Which one should you use to generate leads?

In the world of digital marketing, businesses are always looking for ways to increase their online visibility and drive traffic to their websites. The question we get asked a lot is to use Organic SEO or Google Ads? Which one is better? While both techniques can be effective, they have different pros and cons that should be considered when deciding which one to use.

How can organic SEO help your business?

Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimising your website and its content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords and phrases. You can achieve this by optimising on-page elements such as content, titles, and meta descriptions, as well as off-page factors such as backlinks and social signals.

When your website ranks higher in SERPs, it is more likely to be seen by potential customers who are searching for products or services related to your business.

What are the pros of organic SEO?

Long-term Results

Organic SEO is a long-term strategy that can provide sustainable results. Once you achieve a high ranking in SERPs, it can be maintained with ongoing optimisation.

Increased Trust and Credibility

Organic SEO can help establish your business as a trustworthy and credible source of information. When your website appears at the top of SERPs, it is seen as an authoritative source by search engine users.

Cost-Effective

Organic SEO is a cost-effective way to drive traffic to your website. While it requires an investment of time and effort, it does not require ongoing financial investment like Google Ads.

What are the Cons of Organic SEO?

Time-Consuming

Organic SEO requires time and effort to achieve and maintain high rankings in SERPs. It can take several months to see significant results, depending on the competitiveness of your industry and the keywords you are targeting.

Uncertainty

There is no guarantee that your website will rank at the top of SERPs for your target keywords. Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, and your competitors are also working to improve their SEO. This can lead to fluctuations in your rankings and uncertainty about the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.

Considering Google Ads for your business?

Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform that allows businesses to create and display ads in Google search results and on websites that are part of the Google Display Network. With Google Ads, you can target specific keywords, locations, and demographics to reach their target audience.

When someone clicks on your Google Ad, you are charged a fee based on the cost-per-click (CPC) bid for that keyword. The cost of Google Ads varies depending on the competitiveness of the keywords and the targeting criteria.

What are the Pros of Google Ads?

Relatively fast Results

Google Ads can generate almost immediate traffic to your website. As soon as your ads are approved, they can appear at the top of SERPs and on websites within the Google Display Network.

Control

Google Ads provides businesses with a high level of control over their advertising campaigns. You can set budgets, target specific keywords, locations, and demographics, and adjust your bids to achieve your desired results.

Measurable Results

Google Ads provides detailed analytics that allow yous to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns. you can track clicks, conversions, and other metrics to determine the ROI of your ad spend.

Short-term Results

Some of the short-term results that advertisers commonly look for are:

• Increased website traffic: Your Google Ads can drive immediate traffic to your website.

• Improved brand awareness: Google Ads can help to increase your brand’s visibility as your ads are shown to people who are searching for relevant keywords. Even if they don’t click on your ad, they may still become aware of your brand.

• Higher click-through rates (CTRs): Well-optimised Google Ads campaigns can lead to higher CTRs as the ads are more relevant to the searcher’s query.

• Higher conversion rates: If your Google Ads campaigns are designed to drive conversions, you may see an increase in conversion rates as a result of the increased traffic and relevant targeting.

• Increased revenue: Ultimately, the goal of most Google Ads campaigns is to generate revenue. If your campaigns are designed and optimised well, you will not only see increased traffic and conversions but also a short-term boost in revenue.

While Google Ads can generate short-term results, it’s also important to have a long-term strategy in place to maintain and build upon these results over time

What are the Cons of Google Ads?

Cost

Google Ads can be expensive, especially for competitive keywords. You might need to invest significant amounts of money to achieve desired results.

Time to learn

Google Ads has a complex interface and a wide range of features and settings. If you have not done Google ads before, chances are that it will take a lot of time and effort to understand the platform fully and create effective campaigns. It can also be very challenging to achieve optimal results without proper knowledge or assistance.

Ad Blindness

Many internet users have developed “ad blindness” and are less likely to click on ads, especially those that are marked as advertisements. This can reduce the effectiveness of your Google Ads campaign and lead to lower click-through rates (CTR).

Click Fraud

Google Ads can be vulnerable to click fraud. Competitors or bots repeatedly click on ads to exhaust the advertiser’s budget – this can waste a significant amount of money and reduce the effectiveness of the campaign.

Ad Fatigue

When businesses repeatedly display the same ads to the same audience, it can lead to ad fatigue. This occurs when users become bored or annoyed with the ads and are less likely to click on them.

Need for Constant Optimisation

Google Ads requires ongoing optimisation to achieve the best results. You must monitor and adjust your bids, targeting, and ad copy to stay ahead of the competition. This requires time and effort and can be a significant challenge for businesses with limited resources.

Short term results

As soon as you stop spending on Google ads, your ranking will drop.

You can mitigate many of the above disadvantages with proper campaign planning, optimisation and ongoing monitoring. Working with experienced professionals or investing time in learning about the platform can help maximise the benefits of Google Ads. At the same time you can minimise the potential drawbacks.

Organic SEO or Google Ads – conclusion

The choice: organic SEO or Google Ads depends on various factors and on your goals. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, and the conclusion ultimately depends on your specific circumstances and requirements. Talk to us to see which options works best for you.

Generate leads and grow your business with Google ads, call us for an obligation free chat today.