If you want more enquiries from Google, you may be deciding whether to invest in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Google Ads or both.
The two strategies can support the same business objective, but they work differently. Google Ads provides paid advertising placements, while SEO aims to improve your website’s visibility in unpaid search results.
The right choice depends on how quickly you need results, how customers search for your services, your competition, your budget and the long-term goals of your business.
What is the difference between SEO and Google Ads?
Google Ads
Google Ads allows businesses to pay to display advertisements in eligible Google placements.
Search campaigns can target relevant search queries and geographic areas, allowing a business to reach potential customers who are actively looking for particular products or services.
Main consideration: You need an ongoing advertising budget, and performance depends on demand, competition, campaign quality and conversion rates.
SEO
SEO involves improving your website’s ability to be discovered and understood through organic search.
This may include keyword research, content improvements, technical SEO, internal linking, local search optimisation and earning relevant links or mentions.
Main consideration: SEO generally takes time, and rankings and traffic are not guaranteed.
When should you choose Google Ads?
Google Ads may be worth prioritising when:
- You need opportunities to generate enquiries relatively quickly.
- Customers actively search for your services.
- Your business has a clear offer and can respond to leads.
- You have an advertising budget and can assess profitability.
- You want to test demand for a service or location.
For example, a business launching a new service may use search advertising to test whether relevant searches produce viable leads.
However, a campaign should be assessed on the quality and value of the leads it generates, not just the number of clicks.
When should you prioritise SEO?
SEO may be appropriate when:
- You want to build organic search visibility over time.
- Your customers research services before making decisions.
- Your website needs stronger service pages and useful content.
- You want to reduce long-term dependence on paid clicks.
- Your business can support ongoing website improvement.
SEO can help a business appear for relevant searches without paying Google for each organic click. However, it still requires investment in expertise, content, technical improvements and maintenance.
It is not a free or guaranteed source of leads.
Should you use SEO and Google Ads together?
For many businesses, combining the two strategies is worth considering.
Google Ads can help reach active searchers while SEO develops organic visibility. Both can direct visitors to relevant service pages and benefit from a well-designed website and accurate conversion tracking.
Using both channels can also provide different types of insight. Paid campaigns may help test messaging and identify search terms that generate leads, while Search Console can reveal queries associated with organic visibility.
However, running both strategies is not automatically the best option for every business. Budget and resources should be allocated according to the opportunity and the results being achieved.
How do costs compare?
Google Ads typically involves media spend paid to Google, plus any relevant campaign management costs.
SEO involves the cost of the work required to improve your organic search presence. This may include technical work, content creation, website development and ongoing optimisation.
The costs vary considerably. Neither channel has a universal price that guarantees a particular number of leads.
A fair comparison should consider the full cost of each strategy and the value of the customers it generates.
Which strategy produces leads more cheaply?
There is no universal answer.
Google Ads may produce leads quickly but at a cost that varies by competition and conversion rate. SEO may generate organic enquiries over time, but the investment required to achieve that visibility can be substantial.
Compare both using measures such as:
- Qualified leads generated.
- Cost per qualified lead.
- Lead-to-customer conversion rate.
- Customer acquisition cost.
- Revenue and profit generated.
- Time required to achieve results.
Take the sales cycle into account, particularly when comparing newer campaigns with an established organic search presence.
What if you have a limited marketing budget?
If your budget is limited, prioritise the activities most likely to address your immediate business needs.
For example, a business needing immediate leads may test a focused Google Ads campaign while making essential website and tracking improvements.
A business with an established customer base and a longer time horizon may prioritise service-page improvements, technical SEO and useful content.
Before investing heavily in either channel, make sure your website clearly explains your services and makes it easy for customers to enquire.
How do you decide what is right for your business?
Consider these five questions:
- How urgently do you need new enquiries?
- Are enough people searching for your services?
- How competitive are your target keywords and locations?
- How much can you afford to spend to acquire a customer?
- Can you measure which leads become paying customers?
Your answers will help determine the right balance between paid advertising and organic search.
How Quikclicks can help
Quikclicks provides SEO and Google Ads management to help businesses improve their visibility and generate relevant enquiries.
We can assess your current website, target audience, competition and budget to help determine which approach may be appropriate.
Should you invest in SEO, Google Ads or both? Contact Quikclicks to discuss the options for your business.
