Enhancing search visibility through Google Ads or SEO approaches can be key to gaining leads and driving sales for your business. Many consumers begin their search for products and services online, often using search engines like Google. If your business isn’t visible in these search results, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to reach potential customers.
To enhance your search visibility, developing a strategic digital marketing plan is essential. Tools like Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Google Ads should be core items in that plan, with each offering different pathways to connect with your target audience.
But how do you decide which approach is right for your business? Should you focus on one strategy, or is there merit in combining both? Understanding the benefits of SEO and Google Ads can guide you in making informed decisions that align with your goals. That’s why we’ve put together this guide, detailing the core aspects of each tool, how they can help enhance the search visibility of your business and which search marketing strategy is right for your company.
What Is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)?
Search Engine Optimisation, better known as SEO, is a Digital Marketing Strategy utilised to increase the appearance of websites and/or webpages in organic search results. This is primarily geared towards the big players – Google and Bing.
The term organic suggests webpages appear organically or naturally in search results – as opposed to being a paid position or listing such as with Google Ads/Pay Per Click Advertising.
SEO listings are statistically reported as a more trusted source for users seeking products, goods, or services. With a higher perceived level of credibility than that of Sponsored or Paid Advertising.
An SEO based search listing example is shown below – providing a title for the page, and a short blurb about what’s included on the webpage. Users can quickly identify the pages relevance to their search – as too can search engines!
How Long Does SEO Take to Produce Results?
SEO requires regular optimisation and SEO based strategy implementation to sustain results for future prosperity. It also requires a longer period of optimisation to achieve substantial results – with 3 to 12 months as a guide to achieving first page results for keywords.
Of course, not all keywords or search terms are created equal – with competition for the search terms playing a pivotal factor.
It is also dependent on factors within the business’ website such as the quality of website landing pages and the relevance of the content to the search term. This, among many other factors, can impact how quickly your business sees SEO based results.
This is all working towards building the credibility of your website – and in turn your business and your brand presence online.
What Are Google Ads/Pay Per Click (PPC) Campaigns?
Google Ads or PPC campaigns are a powerful digital marketing tool that allow businesses the ability to perform targeted advertising to users who are actively searching, researching, or seeking products and/or services that your business offers.
There are several types of Google Ads options. The most popular being text-based Search Ads that you would see in your traditional Google Search Results. These include the “Sponsored” text above them in search results – as shown with the example below.
Shopping Ads are growing ever popular for eCommerce store advertisers – but also by users alike. These showcase a variety of online shopping options for users to browse. The cost per click (CPC) is generally lower than that of Search Ads – which is great for advertisers offering products for purchase online.
There are also Display Ads – shown visually across Google Display Network (GDN) and Video Ads – primarily seen on YouTube.
How Do Google Ads/PPC Campaigns Work?
The term Pay Per Click is born from the model Google Ads operates on – you pay when a user clicks on your ad NOT when the ad is shown. That means you’re only paying for the traffic that comes to your website – not how often your ad is shown in Google Search Results.
This is based on a bidding system – so, not all keywords/search terms will have the same CPC and not all advertisers will pay the same cost for the same keyword. To complicate things further – your business will not always pay the same cost per click for the same keyword.
This is because, just as Google ranks organically for SEO based searches based on quality and relevance of the website, so too does the cost to bid on a keyword in Google Ads.
Competition plays a factor of course, just as it does with the keyword difficulty for SEO. The more sort-after the keyword is or more lucrative the return on a converting customer – the higher you’ll expect to pay for a click.
How Long Do Google Ads/PPC Campaigns Take to See Results?
If you’re looking to grow your digital presence quickly – then Google Ads or alternative Pay Per Click campaigns can be a powerful digital marketing strategy.
If your PPC digital campaign is managed and optimised impactfully – you can have a set daily budget allocation (so you know your investment), specific targeting to the geographical locations you service, and tailor specific key search terms that relate to the products and/or services you wish to promote.
However, when businesses switch off their Google Ads campaigns, the ads are no longer shown which has an immediate impact on your digital presence in Google. Therefore, longevity in paid advertising such as Google Ads is incomparable with that of SEO.
Google Ads Or SEO: Which Is Better For My Business?
When it comes to building a strong online presence, Google Ads offers a range of benefits that can quickly propel your business into the spotlight. Unlike traditional marketing channels that often take time to show results, Google Ads provides businesses with the tools to achieve visibility, generate traffic, and drive conversions in a fast, efficient, and targeted way. This makes it an attractive option for businesses looking to enhance their digital marketing efforts.
Below are some of the ways Google Ads can support your business’s growth:
- Fast Results – Google Ads can have a more “instant” impact where you’ll see your business in the top listings for relevant search terms related to your products and/or services in a short period of time – if not instantly.
- Targeted Advertising – Google Ads provides businesses with the ability to target keywords for specific products and services, select geographic locations, filter irrelevant search terms, and chose when and where the Ads are shown.
- Brand Awareness – Businesses generate brand awareness while running Google Ads and this can have a lasting impact. This can result in potential customers seeking your business out organically in the future. This can result in requiring a lower overall budget dedication to this digital marketing tool.
- Measurable Results – Google Ads allows for measuring analytics like cost for conversions, clicks, and provides data on what keywords are generating conversions and traffic to your website.
While Google Ads can quickly put your business in front of potential customers, its impact is typically short-term and depends on continuous ad spend. As soon as you stop funding a campaign, your visibility disappears. This is where SEO plays a critical complementary role. SEO efforts may take longer to show results, but the payoff is more lasting and cost-effective in the long run. SEO works to organically build authority and credibility for your website, making it more sustainable over time compared to paid ads.
While other digital marketing tactics, such as paid advertising, can yield faster results, SEO offers a sustainable, long-term solution to establishing and maintaining an online presence. Let’s explore the key benefits of implementing SEO into your business’s digital marketing strategy:
- Trusted Source – SEO based organic results in Google are considered more trustworthy and credible than that of their Paid counterparts.
- Lower Investment Costs – As businesses do not pay for the traffic that comes through to their website through organic search results, this is a more cost-effective alternative than Paid Advertising.
- Sustainable Results – SEO as a digital marketing strategy does have a longer life span than that of Paid Ads. The impact of SEO efforts now can have lasting effects not only now but into the future.
- Increased Online Visibility – Getting your brand and products at the top of search results is essential to business growth and success in this digital world.
SEO and Google Ads Working Together
SEO and Google Ads are both powerful tools for growing your business online. Understanding the aspects, function, and benefits of both highlights the advantages of these strategies. It also puts a spotlight on how these can be used as part of holistic approach to building a strong digital marketing strategy.
If you’re unsure which approach is best for your business, you’re not alone. Both Google Ads and SEO offer unique advantages that can drive significant growth, and when used together, they provide both immediate visibility and long-term online success. However, implementing these strategies effectively requires time, expertise, and a thorough understanding of digital marketing that many business owners simply do not have.
At Sky High Digital, we specialise in creating comprehensive digital marketing strategies that combine the power of SEO and Google Ads to help businesses like yours flourish. From boosting organic search rankings to launching targeted paid campaigns, we’ll work closely with you to develop a tailored plan that delivers measurable results. Get in touch with us today at (03) 9723 1783 or email hello@skyhighdigital.com.au to find out more about how we can help your business succeed in the digital world.
