Ads and SEO
Google Ads or SEO for a Newcastle business: which comes first?
Google Ads and SEO do different jobs on different timescales. Ads bring enquiries while you pay for them; SEO builds positions that keep working. The useful question is which one your business needs first.
Tell us about your business and what you need.
The short answer
Ads are a tap. SEO is a slow build.
Choosing between Google Ads or SEO starts with how each works. Google Ads are paid listings: you pay each time someone clicks, and the enquiries stop when the spending stops. SEO is the work that earns unpaid positions in Google’s results and on the map. It produces little for months, then keeps producing.
A business that needs work in a fortnight has one option. A business building something over years has the other. Most businesses eventually want both.
How they differ
Where each one is stronger
- Ads are faster
- Enquiries can arrive within days of switching on.
- Ads are good for testing
- A few weeks of ads shows which search terms turn into enquiries, which is useful before writing pages.
- SEO costs less over time
- Positions keep working after the spending stops.
- SEO reaches the map
- Many local enquiries start on the map, where the unpaid positions are earned rather than bought.
Ads also give more control. You choose which searches you appear for and can change them in an afternoon. With SEO you earn positions gradually.
Comparing cost
How to compare what each costs
Ads cost a click fee plus management, and the click fee varies a lot by trade. In competitive Newcastle trades a single click can cost far more than owners expect. SEO costs mostly someone’s time, and the return depends on how crowded the trade is and how much is already in place.
- Measure cost per enquiry
- Not cost per click or per month. It is the only number that compares the two fairly.
- Give SEO at least six months
- Judging it sooner measures the slowest part of the curve.
- Track where enquiries come from
- Without tracking, both channels are guesswork.
A simple sum helps. Multiply what a click costs in your trade and area by the number of monthly searches, then allow for how many clicks become enquiries. If the total is comfortable, ads can be a long term answer. If it is not, that gap is the value of ranking.
Where to start
Which one to start with
- You need enquiries this month
- Start with ads.
- Your Google Business Profile is half finished
- Finish it first. It is free and often the quickest improvement available.
- The business is brand new
- Ads first. SEO builds on reviews and history the business does not have yet.
- You are established and well reviewed
- SEO can move faster here, because much of the groundwork already exists.
- Clicks in your trade are expensive
- SEO matters more, because every click you do not pay for is real money.
Running both
What running both looks like
Many businesses that do well follow the same sequence. Ads carry the enquiries while search positions build, then the ad budget on those searches shrinks as the positions hold. The ads also show which search terms bring customers, and those are the terms to build pages around.
Running both spreads the risk. A business relying on one map position can have a bad quarter after an algorithm change, and one relying only on ads goes quiet after a budget cut.
Ads can be paused and restarted when cash is tight. SEO work cannot be paused for long without losing ground. That flexibility belongs in the decision too.
The short version
For most Newcastle businesses the order is: finish the Google Business Profile, run ads for the enquiries you need now, and build SEO for later.
From clients
What clients say about working with spareday
“Excellent in all facets of web design with particular expertise in SEO and email marketing. Online visibility has skyrocketed since working Reece which translates as flawless customer relations, new leads and new customers.”
“He created a stunning website for us that captures and nurtures leads with an automated email marketing system, which has filled a huge gap in the business and saved a lot of time (and money!).”
“He was able to take our rough ideas, from concept through to reality. The site has provided an influx of new members, helping to keep our club viable.”
Official guidance
For independent background, read the official guidance on advertising your business and Google’s SEO starter guide.
Common questions
Questions people ask.
Which is cheaper?
Over a year or more, usually SEO, because positions keep working after spending stops. In any single month, ads are more predictable.
Can I do both on a small budget?
Yes. A small ad budget on your two best searches alongside free profile work covers both timescales.
How long before I can turn ads off?
When the searches you were paying for bring enquiries without the ads. For most businesses that is a gradual reduction over many months.
Do ads help my search ranking?
Not directly. They do show which search terms are worth building pages around.
How does spareday charge?
spareday quotes one price for the work your business needs, agreed in writing before anything starts. The figure depends on what the business needs, and it comes with your quote.
Who you’ll work with
Hi, I’m Reece.
spareday is my business, based here in Newcastle. You’ll deal with me from the first review of your website, and I’m the person you talk to each month about what’s working.
Find us
spareday in Newcastle.
12 Grey Street, Wickham, Newcastle NSW 2293.
Next step
Get a quote for ads, SEO or both.
Tell us about your business and how soon you need enquiries. We will talk through the details and send you a quote.
Get a free quoteOr call 0485 017 387.