Google Ads or SEO: when to use which, with prices from 98 quotes
Google Ads when you need enquiries now and pay per click; SEO when you can wait and want visits that keep coming. Our management costs 250-2 500 € based on 98 quotes from us; the Google budget is separate.
For companies choosing between paid Google advertising and visits from search, and asking which one brings customers.
Владислав БарковManaging Director· Updated Google Ads when you need enquiries now, the service is clear and there is a page for it: visits start coming in as soon as the campaign is launched, while you pay for each click, and our management fee is €250-€2,500, across 98 of our quotes as of 14 August 2026, separate from the budget paid to Google, which is entirely yours and can be changed whenever you decide. SEO when you can wait months, have many services or cities, and want visits that do not stop when the budget does: the monthly SEO work is at the lower end of the same range.
The most common approach we use is both, one after the other: advertising shows over several weeks which searches generate enquiries, and SEO creates pages for those searches, so that a year from now you are no longer paying for clicks on them. Below is a comparison across six criteria, the facts about Google Ads from its help centre, when we would not sell you either option, and the clients for whom we use them.
Google Ads
Brings visits from the moment the campaign launches, from people who are currently searching for the service, while you pay per click. The budget is entirely yours and can be changed every day.
SEO
Brings visits more slowly, without paying per click, and the pages remain. Advertising shows which searches generate enquiries, and SEO creates pages for them.
Comparison by criteria
| Criterion | Google Ads | SEO | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| When traffic starts coming | From the day the campaign goes live | Once Google ranks the pages: months for a new site, weeks for a site with history | Google Ads |
| How you pay | Budget paid to Google for each click, entirely up to you, plus management €250-€2,500 | Work on the site and content, at the lower end of €250-€2,500, with no payment per click | Depends on the time horizon |
| Control | Budget, keywords, areas, hours and pages; you pause and resume whenever you decide | Google decides the rankings; you decide the pages and content | Google Ads |
| What remains | Stops when the budget stops; data remains on which searches bring enquiries | The pages, content and rankings remain after the work ends | SEO |
| What is measured | Calls and forms by campaign and keyword, from day one | Impressions, clicks and positions in Search Console, plus calls and forms from search | Both, based on enquiries, not clicks |
| Risk | A profile suspended by Google for a violation stops the advertising for days or weeks | A Google update may push down pages created solely for ranking | Both carry a risk: the page must be genuine |
Ready-made products our clients weigh up
The facts come from each product's public page, read on the date next to the link. A figure we could not read there is not included on the page.
| Product | What it is and how you pay | Who it is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | Google's advertising platform. According to its own help centre, the budget amount is entirely yours and can be changed whenever you decide; you will not be charged more than the monthly limit. | A company with a clear service and a page for it that wants enquiries this week and can raise or lower the budget based on results. | Google Ads help, budget and billing as of 14 October 2026 |
When we would not sell you either option
When there is no page for the ad to lead to. An ad leading to a homepage with “everything for everyone” spends the budget on clicks that do not turn into calls. First create a page for the service, then advertise. When the service is not searched for on Google: for a product people do not yet know they want, advertise on Facebook and Instagram, not in search. When nobody is available to answer the phone: the ad generates calls during working hours, and a missed call is a paid click with no result.
We do not sell SEO to a company that needs customers this month. Search traffic comes after months, and for a new website this can take half a year. The honest answer then is advertising now and SEO afterwards.
What we do for our clients
For Dobrite Hamali, a removals company in Sofia, we run Google Ads: the advertising is organised by service, and we analyse it by time of day because moving enquiries come in at specific hours. It leads to a website with a price calculator where customers can see an estimated amount before calling. We track calls and forms, not clicks.
For AGA Transfer, which provides airport transfers, the work is SEO: a separate page for every route people search for, so the website answers the exact search rather than the generic “Bulgaria transfer”. The Saitami website is the third example: after Google's August 2026 update, pages created solely for ranking lost positions, so we are replacing them with pages like this one, featuring real projects and prices from our own quotes. We say this because it is true and because it explains why our SEO means fewer pages, not more.
How to compare the cost
Google Ads: the budget paid to Google for the month, plus management, €250-€2,500, depending on the volume. Divide it by the number of enquiries, not clicks: the cost of one enquiry is the figure that determines whether the advertising pays off. SEO: the monthly work on the website for six to twelve months, divided by the search enquiries generated afterwards, which continue even after the work ends.
Compare the two figures over a year, not a month. Advertising always wins in the first few months. SEO wins when the pages rank and every subsequent enquiry comes without a chargeable click. That is why our approach is advertising that pays for the data, followed by SEO that turns the data into pages.
Real systems and solutions you can open
The site Google advertising leads to: calculator, phone number and form. We measure results by calls.
SEO with a separate page for every route people search for.
A service people search for urgently: the page answers the exact search, with the phone number above the fold.
Google Ads, if:
- you need enquiries now
- you have a clear service and a page for it
- you want to test an offer before writing content
- there is someone to answer the phone during business hours
SEO, if:
- you want traffic without paying per click
- you have many services or cities
- you can wait months for results
- the advertising has already shown which searches bring enquiries
Next step
Considering “Google Ads”? Describe what you need.
You describe the project, we come back with questions and a price range, then a demo and a written proposal.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better?
For enquiries now, Google Ads. For visits without paying per click, SEO. We often start with advertising and create pages for the searches that bring enquiries, so that after a year those enquiries come without a budget.
Can I rely on SEO alone?
Yes, if you can wait. For a new site, visits from search start coming after several months. Advertising brings enquiries while the pages are ranking and shows which searches are worth creating a page for.
How much does Google advertising cost?
Two figures: the budget paid to Google, which is entirely yours and can change every day, and our management fee, €250-€2,500 according to our quotes and the volume. We state both before the launch and report on calls and forms, not clicks.
How much does SEO cost?
Monthly SEO work is at the lower end of €250-€2,500. Every month you see what we have changed on the site and what Search Console shows: impressions, clicks, positions and, most importantly, calls and enquiries from search.
Why isn't my ad generating calls?
Most often, it is because of the page, not the ad: it leads to a homepage with no phone number or price, or the service is searched for using different terms. We check the page and the searches first, then the budget.
Can Google stop my ad?
Yes, an account can be suspended for violating the rules and remain suspended for days or weeks. That is why the page must be genuine, with a company, address and service, and why SEO is the insurance policy: the pages remain when the advertising stops.
