The common perception when it comes to search marketing is to view pay-per-click and organic strategies as two separate, diametrically opposed methods of optimization. This viewpoint, however, can be somewhat misleading, as most successful marketing campaigns will employ both tactics in order to achieve optimum rankings with search engines. So, if pay-per-click isn’t mutually exclusive to an organic strategy, how is it best put to use? Matt Van Wagner of findmefaster.com is a PPC expert who has the answer to just such a question. Matt sat down for a chat with Mike McDonald of WebProNews at Search Engine Strategies in Chicago, and went through the ins and outs of pay-per-click.Mark notes the often-misguided conception of antithetical opposition lauded upon PPC versus organic search marketing strategies. The truth is that pay-per-click is actually better described as a “gateway” service that ultimately leads to a point where organic optimization is a natural progression. In fact, PPC services are not at all an alternative to organic-based optimization strategies in the least. In reality, pay-per-click is more appropriately labeled as a substitute for offline marketing avenues such as the Yellow Pages and direct mailing.PPC can be just the springboard that the budding small business needs in order to make an immediate splash in an online retail venture. Matt deems it as a sort of “risk mitigation” for businesses, allowing them to dip their toes into the SEO wading pool, achieving a measure of exposure with a minimum amount of risk.What’s the best advice for the business looking to go with pay-per-click? Mark warns the potential client not to over-obsess about the potential negative impact of click fraud. He encourages PPC users to avoid negative thinking and focus on the positive aspects of pay-per-click. Because in the end, it’s conversions, not click fraud, that should be the primary concern.