Google Ads vs Organic Strategy: Which Is Better for SEO in 2024?

When it comes to digital marketing strategies, one question consistently arises: "Google Ads vs organic strategy: what is better for SEO?" As more and more businesses try to find ways to improve their online visibility, it is important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of each approach.

This blog will discuss both strategies and their effect on SEO, and help you determine which might be better for your business.

Understanding Google Ads and Organic Strategy

Google Ads is a paid marketing channel where companies pay to bid on keywords to have their ads display at the top of Google’s search results pages. It can be a short-term solution to gaining traffic, but you have to spend money every day that you want to drive traffic.

Organic strategy (aka SEO) is where you optimize your website and content to rank higher in search results pages, and gain organic traffic without paying for ads. This strategy does take time, but if done properly, can yield durable, long-term results. 

Benefits of Google Ads for SEO

• Instant Results: One of the biggest advantages of using Google Ads is the speed you can achieve results. Once your ad is live, you can very quickly get to the top of the search results. This is especially useful for new websites or businesses that need to get limited time offers out quickly.

• Targeted Audience: Google Ads allow you to target specific keywords, demographics, locations and even time of day for your ads. With that level of targeting, you have the opportunity for higher conversion rates since you are showing ads to people who are specifically looking for what you sell.

• Measurable ROI: You can track all aspects of your Google Ads campaign, impressions, clicks, conversions, and sales. The data is there, so you can optimize your campaigns for the best return on investment (ROI).

• Competitive Edge: It may be hard to gain organic rankings in competitive markets. Google Ads will allow your business to stay visible in a competitive market so your potential customers will see your business before they get to the competition.
  

Challenges of Google Ads for SEO

• Cost: Any company that has used Google Ads has likely gone through a phase where they made excessive expenditures for it. For instance, bidding on high competition terms can get very expensive, and with a reasonable budget, even more so, especially if you are bidding hundreds or thousands. 

• Short term: Google ads disappear the minute you stop running and so does the traffic. For this reason, Google ads are not the best option for long term SEO success.

   

Benefits of Organic Strategy for SEO

• Sustainable Growth: Organic strategies generate results that can last for years rather than just a month. After investing your time and resources to get your content ranking high on Google, your content can drive traffic to your website all year round and at no cost.

• Increased Credibility: Research shows that users trust an organic result more than they do a paid advertisement. If your brand ranks organically for a certain service or product, that will enhance your brand credibility and authority in your space.

• Cost Effective: Although it takes an investment of time and resources to set up an organic strategy, over time it is usually more cost effective than continuing to put that money into Google Ads.

• Better User Experience: Many components of an effective organic strategy involve enhancing user experience, like site speed, mobile responsiveness, and quality of content. Enhancing these features improve SEO AND create a better experience for the user.

Challenges of Organic Strategy for SEO

• Time-Consuming: Organic SEO takes time to establish. It can take several months to see noticeable changes in your rankings and thus is a slower process than simply running a Google Ads campaign and seeing immediate results.

• High Competition: It can be difficult to get to the top of the rankings organically, especially in competitive industries. You will need to continually maintain, deliver frequent content, link-building, and improvements to your technical SEO.

Google Ads vs. Organic Strategy: Which Is Better for SEO?

Selecting between Google Ads and an organic strategy for SEO will ultimately come down to your goals and capabilities.

Opt for Google Ads: if you are looking for a fast solution, you have the budget for paid advertising, and your goal is short-term, such as marketing a new product or service.

Opt for Organic Strategy: if you want long-term sustainable growth, you want to create authority, and you want a cost-effective strategy for improving your SEO.

There is no one clear answer to, “Google Ads vs. organic strategy; is one better than the other for SEO?” Each has its pros and cons. For many businesses, the combination will be the most beneficial—using Google Ads to generate immediate traffic, while working on building their organic presence.

You can evaluate your business goals and budget plan, in order to create a strategy that incorporates both Google Ads and organic SEO elements, to increase visibility and reach your future goals in 2024 and beyond.