Google Business Profile, SEO, Google Ads: What’s the Difference & Where do they Intersect?

As solutions providers for businesses, we ensure that our first discussion with any potential client is about ensuring that their Google Business Profile is claimed, verified and optimized before proceeding with any other services. However, we almost always get the question of “Oh, this is SEO!” and if we begin talking about having people find their company on Google, they say “Oh, this is Google Ads!”

It's true that all three services intersect at a certain point but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t integral on their own.

Google is the go-to search engine for most customers when seeking products and services and a claimed listing ensures that your business information is accurate and completely under your control. Without this, inaccurate information can be communicated and anyone is able to take control of that listing and change information as they please.

Once claimed, having your listing verified for credibility and optimized will enhance your online presence and give you the opportunity to provide up-to-date information, engaging updates and respond to all customer reviews. With that, the Google algorithm will note that your business is consistently updated and therefore it will shoot you up the rankings and optimally have you on Page 1 of Google Search organically.

That’s the most important point that differentiates it from Google Ads. Your Google Listing will rank high on Google without the need to pay for advertisements on the platform as it’s organic and ensures that you consistently are on top and ahead of your competition when anyone searches for services that you provide.

SEO is essential for any website because it directly influences your online visibility, credibility and traffic. In the digital world where most customers turn to search engines to find information, having your website appear prominently in search results is crucial.

SEO helps your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), making it easier for potential customers to find you and without proper SEO, even the most beautifully designed websites can go unnoticed, losing out on valuable traffic and potential revenue. When your website appears at the top of search results, users are more likely to view your business as an authority in your industry.

Because of this, SEO is a cost-effective marketing strategy because, unlike paid advertising, which required continuous investment to maintain visibility (such as Google Ads), SEO provides long-term benefits by helping your website naturally rank higher in search results. By focusing on organic search, this allows you to stay competitive in your industry, as your competitors are most likely also investing in their own SEO efforts.

This is very similar to your Google Business Profile as it allows people to find you on Google organically, but with SEO this ensures that your website is ranking rather than your listing. Having both though, is crucial.

Google Ads is a powerful tool, especially for businesses looking to enhance their online presence and drive targeted traffic to the website. Investing in a Google Ads campaign is integral when you’re aiming to bring in immediate visibility unlike SEO, which takes time to build and show results.

With Google Ads, you give your business the chance to appear at the top of search engine results pages almost instantly, which means that when potential customers search for keywords related to your products or services, your ads can be there right away, capturing their attention and driving them to your website.

With Google Ads, you focus on its ability to be precise in targeting as you can tailor your campaigns to reach specific audiences based on factors including location, language, and even time of day! This level of targeting ensures that your ads are shown to people who are currently interested in what you offer, maximizing your Return on Investment (ROI) while receiving incredible analytics and reporting tools, allowing you to track performance of your campaign in real time.

However, what mainly differentiates Google Ads from SEO or Google Business Profile is that it is a paid solution and requires a constant budget for as long as you aim to have your website “Sponsored” on Google.

Your Google Business Profile, SEO and Google Ads all intersect by enhancing the online visibility of your business and driving targeted traffic.

Google Business Profile boosts local SEO, helping your business appear in relevant local searches. SEO improves your website’s organic rankings across search engines to ensure it also appears on Page 1 of relevant searches while Google Ads complements these efforts by providing immediate, targeted exposure to ensure that your business is prominently displayed in search results and driving more potential customers to your site.

At DSRPT, we offer all these solutions and have been able to fortunately say that we have successfully implemented them for some of the biggest names in the country to improve their visibility on Google Search.