SEO vs SEA: the differences, collaboration and impact on your online strategy

Anyone who wants to be found online sooner or later comes across two familiar terms: SEO and SEA. They are often mentioned in the same breath, as if they were two sides of the same coin. But behind those three-letter abbreviations lie two completely different approaches to online visibility. And while it is tempting to immediately opt for the quickest way to the top of Google, in practice, it is precisely the combination of both that often proves most powerful.

What SEO and SEA have in common (and where they diverge)

Both SEO and SEA have the same goal: to attract visitors to your website through search engines. However, the way they do it is fundamentally different.

SEO - search engine optimisation - is all about improving your website to rank high in search results naturally. You don't pay directly for clicks, but invest in technology, content and authority. Think about optimising pages, improving loading time or getting relevant referrals to your site.

SEA - search engine advertising - is precisely the paid side of search engine traffic. You deploy ads on platforms such as Google Ads, which appear almost immediately at the top of search results. You pay per click, and costs can vary depending on competition on keywords.

Yet it is not just about the choice between free or paid. The impact on your strategy, user behaviour and the way it is measured make a world of difference.

The psychological effect of organic versus paid

An interesting angle is the trust users attribute to organic results. Many people are aware that ads are at the top because they were paid for. As a result, an organic result is often seen as more objective and trustworthy - especially if it answers a question, or has stronger content than the ad above it.

At the same time, SEA works just right for searches with a high buying intent. People searching for "buy winter coat" are often less concerned with who is at the top and more with being able to compare or order quickly. So therein lies an opportunity for advertisers.

Why it doesn't have to be an either-or story

The great thing is: you don't have to choose. SEO and SEA can actually reinforce each other. SEA lets you quickly test which keywords convert, and you take that knowledge into your SEO approach. Conversely, SEO creates a strong landing page that makes your ads more relevant and lowers your click rates.

Many companies start with SEA because it delivers immediate results. But once they find that depending on ad budgets becomes expensive, investment in SEO often follows. That route makes sense, but what if you tackle it together from the start?

Say you sell sustainable furniture. With SEA, you can quickly advertise on terms like "bamboo dining table", measure how many people click and buy. Do you score well on that term? Then you develop a SEO page for it, so that your zonder ad budget becomes visible on it as well. This is how you convert temporary insights into sustainable findability.

Those who want to start with SEO, but are not yet sure where to start, can, for example, participate in a SEO training from Onder. You will learn step by step how to make your website more findable, including zonder technical prior knowledge.

The differences in timing and impact

Another key difference between SEO and SEA is the speed of results. SEO takes time - sometimes months - before you rise in search results. But once you rank well, you don't have to pay for it every month. SEA, on the other hand, is instant: start today, top tomorrow. But as soon as you stop paying, you are also immediately out of the picture.

This is why SEA works well for temporary promotions, launches or seasonal products. SEO lends itself more to long-term authority and findability building, especially on informative or evergreen onder topics.

For small websites or start-ups, it may seem like you can never get to the top with SEO. Yet even then, it is quite possible to attract more visitors to a small website, zonder large advertising budget. By being smart about search terms and content, you build a strong online presence step by step.

Smart budgeting

Those who want to get the most out of their online marketing budget would do well to use SEA and SEO in balance. For example, deploy SEA on high-conversion commercial keywords, and SEO on information-oriented content that people search for at an earlier stage of the customer journey.

It's not about which channel is 'better'. It is about the right deployment at the right time, for the right purpose. And that alignment ultimately determines how effective your marketing efforts are.

Combining insights for greater grip

Another advantage of combining SEO and SEA is the amount of data you have available. The search terms people click on in your ads can say a lot about what they are really looking for. You can use that knowledge to sharpen your content or to develop new pages.

Moreover, you can use both channels to influence different stages of the customer journey. SEA lends itself well to remarketing - re-engaging people who previously visited your website. SEO is powerful for building trust, with valuable content that helps make choices.

Why teamwork matters

In the end, it's not about SEO or SEA, but about how you use both channels in your marketing strategy. By understanding their differences and combining them smartly, you will build a solid foundation ánd ensure direct results.

Anyone who wants to be visible in Google in both the short and long term would do well not to opt for either optimisation or advertising, but rather for cooperation. Because in a world where online competition is growing all the time, just being at the top is not enough - you also have to stay there.