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Google Ads or SEO: which should a small business do first?
Both put you in front of people who are searching. One is rented and immediate. The other is slow and stays. Which comes first depends on where your business is today.
01 · The difference
Rent or build
Ads appear as soon as you pay and vanish when you stop. You choose the searches, the area and the hours.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) earns unpaid positions through useful pages and a sound website. It takes months and nobody controls the result, but it keeps working without a cost per click.
02 · How to choose
Four situations
New business, no customers yet. A small ads budget brings calls now. Start search work at the same time.
Established, busy, want steadier work. Search work and your Google Business Profile first.
Seasonal trade. Ads in the weeks that matter, search work all year.
Tiny budget. Neither, yet. Complete your Google Business Profile, which is free, and ask every customer for a review.
03 · Either way
Two things to get right first
Somewhere worth sending people: a clear page with one next step. And tracking, so you can see what the money did.
See Google and Meta ads and search engine optimisation (SEO) for how we run each.
04 · Quick answers
In one line each.
Do Google Ads improve my SEO?
No. They are separate systems.
Which is cheaper?
Ads cost money for every click. Search work costs time and effort up front. Over a long period, search work usually costs less per customer, but it is slower to start.
Can I do my Google Business Profile myself?
Yes. It is free, and our guide lists what to fill in first.
05 · Keep reading
More plain guides.
Start here
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