Should businesses apply Google Ads or SEO for sustainable development?

Search Ads (Google Ads Search) and SEO are the two main methods of Search Engine Marketing (marketing through search engines). But which is the better option for sustainable results for businesses: SEO or Google Ads?

Both platforms have similarities, but of course, they also have differences. Therefore, to make an informed decision on which method is the most suitable for your company, you need to carefully consider your company’s current situation. Of course, you also need to identify the common ground between your marketing goals and solutions, as well as the impact of both methods.

In this article, SEONGON will analyze the pros and cons of these two tools, and more importantly, will help you decide which platform to choose for your business.

1. Overview of Google Ads Search and SEO

Google is the most popular search engine worldwide and in Vietnam. Most of us “Google” whenever we have any need. For a business to reach users, it must appear on the first page of search results, with higher positions being better. There are two types of results:

• Google Ads search results: These are the results that are bolded or highlighted in the first 3-4 positions or the last 2-3 positions of the search page, with the word “Ad” next to them.

• Organic search results (SEO results): These are the search results displayed “naturally” among the ads.

The basic difference between Google Ads Search (search ads) and SEO, besides the display position, lies in the time and investment costs.

• Google Ads Search: Your result will appear in the top positions immediately. However, you will have to pay for each click users make on your search result.

• SEO: You need to spend time and effort building a reputable website and useful content to reach the “top.” However, you do not have to pay Google; all clicks on SEO results are free.

These are the fundamental differences. Let’s dive deeper into the pros and cons of Google Ads Search and SEO.

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2. Google Ads Search

Advantages of Google Ads Search

• Fast results
  As mentioned above, once you create a campaign and load money into your Google Ads account, your ad will be prioritized to appear before thousands of potential customers, and if done well, you will see conversions and revenue immediately.

• Machine Learning technology
  Currently, Google uses Machine Learning technology to support advertisers. Therefore, while monitoring and controlling account reports, you will gradually understand how to optimize costs and increase conversion effectiveness to attract even more potential customers.

• Brand awareness
  With Google Ads, you only pay for each click. So even if users don’t click on the ad, they will still see and remember your brand (for free!).

• Remarketing to website visitors
  One more great thing about Google Ads Search (and Google Ads in general) is that you can retarget users who have previously visited your website.

For example: A user visits your website to view a men’s suit, but they are just browsing and have no intention of purchasing. A week later, they are ready to buy and… search on Google again. With Remarketing Search Ads, you can show personalized ads to that user, such as: “Don’t miss the suit you liked earlier.”

• Easy ad performance measurement
  Google has developed a very detailed system for controlling, measuring, and optimizing ads. The prerequisite is that you must set up proper “conversions” on your website. You will know if each click through your ad is profitable, how much revenue it generates, which keywords/ads work best, and more.

Disadvantages of Google Ads Search

• Complex and requires expertise
  You can start setting up a Google Ads campaign relatively easily and achieve some results with basic knowledge. However, in the long run, to compete and achieve sustainable results, you need deep expertise.

• High competition
  As discussed above, the Google Ads advertising market is highly competitive in most industries. Any company, large or small, that wants to market online will likely jump into Google Ads and Facebook Ads first.

• High long-term costs
  You will need to continuously spend on ads to maintain your position on Google. As soon as you stop advertising (or run out of funds), your ads will no longer appear, and your competitors will take your customers. Unlike SEO results, which will not disappear once you stop paying.

• Restrictions from Google policies
  Certain industries are restricted or banned from advertising on Google, such as alcohol, tobacco, adult products, and third-party services (repair services, printer ink refills…). More details can be found here.

If you’re in one of these industries, SEO may be your only chance to reach customers on Google.

3. SEO

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Advantages of SEO

• (Almost) Free
  Unlike Google Ads, when your result appears to users and they click on it, you won’t spend a dime. This is why most websites around the world highly value SEO—it helps them generate hundreds of thousands, even millions, of free traffic each month.

By not having to pay for each click (CPC), SEO is much more cost-effective in the long run (6-9 months or more) compared to Google Ads. The only cost is paying an agency to help improve your website’s ranking, and maintenance costs are negligible.

• Reach more potential customers
  If you run Google Ads Search, to ensure a positive ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), you’ll focus on keywords that generate the most conversions, representing the 2-5% of customers with the highest intent to purchase. However, 95-98% of potential customers (who are not yet ready to buy) will be left out. If you advertise to these people, advertising costs would be too high and you wouldn’t achieve a profit.

With SEO, you don’t have to pay for each click, so you can expand your reach to many more potential customers.

In a real project by SEONGON, the customer using SEO services paid only half the cost of Google Ads, but the traffic from SEO was clearly superior.

Traffic from SEO is more cost-effective than Google Ads:

In SEONGON’s actual projects, it has been shown that over the long term, SEO is more cost-effective and allows for greater customer reach compared to Google Ads.

• SEO traffic converts better
  Before discussing this point, you should refer to Bright Edge’s latest report on the impact and importance of Organic Search (natural search) on marketing campaigns.

Users who visit a website via Google usually have a clearer intent and are thus easier to convert compared to other channels. Especially for users who come via organic search results (SEO), they tend to trust and view the brand as more credible than those who clicked on paid ads. Therefore, the conversion rate from SEO is typically higher than from Google Ads Search.

• Sustainable results from SEO investment
  With Google Ads, you can quickly rise to the top, but you can also fall just as quickly. When many competitors are competing for the same product/service, advertising costs will rise immediately—and eventually, it will surpass the profit you generate. Google Ads is easy to start, and the results come quickly, so the number of competitors will keep increasing. The moment you stop paying for ads, you disappear from customer view.

On the other hand, with SEO, it’s harder to get to the top, but it’s also harder to fall back down. First, there are costs and investments needed for content. To rank for many keywords, your website must be technically optimized and user-friendly. Additionally, you need a lot of content and time for Google to deem your site as credible for users. Because of these barriers, there will be fewer competitors in SEO than in paid ads.

SEO results are more sustainable. Even if you do nothing, your website can maintain its position for 3-6 months, and the maintenance costs are very low.

In summary, investing in SEO means your traffic and brand will continue to grow.

Disadvantages of SEO

• It takes time to achieve good rankings
  This is one of the reasons why many businesses hesitate to do SEO in a systematic way. Let’s explore this.

SEO, when done properly, generally takes a lot of time and effort. SEONGON’s experience with SEO projects typically shows that achieving the best results takes around 6-12 months.

This is in stark contrast to Google Ads, where results come quickly with little effort!

• It takes even more time to see revenue from SEO
  During the SEO process, the revenue impact is almost zero. Things only start to improve when the website reaches good rankings for several keywords. For this reason, many businesses are hesitant to invest in SEO.

If you’re uncertain about the effectiveness of SEO, SEONGON often recommends businesses run Google Ads first to test, or use both methods simultaneously.

• Google’s algorithm
  The huge benefits of SEO make some SEO practitioners attempt to get to the top as quickly as possible, which sometimes leads to poor-quality search results. To address this, Google continually updates its algorithms to eliminate search results that are not useful to users.

If your website violates these algorithms, you could see your rankings drop, or in severe cases, your site could be removed from search results entirely. In this case, you’ll have to start from scratch.

Currently, there are still many SEO practitioners in Vietnam who use these techniques to offer extremely cheap services, making “unrealistic” promises to businesses.

Be cautious, because after a short period of ranking in the top positions, your website may disappear from Google forever.

To avoid this scenario, either become an expert yourself or choose a reputable agency that adheres to Google’s policies. If you’re working with a suspicious agency, ask them the following questions:

• What projects have you worked on, and who are your clients?

• Show us the results you achieved, and how long did they last? Provide real proof.

• What’s your SEO plan? What’s your SEO timeline? What methods do you use to rank a website (agencies using shortcuts will usually lack a clear plan and use prohibited methods like backlinking, copying, or republishing content from other sites…)

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SEO vs. Google Ads: Which Advertising Method Should You Choose?

The answer to this question is: Neither method is inherently better than the other. If you have the resources, you should do both. Otherwise, decide based on the specific situation. Here are some tips from SEONGON for making a choice:

• If you’ve never used Google Ads or SEO and are unsure about their effectiveness, try Google Ads first.

• If you’ve used one but it hasn’t worked well, try the other.

• If one of them has worked well for you, continue using it and add the other. SEO and Google Ads don’t conflict; they complement each other to boost the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

• If you’re a small business with a limited budget and need quick results, go for Google Ads.

• If you’re an established business aiming to gain an advantage over competitors and expand revenue in the medium to long term, go for SEO.

And many other scenarios. Base your decision on your business’s current situation and marketing strategy to choose the most suitable and sustainable method for your business.

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