Google Ads bring enquiries quickly, often within days, but they stop the moment you stop paying. SEO takes 3 to 6 months to show meaningful results but keeps working without a cost per click. If you need work now, start with ads. If you want lasting visibility, invest in SEO. Many businesses run ads while their SEO builds, then reduce the ad spend.
| SEO | Google Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| How fast it works | Months | Days |
| What you pay for | The work, as a monthly fee | Every click, plus management |
| What happens if you stop | Results fade gradually | Enquiries stop immediately |
| Where you appear | The normal results, Google Maps and AI answers | The sponsored results at the top |
| Best for | Lasting visibility and trust | Fast results, launches and seasonal demand |
When you need enquiries soon: a new business with no visibility, a quiet period, or a service you want to push. Ads let you appear at the top straight away for the searches you choose. You pay Google for each click, so the budget needs watching.
When you plan to be in business for years. Once your site ranks, the clicks cost nothing extra, and people tend to trust the normal results and the map listings. SEO also covers things ads cannot buy, such as showing up when someone asks an AI tool for a recommendation.
Often, yes. Ads cover the months while SEO builds, and they show you which searches actually turn into enquiries, which tells you what to focus the SEO on. Our Lead Engine plan combines the two: SEO plus Google Ads managed for you, at £675 a month on a 12-month plan. The ad spend is paid by you directly to Google.
It depends on your trade. In competitive trades each click on an ad can be expensive, so SEO usually works out cheaper per enquiry over time. Over a few weeks, ads are cheaper because SEO has not had time to work.
No. Paying for ads does not move you up the normal results. They are separate systems.
It depends on what a click costs in your trade and how many enquiries you want. A sensible approach is to start small, measure the enquiries, and increase what works.
Yes, but it is easy to waste money on the wrong searches. Managed ads cost a fee but usually waste less of the budget.
Some do and some skip them. That is one reason to be visible in the ads, the map results and the normal results where you can.
From £225 a month on a 12-month plan, or £249 a month rolling, plus VAT.
Tell us what you need and we will tell you honestly what it would take and what it would cost. Free, with no obligation.