Should I spend on SEO or Google Ads?
Short answerAds bring traffic quickly and stop when you stop paying. SEO is slow to build but keeps working once it does. If you need enquiries now or are testing a new service, ads make sense. If you plan to be around for years, SEO usually costs less per lead over time. Many businesses use both.
Not sure whether to spend on ads or SEO?
Tell me about your business and goals. I’ll give you a straight answer on where I’d start.
The longer answer
How the two differ
Google Ads put you at the top of results for searches you choose, and you pay each time someone clicks. You can be live within days, target precisely, and turn it off whenever you like. The cost per click depends on how many others want the same search, and in some trades it’s high.
SEO earns you a place in the unpaid results. You don’t pay per click, but you invest time or money in content, technical work and reputation, and the results build over months. Once a page ranks, it keeps bringing visits without a meter running.
When ads are the better call
- You’ve just launched and need enquiries before SEO has had time to work.
- You’re testing a new service or area and want to know if there’s demand.
- You have a seasonal rush, like a landscaper in spring or a furnace company in the first cold snap.
- The organic results for your search are dominated by directories you can’t realistically outrank.
Ads also give fast feedback on which searches convert, which is useful for planning SEO later.
When SEO is the better call
If you expect to serve the same area for years, SEO tends to win on cost over time. A strong service page for “roof repair Okotoks” can keep producing calls long after the work to build it is done.
Some people also skip past ads and prefer organic and map results. And in an era of AI answers, the content that helps you rank organically is the same content AI tools are likely to draw on. Whichever you choose, your landing page has to convert. Sending paid clicks to a weak page wastes money fast.
What I’d do
Nick Lovett, founder of Tavro
For a new business or a new site, I’d often suggest a modest, tightly targeted ad campaign for the first few months while the organic foundations settle. Track calls and form submissions properly from day one so you know what each lead costs.
As organic visibility grows for your key services, reduce ad spend on those searches and keep it for the ones that are too competitive to win organically. I build the site and the landing pages. I don’t manage ad accounts, but I’ll make sure whatever you send there converts.
Follow-up questions
Not directly. Paying for ads doesn’t improve organic rankings. They can, however, show you which searches lead to real enquiries.
It depends on your trade and area. Start small, track cost per enquiry, and scale only what pays for itself.
Often you can reduce them, especially for searches you now rank well for. Some businesses keep ads for competitive or seasonal terms.
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- nick@tavro.ca
- 587-439-9994
- Calgary, Alberta