Both can bring in work. They just do it differently. Here's a straight comparison so you can decide where your money goes first.
This is one of the most common questions I get from tradies: should I do SEO or run Google Ads? The honest answer is that they solve different problems, and the right starting point depends on how fast you need work and what you can spend.
Ads put you at the top of the results almost immediately. If you need calls this week, that's powerful. The catch is that the moment you stop paying, the leads stop, and in competitive trades the cost per click adds up fast. Ads are a tap you turn on and off — great for filling a quiet patch or launching a new service.
SEO and your Google Business Profile take a few months to gain traction, but once they do, the leads keep coming without paying per click. It's an asset that compounds. For most local trades, this is where the long-term value sits — especially the local map results, which you don't pay for.
If you can wait a little, start with local SEO and your Google profile — it's the foundation and it pays off for years. If you need work right now, run a tight Google Ads campaign while the SEO builds underneath it, then ease off the ads as your organic visibility grows.
The smart play for a lot of businesses is both, in sequence: ads for the immediate flow, SEO for the long game. What you want to avoid is pouring money into ads forever because nothing was ever built underneath them.
Let's talk through your situation and work out the right mix for your trade and your area — no jargon, no hard sell.
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