Online Marketing is a popular investment option for business people. They often have the same dilemma as those who are already considering making an investment: What tool will bring me more profit, Google Ads or SEO? This is a subjective answer that depends on many factors, including the company’s profile, market age, and the goals set forth in the marketing strategy.
It is important to emphasize that these are two powerful marketing tools with predictable, clear performance. Each tool is distinguished by its ability to predict the outcome of investments before they are made. We are drawn to SEO services and Google Ads campaigns because of the speed, cost and user bounce rates that make them stand out.
We will detail each strategy individually and compare them to show the benefits and drawbacks. We will also answer the question, “What do you do with traffic once it arrives on your site?”
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization is a collection of tools that will increase your business’ visibility in search engines. You can determine the most profitable and popular searches your customers use by conducting Keyword Research. Optimizing both the On Page and Off Page content of your brand will ensure that it is indexed higher in search engines. This can generate leads or sales.
Do you remember the gold mine, silver mine and diamond mines I mentioned in an earlier article? SEO optimization, as I said then, is the way to reach the top three websites for a keyword. These accounts for approximately 64%* the total traffic. While optimization is a long-term endeavor, once you have reached a top position, your ROI will be measurable.
Google assigns scores between 0 and 100 to index sites. The better the grade, the higher the display position. These basic principles are the basis of this score:
- The age of the domain / web page;
- The number of backlinks and links that are brought in from Off Page SEO.
- The user’s search terms;
- The keywords within the site (text and URL, titles and meta descriptions, etc. );
site loading speed; - The platform should be mobile-friendly and user-friendly. It must also follow relevant web design trends.
- website accessibility, etc.
These are only a few of the most crucial elements. Search engines are complex and well-regulated in their search process. The first result can provide a user with a great search experience.
What are Google Ads?
Google Adwords was rebranded as Google Ads in 2018, and is a popular paid advertising platform. It helps you reach potential customers in different ways.
PPC (Pay Per Click) Ads Search Campaigns – Displayed on the results page
Ads Display Campaigns – Graphic ads that are displayed on other websites/platforms
Remarketing campaigns – A combination of the two first, which allows you to retarget potential clients through remarketing campaigns
Other: YouTube Ads, Google Shopping and others
We will be focusing on the first function in order to compare SEO optimization. Google offers Pay Per Click campaigns, as we mentioned. This allows you to display what we call “clickable advertisements” in search engines. These ads are distributed according the keywords that a marketer has bid a certain amount. Google will prioritize the ads based on their value. The ad will occupy the first spot in the ad column.
Google Ads vs. SEO – Which one is best for you?
It is impossible to say which tool is more efficient than the other. Although opinions can be subjective, you should understand the differences between each tool and adjust your strategy to meet those goals. Although we can achieve maximum results if we balance the two, sometimes it is necessary to choose one.
Google Ads is more effective than SEO in generating traffic. Traffic starts to flow from the moment an organization becomes active. SEO is a long-term effort that takes about six months to see results. The traffic contribution to the site is higher than paid ads. Organic positions account for about 90% of traffic*.
Here’s an example of a client who has 36,000 keywords and is doing SEO. They receive 116,000 visitors per month. We would need to spend $60,000 per month on PPC campaigns if we wanted to get the same number of hits.
When targeting certain keywords in SEO, we must consider a complex algorithm when developing content. Google Ads allows us to target any keyword that we feel is appropriate. The deciding factor in this instance is the budget. Your keyword display position will rise the more you bid.
Google Ads will bring in paid traffic. This means that you’ll have to invest money for each person who visits your site, regardless if they make a purchase. SEO can bring in organic traffic but it doesn’t come at any cost to you. It is important to work with an agency to monitor the process and intervene when necessary. This will ensure that customers continue to come to you and your index position stays constant. Most SEO costs are paid monthly by the client to the agency. SEO costs more in the initial 6 months than it is for long-term investments. However, SEO’s ROI is higher over the medium and longer term.
Google Ads takes you to the first page, while SEO allows you to stay on secondary pages for a while. It is difficult to rank on the first page in countries like the USA due to the high competition and high SEO scores. Romania is a different story. With the right team and specialists, you can get to the top three positions on keywords that are not just specific but also strong keywords.
Google Ads has a higher bounce rate than organic traffic. The bounce rate is an indicator of how many people leave the first page after they have entered the site. It does not include any browsing or other actions. The bounce rate is not just determined by the source of traffic but also the quality of the content and loading speed. It can also be affected by the type of activity your business has, as well as the device from which it is accessed. In a future article, we will expand on this topic.
The site was re-launched after I drove traffic. What’s next?
Many business owners decide to invest in Google Ads campaigns and in SEO without having to work with an agency. Traffic will increase and the results will be obvious. They don’t think about how to turn that traffic into profits. The investment in these tools will not yield a significant ROI without an integrated Online Marketing strategy. Our main recommendation is to keep a long-term relationship with a promotion agency.
The image below shows how crucial it is to have a team of specialists constantly monitoring the process. Our client managed to achieve a remarkable increase in organic traffic in just three years. However, there were moments of decline. The downward trend would not have been possible without specialist supervision.
Remarketing is the best way to convert traffic into leads/sales. Although people may visit your site for the first time, you cannot be certain that they will return to it again. You can use retargeting to send personalized messages to convince people to use your service or buy from you.
Google Ads vs. SEO – The margin product and stage products
SEO can be considered the stage product of SEO, since organic is what Google is most well-known for but does not bring in any revenue. Google Ads is the margin product through which the company actually earns its income. What is the best way to ensure you have investments in paid advertising if organic traffic is the majority? From our perspective, there are two possible explanations:
Remarketing is necessary to convert organic traffic into sales. This can only be achieved by placing ads.
It is difficult for a brand new to organically reach page one in a highly developed online market like the USA or Western European countries. The sites there have very high SEO scores and are constantly investing in improving/maintaining their position. Google Ads is the only way to be found on the first page. This tool is used by many businesses to increase profits.
Romania is one of the countries where SEO has not been widely used. It is the perfect time to have your company indexed at a higher level. This will ensure that you only use paid ads for occasional campaigns. Traffic generation doesn’t require you to spend a lot of money.
What is the bottom line?
How about Google Ads vs SEO at the end? The best results can be achieved if you find the right balance between these two tools. Paid promotion can be used to help with optimization, but only in the most effective moments. The premium is temporary and has an immediate effect. However, the Google Ads campaign results are only good for as long as you invest. While the other effect is slower, it has high performance and can be seen for a long time if it is monitored.
Google Ads can be used to give you a huge sales boost. You should not overlook optimization investment, which will ensure a smooth development of your business. SEO can help you not only create a trusted brand that is visible and well-known, but also to stand out in times of crisis.
