SEO vs. Google Ads: Which Strategy Will Drive More Traffic?

It’s similar to comparing apples to oranges when comparing SEO with Google Ads, formerly known as Adwords; both assist in putting your business in front of potential customers on the SERP. Through SEO, you can raise your website’s organic search engine position and appear for users who type in relevant search terms. Ads allow you to target particular keyword phrases and then design an ad that promotes your site and content for folks using those keywords.

You can improve your overall Search exposure through both of these channels, but it’s vital to keep in mind that comparing apples to oranges when deciding which is better is a common mistake. Brands must leverage both channels and develop a strategy that can combine the two to maximize their online potential if they want to have a strong and long-lasting digital presence.


Different Roles

Ads and SEO play different but complementary functions. Making your website user-friendly and producing content that engages and meets the demands of your audience is at the heart of SEO management. This includes not just the content you write, the videos, and the infographics you provide, but also optimizing the style and design of your website to make it simple to use and logical for users to traverse.

Conversely, one type of internet display advertising is Google Ads. It enables you to get paid each time someone clicks on one of your created ads. You can target people who are interested in specific topics by having this advertisement appear to individuals who enter specific keywords into search engines. Therefore, even before you have the site reputation and SEO rankings required to see benefits from your organic efforts, Google Ads can help you get the visibility you desire for relevant keywords. To optimize SERP real estate, combine SEO and SEM.


Do Google Ads help with SEO?

Google Ads and SEO can complement one other nicely when handled appropriately. When a brand does not have the organic rankings on Page 1, they can strategically use Ads to enhance visibility for critical keywords. Brands that track their rankings and organic traffic accurately can do this. Another way to test customer reaction to certain terms is through Google AdWords. Brands may, for instance, make advertisements for keywords they are thinking about optimizing for. After a customer clicks on the advertisement, they can follow it to observe how successfully they interact with the landing page and the website as a whole. Then, keywords that attract visitors with greater engagement and conversion rates will be given precedence over those that do not.

In a similar vein, keyword data from SEO initiatives can also be utilized to identify potential Ad opportunities. Finding keywords with high search volume and high competition will probably help you find effective candidates for ad campaigns, as it will be challenging for a website to get a spot on the SERP’s first page. It is possible to refine content for the main search engines as well as for more recent SEO channels like vertical and native search engines.


Success in developing a digital strategy for a brand depends on knowing how SEO and Google Ads work differently to establish a web presence. Companies’ potential search results will improve the more effectively they can combine these two distinct features.


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