PPC
Google Ads Cost in Australia: How Pricing Really Works
Google Ads cost is set by your own budget and the price of each click, decided in an auction. What drives Google advertising cost in Australia and how to budget.
SEO vs PPC is a choice between earning clicks and paying for them. PPC (pay-per-click ads, such as Google Ads) can put you at the top of Google this week, and it stops the day you stop paying. SEO (search engine optimisation) builds rankings over months that keep bringing visitors without a cost per click. Most businesses do best with both.
What is the difference between SEO and PPC?
Both get your business in front of people searching on Google. The difference is how you get there and what you pay for.
| SEO (organic search) | PPC (Google Ads) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | The work: content, technical fixes, links | Each click, plus the work to manage the ads |
| How fast it works | Usually months | As soon as the ads are approved |
| When you stop paying | Rankings fade slowly | Ads stop straight away |
| Where you appear | The organic results and the map listings | The ad spots, labelled “Sponsored” |
| Control over wording and timing | Partial: Google chooses what to show | Full: you write the ads and set the hours |
| Best for | Long-term, steady enquiries | Fast leads, launches, offers and testing |
So the PPC vs SEO question is really about time and budget: how quickly you need enquiries, and whether you’d rather pay per click or invest in rankings you keep.
How is ranking different when comparing PPC vs SEO?
Ads and organic results are ranked by separate systems.
- Google Ads: each search runs an auction. Google says your Ad Rank depends on your bid, the quality of your ad and landing page, the competition and the context of the search, such as the person’s location and device (Google Ads Help). A higher bid helps, but a more relevant ad can beat a bigger budget.
- Organic results: Google ranks pages on relevance, quality, usability and context, and says nobody can pay to rank higher in organic results (How Search works).
That’s why SEO work focuses on your website and reputation, while PPC work focuses on keywords, bids, ad copy and landing pages.
Is Google AdWords SEO?
No. Google AdWords (renamed Google Ads in 2018) is paid advertising, and SEO is the work that helps your pages rank in the free results. When people search “Google AdWords vs SEO” they’re asking the same question as this article: paid clicks or organic rankings. Running ads doesn’t lift your organic rankings, and good rankings don’t lower your ad costs directly.
SEO vs PPC: which is better?
Neither is better for every business. Here’s how we’d answer “SEO vs Google Ads, which is better?” for different situations:
- Choose PPC first if you need enquiries now, you’re launching something new, your offer is seasonal, or your website doesn’t rank yet.
- Choose SEO first if you can wait a few months, your customers search for the same things all year, and you want enquiries that don’t cost more as they grow.
- Use both if search is your main source of customers. Ads cover the searches you don’t rank for yet; SEO slowly takes over the ones you do.
- Do neither yet if your website can’t turn visitors into enquiries. Fix the site first, or both channels waste money. We’ll tell you if that’s the case before we quote.
SEO is also an ongoing job rather than a one-off, so it rewards patience.
Google Ads vs SEO for local businesses
For a local business, the Google Ads vs SEO for local business choice often starts with your Google Business Profile, because the map listings are organic and free. A complete profile with reviews and photos can win calls before you spend anything on ads. Our Google Business Profile optimisation covers that.
Smaller towns also mean fewer searches. In a regional centre like Mildura, a few well-chosen keywords may not need a big ad budget, and you can target the ads to the area you serve so you don’t pay for clicks from people too far away to visit.
Do ecommerce sites need SEO and PPC?
Usually, yes. Online stores tend to use both:
- Shopping ads show your products with a photo and price at the top of Google, and they’re often an online store’s main paid channel.
- Free product listings through Google Merchant Center can show your products in Google’s Shopping results without paying per click (Google Merchant Center Help).
- Product and category page SEO helps those pages rank for the searches people use before they’re ready to buy.
How do SEO and Google Ads work together?
Used together, SEO and Google Ads make each other better:
- Ad data shows which searches lead to enquiries within weeks, so you know which keywords are worth the slower SEO work.
- Ad headlines that get clicked are a good guide for your page titles and meta descriptions.
- While SEO builds, ads cover the searches you don’t rank for yet.
- Once a page ranks well, you can test lowering the ad budget for that search and watch whether enquiries hold.
Measure both in one place, so you’re comparing enquiries rather than clicks. Our GA4 guide shows how to mark enquiries as key events. When Google Ads and SEO report into the same analytics, the budget conversation gets much easier.
What do SEO and PPC cost in Australia?
If you’re comparing SEO vs PPC in Australia, remember that PPC has two costs and SEO has one:
- SEO: at Rock Solid Marketing, SEO plans start from $1,000 + GST a month, with no lock-in contracts and a monthly report.
- PPC: you pay Google for the clicks (you set the budget), plus the cost of managing the ads. Our Google Ads management is part of our partnership plans, from $4,500 + GST a month for 28 hours of work across your marketing, and account reviews can be done at $175 + GST an hour.
What we look at when a client asks “SEO or Google Ads?”
When a business asks us which to start with, we look at four things before we recommend either:
- How soon they need new enquiries.
- Whether the website already ranks for anything, using Google Search Console.
- How many people search for their services in the area they serve.
- Whether the website turns visitors into calls and forms today.
The answer is often a short burst of ads while the SEO work starts, then a smaller ad budget once rankings build. Sometimes it’s neither, because the website needs work first.
Frequently asked questions
Is SEO cheaper than PPC?
Over a long period, SEO often costs less per enquiry, because you don’t pay for each click. In the short term, PPC is usually quicker to return enquiries. The real comparison is cost per enquiry over a year, not the monthly fee.
How long does SEO take to work compared with Google Ads?
Google Ads can bring clicks as soon as the ads are approved, while SEO usually takes months to show steady results. How long depends on your website, your competition and your area. We report progress every month, so you can see it building.
Will running Google Ads improve my SEO?
No. Google says advertising doesn’t affect organic rankings, and nobody can pay to rank higher there. Ads can still help your SEO indirectly, because their data shows which searches bring enquiries and which headlines get clicked.
Should I stop Google Ads once my website ranks?
Not straight away. Test it: lower the budget on searches where you rank near the top and watch your total enquiries. If they hold, keep the saving. If they drop, the ads were winning customers your organic listing wasn’t.
The short version
PPC buys you visibility now; SEO builds visibility you keep. For most businesses, the answer to SEO vs PPC is both: ads for speed and SEO for the long run, measured by enquiries rather than clicks.
If you’d like a straight answer for your business, book a free 30-minute discovery call. If the right first step is fixing your website rather than either channel, we’ll say so.
