Most small business owners we talk to have been told two opposite things. One person says Google Ads is a money pit and SEO is the only thing that lasts. Another says SEO takes forever and ads are the only way to get calls this month. Both are half right, and which one you start with depends on your situation rather than on anybody's opinion.
What each one actually is
Google Ads puts your business at the top of the results for the searches you choose, and you pay each time somebody clicks. Stop paying and the ads stop. SEO is the work of making your own website and listing deserve a place in the free results: clear service pages, a fast site, good information, reviews and links from other sites. It costs time and effort rather than a fee per click, and the results tend to last.
Start with Google Ads if
- You need enquiries soon, for example a new business, a quiet season or a new service.
- You want to learn which searches actually turn into customers before investing months in ranking for them.
- Your market is one where people search, call and buy quickly, such as emergency trades.
- You have a budget you can afford to test with, and a way to tell which calls and forms came from the ads.
That last point matters more than any other. Ads without conversion tracking are a guess. Before spending a dollar, make sure every call and form from the ads is counted.
Start with SEO if
- You can wait a few months for results, and you want them to keep coming without paying for every click.
- Your website is thin: one page, no page per service, or copy that does not say where you work.
- Your competitors are paying a lot per click and you would rather not join that auction.
- Your customers research before they buy and read several sites first.
Why most businesses end up running both
The two feed each other. The search terms report in Google Ads shows you the exact words real customers type, which is the best keyword research there is for your SEO. And a strong website makes your ads cheaper to run, because Google rewards ads that lead to useful, relevant pages.
A common path is to run a small, tightly targeted ads campaign while the SEO work builds, then reduce ad spend on the searches where you now rank well in the free results, and keep ads for the terms that are hard to win organically.
Mistakes that waste money on either side
- Sending ad clicks to the home page instead of a page about the exact service they searched for.
- Letting Google show your ads for broad searches that are not really your customers. Check the search terms report and add the bad ones as negatives.
- Chasing a keyword because it has a big number next to it, when the people typing it are not looking to buy.
- Judging SEO after four weeks, or judging ads after four days.
A simple way to decide
Ask yourself two questions. How soon do you need the phone to ring, and how good is your website today? If you need calls soon and your site is decent, start with ads. If you can wait and your site is weak, fix the site and start SEO. If you need calls soon and your site is weak, fix the service pages first, because that is where the ad clicks will land anyway.
If you would like a second opinion on where your own business sits, that is exactly the kind of conversation a free consultation is for.
Assured Technologies helps businesses in Ipswich and across Australia with Google Ads. If you would like a second opinion on your own situation, book a free consultation.