SEO
Your pages appear in Google's unpaid results when people search for what you sell. Expect 3 to 6 months before steady traffic. Clicks carry no fee, and the work you pay for stays on your site.
SEO vs Facebook ads vs Google Ads: which to start with in Bangladesh.
SEO vs Facebook ads is a choice between speed and lasting traffic. Facebook ads and Google Ads can bring leads within days of going live but stop when the budget stops, while SEO takes 3 to 6 months to grow and then brings visits with no fee per click. This guide compares the 3 channels on time to results, cost, buyer intent and tracking, and shows when a Bangladeshi business should run them together.
The short answer
What each channel does and when it pays off.
Each channel reaches a buyer at a different moment.
Facebook ads
Your ads appear in the Facebook and Instagram feeds of people who match the location, age and interests you choose. Ads can run within days. Reach depends on the daily budget you pay Meta.
Google Ads
Your ads appear above the results for the keywords you bid on, and in Shopping, YouTube and display placements. Search ads are usually charged per click, and they reach people who are already searching.
Side by side
How do SEO and Facebook ads compare?
For a business that already sells through a Facebook page, this is the first comparison to make. The table covers the 8 points that decide it.
SEOFacebook ads
Where it appearsGoogle's unpaid search results and the map resultsFacebook, Instagram and Messenger placements, including Stories and Reels
Who sees itPeople typing a search for your product or servicePeople who match your targeting, whether or not they are shopping today
Time to first resultsUsually 3 to 6 months for steady trafficDays, once the ad and the page it links to are ready
What you pay forThe work: technical fixes, pages and contentAd spend paid to Meta, plus the creative and the management
When spending stopsPages keep ranking for a time, though competitors can overtake themThe ads stop showing the same day
What you keepIndexed pages on a website you ownAudience data, Pixel history and the creative that worked
Best forServices and products people already search forVisual products, new products and offers people buy on impulse
How results are trackedSearch Console and analytics: queries, rankings, visits and enquiriesMeta Pixel and Conversions API: clicks, messages and orders per ad
Search, paid and unpaid
Is SEO better than Google Ads, or the other way round?
Neither is better in every case. Both target the same Google searches, so the difference is in speed, cost per visit and what you own afterwards.
SEOGoogle Ads
Position on the pageThe unpaid results, earned by the page's relevance and qualityThe sponsored slots above and below the unpaid results
Cost of each visitNo fee per clickA fee per click, set by your bids and by competition for the keyword
SpeedMonths, as Google discovers, indexes and ranks the pagesHours to days after the campaign is approved
Keyword controlGoogle decides which searches a page ranks forYou choose the keywords, locations, hours and budget
TestingChanges take weeks to show in rankingsA new headline or offer can be compared within days
Long-term valueRanking pages keep bringing visits after the work is doneTraffic ends when the budget ends
Time to results
How long does each channel take to bring customers?
These are the timelines we give clients.
Cost
What does each channel cost to run each month?
The channels are paid for in different ways, so compare the total each month against the leads or orders it brings. We send a written quote after a free 15-minute call, and the cost pages for SEO and digital marketing explain each factor.
Ads: spend plus management
The ad budget goes straight to Meta or Google, and you set it. On top of that come the management fee, the ad images and videos, and the landing page. A boosted Facebook post is also ad spend, with fewer targeting and tracking options.
SEO: paid for as work, with no fee per click
You pay for the audit, the technical fixes, new pages and articles, local SEO and reporting. The amount depends on the size and condition of your site, the competition for your keywords and how much content is written each month.
Cost per lead over time
Ad cost per lead stays tied to the auction, so it rises when competitors bid more. SEO costs the most per lead in the early months, before the pages rank, and less once the pages bring steady visits.
The page both depend on
Ads and SEO both send people to your website. A slow page, or a form that asks too much, raises the cost of every visit from every channel, so the landing page is often the first fix.
Which to choose
Which channel fits your type of business?
Start from how your customers buy. These 5 cases cover the common situations for businesses in Bangladesh.
An online shop selling clothing, gadgets or gifts
Start with Facebook ads, because buyers see the product before they think to search for it. Send the ads to your own store with cash on delivery, then add SEO for category and product searches.
A local service such as a clinic, salon or coaching centre
Start with Google Ads for searches in your area and set up local SEO and your Google Business Profile at the same time. Map results bring calls from people near you.
A B2B company or professional firm
Lead with SEO and Google Ads. Buyers research before they contact a supplier, so service pages and guides that answer their questions matter more than feed ads.
A new product nobody searches for yet
Use Facebook ads to create the demand. Search volume follows awareness, so SEO for the product name comes later.
A small budget that has to cover everything
Put most of it into 1 channel that matches how your buyers behave, and add a website with basic on-page SEO. Spreading a small budget across 3 channels makes each one too small to learn from.
Running them together
When should you run SEO and ads at the same time?
Most businesses that can afford both should run both.
Ads cover the first months of SEO
SEO brings little in its first 3 to 6 months. Paid ads bring leads in that period, and the budget can move towards SEO as unpaid traffic grows.
Ad data picks the SEO keywords
The Google Ads search terms report shows which searches produce enquiries. Those searches become the first pages in the SEO plan.
Retargeting brings visitors back
People who found you through search and left can be shown Facebook or Google display ads, using the Meta Pixel and Google remarketing lists.
1 report for every channel
When ads and SEO share the same tracking, each lead or order shows which channel produced it, and the budget follows the results.
Evidence
What our projects show about each channel.
An SEO result from a new site, and a Facebook-led shop where each order is traced back to its ad.
SEO from a new domain
VoIP Services Now: Google's top 3 within 3 months
VoIP Services Now launched with no website and no search history. We built the site with a search intent set for every page, and a locations hub linking individually written city pages. The smaller towns had less competition, so they ranked first. Target keywords reached Google's top 3 within 3 months.
7 California markets covered at launch
Facebook-led sales, Bangladesh
Mystic Shop BD: each order traced to its ad
Mystic Shop BD sells across Bangladesh, with demand driven largely by Facebook advertising and most orders paid cash on delivery. We built its own store with the Meta Pixel and Conversions API sharing event IDs, so purchases are not counted twice, and the campaign is saved on each order. Cost is recorded on each order line, so reports show the profit on each order.
Meta tracking that reports on profit
SEO over 6 months
SRS Networks: roughly 3x the visitors 6 months later
SRS Networks is a 28-year managed IT and cybersecurity provider in Salinas and Monterey, California. We rebuilt its website on WordPress, wrote 10 city pages and built local and industry links. The client reported roughly 3x the website visitors 6 months later.
Results reported by the client
What a client said.
"Rizer did SEO on my new travel agency site and we landed our first client within days. Clear reporting, kind communication, real results."
How Rizer helps
1 team for SEO, Facebook ads and Google Ads.
We build the website and run all 3 channels from the same keyword research and the same tracking, so you do not need to hire 5 freelancers. Our full list is on the services page.
SEO
Technical SEO and Core Web Vitals, keyword and content strategy, on-page work and internal linking, local SEO and Google Business Profile.
SEO agency in BangladeshFacebook and Instagram ads
Meta, Instagram and TikTok ads, content design and scheduling, page management and monthly performance reports.
Facebook ads agency in BangladeshGoogle Ads
Search ads, Google Shopping ads, YouTube video ads, display and remarketing, and Performance Max campaigns.
Google Ads agency in Bangladesh
Questions
SEO and paid ads, common questions.
Is SEO better than Google Ads?
SEO is better for lasting traffic with no fee per click, and Google Ads is better when you need enquiries within days. Many businesses run Google Ads during the 3 to 6 months SEO takes to grow, then shift budget as unpaid visits increase.
Which is cheaper, SEO or Facebook ads?
Facebook ads can start on a budget you set and show results sooner, while SEO is paid for as work before the pages rank and has no fee per click once they do. Ad spend is paid to Meta for as long as the ads run. SEO is paid for as work, and the pages keep bringing visits after it is done.
How quickly can Facebook ads bring orders?
Facebook ads can bring orders within days of approval, if the page they link to is ready to take the order. The first weeks show which audience and creative convert, and the budget then moves to those ads.
How long does SEO take in Bangladesh?
Plan for 3 to 6 months before SEO brings steady traffic. Less competitive searches can rank sooner: VoIP Services Now, a new site, reached the top 3 for its target keywords within 3 months.
Can I run Facebook ads without a website?
Yes, ads can send people to Messenger, WhatsApp or a Facebook lead form. A website adds a checkout, order records and Pixel tracking tied to each order, which shows what each ad really earned.
Do Google Ads or Facebook ads improve my SEO rankings?
No, Google states that advertising with Google does not change unpaid rankings, and Facebook ads have no direct effect on Google rankings. Ads help SEO indirectly, by showing which searches and offers convert.
Can you promise results from SEO or ads?
No, Google sets rankings and the ad auctions set ad prices. We commit to the work in the plan you approve, and our reports show the work completed and what changed in traffic, leads and orders.
Next step
Get a channel plan in a free 15-minute call.
Tell us what you sell, where your customers are and what you spend on ads today. We will say which channel to start with and send a written quote after the call. You can also email [email protected] or see all Rizer services in Bangladesh.