SEO vs. PPC: How to Choose & When to Use Each

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving your website so it ranks higher in organic (unpaid) search results, helping you attract long-term traffic. 

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising is when you pay to appear at the top of search results, on websites, or across social platforms, and you’re charged each time someone clicks your ad. 

When it comes to SEO and PPC, it’s not always about choosing one over the other. PPC delivers quick visibility, while SEO builds sustainable, long-term growth. Many businesses stack them together — using PPC for immediate results and SEO as the foundation for lasting success.

The question of which is better – SEO or PPC ads– plagues marketing teams. The answer, however, isn’t very clear.

To help you make sense of this question, we’ve put together a guide that covers the pros and cons of both SEO and PPC. By the end, you should have a better understanding of which digital marketing strategy is right for your business.

What is SEO? 

SEO is the process of optimizing your website in order to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) without paying for advertising.

Content ranking at the top of SERPs earn more traffic. In fact, the number one spot on SERPs earn about a third of all clicks. 

This increases traffic to the site, resulting in more leads and potential revenue. As a result, how a site ranks on SERPs can have a big impact on a business’s bottom line. 

SEO includes on-page and off-page marketing tactics, such as: 

• keyword research
• link building
• content optimization. 

When done correctly, SEO can be a powerful tool for growing your website’s traffic.

Search leading SEO Companies on Clutch. 

What is PPC? 

PPC, on the other hand, refers to using paid promotional tools, such as pay-per-click (PPC) ads, to boost your website’s visibility on search results pages.

These ads function on a bidding system, where advertisers compete for keywords and only pay when someone clicks. 

PPC ads are displayed at the top of SERPs, above the organic results. The increased visibility makes them more likely to be clicked on, and are 50% more likely to convert. PPC ads are also used on platforms like social media, shopping sites, and display networks to target audiences with sponsored posts, product listings, or banner ads. 

They’re usually labeled as “sponsored” or “ad” to help users differentiate them from organic listings.

Now that we’ve looked at the difference between SEO and PPC, let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of each.

Find a leading PPC Company on Clutch. 

The Pros and Cons of SEO vs PPC Ads

As you learn about the benefits and disadvantages of organic vs paid marketing, you'll better understand what they do and when you should leverage them. Here’s a breakdown of how they stack up, side by side, based on key factors:

The Pros of SEO:

Here are some of the biggest benefits SEO provides: 

• Builds credibility and trust. Creating helpful blog posts, articles, and thought leadership content makes you more credible and trustworthy in the eyes of users. By establishing authority on a topic, search engines will rank you higher.
• Lower cost in the long run. A Clutch survey showed that most SEO project costs are under $10,000. For many businesses, paying for ads long-term is not a sustainable or sensible way to grow. If you want to keep your marketing expenses down, you should focus on SEO and content marketing tactics.
• Increased brand awareness and reach. Well-executed SEO can help you attract new users, even if they don’t click on your website immediately. 

The Cons of SEO:

While organic marketing is reliable over the long run, it has its problems. Here are some of the biggest issues companies face:

• Takes longer to see results. Unlike PPC ads, which can start generating traffic to your website almost immediately, it can take anywhere from 6 months to over a year to see the results of your SEO efforts
• More difficult to track ROI. Because SEO drives results across multiple touchpoints and time frames, it makes ROI more complex to measure than PPC. While analytics tools help, it’s not always possible to tie every conversion directly to SEO.
• Competitors can easily outrank your content. If your competitors are using the same keywords as you and have a higher Domain Authority (DA), they may be able to outrank you in SERPs, even if your content is better.
• Subject to algorithm changes. Google constantly changes its algorithms, which can impact your website's positioning for different keywords. If you're not on top of these changes, you could see a sudden drop in traffic.

The Pros of PPC Ads:

PPC comes with a number of advantages, including:

• Immediate results. Once your ad is live, it will start generating traffic to your website right away.
• More control over results. With PPC ads, you can control who sees your ad, when they see it, and how often they see it. You can also target a specific location or demographic.
• Easier to track ROI. Because you're paying for your results, it's easier to track the return on your investment.
• Nimble testing. You can test different messages and strategies and quickly see what works and what doesn't, helping you optimize your ads.

The Cons of PPC Ads:

While you get immediate results with PPC, it’s not the best option for some businesses. Here’s why: 

• PPC ads are expensive. A Clutch survey showed that average PPC project costs range from $10,000 to $49,999. In order to see results from your PPC ads, you need to be willing to spend money. Depending on your industry and the keywords you're targeting, you could end up spending a lot of money.
• Constant monitoring. Once your ad is live, you need to keep watching it to make sure it's performing well. If it's not, you need to make changes to improve your results immediately or you stand to lose money and the opportunity to convert visitors to customers.
• No longevity. Once you stop paying for your ad, it will no longer appear in SERPs. This means you need to constantly be willing to spend money on PPC ads to see results.

When Should You Use SEO vs. PPC Ads?

So, we're down to the big question: when should you use SEO vs PPC ads?

The answer is: it depends.

There are a number of factors you need to take into account when deciding which approach to take and when. Here are some different scenarios to help you decide when to use SEO and when to use PPC ads:

When to Use SEO

• You need to build brand authority over time: Create SEO-optimized thought leadership blogs and resources to earn backlinks and trust that compounds over time.
• You’re competing in low–medium keyword difficulty markets: Target keywords where competition is moderate, making it easier to rank organically and capture steady traffic.
• You have a limited marketing budget: Invest in SEO-friendly content and local optimization to build ongoing visibility without paying for every click.

When to Use PPC

• You’re launching a new product: Run Google Ads for the new product to generate immediate visibility and sign-ups, while SEO rankings build over time.
• You’re in a competitive market with high SERP turnover: Investing in PPC ensures stable visibility if you’re seeing shifting organic rankings and SEO results.
• You’re targeting immediate sales: Bid on high-intent keywords (e.g. “buy iPhone 15 online” for electronics sales/retailers) to capture ready-to-purchase customers and drive quick conversions. 

These aren’t one-size-fits-all scenarios or answers to the question of which is better. In general, leverage ads if you want immediate results and have the budget to scale quickly.

And focus on organic content marketing and SEO to not just find customers now but also in the future from a piece of content you create today.

Making SEO and PPC Ads Work Together

You should know that SEO and advertising are not mutually exclusive marketing activities. They can benefit each other.

How?

While working on your content marketing and search optimization effort, you'll find better keywords with lower competition to use in your PPC ads. You'll save money, get more relevant leads, and drive up conversions.

And secondly, PPC can help you improve your SEO by driving more traffic to your website, building quick brand awareness, and helping you test different keywords and landing pages.

It's important to simultaneously work on both your SEO and your PPC ads to make the most of your marketing budget and get the best results for your business.

Here are some tactical ways to use SEO and PPC together:

• Use PPC to boost top-performing SEO pages: Drive traffic to your most valuable pages and content; also effective for new websites or pieces of content that have yet to rank organically.
• Retarget organic visitors with PPC ads: Use ads to retarget site visitors that didn’t convert.
• Test ad headlines for SEO title tags: Use ad performance data to gauge and refine before investing too much into SEO.
• Dominate SERP by combining paid + organic for the same keyword: Ensures you appear multiple times in search results for important keywords, giving you more chances to attract clicks.

When done correctly, SEO and PPC ads can create a virtuous circle that helps you attract more visitors, get more leads, and close more sales.

SEO vs. PPC: Frequently Asked Questions 

Does SEO or PPC have a better conversion rate?

SEO typically delivers a 2.4% conversion rate while PPC sits at around 1.3%.  

How long does SEO take vs PPC?

Seeing SEO results can take from 6 to 12+ months, since it depends on content, backlinks, and search engine indexing. PPC produces immediate visibility and traffic as soon as campaigns are launched.

Can small businesses compete in PPC?

PPC by targeting niche keywords, refining audience targeting, and carefully managing budgets. However, competition and cost can be high in certain industries.

Is it better to run SEO and PPC together?

Many businesses see the best results by running both. SEO builds long-term visibility, while PPC drives immediate traffic and can fill gaps while SEO efforts grow.

Additional reading 

• 17 Content Optimization Tips To Boost Traffic and Conversions
• Benefits of Digital Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing
• Ethical SEO Marketing in the Era of Misinformation
   

About the Author

Syed Balkhi Founder at WPBeginner

Syed Balkhi is the founder of WPBeginner, the largest free WordPress resource site. With over 10 years of experience, he’s the leading WordPress expert in the industry. You can learn more about Syed and his portfolio of companies by following him on his social media networks.

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