SEO Vs. Google Ads: Which Is Better?

We are in 2024 and online presence is the lifeblood of brands at the moment. But, just marking your online presence isn’t the end of the story. It is about who shows up on top of Google when your customers make a query online. 

It is about beating your competitors and ruling your industry online like a king. That’s what every business is fighting for. Yes. Your brand’s online discoverability is that serious and don’t think twice to go to war with anyone to showcase your SERP dominance.

Google is the kingmaker in the search engine world. Getting to Google’s #1 position should turn the table in your favor. So, how do you hitch your wagon to this ultimate SERP dominance on Google? SEO or Google Ads?

This SEO Vs. Google Ads cold war has been going on for a long time now and there are still speculations going on about it. How about finding a definite answer? Let’s get a go at it together.

Let me decode all about it in detail so that you will figure out what is right for you in the end.

Understanding SEO

Search engine optimization, or SEO in short, is the process of optimizing your website organically to rank higher on search engines like Google, Bing, and more. This will help boost its online visibility and make it easily discoverable by users when they perform a relevant search.

SEO involves creating helpful content and optimizing it using relevant keywords, improving your site structure to enhance user experience and building high-quality backlinks from other authoritative sites to vouch for your website’s credibility and authority.

SEO is a good way to achieve a strong online presence and drive more organic traffic your way. The organic traffic flow of your site acts as a touchstone for your brand’s online growth. 

Google’s algorithms constantly focus on bringing more relevant results that answer user queries aptly. That said, visitors who land on your website through organic search are more likely to be interested in your content and translate into qualified leads for your business.

So, what exactly do you optimize to attract more organic traffic? Let’s delve into the key components of SEO.

• • On-page SEO – On-page optimization involves optimizing individual pages on your website using the right keywords and adding headings and meta tags. 
  • Off-page SEO– Off-page optimization focuses on SEO efforts outside your website, including earning backlinks from external websites, social media, influencer partnerships and other industry collaborations.
  • Technical SEO– Technical SEO focuses on the technical aspects of your website, including site speed, mobile responsiveness, crawlability, structured data and more. 

Now, let’s get to the question that most people ask. How long does SEO take to drive results? Let’s face the truth. The time frame for SEO results is different for different brands. But why?

That’s because the time to achieve desired SEO results depends on various factors, including your website’s age and history, the competitiveness of your keywords, the technical strength of your website, your backlink profile and search engine algorithm updates. Based on these factors, SEO results can be driven in anywhere from a few months to a year.

However, you can quicken the pace of reaching your milestones with the right SEO partner by your side. At Stan Ventures, we are always happy to help. Book a free consultation call to get started.

Benefits of SEO

Here’s a look at the unmatched benefits of SEO for small businesses like yours.

Long-Term Sustainability

When done right, SEO can fetch long-lasting results for your business. SEO comes in handy to showcase the authority and relevance of your website to your target audience and Google alike. This helps you to be in the good books of the two.

This way, SEO ensures a continuous flow of organic traffic to your site over time and opens doors for sustained online visibility and business growth.

Cost-Effective

Unlike the traditional methods of marketing, SEO doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. It is cost-effective. Sounds good, right?

While the initial SEO push may require you to spend some money, its lead generation capabilities and long-term sustainable nature make SEO an ideal choice for every business out there.

Increased Organic Traffic

SEO requires high-quality content creation that delivers value to your visitors. Optimizing your content with targeted keywords adds a cherry on to the top of the cake.

This way, SEO fetches more organic traffic to your site by boosting the search appearance rate of your pages in SERPs for relevant queries.

Brand Building

SEO brings a wider reach for your brand so that more people start growing familiar with it. How?

Consistent appearance in search results positions your website as an authoritative, trustworthy, and relevant source of information for users. 

Going forward, SEO-optimized content, positive user experience and effective brand communication through SEO can foster improved brand recognition among your prospects.

Gaining Trust

As a rule of thumb, users look at websites that rank at the top of Google as trustworthy and credible.

SEO helps pull up your brand in search results by necessitating keyword-infused relevant content,  a friction-free website for a smooth user experience, a balanced backlink profile and an established social presence across platforms.

By doing so, it helps your business gain the trust of your target crowd and the search engine simultaneously.

Cons of SEO (And How to Beat Them)

Just like a coin has two sides, SEO has its pros and cons. But the good news is you can beat the disadvantages of SEO if you know where to tap.

Time-Consuming

SEO is time-consuming and requires consistent efforts. Well, there is absolutely no denying that SEO isn’t a one-time process. 

Practically, business is a race, and if you want to keep moving forward or maintain a top position, you need to give what is required: your time. SEO is no exception.

However, you can reduce the time it takes to achieve your SEO goals by partnering with a trusted  

While it is generally opined that SEO takes roughly 6 months to produce substantial results, we at Stan Ventures have a history of making it happen for multiple brands in just 3 months. Our results are real and genuine. Check out our case studies here. 

Uncertain Results

SEO outcomes may be uncertain due to constant algorithm changes and competitive dynamics. These unpredictable factors can hinder your SEO progress.

Given the uncertainties, doing SEO on your own can delay your success even more. Collaborating with a seasoned SEO agency, on the other hand, will help you recover quickly if you face such unforeseen roadblocks.

Need proof? Check out how we helped our client make a comeback after being hit by a Google update.

Understanding Google Ads

Google Ads, formerly Google AdWords, is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform that allows you to attract more traffic and generate sales using paid ads.

In Google Ads, you bid on keywords to have your clickable ad appear in Google’s search results. As the platform operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, you pay for clicks or impressions you get through the ads.

With Google Ads, you can reach out to specific audiences, personalize campaigns and measure the performance of your ads in a seamless manner.

Google Ads come in different formats.

• Text Ads

Text ads are short and appear in search results. They consist of a headline, description, and the page URL. They magnetize clicks through a genuinely compelling ad copy.

• Display Ads

Display Ads or Google Display Network (GDN) ads are visual ads that appear on websites, apps, and other digital platforms that have partnered with Google to feature ads. These platforms collaborate with Google through AdSense.

• Video Ads

Video ads are short videos displayed on YouTube and across the web to drive traffic and conversions to the targeted site.

• Shopping Ads

Shopping ads showcase products with an image, title, price, and store name. They appear in Google Shopping and search results to bolster e-commerce promotions and sales.

• Call-Only Ads

Call-only ads focus on generating phone calls. They prominently display a phone number to prompt users to contact the business in question.

• App Promotion Ads

These ads encourage users to install specific apps. They include app details, images, and an install button.

• Responsive Ads

Advertisers provide assets for the ads and Google creates them on its own in such a way that the size and appearance of the ads rightly fit the given ad spaces

Benefits of Google Ads

Check out the benefits of using Google Ads for your business below.

Quick Results

With Google Ads, you get faster results that ensure a quicker online visibility boost. Ads appear in search results as and when the ad campaigns are activated.

That’s why Google Ads is an instant solution for your brand to improve your online discoverability, magnetize new leads and convert them into your customers.

Easy to Measure and Track

Google makes it very easy for you to drop in and see how successful your campaigns are.

If you’re trying to get direct Ecommerce sales with your advertising, you can see exactly how much your ad spend has returned on that investment.

Make sure your Google Ads are set up correctly so that you can track them. If you’re using Google Ads to test out keywords for a longer SEO campaign, this is super important.

Highly Targeted Advertising 

When it comes to Google Ads, you only pay for the keywords you want to target and you can see the ROI from each keyword. 

This way, PPC facilitates you to focus on certain keywords and audiences that are more likely to respond to your offer.

Cons of Google Ads

Investing in Google Ads has its own disadvantages as mentioned below.

Expensive in the Long Run

Google Ads can become expensive over time. Constant competition in bidding for keywords and increasing costs per click may push you to expand your PPC budget. Long-term reliance solely on PPC can lead to escalating expenses.

Depends on Budget Allocation

The success of your Google Ads campaign relies heavily on your PPC budget. Small budgets may limit exposure and the true potential of your ad remains unexplored.

This will affect the effectiveness of your ad campaigns and the visibility you otherwise get through ads. That said, in PPC, proper budget planning is essential to achieve optimal results.

SEO Vs. Google Ads: Which is Right for You?

Here comes the ultimate question. So, SEO Vs. Adwords from Google: which is right for you?

Choosing between SEO and Google Ads depends on various factors, including your business goals, budget and timeframe considerations.

If your goal is to achieve long-term organic visibility and sustainable traffic growth, SEO is key. It’s true that SEO requires time, but it is worthwhile as it produces lasting results. 

Google Ads, on the other hand, provides quick visibility and is great for immediate lead generation and sales. 

Next, budget plays a vital role. SEO requires consistent effort, while Google Ads incurs ongoing costs per click.

Last but not least, the time taken to drive results is a major consideration. SEO is a gradual process, while Google Ads delivers faster, temporary results. 

Weighing the pros and cons of both SEO and Google Ads, it is ideal to switch to a hybrid strategy that takes in both SEO and PPC.

 As SEO builds long-term visibility, Google Ads maintains a consistent presence. This dual strategy maximizes reach and helps get immediate and sustainable results simultaneously. 

It balances the advantages of quick wins with a lasting organic foundation and makes way for your business to reap the benefits of a 360-degree marketing strategy.

In short, integrating SEO and Google Ads ensures flexibility, adaptability and a comprehensive approach to online visibility, traffic flow, conversions and sales.

SEO Best Practices

Now that we’ve evaluated SEO and Google Ads in detail, let’s get to the best practices in each vertical, starting with SEO.

Focused Keyword Research

Effective SEO starts with thorough keyword research. 

Identify relevant keywords with a considerably high search volume to optimize your content and drive targeted traffic to your site. 

Use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush and Google Keyword Planner to discover valuable keywords that can complement your SEO success.  Know the user intent of the keywords you choose and craft your content in such a way to match the intent.

High-Quality Helpful Content Creation

Creating high-quality, helpful content that adds value to your visitors is paramount. Content that addresses user queries, offers solutions to specific problems and is well-structured can speak for your expertise and authority while enhancing user experience. Plus, your content quality can signal Google to give your site an authority boost.

All these will strengthen your website on the grounds of E-E-A-T. That’s why you need the right content in the right place.

On-Page Optimization

As I mentioned earlier, optimizing on-page elements, including meta titles, descriptions, headers, and image alt tags, is important for SEO.

This will help Google to better understand what your page is about. This way, the search engine will know when to show  your page and that will bring you more qualified leads. Plus, as you give Google a better context, it will rank your site higher for relevant searches.

Interlink relevant pages within your site properly. This will help you get to the good side of Google in terms of subject matter expertise and may improve your authority.

Improve Page Loading Speed

The page loading speed of your site impacts your user experience and your search rankings significantly. 

Fast-loading pages improve user experience and influence your search engine rankings. So, optimize images, consider browser caching, and leverage content delivery networks to reduce load times. 

Powerful Backlink Building

Earning high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites is critical because backlinks are an important Google ranking factor. Backlinks speak for your site’s credibility and contribute to improved search rankings.

Build a  natural backlink profile through guest posting, content partnerships, and outreach efforts to gear up your chances of ranking higher on Google.

Google Ads Best Practices

Now, let’s move on to best practices for Google Ads. Keep reading.

Have a Clear Goal

Before starting an ad campaign, make sure you are clear about the objectives you want to achieve using it. The goal can be anything, including driving traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales. 

After all, having clear goals can help you create well-targeted ads to improve the overall effectiveness of the campaign and increase your conversion rate incredibly. 

Use the Right Keywords

The keywords you choose to bid on play a vital role in the success of your ad campaigns. Narrow down relevant keywords aligned with user intent and your product or service. 

Use a trusted keyword research tool to identify high-performing keywords in your niche to ensure your ads reach the most relevant audience.

Optimize Your Ad Landing Page

Your landing page stands between your ad and sales. Make it count.

One, ensure a seamless transition from the ad to the landing page. Two, optimize landing pages for content relevance and a smooth user experience.

Use clear calls-to-action to attract clicks and impressions and make your ad campaign a great success.

Use First-Hand Data for Targeting

Leverage first-hand customer data from your CRM for precise targeting. Take a closer look at the demographics, interests, and behaviors of your prospects to tailor your ads to specific audiences. 

This will improve the relevance of your ads to the users and bring maximum engagement.

Create Specific Ad Groups

Organize your ads into separate groups based on themes or products. 

This practice will come in handy to create custom-made ad copies and, again, improve the relevance of your ads.

Plus, it also simplifies and streamlines performance tracking for better campaign management.

Measure Results and Upgrade Your Strategy

Monitor the performance of your ad campaign using metrics such as click-through rates, impressions and conversions. 

Leverage these insights to revamp your targeting and bidding strategies. Analyze your performance consistently and make necessary changes to your PPC strategies at the earliest to gain maximum returns on your ad spend.

Future Trends in SEO and PPC

It’s time to peek a bit into the future trends of SEO and PPC to know how they will disrupt search in the days to come.

SEO Trends

Let’s begin with the upcoming trends in SEO.

 Google Search Generative Experience (SGE)

Google SGE provides AI-generated answers to search queries. These answers appear at the top of the SERPs. 

As Google SGE makes search more conversational and allows users to ask follow-up questions, the search goes on more like a chat.

Google has established its Search Labs and is testing SGE in more than 120 countries across the world since the second half of 2023.

This signals a significant change in the way people will perform searches and how organic results will appear in SERPs in 2024 and beyond.

Zero-Click Searches

With Google SGE booming, users are more likely to get their questions answered without having to click on the results below the AI-generated answers.

With the rise of the zero-click search culture, it is expected that there will be a massive drop in click-through rates for websites.

That said, it is time for brands to optimize their content to make it to AI-powered search results.

Increased Focus on Helpful Content

Launched first in August 2022, Google’s Helpful Content Update has received two more updates in December 2022 and September 2023.

Back-to-back updates to the helpful content system in two years seem to emphasize the importance of creating value-added content that’s helpful for users amid the rise in the use of AI tools.

While Google embraces AI capabilities in search, it looks like the search engine mammoth continues to advocate unique content creation to fetch more relevant and updated content for user queries.

So, content will continue to rule in 2024 as well.

PPC Trends

Here’s a sneak peek into the future trends in PPC.

PPC Automation

Normal is boring. This is true for PPC as well. Yes, PPC is becoming increasingly automated and shedding its manual ways with time.

Paid ad automation will continue to play a pivotal role in PPC. With Google bringing up PPC automation features frequently, you can automate various aspects of your ad campaigns, including bidding, ad optimization, A/B testing and reporting. Smart bidding, for example, leverages AI capabilities to optimize bids so that you can get the most out of your PPC budget.

Brands that are looking to invest in PPC should grow more familiar with PPC automation in order to save the effort they will otherwise put in and get maximum returns.

Going Social

Do you know that social media user count grows by 300 million every passing year? Yes, with such a massive following, if you are not investing in social media PPC, you are missing out on something big.

Businesses should invest in social media to cash in on PPC. While Facebook is the top-performing platform in terms of PPC, it is expected that brands may invest in multiple social platforms this year.

Wrapping Up

The SEO Vs. Google Ads debate keeps springing up every time someone isn’t sure about which one to pick. But isn’t it great to have the best of both worlds? 

That’s why a hybrid marketing approach blending both SEO and PPC is best for businesses of all sizes.

It is about maintaining a striking balance between the two that ultimately matters. Having the right SEO and PPC strategies in place and upgrading them when the need arises is key to digital marketing success.