When it comes to driving traffic to your website, two of the most popular strategies are Search Engine Optimisation and Google Ads, (or what it was formerly known as Google AdWords). Both approaches can significantly boost your online visibility, but they operate in fundamentally different ways.
To better understand the differences between the two; as well as benefits and limitations, it is important to breakdown the dissimilarity and provide guidance of what is the be best for your business.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation involves “optimising” your website and its content to rank higher in organic search results on platforms such as Google. The main objective of SEO is to attract unpaid (organic) traffic through techniques such as using keywords, creating high-quality content, improving site speed, enhancing mobile usability, and securing backlinks.
Through good use of SEO it will assist with long term traffic, ensuring it will provide ongoing traffic to your pages once they rank high. High ranking organic results are often viewed as more credible and trustworthy by users compared to paid ads. This in turn helps your site become more cost effective long term as your organic traffic does not require payment per click (PPC). While this can take time to build, the benefits of SEO are sustainable and can last for years when properly maintained.
Limitations you may find when starting out is that SEO results do not manifest immediately, in many cases it can take a few months to see significant improvements in rankings. Other factors to be aware of is, Google is the most commonly utilised search engine, and their algorithms can frequently change. Highlighting, it is important to be in the know of any changes and to be mindful of continually optimising your SEO, content creation and link-building to maintain and improve rankings. What works today may not work tomorrow.
What are Google Ads?
Google Ads is a paid advertising platform where businesses can create ads that appear at the top of Google search results for specific keywords. Advertisers bid on these keywords, and are charged each time someone clicks on their ad hence the definition of (pay-per-click or PPC).
The main benefit or Google Ads is that you will receive immediate results, and as can appear at the top of search results as soon as your campaign is live, offering immediate traffic. Within this, Google Ads allow for highly targeted campaigns based on factors like location, device, language, and user behaviour leading your ads towards the right target audience. From there Google Ads will help you review and track your ROI and performance.
Some limitations you may find is that dependent on the industry your business is in your cost per click can be quite high, especially for competitive keywords. In many cases you can find that as soon as soon as you stop paying for ads your traffic and visibility will drop. With everyone now in the know of the increasingly popular use of Google Ads, it has been found that some users skip over the ‘ads’ section of the search function favouring of organic listings that appear through the search engine.
To Concisely Answer The Question of “SEO vs. Google Ads: When to Use Which?”
Use SEO If –
- You are Focused on Long-term growth; SEO takes time, however it is ideal for building sustainable long-term traffic.
- You are looking to build a high ranking organically can boost your brand’s credibility and trust with users.
- Your budget is limited, and have the ability to invest time on SEO rather than money.
- Your industry is not extremely competitive, as some industries have major companies can dominate search results.
Use Google Ads If –
- You are looking for immediate results, Google Ads will help with quick direct traffic for a new product launch, event, or promotion. Offering instant visibility.
- You have a flexible budget to put towards your Ads, investing in paid ads can generate leads and sales quickly.
- You are targeting highly competitive keywords within a competitive industry, it can be challenging to rank organically for valuable keywords making Google Ads a more feasible option.
- You are looking for highly targeted traffic, Google Ads allows precise targeting, making it ideal for campaigns that need to focus on specific demographics or locations.
Through Combining SEO and Google Ads You Will Gain Maximum Impact For Your Website
While SEO and Google Ads are often seen as opposing strategies, they can be highly complementary when used together. We recommend using a Short-term and Long-term Strategy, where you use Google Ads for immediate traffic while building your SEO scores for long-term gains. Over time, through good use of SEO it can reduce your reliance on paid ads. Google Ads allows you to test which keywords convert best, after assessing what has performed the best you can then optimise your SEO strategy using the data from your campaigns. As well as helping your site appear in both paid ads and organic listings, you can dominate search engine results pages thus making your brand more visible and credible.
Conclusion: Which Should You Choose?
The decision between SEO and Google Ads ultimately depends on your business goals, timeline, and budget. If you’re aiming for long-term growth, authority, and consistent traffic, SEO is the better option. On the other hand, if you need quick results, have a flexible budget, and are focused on immediate conversions, Google Ads is the way to go. In our opinion for most businesses, we believe the best approach is to use a combination of both—leveraging the long-term benefits of SEO while using Google Ads to fill immediate traffic gaps and reach targeted audiences. By understanding how to balance these strategies, you can build a robust online presence that serves both your short-term and long-term objectives.
