Knowledge Base

In today's world, it is inevitable for businesses to create an effective online presence in order to be successful in the digital world. The two main ways to create and strengthen this online presence are Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords, an advertising platform that works with a pay-per-click model). While both strategies aim to attract traffic to your website and reach potential customers, their approaches, costs, and long-term effects differ. In this article, we will examine in detail what organic SEO and Google Ads are, how they work, their advantages and disadvantages, how they can be used together, and in which situations which strategy is more appropriate.

1. What is Organic SEO and How Does it Work?

1.1. Basic Principles of Organic SEO

Organic SEO is the process of ensuring that your website ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERP) naturally and free of charge. This process involves understanding the algorithms of search engines and making your website compatible with these algorithms. The basic principles of organic SEO are:

• Keyword Research: Identifying the keywords your target audience uses and optimizing your content around these keywords.
• Content Optimization: Creating high-quality, informative, and user-focused content. Enriching your content with keywords in a natural way.
• Technical SEO: Optimizing the technical infrastructure of your website so that search engines can easily crawl and index it. Elements such as site speed, mobile compatibility, and sitemap are included in this scope.
• Link Building: Getting links (backlinks) to your website from other reliable and authoritative websites.
• User Experience (UX): Ensuring that your website is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and engaging.

1.2. Advantages of Organic SEO

• Long-Term Results: When a good SEO strategy is implemented, your website can rank high in search results in a long-term and sustainable way.
• Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR): Click-through rates for organic results are generally higher than for advertising results because users trust organic results more.
• Lower Cost: Organic SEO is independent of advertising costs. Once you invest, you can continue to attract traffic without constantly spending money.
• Brand Reliability: Ranking high in search results increases the reliability and authority of your brand.

1.3. Disadvantages of Organic SEO

• Time-Consuming: Organic SEO is a long-term process that requires patience and continuous effort. It can take months to see results.
• Algorithm Changes: Search engine algorithms are constantly changing. You need to keep up with these changes and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Competition: In highly competitive industries, it can be much more difficult to rank organically.

2. What is Google Ads and How Does it Work?

2.1. Basic Principles of Google Ads

Google Ads Advertisements is Google's pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform. Advertisers bid on specific keywords, and when users search for those keywords, their ads appear in search results or on websites partnered with Google. The basic principles of Google Ads are:

• Keyword Targeting: Determining which keywords will trigger your ads.
• Ad Texts: Creating effective and engaging ad texts that encourage users to click.
• Bidding: Determining how much you are willing to pay for keywords.
• Quality Score: A score that Google uses to evaluate the quality of your ads. A high-quality score allows you to achieve better rankings at lower costs.
• Budget Management: Setting a daily or monthly budget for your advertising campaigns.

2.2. Advantages of Google Ads

• Fast Results: With Google Ads, your ads start running instantly, and you can drive traffic to your website in a short time.
• Targeting Options: Google Ads offers many different targeting options, such as demographics, interests, location, and device.
• Measurability: Google Ads allows you to measure and analyze the performance of your advertising campaigns in detail.
• Control: You can change your advertising budget, targeting, and ad texts at any time.

2.3. Disadvantages of Google Ads

• Cost: Google Ads can be costly, especially in highly competitive industries.
• Ad Fatigue: Users may get tired of seeing the same ads repeatedly, and click-through rates on your ads may decrease.
• Continuous Management: You need to constantly monitor, optimize, and update the performance of your Google Ads campaigns.
• Knowledge Requirement: To use Google Ads effectively, you need to have knowledge about the platform and gain experience.

3. Key Differences Between Organic SEO and Google Ads

While both Organic SEO and Google Ads aim to drive traffic to your website, they differ significantly in their approaches and results. The table below summarizes the key differences between these two strategies:

4. Benefits of Using Organic SEO and Google Ads Together

Instead of using Organic SEO and Google Ads separately, it is possible to create synergy and achieve better results by using these two strategies together. Here are the benefits of using these two strategies together:

4.1. Increasing Brand Awareness

Appearing in both organic and ad results increases your brand's visibility and ensures that potential customers encounter your brand more often. This increases brand awareness and credibility.

4.2. Improving Keyword Strategy

Data from Google Ads campaigns helps you determine which keywords bring the most traffic and conversions. You can use this information to improve your organic SEO strategy.

4.3. Fast Results and Long-Term Growth

While getting fast results with Google Ads, you can also invest in organic SEO to achieve long-term and sustainable growth.

4.4. Competitive Advantage

While your competitors focus on only one strategy, you can gain a competitive advantage by using both organic SEO and Google Ads.

4.5. Increasing Conversion Rates

By using Organic SEO and Google Ads together, you can increase the quality of traffic to your website and increase your conversion rates.

5. Best Practices: Integrating Organic SEO and Google Ads

5.1. Keyword Research and Targeting

• Create a Common Keyword List: Use the same keyword list for your organic SEO and Google Ads campaigns.
• Use Google Ads Data: Use the data you get from your Google Ads campaigns (e.g., which keywords bring the most conversions) to improve your organic SEO strategy.
• Focus on Long-Tail Keywords: Target long-tail keywords in both your organic SEO and Google Ads campaigns.

5.2. Content Strategy

• Create High-Quality Content: Create high-quality, informative, and user-focused content for both your organic SEO and Google Ads campaigns.
• Optimize Your Content with Keywords: Enrich your content naturally with the keywords you are targeting.
• Keep Your Content Up-to-Date: Regularly update your content and add new information.

5.3. Landing Page Optimization

• Create Relevant Landing Pages: For each Google Ads ad, create a landing page that is relevant to the ad text and keyword.
• Optimize Your Landing Pages for User Experience: Ensure that your landing pages load quickly, are mobile-friendly, and are easy to navigate.
• Conversion-Oriented Design: Increase your conversion rates by using calls to action (CTAs) on your landing pages.

5.4. Tracking and Analysis

• Set Up Google Analytics: Set up Google Analytics on your website to track the performance of your organic SEO and Google Ads campaigns in detail.
• Set Up Conversion Tracking: Set up conversion tracking in Google Ads to determine which keywords and ads are bringing the most conversions.
• Analyze Data and Optimize: Regularly analyze the data you obtain and optimize your strategy accordingly.

6. Real-Life Examples and Case Studies

6.1. Example 1: E-commerce Company

An e-commerce company increased its sales by 50% by using organic SEO and Google Ads together. The company first determined which of its products were most searched for by conducting keyword research. Then, it carried out organic SEO work and created Google Ads campaigns for these products. The company used the data obtained from Google Ads campaigns to improve its organic SEO strategy and increase the website's traffic and conversion rates.

6.2. Example 2: Service Provider

A service provider expanded its customer base by 30% by using local SEO and Google Ads together. The company performed organic SEO work for local keywords and created Google Ads campaigns. The company used geographic targeting in Google Ads campaigns, showing its ads only to users in a specific region. As a result, the quality of traffic to the company's website increased and its customer base expanded.

7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• 7.1. Organic SEO or Google Ads? Which is Better?
• The answer to this question depends on your business's needs and goals. If you want to achieve quick results and drive traffic for a specific campaign, Google Ads may be more appropriate. If you want to build a long-term and sustainable online presence, organic SEO may be more appropriate. To achieve the best results, using both strategies together is usually the most effective approach.
• 7.2. How Should I Allocate My Organic SEO and Google Ads Budget?
• When allocating your budget, consider the size of your business, the competition in your industry, and your goals. Generally, if you are a new website or want to achieve quick results, you can allocate more budget to Google Ads. Over time, as your organic SEO efforts begin to yield results, you can reduce your Google Ads budget and invest more in organic SEO.
• 7.3. Can I Do Organic SEO and Google Ads Myself? Or Should I Work with an Expert?
• Organic SEO and Google Ads are complex and time-consuming processes. If you have knowledge of these topics and have the time, you can try doing it yourself. However, working with an expert is usually a better option to achieve better results and save time. An expert can help you determine the right strategy, optimize your campaigns, and monitor performance.

8. Conclusion and Summary

Organic SEO and Google Ads are powerful tools you can use to strengthen your business's online presence and reach potential customers. Both strategies have advantages and disadvantages. To achieve the best results, it is important to use these two strategies together and create an integrated digital marketing strategy. Organic SEO is a long-term investment and increases brand credibility, while Google Ads delivers quick results and helps you drive traffic for specific campaigns. By determining a strategy that suits your business's needs and goals, you can increase your online success.