If you’ve been investing in digital marketing for any length of time, you’ve probably tried at least one of the big three: SEO, PPC, or social media advertising. Maybe you’ve dabbled in all of them at various points, with varying degrees of success. But here’s a question worth asking: what happens when you stop treating them as separate tactics and start using them together?
The short answer is that your marketing becomes significantly more effective. The longer answer is what we’re going to explore in this article.
Understanding What Each Channel Does Best
Before we get into how these channels complement each other, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate what each one brings to the table.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is your long game. It’s about building a website that ranks well in organic search results, bringing in visitors who are actively searching for what you offer. The beauty of SEO is that once you’ve earned those rankings, the traffic keeps coming without you paying for each click. The downside is that it takes time—often several months—to see meaningful results.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, typically through Google Ads, gives you immediate visibility at the top of search results. You’re paying for every click, but you’re reaching people at the exact moment they’re searching for your products or services. It’s fast, it’s targeted, and it’s entirely within your control.
Social media advertising works differently again. Rather than waiting for people to search for you, you’re putting your message in front of them while they’re scrolling through their feeds. The targeting is based on who people are—their demographics, interests, behaviours—rather than what they’re searching for. It’s brilliant for building awareness, reaching new audiences, and staying visible to people who might not be actively looking but could well be interested.
Each channel has its strengths. But here’s the thing: they also have gaps that the others can fill.
Why Relying on One Channel Is Risky
Putting all your eggs in one basket is rarely a wise strategy, and digital marketing is no exception.
If you rely solely on SEO, you’re at the mercy of algorithm updates. Google tweaks its ranking factors regularly, and what works today might not work tomorrow. Businesses that have built their entire lead generation around organic search have been caught out before when rankings suddenly dropped.
If PPC is your only channel, you’re essentially renting your visibility. The moment your budget runs out or costs per click rise beyond what’s profitable, your leads dry up. There’s no lasting asset being built—just a tap that flows while you’re paying and stops when you’re not.
And if social media is your sole focus, you’re dependent on platforms that change their rules constantly. Organic reach has declined dramatically over the years, and advertising costs have risen. You’re also only reaching people on those specific platforms, missing everyone who might find you through search.
Spreading your efforts across multiple channels isn’t just about maximising reach—it’s about building resilience into your marketing.
How the Three Channels Work Together
When SEO, PPC, and social advertising are working in harmony, something interesting happens. They stop being separate tactics and start functioning as a system, with each channel reinforcing the others.
PPC informs your SEO strategy. Running paid search campaigns gives you immediate data on which keywords actually convert. Instead of guessing which terms to target with your SEO efforts, you can focus on the ones you know drive results. You’re essentially using PPC as a testing ground for your organic strategy.
SEO supports your PPC performance. When someone clicks on your ad and lands on a well-optimised page with quality content, they’re more likely to convert. Google also factors landing page experience into your Quality Score, which affects how much you pay per click. Better SEO can actually reduce your PPC costs.
Social advertising expands your reach. While SEO and PPC capture people who are actively searching, social ads let you reach people who don’t know they need you yet. You’re planting seeds with audiences who might search for you later—and when they do, your SEO and PPC efforts are there to catch them.
Social builds the trust that converts searchers. Someone might find you through a Google search, but before they pick up the phone, they check out your social profiles. An active, engaging presence reassures them that you’re a credible business worth dealing with. Your social content does the work of building confidence in the background.
Retargeting ties it all together. Someone visits your website through organic search but doesn’t convert. Later, they see your ad in their Facebook feed reminding them you exist. They click through, and this time they make an enquiry. That’s the power of channels working together—staying visible across multiple touchpoints until the person is ready to act.
The Compounding Effect
There’s another benefit to combining channels that’s easy to overlook: the compounding effect.
When you’re visible in multiple places, you build familiarity faster. A potential customer might see your social ad on Monday, notice your organic listing when they search on Wednesday, and click your Google Ad on Friday. By the time they land on your website, they’ve already encountered your brand three times. You’re not a stranger anymore.
This familiarity breeds trust, and trust drives conversions. People do business with companies they feel they know, even if that feeling comes from repeated exposure rather than direct interaction.
The data backs this up. Studies consistently show that consumers need multiple touchpoints with a brand before they’re ready to buy. By showing up across search and social, paid and organic, you’re accelerating that journey.
Making It Work in Practice
Combining channels effectively isn’t just about doing all three at once—it’s about ensuring they’re aligned and working towards the same goals.
That means consistent messaging across platforms. The value proposition in your Google Ads should match what people find when they land on your website, which should align with what you’re saying on social media. Disjointed messaging confuses people and undermines trust.
It also means looking at your marketing as a whole rather than in silos. If you’re tracking SEO performance separately from PPC separately from social, you’re missing the bigger picture. The real insights come from understanding how channels interact—how a social campaign might lift your branded search traffic, for example, or how improved organic rankings affect your paid click costs.
And it means being realistic about resources. Not every business can do everything at once. If budget is tight, you might start with PPC for immediate leads while building your SEO foundation, then layer in social advertising once the other channels are established. The right mix depends on your specific situation, goals, and capacity.
Is It Worth the Investment?
Combining SEO, PPC, and social advertising requires more effort and more budget than focusing on a single channel. So is it actually worth it?
For most businesses serious about growth, the answer is yes. An integrated approach typically delivers better results than any single channel could achieve alone. You’re reaching more people, at more stages of their buying journey, through more touchpoints. You’re building both immediate visibility and long-term assets. And you’re protecting yourself against the risks of over-reliance on any one platform.
The businesses that thrive online are usually those that think holistically about their digital presence. They understand that SEO, PPC, and social aren’t competing options—they’re complementary tools that work best when used together.
Ready to Bring It All Together?
If your marketing efforts have felt fragmented or you’re not sure how to make your different channels work harder for each other, we’d love to help. Our team can look at what you’re currently doing, identify the gaps, and put together a strategy that gets all the pieces working in harmony.
Get in touch for a conversation about your goals—we’re always happy to chat.
