Google Ads vs SEO

Google Ads is the fastest way to test demand and put leads on the calendar this week. SEO is the cheapest way to acquire leads in months 6–60. Most successful small businesses run both — ads for cashflow, SEO for compounding value.

• You need leads in the next 7 days.
• You're testing a new service, location or offer and need fast feedback.
• Your industry has clear commercial keywords with reasonable CPCs (under ~£10 in the UK).
• You can convert at least 1 in 20 clicks into an enquiry.

• Your customer's journey involves research — they read before they buy.
• Your CPC is brutal (£15–£40 per click) and ads barely break even.
• You want a business asset that keeps producing leads if you pause spend.
• You're playing a 12–36 month game, not a 30-day game.

1. If monthly marketing budget is under £750 — pick one. Usually Ads, because SEO needs at least 6 months to show results.
2. £750–£2,500 — run a small Ads campaign for cashflow and quietly invest in SEO foundations (tech, content, on-page).
3. £2,500+ — run both properly. Ads handle this quarter's pipeline, SEO handles next year's.

People love saying "SEO is free traffic". It isn't — it costs time, content and links. But the per-lead cost in year three of a working SEO programme is usually 5–10x cheaper than Google Ads for the same keyword, and the leads tend to convert better because they trusted you enough to click an organic result.