By Mark Futcher, Executive Director at Thrive Online Group UK

PPC and SEO are the secret ingredients. Mix them right, add a dash of insight, and make a toast to your digital success.

Why PPC and SEO Belong Together

Too often, agencies skip the conversation about PPC when planning SEO, which in our view short-changes the client’s potential results.

SEO is hugely important, but it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. PPC, when managed correctly in the early stages, plays a valuable supporting role.

That said, PPC will not directly push your rankings higher, Google keeps the two algorithms separate. But what PPC does do is create a ripple effect that strengthens SEO performance over time.

When used thoughtfully:

PPC provides speed, visibility, and insights
SEO builds authority and long-term sustainability

The real magic happens when the two disciplines share data, strategy, and learnings, ensuring every click and optimisation is aligned.

How PPC Supports SEO

Creating Increased Visibility & Brand Awareness

Well-constructed and targeted PPC ads place your brand at the very top of search results instantly. Even if users don’t click, your brand name has entered their awareness. Repeated exposure builds trust and recognition, later improving click-through rates on your organic listings.

Turning PPC Data Into SEO Insights

Your PPC campaigns generate a goldmine of data. Keyword performance, CTRs, conversion behaviour, and search intent, all of these insights can be fed back into your SEO strategy. This removes guesswork and sharpens your content targeting.

Driving Clicks & Engagement That Feed SEO

People may first discover your business via PPC and then return via organic search. That second visit and engagement signals are exactly what search engines value. Even exposure alone boosts the likelihood of direct branded searches, reinforcing organic performance.

Using PPC as a Testing Ground for SEO

PPC offers a fast way to trial different headlines, ad copy, and landing pages. Once proven, these winners can be applied to SEO titles, meta descriptions, and content, improving performance while reducing research costs.

Case in Point: An Online Golf Shop

Take an online golf retailer aiming to grow visibility and revenue in golf clothing, golf accessories, and higher-ticket items like bags and trolleys. Instead of relying solely on SEO, the business launched initial PPC campaigns in these categories whilst the starting point SEO was being structured. The ads delivered instant traffic, exposure, and just as importantly, insight.

The data revealed that:

Golf accessories drove the strongest conversion rates
Golf clothing drove strongest topline revenue
Bags and trolleys attracted interest but fewer sales

With this knowledge, the retailer doubled down on SEO content for accessories and clothing, while gradually strengthening the bags and trolleys section. Within months, organic rankings grew for the products and overall digital store, supported by customers who first discovered the brand through ads and later returned via search.

In this way, PPC became the fast starter, offering speed and intelligence, while SEO provided long-term authority. Together, they built a compounding effect: greater visibility, stronger engagement, more trust in the brand and ultimately a higher return on investment.

Timing & Integration

This channel-supported SEO strategy takes time, the cross-pollination effect is gradual.

Key steps:

Apply PPC-inspired SEO changes after the foundational SEO work is stable.
Run audits for both PPC & SEO upfront.
Ensure teams share outcomes and align strategies from day one.

Final Thoughts

For me, the relationship between PPC and SEO is all about partnership. PPC brings speed and visibility, while SEO builds authority and long-term sustainability. Together, they create a powerful, integrated strategy that delivers enriched and real results.

At Thrive Online Group UK, this is our approach, using audits, data, and collaboration to ensure PPC and SEO work in harmony for every client.

About Thrive Online Group UK

Thrive Online Group UK is a Nottingham-based digital marketing agency helping ambitious brands achieve growth through:

Blend PPC and SEO, Add a Dash of Insights, Garnish and Serve