which of these strategies will maximize results for your nutrition coaching business. And, you want to get right into it. Don’t drive blind though; let’s explore what these terms really mean.

SEO (or Search Engine Optimization) strategies are all about making your website and content more ‘readable,’ and therefore appealing to search engines like Google. Using several unique strategies, your small business can increase visibility, stand out among competitors, and show up in search engine results pages (SERPs) more organically.

On the other hand, PPC or Pay-Per-Click, is a type of online advertising where you only pay a fee if someone actually clicks on your ad. You gain a potential client who was actually in the market for nutrition coaching, and the search engine receives a small fee for connecting you to them.

With that preliminary info covered, let’s take a more in-depth look into each approach, and how they can help market your business.

The SEO Approach: Organic Growth

SEO is like a non-toxic healthy relationship — it starts slow, stays steady, and with consistent effort, can become insanely rewarding.

Pros of SEO for Nutrition Coaches:

It’s credible: In the real world, people will usually click on the website that Google chose for top spot on search results. It’s a testament to your business’s credibility — Google thinks you’re an authority in nutrition coaching, so you’re at the top.
Long-term results: Once you’ve established good SEO, your website can continue to attract clients for months — or even years — with minimal additional effort.
Targets potential clients at various stages of their buying journey: You can optimize your content for SEO to attract people in different stages of their health journey. Someone who’s just deciding to take nutrition seriously will search for different keywords, compared to someone who’s ready to hire a coach (or wants to switch their current coach).
High ROI (Return on Investment): Optimizing your website for SEO may require an initial investment of time and some money, but it can provide a steady stream of leads without ongoing costs.

Cons of SEO for Nutrition Coaches:

Not-so-fast results: SEO will test your patience. Optimizing your website for SEO takes time, and you might not see actual results until months later.
Continuous investment of effort: Google and similar search engines constantly modify their algorithm, and their criteria for deciding what they think is high-quality content. Moreover, as you’re optimizing your website, so are your competitors — they’re always trying to beat you at the game and outrank you on search results. As a result, you must constantly create and publish well-optimized creative content to derive results.
Complex: Gone are the days when repeating keywords within content was enough to rank on search results. As search engines got smarter, SEO became sophisticated and technical — with many diverse facets at play. Web content optimization is now only one step toward success, and internal link building, backlinks, credible power pages (and a lot more) have to work in sync to drive results.

Real-Life Example:

When Boston-based nutrition coach Sarah came to us for SEO, her website was buried deep on Page 5 of Google search results. Our SEO strategy included creation of content that her target market would potentially be searching for. We covered high-quality information on nutrition myths, high-protein recipes — alongside the incredible benefits that nutrition coaching brings to the table. Then we got to work on backlink building by reaching out to local health and wellness websites, and other credible online sources.

The results did not arrive overnight. Six months later, Sarah’s coaching website began appearing higher on google search results. One year later, she’d reached Page 1, and was ranking for highly competitive keywords such as ‘nutrition coach boston’ and ‘personalized meal planning services.’

The results? Organic traffic was landing consistently on her website, and she was receiving over a dozen inquiries from prospective clients every month. Of course, it took a year to get there, but once she did, her traffic continued to snowball with very little additional effort or investment in SEO.

The PPC Approach: Instant Visibility

Unlike SEO, PPC results are faster — but you’ll pay search results for every single click they get you. Sounds better than SEO already? Well, let’s dive in deeper before you make that judgment.

Pros of PPC for Nutrition Coaches:

Lightning-fast results: You decide to launch a campaign and there it is — your website at the very top of search results.
Targeted results: Not only can you specify the location and the time of day your ad should appear in search results, you can also select highly competitive keywords that you know people are searching for.
Measurable results: PPC ads provide in-depth data and insights into how well the ad is performing, which allows you to tweak and optimise your campaigns in real time.
Cost control: By allowing you the ability to decide exactly how much you’re willing to spend on PPC ads every day, you’re better able to control costs — and commit to a budget that works for your bottom line.

Cons of PPC for Nutrition Coaches:

Ongoing costs: If you stop paying, your ads stop appearing. There are no long term, consistent results from the ad spend. Results last only as long as you keep doling out the cash.
Costly over the long run: The cost for pay per click ads depends on your industry, location, and many other factors that may drive the cost of PPC ads up. Moreover, highly competitive keywords, which are basically key terms most of your prospective market is searching for, cost more per click — which means if you’re just starting out, the keywords you want to target might simply be out of your budget.
Active participation to gain results: PPC ads can be volatile, and the best results can only be derived if you’re committed to monitoring and tweaking your campaigns in real time.
Ad-blindness: Think about it — aren’t you now accustomed to ignoring the ad on top of search results? As search engine users, our gaze automatically moves to the organic Google results, and skips the ad on top of the list.

Real-Life Example:

Los Angeles-based Mark had just started out in nutrition coaching, and wanted fast results to launch his business. Targeting highly-competitive keywords such as ‘sports nutrition expert Los Angeles,’ and ‘weight loss nutrition coach,’ we set up a Google Ads campaign that got Mark’s phone ringing — within 6 days. One month in, Mark had ten clients on his roster — but it cost $500 per month to get them. Of course, that money is a great investment to get his business up and running, but it was ridiculously costly to sustain over the long run.

SEO vs PPC: What’s The Better Choice for Marketing Your Nutrition Coaching Services

One’s not better than the other. Not the answer you were expecting? Well, it’s about what’s better for YOU, and your specific location, or your position in your business journey.

Here’s When SEO Is Best:

You want sustainable results: If you want to build credibility in the market, drive consistent organic traffic, and are willing to be patient to earn that ranking that continues to get you clients, SEO is your thing.
You want to offer value to your target market: If you like to offer creative blog posts, essential information to your market, or even dive into podcasting or video sharing, SEO allows you to monetize this while you do what you love.
Cost-friendly: Some initial investment is definitely required, but the results may arrive long after you stop spending on SEO.
You’re not in a highly competitive market: If you’re offering services to a niche market that is not super-competitive, have a unique offering, or are based in a smaller town — you may be able to rank faster and better for relevant keywords.

When PPC Might Be Better:

You need clients NOW: If you’re new in the market, or want to fill in spots urgently in a program that’s about to launch, PPC is fast, effective, and fool-proof.
Robust ad spend: If you’ve set aside a good-looking marketing budget, and are willing to invest that to grow your business, you should choose PPC.
Promoting time-sensitive offers: If you’re planning to launch a special promotion or a new program that you want to fill spots on, PPC gets the word out fast and brings you results.
You’re in a highly-competitive space: Competitive markets usually have pre-existing players that have worked long and hard at building online credibility via SEO — which means organic rankings are dominated by larger companies. PPC allows you to show up alongside these big players.

The Power-Duo: Combining SEO and PPC

When you bring the two together, one’s pros balance the cons of another, and you have a dynamic, high-performing marketing campaign.

Real-Life-Example:

For Chicago-based nutrition coach Lisa, we started with a targeted PPC campaign focusing on specific keywords that we knew would get the ball rolling for her business. As expected, she gained some great clients and her business generated much-needed initial revenue, and we began working on an SEO strategy. Over time, as her website climbed up the ranks and her organic traffic gradually picked up, we cut down on PPC spend — and shifted the spend to other keywords and audiences.

By pairing the two strategies, we gained more than just organic traffic and great rankings for Lisa. We now also had valuable PPC insights in our arsenal detailing how well certain keywords had converted, which we then injected into our SEO strategy. Meanwhile, the cohesive strategy of publishing great content also boosted Lisa’s Quality Score in Google Ads. What did that achieve? Well, it lowered her PPC spend!

One year on, Lisa has earned a dynamic online presence. That’s not all, her services are considered highly credible because of her website’s organic ranking for highly-competitive keywords.

We continued to count on PPC to fill-time sensitive offers and promotions, and create urgency, which led to a robust client roster and a client waiting list.

How to Get Started with SEO for Your Nutrition Coaching Services

If You want to give SEO a shit for your business, here are some pro tips to get you started:

Keywords 101: Using Google’s Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest, research and choose the term your pottarget market is searching for.
On-page optimization: It goes without saying that you need to optimize your content, but you also need to look at your meta tags and website structure for these target keywords.
Quality content: Start a blog, create other complementary content that’s packed with valuable advice on health and nutrition. Focus on quality, not quantity.
Local SEO: Step one for optimizing your website for local search is to claim your Google My Business Listing. Now, look at other local directories where you can listen. This is imperative especially if you work with clients in person.
Backlinks For credibility: When other health and wellness businesses link to your content within their content, this is a backlink. Reaching out to these websites, even gyms and organic food stores, may result in quality backlinks that boost your website in google search results.

PRO TIP: Old-school SEO ‘techniques’ like overusing keywords (among others) now actually negatively impact your rankings. Search Engine algorithms are now highly sophisticated, and trained to pick out such black hat techniques — and completely kill your rankings.

How to Get Started with PPC for Your Nutrition Coaching Services

Think PPC is a better choice for you? Let’s get you started:

Choose your platform: Google Ads may be the most obvious choice, but never underestimate the power of Bing Ads and Meta Ads (Instagram and facebook Ads).
Goal-setting: Are you aiming for more organic website traffic, more booking calls, newsletter subscribers, etc. Decide what you really aim for, and this will lead to more targeted campaigns that drive quick results.
Compelling and clear ad copy: What makes your services unique? Craft your ads in ways that make them emotionally compelling, but also provide clear information on your specialization.
Track your conversions: Set up conversion tracking, which allows you to see which one of the leads that clicked on your ad finally signed up as an actual client. This data and the insights it holds, are pure gold for future campaigns.
Start small + test for effectiveness: Start with a small ad budget, see what types of ads convert best, then tweak and adjust to prioritize the most high-performing ones .

PRO TIP: Beginners usually make the mistake of sending all the PPC traffic to their homepage. Instead, create unique landing pages, or ‘power pages,’ to suit specific keywords. This way, the leads clicking on the ad get exactly what your ad promised, increasing the likelihood that you’ll be able to convert those leads into actual clients.

Measuring Success: Key Metrics to Watch

You’ve evaluated the pros and cons, and launched the campaign of your choice — now what? You track your results. Here are some key metrics to watch:

For SEO:

Organic traffic
Keyword rankings
Time on site
Bounce rate (No, of visitors who leave after viewing only one page)
Conversion rate from organic traffic

For PPC:

Click-through rate (CTR)
Cost per click (CPC)
Conversion rate
Cost per conversion
Quality Score (for Google Ads)

Your most important metric for campaign success is always the number of clients you’re getting from your marketing efforts. If you’re getting incredible amounts of traffic but it isn’t turning into paying clients, your marketing has failed.

Adapting Your Strategy Over Time

The market is laden with variables you can’t control, but you can definitely adapt your marketing effort to keep up with the dynamic changes. Search engine algorithms have evolved to keep up with trends and pick out black hat marketing tricks. New competitors enter the market and strive for the same rankings that you’re constantly hitting the bulleye for. Not just that, the consumers’ tastes and preferences — and also what attracts them in ads and content — also transform.

The point is, neither SEO nor PPC can be successful if you’re not committed to constantly monitoring these variables, and adapting to suit the most current market conditions.

Real-Life Example:

A year ago, we worked with Tom, a nutritional coach who had specialized in a niche market: food allergies. We kickstarted a stellar campaign that worked incredibly well around the keyword ‘food allergy nutrition.” However, we soon noticed a shift. People were skipping that keyword and searching for ‘food sensitivity’ instead. Because we were proactively keeping an eye on the latest trends, we could quickly adjust Tom’s SEO and PPC campaigns. As a result, his website, content, and ads stayed relevant and continued to attract clients.

Reviewing performance, staying up-to-date with the pace of the industry, and adjusting strategies, is key to ensuring successful marketing, and high ROI on ad spend.

Your Recipe for Online Marketing Success

Now that you’re equipped with the necessary information to get you started, let’s give you an actionable list of strategic moves. Nutrition coaches, let’s go:

Kickstart your efforts with an eye-catching website with a simple layout that places value on communicating your coaching services, and unique market offering.
Now it’s time to implement basic SEO: Keyword research, optimization, and info-packed engaging content.
Now that you have some basic SEO covered, layer with PPC for any time–sensitive promotions — and quick clients.
Track your results, and use the data to adjust and elevate your approach.
As organic traffic picks up, slowly taper off PPC ad spend — or shift it to target different keywords, or another service,
Watch out for changing trends, and match the dynamics with flexibility.

Remember, what works for one nutrition coaching business might be a complete misfit for another. If you’re looking for the best strategy, your specific objectives and goals, your ad budget, target market, niche, and timeframe (among other factors) will define the starting point and trajectory of your campaigns. So, experiment, tweak, and find what works for you.

It’s all about finding a balance of quick results with PPC, and long-term credibility with SEO that keeps delivering results. Whether you’re picking one over the other, or pairing them for a more robust campaign, the time to start is now.

Your prospective clients are searching for you right now. Let’s get you seen!

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