The question isn't "Ads or SEO?" — it's "Which one when?" Both channels have their strengths, and the best strategy often combines the two.
Google Ads: Instant visibility
- Advantage: Position 1 immediately — within hours
- Advantage: Full control over budget and target audience
- Advantage: Perfect for launches, promotions and seasonal business
- Disadvantage: Costs per click (€2–15 depending on the industry)
- Disadvantage: As soon as you stop paying, you disappear
- Disadvantage: Click fraud and increasing competition
SEO: Sustainable traffic
- Advantage: Free traffic — once built up, it keeps flowing
- Advantage: Greater trust (organic results get more clicks)
- Advantage: Grows over time: every new article strengthens the entire domain
- Disadvantage: Takes 3–6 months before results become visible
- Disadvantage: Requires continuous work (content, optimisation)
- Disadvantage: The Google algorithm can change
The optimal strategy
Phase 1 (months 1–3): Google Ads
Start with ads for instant visibility. Use the data to learn: which keywords convert? Which landing pages work?
Phase 2 (months 3–6): Build up SEO
Alongside the ads, start with SEO: blog content, knowledge pages, city pages, schema markup. The Google Ads data shows you the best keywords.
Phase 3 (from month 6): Reduce ads
Once organic rankings take hold, you can reduce your ads budget and invest in SEO content. The combination of paid and organic traffic is ideal.
Our tip
Don't invest only in ads — that's like paying rent. SEO is like owning your own home: it takes more effort at the start, but pays off in the long run.