SEO vs SEM (Google Ads): How Do They Work Together in 2025?

“SEO builds long-term visibility and trust and generates more profit in the long run, while SEM (Google Ads) delivers instant, targeted traffic but stops paying off as soon as your ad stops. In 2025, Sydney businesses get the best results by using both together for immediate leads and lasting growth.”

Businesses today are in a state of uncertainty about where to invest their money. SEO has been famous for its long game, but PPC or SEM seems attractive too.

On top of that, the recent shift in search engine algorithms is making it unclear whether you should spend your money on SEO or SEM. 

The short answer to kill your confusion is – You need both. Because you cannot do one without the other for long. 

In this guide, Digital Impact Guru will explain the difference between SEO and SEM (Google Ads), how each one works, why relying on just one will limit your growth, and how to combine them for the biggest impact in 2025.

What You’ll Learn in This Blog:

• The difference between SEO and SEM
• What does each of the service involves?
• Why relying on only one can sabotage your growth and reach
• How SEO boosts your Google Ads performance and vice versa
• Practical strategies to combine SEO and SEM for stronger ROI

What’s the Difference Between SEO and SEM?

SEO, also known as Search Engine Optimisation, is all about grasping a top position in search results without paying for each click. This is a long-term strategy that builds authority, drives consistent traffic, strengthens your brand presence, and generates sales over the long haul.

It involves creating high-quality content that complies with Google’s E-E-A-T principle: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust, optimising site structure, speed, and overall user experience, and building credibility, so that Google sees you as a trusted source to show its searchers.

The fact is that SEO results take time, but once you rank, that traffic is essentially free.

Alternatively, SEM, or Search Engine Marketing, is also called PPC or Google Ads, and involves paying for placement at the top of search engine results. It’s more tempting than SEO because it gives you instant visibility and captures your customers at the exact moment when they’re ready to buy. Essentially, they capture bottom-of-funnel leads audience instantly. 

When you hire a digital marketing agency in Sydney for SEM, they will help you choose the right keywords that sell, write the ad, set a budget, and help you rank instantly for the keywords you want to target.

According to research by Visual Objects, 76% of consumers search for a company online before visiting the store, and 45% visit a store that has a strong online presence on a local search engine results page.

The stats say a lot about why you might start thinking about digital marketing now.

SEM is fast and highly targeted, but it stops the moment you stop paying.

What Does SEO Involve?	What Does SEM Involve?
Keyword research	Keyword research
Content optimisation	Ad creation
On-Page SEO	Bidding strategies
Off-Page SEO	Targeting
Technical SEO	Ad placement
User experience	Ad extensions
Backlink building	Budget monitoring
Monitoring and updates	Performance tracking

Why Shouldn’t You Choose One Over the Other?

Surely, it’s tempting to spend on the fastest-performing and save on the sluggish-performing one. But you know, slow and steady wins the race.

Here is what actually happens when you pick one and ignore the other. 

If you skip SEO, you pay for every single click forever. This means that once your ads stop, your visibility tanks terribly. If you skip SEM, you miss out on high-intent customers who are searching right now and ready to buy.

Google has found that when a brand appears in both paid and organic results for the same search, it increases the total click-through rate for both listings. 

This means SEO actually makes your Google Ads work harder, and the reverse is also true. On average across industries, SEO converts at 2.4%, nearly double the 1.3% conversion rate of SEM.

How SEO and SEM (PPC) Work Together in 2025?

In 2025, it’s no longer a choice between SEO and SEM; they go hand in hand. Because when your ad and your organic listing appear together for the same search query, not only are you increasing your visibility, but you’re pushing your competitors lower on the page. 

Creating a Simple Integration Plan for Sydney Businesses

• Start by setting your goals with Digital Impact Guru
• Ask yourself how many new customers you need each month
• Make use of Google Ads for immediate inquiries and high-intent searches, and SEO for long-term traffic growth
• Share performance data between both channels, so each can inform and improve the other
• Continually test, refine, and optimise to improve ROI over time

The Bottom Line

Comparing SEO and Google Ads is like comparing short sprints to a marathon. They are different races, but the most successful businesses run both. Google Ads gets you in front of ready-to-buy customers today. 

SEO builds the credibility and authority that will keep customers coming back tomorrow. Used together, they do not just add results; they multiply them.

Ready To Grow Your Business?

At Digital Impact Guru, we take your business from invisible to unforgettable. With our extensive experience in SEO and SEM, we understand the tried-and-true principles of marketing and pair them with the latest digital strategies of 2025. We stay ahead of the trends, technology, and techniques, so your business continues to compete and win.