Kaya Venning

Digital Marketing Apprenticeship: SEO and PPC Integration

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Search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) are two methods of conducting search marketing. This is the process of gaining traffic and visitors from search engines both through unpaid and paid tactics. That is the key here – as a digital marketing apprentice it’s important to remember both paid and unpaid methods of gaining traffic are important contributions to a successful search strategy. SEO and PPC integration can help a company get the best of both worlds.

What is SEO?

SEO is the organic process of improving the quantity and quality of web traffic to a site through a search engine. The more visible a website is on a search engine (like Google, Bing or Yahoo) the more likely the website is to attract visitors.

Search engines use bots to crawl a site, they will gather information about a page or website and rank it based on several technical factors. It will then use that information to determine where a page or website appears in a search engine results page (SERP). There are two parts to an SEO score: the content and the infrastructure of the page. For content, an SEO score will depend on a number of factors. These include keyword targeting, page titles, subheadings, content quality, meta description, and much more. Infrastructure is determined by the site speed, mobile optimisation, and the structure of a website. The benefits of SEO include: 

  • A long-term strategy to help build traffic to a site 
  • Encourages businesses to focus on user experience 
  • Tracking a user’s journey across a site to gain a high level of data 
  • Gain quality traffic to a site 
  • Can be implemented on a budget 
  • Increases brand awareness 
Laptop on a table with graphs and charts on the screen

What is PPC?

PPC is an advertising model used to drive traffic to a page or website. The advertiser will pay every time someone clicks on their link in an SERP. An advertiser will choose to display a paid advert on a SERP – it’s a way to buy visits to a page or website, instead of earning them organically through SEO. There are many benefits to PPC, these include: 

  • The advertiser will only pay if the ad is clicked on  
  • Advertisers can choose to spend as much or as little as they want 
  • Can target an audience through extensive demographics 
  • The data received can benefit other strategies, like social media 
  • Can provide instant traffic to a page or website 
  • Ability to test keywords in the ads 

SEO and PPC integration

Throughout your digital marketing apprenticeship, it’s best to consider both SEO and PPC tactics when creating search marketing strategies. SEO (organic) and PPC (paid) are two different strategies, within the same category, used to help drive traffic to a page or website. However, they work best for most companies as an integrated approach. According to Google, when a site has strong organic search results, they will increase their click-through rate for their PPC ads on the same SERP.

It’s rare for most companies to have the resource to run long and expensive PPC campaigns – this is when SEO steps in. Using the keyword data gathered from paid ads can be fed into SEO and help improve website visibility in the long-term. SEO and PPC integration, allows the results from A/B testing of copy to be used when optimising pages on a website organically. Both strategies can help target an audience at all stages of the customer journey, catching as many people as possible. Using an integrated approach can help build brand confidence and awareness, as people are more trusting of organic results. 

Man holding a tablet which shows graphs and charts on the screen

3 key things to remember

  • Creating a search strategy will allow you to plan and research before making any decisions
  • SEO is a long-term search strategy, whereas PPC can boost traffic quickly and in the short-term
  • SEO and PPC are ideally used together to get the best website optimisation result

Find out more

Visit our website for more information that will help you work towards your digital marketing apprenticeship. 

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Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship: Midwife

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Do you want to work towards gaining a degree qualification by training for a rewarding career? On a midwifery degree apprenticeship, you will learn how to give support and care to women and babies during the pregnancy, labour and postnatal period. 

What is a midwifery degree apprenticeship?

Midwives are responsible for looking after the mother and baby. They provide support, care and advice when necessary. They act as the first point of contact for a woman during pregnancy, labour and birth. Throughout this degree apprenticeship, you could become an expert in healthcare and birth, helping to support women through all outcomes. 

These apprenticeship programmes are designed to help develop your confidence, allowing you to become a competent and autonomous healthcare provider, with the knowledge needed to begin a career in midwifery. Throughout the course, you will learn from experienced midwives and practice in a variety of different healthcare rotations. You will get hands-on and real-world experience which will be vital in helping to prepare you to become a qualified midwife. 

A midwifery degree apprenticeship is an exciting new route into the healthcare profession. The apprenticeship is fairly new, having only been introduced in 2018. There will be options once you are qualified – most midwives are employed by the NHS while others work in the private sector or independently. These degree courses are typically 4 years long and will include study at a university campus, as well as practical learning that takes place at a hospital facility. 

Midwife holding a baby

The daily duties of a midwife

  • Examining and monitoring women throughout their pregnancies and birth 
  • Assessing and writing care plans 
  • Responsible for antenatal care  
  • Conducting patient observations and screening tests 
  • Providing treatment and administering medication as required 
  • Supporting new parents 
  • Providing expert clinical advice 
  • Assisting with the birth and delivery of babies 

Entry requirements

Entry requirements are set locally and determined by each university or employer. Generally you will need to meet the requirements of a level 6 degree at a relevant university. However, if you already have a degree, you will need to meet the requirements of a level 7 masters degree. If you are already a qualified nurse, you will take a level 7 master degree, approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).  

Benefits of a degree apprenticeship

  • Earn a salary and make a difference as a healthcare professional
  • You won’t need to pay tuition fees and will graduate without any student debt
  • Work as a fully qualified midwife once the course is completed
  • Help others while you train for your career
  • The course is a practical and hands-on challenge with many rewards
  • Learn a wide range of skills
  • Learn how to manage complicated situations
  • Work with and care for people on a regular basis
Laptop and a stethoscope on a table

The skills you will learn as a midwifery apprentice

As an apprentice midwife, you will need to demonstrate a variety of skills to complete the qualification. Throughout the apprenticeship, you will learn the following: 

  • To practice in accordance with the NMC standards, legislation and follow policy and procedures 
  • Communicate clearly with women, their partners and families 
  • Confirm, assess, and monitor pregnancy 
  • Determine and provide programmes of care and support 
  • During the antenatal period, provide care and intervention (where appropriate) 
  • Learn when and how to refer women and babies in need of further care 
  • Support and care for women during labour and birth 
  • Prepare for and manage emergencies 
  • During the postnatal period, work alongside women and other carers 
  • Examine and care for babies 
  • Administer medications safely 
  • Complete and retain records 
  • Work as part of the wider health and social care team

Find out more

The degree level midwifery apprenticeship is a brilliant opportunity for anyone looking to begin a career in health and science. You will have the opportunity to learn, whilst earing a salary, and working towards a career that makes a real difference every day. You can find out more about health and science apprenticeships on our website. 

If you’re an employer looking for apprenticeship information, you can find out more about other courses. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for regular updates. Sign-up to our mailing list to be kept up to date with the latest UK apprenticeship information.