SEO and PPC are both fundamental components of a successful marketing strategy but they target audiences in critically different ways. 

SEO (search engine optimisation) is an ongoing process of improving a website’s visibility in organic (unpaid) search results through technical optimisation and trust signals. PPC (pay-per-click) is a form of paid advertising where companies bid to appear in sponsored positions at the top of the SERP (search engine results page). As the name suggests, you pay when someone clicks on the ad. 

Because PPC and SEO are so different, you might not know where to allocate your budget. So, let’s take a look at how each can benefit your business, and whether you will find more cost benefit in paid vs organic search. 

When is SEO best for your business?

Realistically, every business should invest in a consistent, experienced SEO team. This could be in house or outsourced. You are unlikely to be found on search engines if you don’t put the groundwork in. 

If your business is a tree, SEO forms a steadfast, complex root system that allows that tree to continue flourishing, even through periods of drought.

The benefits of SEO

Compounding returns: 

Rankings and traffic built through good SEO continue to deliver after the work is done, and the cost per lead often falls over time. This effect can be seen plainly in search results where websites that have not been modernised still sit at the top of the SERP because their established presence has amalgamated trust and authority over time. 

Even though your efforts can take approximately 6 months to generate results, they bring with them long term gain. This is the marketing equivalent of training for a marathon. Small, consistent progress that might not feel noticeable at first, but the rewards will become apparent over time. 

Comparatively, when you stop funding a PPC campaign, your landing page will disappear from the top of the SERP. 

The trust element: 

Being at the top of the search results holds a particular weight. You earned that position. You didn’t pay for it. Users understand that, even if they might not have any knowledge of the work that’s been done to get there. 

Broader intent coverage: 

SEO gives you the freedom to target customers at all stages of the marketing funnel, capturing informational searches alongside transactional searches. 

For example, building FAQ sections into service pages and creating a dedicated blog page that answers long tail keywords help customers find you indirectly in search engine results. With the rise of AI search, these elements are markedly more important.

Targets local search intent: 

Local SEO optimisation covers aspects of SEO that PPC cannot like Google Business Profile optimisation. For example, local SEO can be used to: 

• 
  Optimise your Google Business Profile to improve visibility in Google Search and Maps
• Target location specific keywords to appear for relevant local searches
• Build local citations and backlinks to strengthen local search visibility
• Optimise location pages to target searches in specific towns, cities or regions
• Encourage and manage customer reviews to support local search visibility and credibility

Backlinks and off page optimisation: 

SEO is made up of on page, off page, and technical strategies that work together to create a holistic online presence. 

For a deeper dive into the fundamentals of a comprehensive SEO strategy, take a look at our SEO White Paper. 

The drawbacks of SEO 

Time management: 

SEO can take a number of months before meaningful impressions begin to show, and this can be inconvenient for a business needing immediate results from their campaign. The rate of progress can depend on factors such as how competitive the industry is, search volume for industry specific keywords, your SEO budget and how it is allocated, and other unpredictable factors. 

This does not mean, by any measure, that SEO is not a vital component of your online marketing strategy, but it does require determination and patience. 

SEO requires consistency: 

SEO requires consistency. 

SEO is a little bit like plant care. Your website, in this case, is a temperamental houseplant. It needs ongoing attention. Access to sunlight, regular watering, fertiliser, pest control—these are all required to keep your plant healthy. If you forget to water it for a couple of weeks, the leaves will begin to curl and fall. You can revive it again with some TLC, but the slip in care means your plant will gradually decline in health and it will take additional work to bring it back. 

SEO works in a similar way. If the SEO work stops, you will see a decline in ranking metrics and traffic to your site. 

This is why having a sustainable SEO budget is key. 

SEO requires a multi disciplinary team: 

A strong SEO strategy consists of technical, analytical, PR, and content aspects that require a diverse range of skills. It can therefore be expensive to hire an in-house team to manage your SEO. 

If this is the case for your business, then outsourcing to a marketing agency with a team of experienced SEO strategists will be more effective. 

Conversion analytics are complex:

Unlike PPC, measuring ROI in SEO takes patience and the application of specialised tracking tools. It can be difficult to pin down exactly how a user discovered your website without them. 

However, data taken from a month ago can be as useful as data taken in real time. 

When is PPC best for your business?

Unlike SEO, not every business needs to invest in PPC.

The benefits of PPC

Speed: 

Unlike SEO, which can take time to build visibility and rankings, PPC can put your business in front of potential customers almost immediately. This can be beneficial if you require immediate exposure or are running a marketing campaign or promotion that is due to run for a limited period of time. 

Precision in audience targeting: 

With PPC, you can be astonishingly specific with how you target your audience. You can list specific behaviours you’ve identified are significant to your audience, and Google will display your ads on browsers where those behaviours are mirrored. For example, if your target audience frequently searches for car modifications, your ad could be placed at the top of their search results to advertise chrome wheel trims. 

You can also narrow down your audience using: 

• Affinity segments: Passions, habits and interests
• Custom segments: Keywords, visited URLs and Apps
• Detailed demographics: Life events, recent purchase intent 
• Data segments: reach customers who previously interacted with your business 
• Customer intent 

Greater control: 

In SEO, content and meta data will contain the relevant keywords that you want to rank for, but there is no concrete method ensuring you rank for those keywords. 

In PPC, however, keyword targeting is precise. Search engines allow advertisers to control how closely a user's search must match their chosen keywords. The three main match types are:



• Broad match: Gives your ads the widest reach by allowing them to appear for searches related to the meaning of your keyword, including variations and related searches. For example, searches that include the word ‘carpet,’ ‘rug,’ or related words. These have a lower CTR (click through rate) than phrase match and exact match keywords. 
• Phrase match: Offers more control by targeting searches that include selected keywords, without the search being an exact match to that phrase. For example, if one of your phrase match keywords is ‘natural fibre carpet,’ then you would appear in searches like ‘natural fibre carpet cream,’ or ‘local natural fibre carpet company.’ 
• Exact match: If you choose exact match keywords, then your paid ad will only show in searches for that exact phrase. If you choose ‘natural fibre carpet’ as an exact match keyword, your ad will only appear if someone searches ‘natural fibre carpet’ with no other words surrounding it. This will result in lower visibility but ROAS (return on ad spend) can be higher. 

Clear conversion metrics: 

Ad managers give clear data on clicks, conversions, cost per click, cost per conversion, and a wide range of other metrics. You can monitor progress and adjust budget/campaigns accordingly. 

Guaranteed visibility: 

The ‘rule of seven’ is a marketing principle coined by Dr. Jeffrey Lant. It states that a consumer needs to be exposed to a branded marketing message at least 7 times before they take action. 

PPC guarantees you are placed in front of your target customer exactly when they need to see you. 

Drawbacks of PPC

Short term results:

PPC visibility only lasts as long as you are paying. As soon as your campaign ends, you will no longer appear on page one of the search results, unless you have a strong SEO presence. 

You cannot successfully build a business on paid ads alone, unless you plan to fund them for the duration of the company’s lifespan. They should be considered a supplement to a broader marketing plan that includes an ongoing SEO strategy. 

Cost can vary considerably: 

The cost of PPC can vary significantly depending on the keywords you target and the industry you operate in. Highly competitive keywords typically have a higher CPC (cost per click) which means they may result in lower ROAS. 

It is worth keeping in mind that PPC can provide more immediate visibility for competitive terms that organic rankings may take longer to achieve. For this reason, you will need to carefully weigh the benefits of exposure against the likelihood of seeing a return. This is something an experienced PPC team will be able to assist with. 

Poor management can haemorrhage funds:  

PPC campaigns require expert oversight because poorly managed campaigns can very quickly drain your funds with little return. 

Ad blindness: 

Some users will deliberately skip sponsored results on search engines as they don’t trust companies that have paid to be at the top of search engines. 

So, SEO or PPC?

How SEO and PPC can work together

PPC and SEO work more in tandem than you might think. When you use PPC, you target a higher quality of customer who is specifically searching for the service you provide. 

By targeting the same keywords across SEO and PPC and creating strong SEO content that keeps your consumers interested, you can boost your ROI whilst simultaneously showing Google that your organic content is trustworthy and relevant.

Which should you choose? 

If you’re unsure whether SEO or PPC is the right step forward for your business, the team at Infoserve will discuss your goals with you and deliver expert advice on how to best boost your online presence. Backed by Google and Microsoft Advertising as 2026 Select Partners, we lead every decision with experience and your interests in mind. Contact us today.