# SEO or Google Ads: which should an Edmonton small business do first?

By Banish Angural · Published October 25, 2026 · Updated November 9, 2026

> If you need leads this month, start with Google Ads, because they work as soon as they are switched on. If you can wait three to six months and want a lower cost per lead long term, invest in SEO and your Google Business Profile. Most growing home-service businesses do both: ads pay the bills while SEO builds an asset.

## Google Ads: fast, controllable, rented

- Calls can start the day campaigns go live.
- You choose the services and areas, and can pause any time.
- The leads stop when the spend stops.

## SEO: slow, compounding, owned

- Rankings take months to build, especially in competitive trades.
- Once you rank, leads keep coming without paying per click.
- The pages, reviews and links you build keep their value.

## A simple rule of thumb

1. Fix your Google Business Profile first. It is free and often the quickest win.
2. Make sure your website loads fast and makes calling easy, or both ads and SEO will underperform.
3. If cash flow needs leads now, run tightly targeted search ads for your most profitable service.
4. Put a steady monthly amount into SEO, and let it take over more of the load each quarter.

We help businesses do exactly this: [Google Ads](https://banishmedia.com/services/google-ads-management) for now and [SEO](https://banishmedia.com/services/seo) for later, measured in booked jobs.

## Sources

- [Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content), Google Search Central
- [Google Ads Help Center](https://support.google.com/google-ads/), Google

## Questions readers ask

### Can SEO replace Google Ads completely?

For some businesses, eventually, but most keep some ads for their most profitable services, seasonal spikes and areas where they do not rank yet.