SEO vs PPC: Which Should Your Business Invest In?

SEO and PPC both get you visibility in search results, but they work completely differently. SEO builds long-term organic traffic that doesn't cost per click. PPC delivers immediate visibility that stops the moment you stop paying. Most successful businesses use both strategically.

This guide explains the differences, when each makes sense, and how to decide where to invest your marketing budget.

What's the Core Difference Between SEO and PPC?

SEO earns visibility organically. PPC buys visibility through advertising.

SEO (search engine optimisation) improves your website so it ranks higher in organic search results—the main listings below the ads. You invest in content, technical improvements, and link-building. Results build over months and continue without ongoing payment per visitor.

PPC (pay-per-click) buys ad placements at the top of search results. You bid on keywords, pay every time someone clicks, and appear instantly. Turn off the campaign and visibility disappears immediately.

How Do the Costs Compare?

SEO has higher upfront investment but lower long-term cost per visitor. PPC has lower upfront cost but never stops costing.

With SEO, you might invest £500-£2,000/month for 6-12 months before seeing significant traffic. But once you rank, that traffic keeps coming at no additional cost. The effective cost per visitor decreases over time as traffic grows.

With PPC, you're paying for every single click—often £1-£10+ depending on your industry. A campaign spending £1,000/month generates traffic while running but nothing after. According to WordStream's benchmarks, average cost-per-click across industries is £2-3, but competitive sectors pay significantly more.

How Fast Do Results Come?

PPC delivers instant traffic. SEO typically takes 3-6 months for meaningful results.

Launch a PPC campaign today and traffic arrives today. This is crucial for new businesses, time-sensitive promotions, or testing new markets. You can validate demand before investing in long-term SEO.

SEO requires patience. As discussed in our timeline guide, most businesses see meaningful SEO results in 3-6 months. The payoff is sustainable traffic that doesn't require ongoing ad spend.

When Should You Choose PPC?

When you need results now, want to test markets, or are running time-limited campaigns.

New business launches benefit from PPC. You can't wait 6 months for organic traffic when you need customers today. Use ads to generate immediate enquiries while building SEO in parallel.

Testing new services or markets works well with PPC. Run a campaign for a month and see if demand exists before committing to long-term SEO investment. It's faster and cheaper than discovering through SEO that nobody searches for what you're offering.

Seasonal or promotional campaigns suit PPC. A Christmas promotion needs visibility in December, not whenever Google decides to rank you.

When Should You Choose SEO?

When building long-term sustainable traffic, competing in expensive ad markets, or wanting to reduce customer acquisition costs.

If clicks in your industry cost £5-10 each, PPC gets expensive fast. SEO delivers traffic without per-click costs. The upfront investment pays off as traffic compounds over time.

Building authority and trust happens through organic presence. Some users skip ads entirely, only clicking organic results. Appearing in both paid and organic results increases overall click-through rates.

Learn how to improve your website's SEO or explore our professional SEO services.

Should You Use Both?

Usually yes. They complement each other when used strategically.

The best approach for most businesses: use PPC for immediate needs while building SEO for the long term. As organic rankings improve, you can reduce PPC spend on those keywords while maintaining visibility.

PPC data informs SEO strategy. You quickly learn which keywords convert customers versus which just generate clicks. Apply those insights to SEO targeting—focus organic efforts on keywords proven to drive business.

Appearing in both paid and organic results increases credibility and total click share. Users see your brand twice, reinforcing recognition and trust.

For more on building sustainable search visibility, start with our SEO fundamentals guide.