One of the most common questions: should I do SEO or Google Ads first? The answer depends on your situation. Here is how to decide.
The Core Difference
Google Ads = pay to appear immediately. Stop paying, stop appearing. Fast results, ongoing cost.
SEO = earn your ranking over time. Slow build, lasting results with no ongoing cost per click.
When Google Ads Makes More Sense First
- You need leads now. SEO takes 3-6+ months. Ads fill the gap immediately.
- You are new to the area. No organic presence yet? Ads get you visible while you build it.
- You want to test which services convert best. Ads data informs your SEO strategy.
- Your market is seasonal. Ads can be turned up or down quickly.
When SEO Makes More Sense First
- You have a 6+ month runway. SEO builds compounding value that Ads never will.
- Your Ads costs are high. If you are paying 15+ per click, SEO clicks are free once you rank.
- You want sustainable growth. Ad costs always increase. SEO traffic does not.
The Best Answer: Both
For most established trades businesses, run both simultaneously. Ads provide immediate leads while SEO builds. As organic rankings improve, reduce ad spend on those keywords. The combination is more than the sum of its parts.
The Typical Journey
- Months 1-3: Ads running for immediate leads. SEO foundation work begins.
- Months 4-6: SEO producing first results for lower-competition keywords.
- Months 6-12: SEO delivering significant organic traffic. Ads reallocated to highest-value keywords not yet ranking.
- Month 12+: Organic traffic reduces dependency on Ads.
A Worked Example With Real Numbers
Say a plumber has £600 a month for marketing and an average job worth £350. Put wholly into ads, £600 at a plausible £20 to £40 per enquiry buys somewhere between 15 and 30 enquiries; close half and the month brings in roughly £2,600 to £5,200 of work, starting this week, and stopping the day the budget stops. Put wholly into SEO, the same £600 buys almost nothing in month one, but by month six the same searches can be producing enquiries at no cost per click, and the pages keep earning after the spend pauses. The arithmetic is illustrative rather than a promise, but the shape is always the same: ads buy this month, SEO buys the years after, and the mistake is judging either one on the other’s timescale.
Three Situations and What I Would Do in Each
Brand new business, empty diary: ads first, no hesitation. You need jobs this month, and the diary funds everything else. Start SEO in parallel the moment cash flow allows, because every month you delay is a month added to the payback.
Established, busy summer, quiet winter: SEO first, weighted toward the searches that happen in your quiet season, with ads used as a tap you open in the lean months. You have the luxury of building the asset; use it.
Currently buying leads from platforms: both, funded by gradually cutting the platform spend. Shared leads are the most expensive way to stay busy long term, and every pound moved from renting attention to owning it improves the maths. We have run the numbers in detail in is Checkatrade worth it.
Questions to Ask Before Spending a Pound
Whoever you hire and whichever channel you pick, ask: what does an enquiry cost me today, what is a won job actually worth, how long until this channel pays for itself, and what happens if I stop paying? Any agency that cannot answer those in plain English is selling activity, not outcomes. The channel is never the goal; the diary is.
Want help deciding? Book a free strategy call – no obligation, just an honest conversation.
About the author
Jamie Laird is the founder of Grwthhub, a marketing agency for trade businesses in Leeds and Yorkshire. Before marketing he spent a decade on the trade side as a quantity surveyor, pricing and running jobs for builders and contractors, which is why the advice here leans practical rather than theoretical. Read more about Jamie and Grwthhub or get in touch.