For most businesses, the honest answer is: both, used intelligently. SEO is a long-term investment that builds organic visibility over time — it’s slower to show results but pays dividends indefinitely. Google Ads delivers immediate, targeted visibility and is particularly effective for time-sensitive promotions, new launches, or competitive markets where organic ranking takes time to build. Ian’s view, developed over many years of managing campaigns, is that the two work best together, with Google Ads bridging the gap while SEO does its slower, deeper work.