Google Ads VS SEO

Are you seeking to give your company a traffic boost? Then you may wonder which marketing strategy is best. You must have heard of SEO, but what if paid ads are better? Or maybe you should engage in influencer collaborations. 

You’re lost. It’s okay not to know the best method to grow your online business. You’ll master marketing as you go by trial and error. You’ll learn what works and what sets your business back.

Generally speaking, SEO offers the best long-term results, and you can combine it with other marketing strategies.

Read on to find everything you need to know about growing your eCommerce or website!

SEO means Search Engine Optimization 

You must have heard the term SEO if you’ve been around the Internet in the last decade. It stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it helps your website rank higher in search engines like Google.

SEO in Digital Advertising Meaning 

SEO is a powerful tool in digital advertising and marketing, as it smoothens the process of being found online.

Here’s an example. When you make a query, Google usually offers you three main results. Pretend you want to have a pleasant dinner with your friends. You search “best restaurants near me,” and Google offers you the top three. The other results are frequently overlooked since they’re not the first to pop up.

The math is simple: The higher you rank in SEO, the more users will notice your website and click on it. The more users that land on your site, the more likely you will get conversions.

Google SEO optimization (SEO) Pros & Cons 

Now that we’ve determined what SEO is, let’s talk about the pros and cons. Here are the pros:

• The results are stable – There’s no need to pay permanently, as with paid ads.
• It can be very affordable and suitable for companies on a budget.
• SEO brings more organic traffic, which is more reliable.
• It boosts reliability, especially when you appear in the top results. People will trust you.
• Its results are tangible and measurable, meaning you can track whether it’s working.
• It’s particularly useful for local companies who seek visibility. It works well for “near me” queries.

As with anything else, there are also certain downsides:

• The results are not instant – Good SEO doesn’t promise quick fixes or results. But the measures you take today will still matter six months from now.
• Paid ads can get in the way – The first thing you see after a query is results with an “Ad” sign. Even though most users don’t trust ads, they will see them before your website appears, which can get in the way.
• Everyone is competing with you, fighting to get the best possible ranking.

How to Rank High in SEO

Many factors come into play when Google determines your SEO rank. Just as you can go up with good practices, Google might also downgrade you (even mark your site as spam).

Here are some of the top factors you must consider:

1) High-Quality Content

No matter how good your other strategies are – If you don’t provide readers with valuable content, they won’t stick around for long. And Google tracks how long users stay on your website: The longer they hang with your content, the better you will rank.

So the best piece of advice is to hire a copywriter or learn the copywriting fundamentals. Learn to persuade and entertain with words while also providing information and solutions to your readers’ concerns.

2) Smartphone-Friendly Website

Most queries occur via smartphones – Everyone has a mobile device these days. You must make sure your website is smartphone-friendly. That means that it’s accessible for mobile users, and the UX design is right in place.

You can achieve this by either using a good platform like WordPress or hiring the services of professional website designers and builders.

3) Speed Optimization

No one wants to wait a long time before a website loads. In fact, more than half of users abandon low-speed loading pages. We live in a fast-paced world, and it’s the least you can expect.

Hosting your website on a server that hosts a thousand more sites can be dangerous. The more resources other pages require, the fewer resources will be available to yours. Website hosting is more important than one might think.

Also, don’t over-saturate your page with plugins and gadgets that don’t provide value – They will only make it slower.

4) Link Building

The more authoritative websites that link back to your site, the higher you’ll rank. Think of it as scientific papers: You rely more on those who have many citations. Websites are the same – Get others to share your valuable content, and you will rank up.

How to link build? It’s easy. You should share posts on social media, ask for guest posting, or hire SEO services. Don’t become a spammer, though, as that will only harm you.

5) Others

The list goes on. We could write thousands of words about SEO factors, but these are the top ones. If you want to become an SEO expert, consider learning about:

• Metadata & Meta-descriptions
• Schema
• Keywords Use & Competitors
• Site Architecture
• Internal Links
• URL Structure
• Image Alt-Text

 What are Google Ads? 

As its name suggests, Google Ads is an advertising platform run by Google. If you pay and create campaigns, you’ll pay a fee every time someone clicks your ad.

It works like an auction house. You bet on keywords that will drive traffic to your site. If you think that “skincare routine products” will bring you conversions, you want to bet on that keyword. The more money you are willing to pay, the better the results will be.

But there’s a trick: You shouldn’t bet on frequent keywords if your company is still a startup. Why? Because you can’t compete with large corporations like Amazon or eBay. 

Big companies don’t use long-tail keywords that much. Following the previous example, rather than using “skincare routine products” as a keyword, you might want to go for “skincare products for oily skin” or “skincare routine products for acne.”

How much does Google Adwords cost?

According to reports, businesses make an average of $2 for every dollar they invest on Google Ads. But this data doesn’t guarantee to make a profit, especially considering that you’ll pay from one to two dollars each time someone clicks on your link.

The key lies in combining pay-per-click ads with other strategies, like SEO. We’ll discuss that in the upcoming sections.

Google AdWords (Google Ads) Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Pros & Cons

Let’s now discuss these ads’ pros and cons. The pros are as follows:

• The ads appear on the top of search results, meaning users will see them first.
• It all boils down to money – If you have a good budget, you can make a huge difference in your business.
• It’s easier to calculate ROI – Return on Investment is easier to calculate, as each campaign comes with metrics and results.

But what are the disadvantages?

• Most users are reluctant regarding ads – It’s only natural, with so many frauds online.
• You disappear if you stop paying, unlike with SEO ranking. The traffic will drop significantly after you stop betting on keywords.
• Setting a campaign is difficult, let alone segmenting it for different potential customers.
• On a “Pay Per Click” advertising through AdWords, it seems to you that you are paying for clients, but this is a popular illusion, you are paying for visitors. Moreover, Google does not guarantee that it is not your competitor or student who collects information about the cost of your product for an abstract or, for example, market research.

Google Ads VS SEO | Which Marketing is Stronger: SEO or Ads?

Broadly speaking, SEO will bring more benefits and results in the long term. Most people don’t trust ads, as mentioned above. And ads are more costly – You have to pay each time someone clicks on the link, even when it doesn’t lead to a conversion.

But beyond that, Search Engine Optimization focuses on authoritativeness and reliability, not just how much money you can bet on a keyword. A good SEO rank means you have valuable content that users appreciate.

Be that as it may, as we’ll see in the upcoming section, they can work together.

Can SEO and Google Ads work together? 

Yes, definitely. It’s indeed a good idea to split your budget and invest in more than one type of marketing strategy.

But you must be careful, as ads can lower or boost your SEO rank. Yes, they can lower your SEO rank. Now you might be scared and driven away from engaging in paid ads, but there’s no need to panic yet.

These are some things to consider regarding PPC ads:

• You maintain the position as long as you pay – The longer you pay for ads, the more visitors will land on your website. If your content is good, they’ll stick around.
• PPC ads offer instant results, which can harm your business if you haven’t worked enough on your website. Why do you want hundreds of users if you can’t get them to convert?
• Betting on the right keywords and researching your audience will help you reach out to potential customers. Otherwise, you’ll only waste money.
• Too many or too intrusive ads can lead to users leaving negative reviews, blocking you, and avoiding your website. All these will harm your SEO, so beware.

Can advertising success depend on SEO?

Just as paid ads affect SEO, SEO affects advertising, though rather indirectly. What does this mean?

Paid ads bring traffic to your site, and users expect something from you. You can acquire new customers easily, assuming you provide high-quality content, products, or services. On the contrary, if they find your page useless and go away, you’ll lose customers. 

On-Page SEO is crucial for your advertising to succeed. No one likes landing on a website where there’s nothing valuable.

What Gives Better ROI: Google Ads or SEO?

Overall, SEO gives a better Return on Investment (ROI). As you can appreciate in this LinkedIn post, 6 months of SEO meant about a million (yes, you read that right) more impressions.

The same post shows that a company saved more than $3k thanks to a robust SEO plan. Why? Because they didn’t have to pay a dime after hiring SEO services, unlike what would’ve happened with paid ads.

Google Ads indeed allow you to calculate return on investment more easily, as metrics indicate the results of each campaign. It’s more challenging to determine what worked in your SEO strategy and what didn’t. But the ROI is significantly higher in SEO, especially regarding saved money.

FAQ

What is SEO Marketing? 

SEO marketing stands for Search Engine Optimization. It helps your site rank higher on search engines. It means you don’t have to actively drive users to your site since they’ll find it themselves when searching for content.

What is SEO in online advertising?

As mentioned in the previous question, SEO in online advertising takes a weight off your shoulders: It helps bring more traffic to your page without having to pay for it or pushing ads on users. 

Then you can focus on other aspects of your business, such as growing the revenue and building customer loyalty.

Does Google Ads use SEO? 

Yes, indirectly. If users who click on the link and land on your page find it valuable, they’ll stick around. If they go away, you’ll waste money. So never engage in paid ads without working first on your On-Page SEO.

Why is SEO better than paid ads? 

SEO is better than paid ads because it drives organic traffic. Organic traffic refers to people who casually find your website after making a query. Unlike paid ads, it doesn’t feel pushy, but rather the opposite.

Also, SEO results are long-term oriented, and the prices are significantly more affordable. It’s suitable even for companies on a budget.

What is the difference between Google Ads and Google search ads?

Even when they sound similar, they’re not the same. Google Ads displays ads based on different targeting parameters, and thus they appear to several types of customers, regardless of location.

On the contrary, Google Search ads only show the links to those already searching for your specific product or service. They only appear in certain locations, making them great for your business if your goal is to target local customers.

Is SEO better than PPC? 

Overall, yes. SEO is better than PPC because the results are long-term oriented, and the price is affordable. PPC ads mean you have to pay each time someone clicks on a link, which not only gets costly but doesn’t guarantee results.