If you need customers in the next 30 days, start with Google Ads. If you have 6+ months of runway and want to stop paying for every click forever, start with SEO. Most Montreal small businesses end up doing both — but the order matters, and starting with the wrong one wastes a lot of money.
The honest one-line difference
Google Ads rents traffic. SEO buys the building. Rent is fast and predictable; buying takes longer and is more work, but eventually you stop paying.
When Google Ads is the right starting point
- You need leads now. Ads can run within a week; SEO takes 3–6 months to show results.
- Your service is urgent. Plumbers, locksmiths, lawyers, movers — people search and convert in the same hour. Ads dominate that moment.
- You're testing a new offer. Ads tell you in two weeks whether anyone wants what you're selling. SEO can't do that.
- Your average order is $300+. The Montreal CPC for commercial-intent keywords is often $4–$15. The math only works if one customer is worth a few hundred dollars.
When SEO is the right starting point
- Long sales cycle. If people research for weeks before buying (B2B, consulting, anything over $5K), SEO content lets you be in the conversation the whole time.
- Low-margin, high-volume products. Ads eat thin margins alive. SEO traffic, once it ranks, is essentially free.
- You have 6+ months of runway. Real SEO results in Montreal take 3–6 months for low-competition terms, 6–12 for anything in the "digital marketing" or "lawyer" tier.
- You already have a Google Ads program and want to lower CAC. SEO usually drops your blended cost per acquisition once it kicks in.
What each actually costs in Montreal
Google Ads
- Ad spend: $1,500 – $10,000/mo is typical for SMBs. Below $1,500/mo it's hard to gather enough data to optimize.
- Management fee: $800 – $2,500/mo, or 10–20% of ad spend.
- Time to first lead: 1–2 weeks.
- What you get: Predictable lead flow, fast feedback, but it stops the day you stop paying.
SEO
- Monthly retainer: $1,500 – $5,000/mo for a Montreal SMB, depending on content volume.
- Time to results: 3–6 months minimum; competitive terms take 6–12.
- What you get: Compounding traffic that keeps coming once you stop paying — at least for a while.
The trap most Montreal businesses fall into
They start with SEO because it's "cheaper long-term," see no leads for four months, panic, kill the program, and conclude SEO doesn't work. SEO works — but only if you can survive the gap. If your business can't make payroll without leads in the next 60 days, don't start with SEO. Start with Google Ads to keep the lights on, then layer SEO in once revenue is stable.
What we recommend for most Montreal businesses
- Month 1–3: Google Ads on your highest-intent keywords. Get leads flowing.
- Month 2 onward: Start SEO in parallel — homepage and 3–5 service pages first.
- Month 6–9: SEO starts producing organic leads. You can start lowering ad spend on terms you now rank for.
- Month 12+: Blended CAC drops. Ads cover commercial intent; SEO covers research intent.
Done in that order, your monthly marketing cost stays roughly flat — but the share that's "rent" goes down every quarter.