In an ideal world – both. But let’s break them down so you can hone in on which one is best for your business and your budget.
SEO will help you get on the first page of Google, and will deliver a steady, evergreen, stream of long-term organic search traffic. It takes time, but once the results kick in, you won’t need to spend as much to maintain your positions. For this reason, SEO provides the most consistent ROI.
SEM on the other hand can give you instantaneous results. This means brand awareness, leads, and sales can start happening NOW. But because of this, SEM constantly requires consistent investment, which can add up if done incorrectly.
Because of this – SEM and SEO are best seen not as binary, but as complimentary. By combining SEO + SEM you are setting your business up for the ultimate amount of traffic (both organic and paid) which means you can reach the widest possible customer pool.