SEO vs PPC
I’ve always advocated for Google Ads as a rapid solution for generating traffic from Google. I’ve consistently recommended it because it delivers that quick influx of visitors that many businesses need. However, if Google Ads becomes your primary source of traffic and sales, that’s often a symptom of significant gaps in SEO.
Google Ads can act as a very expensive band-aid, plugging holes where your SEO is leaking. You might have product pages that aren’t ranking organically or landing pages that aren’t converting visitors into customers. In these situations, Google Ads with their immediate visibility, and CRO optimized landing pages, can undeniably jump in to fill the void.
Essentially, a successful Google Ads campaign highlights how many people are actively searching for your products on Google, directly showcasing the opportunity you’re losing by neglecting SEO.
While Google Ads can get you in front of your audience fast, it’s crucial to remember it’s not a sustainable long-term strategy if your SEO is weak. Not even Google thinks so! (see image). You’ll find yourself constantly having to pay and increase bids to maintain visibility.
Instead, you should be using Google Ads strategically; to target keywords that are difficult to capture with owned media, to test different search intents, identify which keywords lead to conversions, discover emerging market trends, and gauge how users react to various content formats.
Google Ads should serve as a complementary solution, filling the gaps while you address the fundamental weaknesses in your SEO. As your organic search presence strengthens, you should strategically reduce your reliance on paid ads, leading to a continuous decrease in your Google Ads costs. Ultimately, your paid advertising should focus on protecting your brand and key pages from aggressive competitors.
The reality is this: while SEO might not deliver immediate results, it’s a 100% certainty that when you stop paying for Google Ads, your traffic and revenue from those ads will vanish instantly. Your visibility disappears, along with your results.
With Google Ads, you’re perpetually paying for every visit, a form of constant debt. In contrast, SEO is like building equity in your own home, a long-term investment that yields returns for years to come.
It’s time to focus on building a solid SEO foundation.