SEO vs PPC: Why Pay for SEO When You’re Already Running Paid Ads?

Are paid ads enough, or does your website need SEO too? If you’re already investing in digital advertising, you might wonder whether SEO is worth the additional investment. This post explores why many successful businesses—especially small and new enterprises—use both strategies rather than choosing between them.

Different Jobs, Different Results

Paid advertising and SEO serve complementary purposes:

Paid advertising delivers immediate visibility and traffic. You pay, your ads appear, and visitors come to your site right away. It’s like hiring a megaphone to announce your presence in a crowded marketplace.

SEO builds lasting visibility and trust. It improves how your website ranks in organic (non-paid) search results, creating a foundation for sustainable traffic that doesn’t disappear when you stop paying.

The Cost of Ignoring SEO

According to research by BrightEdge, organic search drives 53.3% of all website traffic, while paid search accounts for just 15% (BrightEdge, 2019). By focusing solely on paid ads, you’re potentially missing more than half of your available audience.

For small businesses with limited marketing budgets, this missed opportunity can be particularly damaging. When every marketing pound must work harder, ignoring the channel that delivers the majority of potential customers is risky at best.

When You Stop Paying for Ads…

When your ad budget runs out or campaigns end, the traffic stops immediately. This creates a dependency on continuous ad spending to maintain visibility—a vulnerability that many small businesses can ill afford.

Contrastingly, SEO investments accumulate over time. A study by Ahrefs found that 95% of newly published pages don’t reach the top 10 search results within a year, but those that do continue generating traffic for years after the initial optimisation work (Ahrefs, 2020).

This sustainability is particularly valuable for new businesses that need to establish their presence without draining limited financial resources. While it takes longer to see results from SEO, the long-term payoff often outweighs the immediate gains from advertising alone.

The Compounding Effect of SEO

The compounding nature of SEO creates substantial long-term advantages. According to a study by Conductor, the ROI from SEO increases over time, with businesses seeing an average of 275% growth in ROI from their SEO efforts within three years (Conductor, 2023).

This compounding effect is particularly valuable for small businesses that need predictable traffic without constant investment. While Google Ads might deliver immediate visibility, their effectiveness disappears the moment spending stops. Conversely, SEO continues working long after the initial investment.

A survey by BrightLocal found that 69% of small businesses that invested in SEO reported improved rankings within the first six months, with the benefits continuing to increase in subsequent quarters (BrightLocal, 2023).

Trust Signals Matter: The Psychology of Search

Consumers increasingly differentiate between results from paid ads and organic results:

• 70-80% of users ignore paid ads and focus on organic results (Search Engine Journal)
• 70% of marketers see SEO as more effective for generating sales than PPC (Along, 2022)

This suggests many users trust organic results more than advertisements—a psychological factor that small businesses can leverage to build credibility.

For new businesses, this trust factor is even more critical. Without an established reputation, appearing in organic search results provides a valuable trust signal to potential customers who may be skeptical of unknown brands.

Research by Nielsen found that 92% of consumers trust organic search results more than all other forms of advertising, highlighting the credibility advantage that organic visibility provides (Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report).

The Cost of Digital Invisibility

In today’s competitive market, digital visibility isn’t optional—it’s essential for survival. Without strategic SEO, your business essentially becomes invisible to potential customers actively searching for your products or services.

Consider these sobering statistics:

• 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results (HubSpot, 2022)
• 28% of searches for local businesses result in a purchase (Think with Google)
• 46% of all Google searches are seeking local information (Search Engine Roundtable, 2022)

While your competitors occupy valuable search real estate, each day without SEO means potential customers are finding them instead of you. This invisibility creates a widening competitive gap that becomes increasingly difficult to close.

For new businesses without established brand recognition, this lack of visibility often determines whether they thrive or struggle. As search algorithms increasingly favour established, optimised websites, the cost of delaying SEO implementation grows exponentially.

The Cost-Effectiveness Question

SEO typically delivers a better long-term return on investment:

• The average cost per acquisition (CPA) for SEO is £11-16, compared to £45-48 for search ads (FirstPageSage, 2022)
• SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (including PPC) average just 1.7% (Search Engine Journal)

For small businesses with limited resources, this efficiency difference is particularly significant. Every pound must work harder, and SEO often delivers better value than paid ads over time.

The Small Business Advantage in SEO

Interestingly, small businesses can sometimes have an advantage in certain aspects of SEO. Local search optimisation offers a less competitive landscape where smaller players can effectively compete against larger corporations.

A study by Moz found that small businesses focusing on local SEO saw an average increase of 35% in non-branded search traffic within six months (Moz Local Search Ranking Factors, 2021).

These local search opportunities are particularly valuable for service-based businesses and retailers who depend on geographical proximity to customers.

The Best of Both Worlds: An Integrated Approach

The most successful digital marketing strategies use both SEO and paid advertising:

1. Use paid ads for immediate results while SEO builds momentum
2. Leverage SEO data to improve ad performance by identifying high-converting keywords
3. Retarget organic visitors with ads to improve conversion rates
4. Test messaging with ads before committing to SEO content strategy
5. Target different stages of the customer journey with each channel

For small and new businesses, this integrated approach of both organic SEO and paid ads offers both immediate visibility and long-term sustainability—a powerful combination for growth.

Real-World Success Stories

A report by Search Engine Journal documented how Gymshark, the UK-based fitness apparel company, leveraged SEO alongside their social media and paid advertising efforts during their early growth phase. Their focus on optimising product pages for specific search terms contributed significantly to their rapid rise from small startup to global brand with over £500 million in annual revenue (Search Engine Journal, 2022).

Similarly, Funding Circle, the UK peer-to-peer lending marketplace, reported that their investment in SEO alongside their paid advertising campaigns led to a 20% increase in organic loan applications while reducing their overall customer acquisition costs by 15%.

John Lewis Partnership reported that improving their SEO strategy alongside their established PPC campaigns increased their organic traffic by 47% and their overall digital sales by 31% during the 2021 holiday season (Internet Retailing, 2022).

The Hidden Costs of Delay

Perhaps the most compelling reason to invest in SEO now is the cost of delay. Unlike paid advertising, SEO requires time to build momentum. The longer you wait, the further ahead your competitors advance.

Data from SEMrush shows that websites that achieve top-ranking positions typically have been optimising their SEO for 2-3 years longer than lower-ranked competitors, demonstrating the cumulative advantage of early investment (SEMrush Ranking Factors, 2023).

For small businesses, this delay can translate to thousands of pounds in lost revenue and higher long-term marketing costs.

Conclusion

Paid advertising and SEO aren’t competing strategies—they’re complementary. While paid ads deliver immediate results, SEO builds lasting value and credibility. For sustainable growth, most businesses—especially small and new enterprises—benefit from investing in both.

The real question isn’t whether you should pay for SEO when you already have ads, but rather how to balance your investment between these two essential digital marketing channels. With limited budgets, strategic allocation becomes even more crucial.

By combining the immediate impact of paid advertising with the long-term benefits of SEO, businesses can create a marketing strategy that delivers both quick wins and sustainable growth—a balanced approach that builds not just traffic, but lasting business success.