SEO and Google Ads as one funnel, not two separate budgets
How organic search and paid advertising fit into a single search funnel — which stage each one covers, and how the data from one makes the other cheaper.
The problem
In a lot of companies, SEO and Google Ads run as two unrelated jobs, with two owners, two reports and no conversation between them. The ads manager sees a keyword costing four euros a click and calls it expensive, unaware that the site already ranks third organically for the same term and the bid could be cut without losing a single visit. The SEO manager writes articles for general informational queries while the ad account holds precise data on which terms actually produce enquiries rather than clicks — information that could decide which article gets written first. The result is paying twice for coverage that one strategy could deliver: bidding on terms where you already rank, and ignoring terms where organic has not arrived yet but a campaign could hold the position today. The person searching does not perceive the distinction at all. They see a page of Google results, and a company appearing twice on it, once organically and once as an ad, earns more trust than a company appearing once.
What we build
Search intent, not channel preference, decides where each euro goes. Early in a buying journey people search for what something is or why it happens — informational queries where ads are expensive relative to intent, so organic content carries that stage with guides and articles that build trust at no cost per click. In the middle, when someone compares options, the two channels genuinely complement each other: organic slowly earns credibility while paid guarantees presence for as long as the ranking has not climbed. At the end, when the query signals immediate intent — pricing, booking, buying — paid advertising delivers the better cost per enquiry, because timing matters more there than cost per click. To operate that, we maintain one shared keyword table showing where organic already ranks well, so bids can be reduced or stopped, and where a valuable term has no organic presence at all, so it gets priority in both the content plan and the ad account simultaneously. Conversion data from the ad side, which reveals which terms produce enquiries rather than traffic, then decides what gets written next — so each channel teaches the other instead of both working blind.
What you get
- Keyword mapping by search stage — informational, comparison, purchase
- A shared table showing where organic ranking and paid coverage overlap
- Content plan prioritized by conversion data from the ad account
- Monthly bid adjustments as organic rankings change
- A single monthly report with cost per enquiry split by channel and by stage
- Explicit recommendations on which keywords to reduce or stop bidding on
Stack
Timeline
Keyword mapping and the shared table are finished in the first two weeks. Advertising returns usable conversion data within the first month — enough to steer the content plan. Organic ranking on the new topics starts to appear after month three, so the first real overlap between the two channels, and the first genuine chance to cut ad spend without losing coverage, usually shows up around month four.
Indicative cost
Combined SEO and Google Ads management is a monthly engagement of €800 to €1,800, depending on how many keywords are tracked and how much content is produced. Advertising budget goes directly from you to Google and never passes through us. If you want the analysis before committing to the ongoing work, the initial mapping can be bought on its own from €500.
Frequently asked questions
Is it wasteful to bid on a keyword where I already rank at the top?
Often yes, and finding those cases is exactly what the shared table is for — we cut or stop the bid there and move the budget to terms where organic has not arrived. There are exceptions, mainly when two appearances on the same results page measurably lift trust and click share.
Which search stage should I cover first on a limited budget?
The final one, where purchase intent is explicit, because cost per enquiry is most predictable there and the result is immediate. Organic work on the earlier stages builds in parallel at lower direct cost, but it pays back in months rather than weeks.
How does managing both together compare in cost to running them separately?
Management starts at €800 a month, but the saving usually shows up in the media budget itself, which tends to fall as organic covers more ground. Two separate teams that never speak often cost the same or more and produce a worse result, because neither has the other half of the data.
Who owns the Google Ads and Search Console accounts?
You do, with full administrator rights. We work with user access rather than ownership, so if the engagement ends, the accounts, the campaign history and the search data all remain in your name and nothing has to be rebuilt.
Can you take over accounts and content that someone else set up?
Yes. We audit the existing campaign structure and the existing content before changing anything, since some of it is usually worth keeping and rebuilding from scratch would throw away conversion history that has real value for bidding.
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