Thinking about SEO or Google Ads for your business but not sure where to start? We get it. Here are the questions we hear most often from small business owners, with honest answers to help you make the right decision for your business.
How long does SEO take to work?
You might start seeing some movement quite quickly, but we always recommend giving SEO at least 3 months to properly bed in and show meaningful improvements in rankings.
Here’s why: when we make changes to your site (updating content, fixing technical issues, improving page speed), Google needs time to crawl, re-index and re-evaluate your pages. Some changes can have an impact within weeks, but it takes a few months for the full effect to show through in your rankings and traffic.
The good news? SEO is cumulative. Unlike paid ads that stop working when you stop paying, the rankings you build continue driving traffic long after the initial work is done. Many of our clients see their best results 6-12 months in, when all the optimisations compound together.
Can I do SEO myself or should I work with an agency?
Yes, you can do some SEO tasks quite easily yourself, such as updating your Google Business Profile or writing quality content.
However, a specialist is going to keep on top of algorithmic updates, handle the technical SEO side of things, and review and understand analytics to implement strategies accordingly. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes – site speed optimisation, schema markup, fixing crawl errors, keyword research, understanding search intent.
Most small business owners find they get better results (and save time) by working with specialists. You can focus on running your business while we handle the SEO side of things.
Will SEO work for my local business?
Absolutely. Local SEO is brilliant for small businesses serving a specific area.
Nearly half of all Google searches have local intent – people searching for “near me” or specific towns and cities. If you’re a plumber, hairdresser, accountant or any business serving local customers, there are people looking for you on Google right now.
We’ll optimise your Google Business Profile, make sure you’re showing up in Google Maps, target location-specific keywords, and get you visible to the people who matter most – the ones in your area ready to buy.
Local SEO often shows results faster than national SEO too, because the competition tends to be lower and the search intent is clearer.
How do I measure if SEO is actually working?
We track a few key things:
- Organic traffic – How many people are finding you through Google
- Keyword rankings – Which search terms you’re ranking for and where
- Conversion rate – How many visitors become enquiries or customers
- Revenue from organic search – The actual business value SEO is driving
You’ll get monthly reports from us showing all of this – traffic trends, ranking improvements, and what it all means for your business.
The beauty of SEO is that the ROI compounds over time. Rankings you achieve keep delivering value long after the initial work, so you’re looking at months or even years of sustained traffic from that effort.
What kind of budget works for Google Ads?
Budget varies depending on your industry, location and what you’re trying to achieve.
We have clients who spend as little as £150 a month on ads and see good results. However, once your campaigns are optimised, the more money you spend, the more of an impact you’ll see.
We recommend starting with a budget you’re comfortable with, measuring what works, and scaling up from there. Most Google Ads campaigns work on a pay-per-click model, meaning you typically pay when someone clicks your ad, though some campaign types (like display or video campaigns) may charge based on impressions.
The key is making sure your budget aligns with your business goals and expected return.
What makes a Google Ads campaign actually work?
A good Google Ads campaign is more than just throwing money at keywords. It needs:
- The right keywords – Focusing on purchase intent, not just search volume
- Ad copy that resonates – Speaking to what your customers actually care about
- Landing pages that convert – Clear calls-to-action that match what the ad promised
- Proper tracking – Knowing exactly which clicks turn into customers
- Ongoing optimisation – Testing, learning, and improving based on real data
We pay close attention to Quality Score (Google’s measure of how relevant your ads are) because higher scores mean lower costs per click. We also constantly refine which search terms to exclude and which to bid higher on, making sure every pound of your budget works hard.
What’s the difference between SEO and Google Ads?
SEO is about optimising your website to rank organically (unpaid) in search results. It takes time and ongoing work, but the results are sustainable.
Google Ads puts your business at the top of search results through paid advertising. You get immediate visibility, but it stops the moment you pause your budget.
Think of SEO as building an asset. Google Ads as renting visibility. Both have their place, and most businesses benefit from using them together.
Read our full SEO vs Google Ads comparison if you want to dive deeper into which approach might suit your business.
Which is better for my business: SEO or Google Ads?
It really depends on what you’re trying to achieve and your timeline.
Go for SEO if you want sustainable, long-term growth and you’re happy to give it a few months to build momentum. It’s perfect if you’re building a business for the long haul.
Go for Google Ads if you need leads quickly, you’re launching something new, or you’re running a time-sensitive campaign. It’s great for getting results this month rather than next quarter.
The two work well together. Google Ads gives you quick wins while SEO builds your foundation. Plus, the data from your ads helps inform your SEO strategy, and good SEO improves your Ads Quality Score (which means lower costs).
Take a look at our combined SEO & Ads packages if you’d like to explore both together.
Can you guarantee first page rankings?
Short answer: no, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
Google’s algorithm is constantly evolving, and rankings depend on hundreds of factors that no agency can fully control. Anyone promising guaranteed first-page rankings is either being unrealistic or targeting keywords so obscure they’re not worth ranking for.
What we can promise:
- Best-practice SEO that follows Google’s guidelines
- Transparent reporting so you know exactly what we’re doing
- Focus on keywords that actually drive business, not just vanity metrics
- Measurable improvements in traffic and visibility over time
We’re aiming for first page rankings on the keywords that matter to your business. But more importantly, we’re focused on whether SEO is actually bringing you customers. A number 1 ranking for something nobody searches is pointless. A number 5 ranking for a term that brings you enquiries every week? That’s what we’re after.
Ready to chat about your digital marketing?
Every business is different. Your digital marketing strategy should fit your goals, your budget, and your industry.
Get in touch for a free consultation and we can talk through what would work best for you – whether that’s SEO, Google Ads, or a mix of both.
