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Google Ads or SEO: what to do first on a limited budget

· 2 min read · zip

Ads work from day one and stop the moment you stop paying. SEO is slow, but it stays. When the budget is small, the order matters more than the choice.

The difference in one sentence

With ads you pay for every click and get results from day one. With SEO you work towards showing up for free, but the first results take weeks or months.

When ads come first

  • You need enquiries this month, not in six months.
  • You want to check quickly whether anyone searches for your service in your area.
  • Your business is seasonal and you need to be visible exactly in season.

When SEO comes first

  • You’re not in a hurry and would rather invest in something that lasts.
  • Clicks are expensive in your field.
  • People search for you by name or neighbourhood, and you don’t show up there yet.

The order we recommend

  1. Free things first: an accurate Google Business profile and a site that clearly says what you do and where. Without them, neither ads nor SEO work well.
  2. A small ads test: one or two services, only your area, with call tracking. In a month you know what an enquiry costs you.
  3. SEO in the background: a page for each main service, reviews and the occasional article. It keeps working when the ads stop.

The most common mistake

Running ads to a site that doesn’t turn visitors into enquiries. Then you pay for clicks that get lost. Before ads, check that someone can see in three seconds what you do and how to contact you.