Picked ads over SEO for a client last month, still kicking myself

Had to choose between putting $1500 into Google Ads or a proper SEO overhaul for a local bakery in Austin. Went with ads because the owner wanted quick results, and yeah we got traffic but it dried up the second we stopped spending. Meanwhile my other client who went the SEO route is still ranking for "birthday cakes Austin" 6 weeks later. Anyone else get burned by clients pushing for the fast lane over the long game?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix_thomas7319d ago

Picked ads over SEO" hit home for me. Had a coffee shop client that begged for Facebook ads right before Christmas, got a nice spike in sales, then January came and they had zero online presence again. The owner said "at least we had a good December" but I still think about that lost ranking potential.

holly_gonzalez6118d ago

Would you have been able to offer the client a hybrid plan? Like $1000 into ads for the quick win and $500 into the absolute bare bones SEO basics like Google Business profile and some local citations? I see so many people treat it like you gotta pick one or the other but honestly even a small SEO investment now can keep those doors open while the ad money stops flowing. The bakery owner probably just saw dollar signs for that weekend crowd and didn't understand that ads are like renting a house while SEO is buying it. Feels like we as marketers need to do a better job of showing clients that slow and steady doesnt have to mean no results at all for months.

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