How Can SEO and Google Ads Work Together

How Can SEO and Google Ads Work Together

“Should I invest in SEO or Google Ads? Or SEO and Google Ads both? This is a common question I get. Many people waste money on one without seeing results. So, which one is right for your business? Or better yet, how can you use both to get the best return on investment? Let’s dive in.”

I’ll answer this question from the viewpoint of a local business. There are different factors to consider if your business is SaaS, eCommerce, or a nationwide brand. However, the basic ideas apply to all types of businesses.

SEO vs. Google Ads: What Makes Them Different?

SEO means getting your website to show up in Google search results without paying for it. When someone clicks on your site from a search, it’s free. Google Ads means you pay for each click on your site from Google.

SEO involves improving your website so it ranks high for specific keywords on search engines. It’s both an art and a science. It can take time, and there’s no guarantee your site will make it to the first page for your target keywords.

Google Ads is a pay-to-play system. Once you start using them, your site will appear in searches and get clicks, but you’ll be paying for each click.

It’s also worth noting that unless you’re an SEO expert, you’ll likely need to pay for SEO services to rank well. Once your site is ranking, you won’t pay Google, but you’ll still pay your SEO provider. Can you stop paying them once you’re ranking? It depends. In a competitive industry, you’ll need ongoing help to stay on top. In a less competitive field, you might keep your ranking for a while before competitors catch up.

SEO and Google Ads: Which One’s Best?

Google PPC Ads are the best choice for quickly ranking and driving traffic to your site, while SEO is better for achieving long-term rankings.

Neither is necessarily “better”—it depends on your situation, industry, business type, and goals. Both SEO and Google Ads are effective ways to generate leads from search engines.

The most important things to think about are cost and time : seo and google ads

Google Ads can get expensive, especially if you hire someone to manage them along with your ad spend. This can cost $500 to $5000 per month. However, Google Ads start showing as soon as you launch them, so leads can start coming in right away.

SEO can also be expensive, depending on your industry and goals. However, without the ad spend, it’s usually cheaper than Google Ads, unless your cost-per-click is very low and you manage the ads yourself. SEO takes time, though. Some say it always takes at least six months, but that’s an oversimplification. Many factors affect this. For a brand-new website, expect it to take at least a few months to see any progress on Google.

Google PPC Ads are your top choice if:

• You just launched a new business and need leads quickly. For a new business with a new website, it could take between 3 months to a year to outrank competitors with SEO. Google PPC Ads, on the other hand, let you start ranking and getting traffic as soon as you launch them.
• You’re a local business generating leads in an area you don’t have a location. When it comes to local SEO, it’s hard to make much progress in areas where you don’t have a physical presence. While you might sometimes outrank local businesses organically, your best option is often to run Google Ads in those areas.
• Your industry is incredibly competitive. I’ve witnessed businesses paying low-quality SEO providers a fixed monthly fee for years without ever reaching the top three search results. In some industries, competition is intense, and this outcome is a real possibility. If you want to avoid this, you might choose to focus solely on Google Ads in the long term and skip SEO altogether. As someone who’s been in the SEO field for three years, I don’t think this is a bad choice.

SEO is your top choice if:

First off, let me say that SEO is usually a fantastic choice. There are only a few situations where it might be better to stick with Google Ads and forget about SEO. And in some cases, search engine marketing might not be the best use of your resources, and you should focus on other marketing methods instead.

• You’re looking to play the long game: – Putting money into SEO can create a long-term system for generating leads. While you may need to keep paying your SEO provider, unlike Google Ads, you’re not giving money directly to Google. If you offer a product or service in high demand, it’s probable that the return on investment will stay positive after the initial few months.
• You’ve got time:- If you’re starting a new business and don’t need immediate results, I’d suggest skipping ads and investing in SEO right away.

Organic SEO and Google Ads Paid? : Which One Gets More Clicks

Organic search results usually get more clicks than Google Ads. However, that doesn’t mean Google Ads can’t generate results..

While this data might be a bit outdated, historically, around 65% of all clicks go to organic search results, with ads receiving about 3-4% of clicks.

Although the percentage of clicks on Google Ads might seem small, it’s essential to remember that there are a lot of searches happening every day. For example, if you sell dog food, around 150,000 people might be searching for your product each month. So even if your ad only gets a small fraction of those clicks, you could still have at least 1,000 people clicking on your ad monthly. However, if you’re a local seamstress, there might be fewer clicks available. This doesn’t mean you should avoid Google Ads completely, but it’s something to think about.

 

How SEO and Google Ads Should Work Together

Google Ads is good for getting fast results in the short term. SEO is something you should start working on early for long-term success. When your site starts ranking for certain keywords, you can spend less on Google Ads for those and focus on ones where you’re not ranking yet. Use data from Google Ads to figure out which keywords are worth investing more in.

I’ve discussed a lot about whether SEO and Google Ads, which is better. But the real question you should ask is: “How can SEO and Google Ads team up to boost my ROI from search engine marketing?”

I’m glad you asked. Let’s tackle this, especially for a new business or one new to digital marketing. Thankfully, Marketing Expert can assist you in setting up and managing your ad campaigns.

If you need leads right away, start a Google Ad campaign targeting your main and most profitable services or products. Also, plan your website with SEO and long-term growth in mind. Begin investing in SEO tasks like optimizing your Google Business Profile (if you’re local), keyword page mapping, on-page optimization, technical optimization, link building, PR, and other strategies right away.

Once you start ranking and getting traffic for certain keywords, lower or stop your Google Ad spending on those and shift it to keywords where you’re not ranking yet. Businesses in industries like moving can also try other advertising methods to boost their online presence and get leads. After about a year, SEO should be your main focus. Use Google PPC Ads only if you’re expanding into new markets where you don’t have a physical presence or launching a new product/service that isn’t ranking yet.

While managing your SEO efforts, keep an eye on the data you gather from Google Ads. This data can help you figure out the most effective keywords for your business. If one keyword has a 20% conversion rate and another only has 3%, focus on optimizing your site for the one with the higher conversion rate.

For instance, let’s say you’re a new local general contractor offering services like gutters, roofing, and painting.

Your Strategy for Success: A Step-by-Step Guide

 

1.- First, Run three Google Ad campaigns—one for each of your main services. You’ll spend $500 to $1,000 per month on each campaign.

2. Create a website that loads quickly and is easy for search engines to understand. Make sure it’s SEO-friendly. Also, set up a Google Business Profile, list your business on relevant directories, and send out a press release announcing your business launch. Write blog posts that are optimized for search engines and contribute guest posts to industry publications that link back to your site.

 3. Keep investing in SEO, concentrating on your main keywords such as “gutter installation,” “roofers,” and “painters.”

4. After 3-4 months, you appear in the local pack and top 5 organic results for “gutter installation near me.” With 10 leads per month from SEO, you reduce your Google Ad Spend on gutters to $250. If you need to save money, you keep it. If you’re ready to reinvest, you put it into your Painting and Roofing campaigns instead.

5. After 6-8 months, you’re ranking well for all three main services organically. To save money, you stop spending on gutters and painters. However, because roofing jobs are the most profitable, you keep spending about $1,000 on roofing ads to maximize leads from Google.

6. After a year, you decide to expand into two nearby cities without physical locations. You launch two new ad campaigns for roofing in each of those cities. While you could create local landing pages or pay for a virtual mailbox, Google Ads is the simplest option.

So, that’s the plan. Remember, competition plays a big role in how fast you can shift from Google Ads to focusing on SEO. In a highly competitive local market, you might need to use both for a while. Understanding your competition is key, and resources on assessing your competitive landscape can give you important insights.

Do Google PPC Ads Affect Organic SEO?

Running Google Ads doesn’t directly affect your SEO rankings. However, SEO and Google Ads can indirectly support SEO.

This topic has sparked debate in the search industry for years. Some think that running Google Ads can directly boost your SEO ranking for the same keywords. However, Google has repeatedly stated that this isn’t true.

Many people hold this belief based on personal experiences: “I began running Google Ads, and suddenly my SEO rankings improved a little!”

It’s entirely possible that there are indirect ways running Google Ads can benefit SEO rankings. Let’s explore two possibilities:

1. Increased Click-Through Rate (CTR): When a Google Ad and an organic result from the same company appear on the same page, it can boost the likelihood of someone clicking. For example, if you search for “dog food” and see a Chewy ad at the top as well as an organic Chewy result in third place, research suggests you’re more likely to click on the Chewy organic result because of the familiarity from seeing the ad. Over time, if you earn more clicks than competitors, Google may reward this user behavior with higher rankings.

2. Running Google Ads can increase your traffic, leading to several positive SEO signals. For instance, if you’re getting 500 website visitors monthly through Google Ads, they might share your content on social media, link to your site, recommend you to friends, or return to your site later through a Google search. These actions can all boost your SEO.

If you need SEO and Google Ads assistance, feel free to reach out to me—I’d be happy to help. Alternatively, if you’re seeking Facebook Ads services Social Media Marketing Service or SEO and Google Ads Service, I can assist with that as well.