How Search Engine Optimization Works
First, let’s clarify the terms. SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization, which creates organic reach as people search for businesses like yours.
How It Boosts Reach: SEO increases visibility on search engines like Google by optimizing your website, content, and keywords. When done well, this kind of digital marketing drives organic traffic—people actively searching for what you offer—without ongoing ad spend.
Strengths:
Long-Term Growth: Once you rank high (e.g., top 3 on Google), you can attract consistent traffic for months or years.
Cost-Effective Over Time: No per-click costs, unlike ads—but there is upfront effort and maintenance.
Credibility: Organic content marketing results often feel more trustworthy to users than paid ads.
Weaknesses:
Slow Build: Ranking takes time—weeks to years—especially in competitive niches. If your business is not showing up on page one, it’s likely not being found. And that takes a sustained digital marketing effort.
Limited Control: Google’s content marketing algorithm updates (e.g., core updates in 2024) can shift rankings unexpectedly.
Reach Potential: Massive but gradual. For example, a small business blog post ranking for “best coffee makers” could reach thousands monthly, but only after climbing the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
Best For: Businesses with patience, a solid content strategy, and a focus on evergreen reach for their content marketing.
How Digital Advertising Works
Digital advertising refers to the use of paid advertising on your platforms.
How It Boosts Reach: Digital ads (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram promotions) deliver your message directly to targeted audiences via search, social media, or display networks. You pay for impressions or clicks, scaling reach instantly.
Strengths:
Immediate Impact: Digital ads can reach thousands in hours—crucial for launches, sales, or time-sensitive campaigns.
Precision Targeting: Platforms let you hit specific demographics, interests, or behaviors (e.g., “25–35-year-olds near me who like fitness”).
Scalability: More budget for your social media marketing = more reach, no waiting for organic traction.
Qualified leads: Search ads are shown to people who are looking for your product or service, so they are a more qualified lead in general. You won’t be “guessing” at who might be interested in what you are offering, because they’ll already be looking for it.
Weaknesses:
Requires ongoing effort: Reach stops when you stop paying.
Ad Fatigue: Audiences tune out repetitive or irrelevant ads, and costs rise if engagement drops.
Trust Gap: Some users skip ads, favoring organic results.
Reach Potential: Fast and broad. A $500 Facebook Ad campaign could reach 50,000 people in a week, adjustable by spend and targeting.
Best For: Businesses needing quick wins, seasonal boosts, or to test markets find best results with paid digital marketing.
WHICH ONE IS BEST FOR MY BUSINESS?
Speed: Digital advertising wins this category hands-down. It can generate traffic as soon as your campaign launches. SEO is a slow burn, often taking many months to see significant traffic, even with 2025’s faster indexing tools.
Volume: Ads offer higher short-term reach potential; you control the ceiling with budget. SEO’s reach grows steadily but caps based on search volume for your keywords.
Sustainability: SEO outlasts ads. A top-ranking page keeps delivering without daily costs, while ads drain cash flow.
Depending on whether you have an immediate need to get found online, or can wait for longer term results that are sustainable without advertising, you can choose the option that best fits your business needs.
Use A Combination of Both SEO and Digital Advertising Long-term
Start with Ads: Launch a digital marketing campaign on Google Ads (search/display) or Meta (Facebook/Instagram) to test reach. Target your core audience—e.g., local customers for a small business, industry pros for a corporation—and track clicks or impressions.
Layer in SEO: While ads run, build SEO foundations—optimize your site, publish 2–3 keyword-rich blog posts (e.g., “Top 5 [Your Product] Tips”), and earn backlinks. This secures long-term reach as ad budgets ebb.
Blend both digital advertising and SEO for Best Results: Use ad data (e.g., which keywords convert) to refine SEO, and let SEO reduce future ad spend once rankings kick in.
Here’s an example for a small Business like a Coffee Shop: An Instagram Reels ad reaches 30,000 locals in a week, driving 50 store visits. SEO might take 4 months to rank “best coffee near me,” reaching 500 monthly searchers after that. Ads win for quick reach.
If “increasing reach” means fast and wide, digital advertising is your MVP in 2025. If it’s about sustained presence and lower cost, SEO edges out long-term.
That’s why using a combination of both is the best way to get the best return from your social media marketing in 2025!