Channel strategy
SEO against every other way of buying attention: ads, social, email, affiliates.
14 articles
SEO vs PPC: the real trade is time against control
SEO and paid search compared on cost structure, speed, durability and risk — with the payback maths that decides which one a business should start with.
5 min read
SEO vs Google Ads: which line on the results page should you own?
A practical comparison of organic search and Google Ads — click costs, trust, intent coverage and the cannibalisation question nobody answers honestly.
5 min read
Organic traffic vs paid traffic: which visitors are actually worth more?
A clear comparison of organic and paid traffic on conversion rate, trust, cost and durability — and why the usual "organic converts better" claim needs qualifying.
4 min read
SEO vs content marketing: overlapping, not identical
SEO and content marketing share most of their surface area but answer to different goals. What each is actually for, and why treating them as synonyms produces bad content.
4 min read
SEO vs social media marketing: harvesting demand vs creating it
SEO and social media compared on intent, durability, compounding and platform risk — with a straight answer on which to prioritise for different business types.
4 min read
SEO vs email marketing: acquisition against retention
SEO and email compared on cost, ownership, compounding and risk — and why the answer for almost every business is a specific sequence rather than a choice.
4 min read
SEO vs affiliate marketing: building the asset or renting someone else’s
Affiliate marketing and SEO compared on risk, margin, control and durability — including the awkward fact that most affiliate businesses are SEO businesses.
3 min read
In-house SEO vs agency: the decision is about implementation, not expertise
A frank comparison of hiring an SEO versus retaining an agency — real costs, the ramp-up problem, and the implementation bottleneck that decides which one works.
4 min read
SEO agency vs freelancer: what you gain and lose at each size
Agencies and freelance SEO consultants compared on cost, capacity, specialism and risk — with clear signals for which one fits your situation.
4 min read
DIY SEO vs hiring someone: when doing it yourself is genuinely correct
An honest assessment of how far you can get doing SEO yourself, which parts genuinely need an expert, and the signals that tell you it is time to hire.
4 min read
SEO cost vs ROI: how to tell whether you are buying an asset or an expense
How to model the real cost of SEO, calculate a return that survives scrutiny, and spot the point at which an SEO programme has become a recurring expense with no asset behind it.
4 min read
Short-term vs long-term marketing channels: how to split the budget
How to balance channels that pay today against channels that compound, why most businesses get the split wrong in both directions, and a practical allocation framework.
4 min read
Brand search vs non-brand search: two metrics people keep averaging together
Why mixing branded and non-branded search data hides both stories, how to separate them in Search Console, and what each one actually tells you about your marketing.
4 min read
Direct traffic vs organic traffic: what that growing "direct" bucket really is
Why direct traffic is growing in most analytics accounts, what is actually hiding in it, and how to stop under-crediting the channels that are really doing the work.
4 min read