Free Tool
SEO vs PPC Calculator
Enter your monthly budget, average CPC, keyword volume, and conversion data. See how SEO and Google Ads compare in monthly profit and — crucially — at what month SEO overtakes paid ads in cumulative return.
Your Numbers
What you'd allocate to either channel
Cost per click in Google Ads for your keywords
Monthly searches for your main keyword
Visitors who become customers
Revenue per conversion
Google Ads (PPC)
Immediate resultsMonthly clicks
429
at £3.50 CPC
Monthly revenue
£4,286
from paid traffic
Monthly profit
£2,786
revenue minus ad spend
Monthly ROI
186%
return on ad spend
PPC stops when you stop paying. All revenue requires continuous ad spend.
Organic SEO
Compounds over timeMonthly clicks (mature)
552
at position 1 (27.6% CTR)
Monthly revenue (mature)
£5,520
from organic traffic
Monthly profit (mature)
£4,020
revenue minus SEO retainer
Monthly ROI (mature)
268%
return on SEO investment
6-month ramp-up assumed. SEO traffic continues even if you reduce spend.
Long-term cumulative profit
Year 1 — PPC profit
£33,429
cumulative
Year 1 — SEO profit
£34,440
incl. ramp-up
Year 2 — PPC profit
£66,857
cumulative
Year 2 — SEO profit
£82,680
cumulative
SEO overtakes PPC cumulative profit at Month 12. After that point, every month SEO generates £1,234 more profit per month than the same budget spent on ads.
Why SEO eventually wins
PPC is a tap: turn off the budget, turn off the traffic. SEO builds an asset — rankings that generate traffic whether or not you're actively spending that month. The compounding effect typically makes SEO cheaper per acquisition after month 12–18 of a well-run campaign.
When PPC is the right choice
If you need immediate revenue, are testing a new product, or your keyword CPC is low relative to your order value, PPC can deliver faster ROI in the short term. Many businesses run both — PPC for immediate demand, SEO for long-term compounding return.
The hybrid approach
The optimal strategy is usually to run PPC while SEO ramps up, then reduce ad spend as organic traffic grows. Your PPC data (converting keywords, top landing pages) also directly informs your SEO targeting — reducing research time and cost.
Free Audit
Get a free SEO audit for your business
No commitment. We'll audit your site, identify the gaps, and show you exactly how we'd get you to page 1.