The Rent vs. Buy Dilemma: Google Ads vs. SEO for Squat Practices
David just opened the doors to his brand new squat practice in a leafy suburb of Leeds. The paint on the walls is fresh. The waiting room chairs still have that “new car” smell. He has a state-of-the-art scanner and a team ready to work.
But there is one big problem. The phone isn’t ringing.
David spent his budget on the fit-out and the equipment. He assumed that once the sign went up, the patients would walk in. He was wrong. Now, he is staring at an empty appointment book and burning through his cash reserves.
He knows he needs marketing. He searches online and finds two main options: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising.
He asks the question every new owner asks: “Is SEO or Google Ads better for a new squat practice?”
The answer isn’t simple. It depends on whether you want to rent your traffic or buy it.
The "Rent vs. Buy" Analogy
Think about your physical practice. You probably had to decide between renting a property or buying a building.
Google Ads is like renting. You pay a landlord (Google) a fee to stay in a prime location. As long as you pay the rent, you are visible. You get immediate footfall. But the second you stop paying, you are evicted. Your visibility vanishes instantly. You own nothing.
SEO is like buying (or building). You buy a plot of land. You spend time laying the foundation. You build the walls brick by brick. It takes months before the building is ready. You don’t see immediate results. But once it is built, you own it. You don’t have to pay rent for every person who walks through the door. It becomes an asset that grows in value over time.
For a new squat practice, you are often caught in a trap. You need the speed of renting, but you want the stability of owning.
Google Ads: The Quick Fix for Cash Flow
When you open a squat, your biggest enemy is silence. You have zero patient base. You have bills to pay. You cannot afford to wait six months for the phone to ring.
This is where Google Ads wins.
With Google Ads, you can be on page one of Google within 24 hours. You bid on keywords like “Emergency Dentist near me” or “Invisalign offers.” When someone searches for those terms, your ad appears at the very top.
For a squat practice, this is a lifeline. It turns the tap on immediately.
Why Google Ads works for squats:
- Speed: You get patients in the chair this week, not next year.
- Targeting: You can target specific postcodes. If you want patients within 5 miles of your door, you can set that boundary.
- Control: You can turn it off when you are busy. If your diary is full for next week, you pause the ads and save money.
However, this speed comes at a price. According to data from WordStream, the average cost per click in the health industry is relatively high. In competitive areas like London or Manchester, a single click for “dental implants” can cost £5 to £10.
If you rely 100% on ads, your marketing costs will never go down. You are renting your existence on the internet.
SEO: Building Your Long-Term Digital Asset
If Ads are the sprint, SEO is the marathon.
Search Engine Optimisation is the process of getting your website to rank high in the “organic” (free) results on Google. This includes the map pack (the list of three local businesses) and the standard search results.
Many owners ask, “Is SEO or Google Ads better for a new squat practice?” because they hate the idea of paying for every click. They want “free” traffic.
But SEO is not free. It costs time and effort. It involves:
Writing helpful content (blogs, treatment pages).
Getting other reputable websites to link to you (backlinks).
Optimising your Google Business Profile.
Ensuring your website loads fast and works on mobiles.
Why SEO is vital for long-term value:
Trust: Studies show that 70-80% of users ignore paid ads and focus on organic results. Patients trust organic rankings more. They see them as a sign of credibility.
Compounding Returns: Once you rank #1 for “Dentist in [Your Town],” you stay there. You don’t pay every time someone clicks. The traffic keeps coming, month after month.
Equity: A website with strong SEO is a business asset. If you ever sell your practice, a high-ranking website adds significant value to the sale price.
The downside? It is slow. Ahrefs reports that it takes an average of 6-12 months to rank on the first page for a competitive keyword. For a new squat with zero income, waiting a year is not an option.
The Trust Factor: Why Patients Click
Understanding patient psychology is key to answering “Is SEO or Google Ads better for a new squat practice?“
Imagine a patient has a toothache. They are in pain. They want a solution now. They search “emergency dentist.” They will likely click the very first thing they see, which is usually an Ad. In this scenario, Ads win.
Now, imagine a patient wants veneers. This is a £5,000 decision. They are not in a rush. They will research. They will scroll past the ads. They will look at the map pack to check reviews. They will visit three or four websites. In this scenario, SEO and a strong reputation win.
You need to capture both types of patients. The desperate patient fills your diary today. The cosmetic patient fills your bank account tomorrow.
The Hybrid Strategy: The "Squat Timeline"
Phase 1: Launch Mode (Months 1-6)
- Focus: 80% Google Ads / 20% SEO.
- Goal: Immediate cash flow.
- Action: Spend your budget on Ads to get new patients through the door. Collect Google Reviews from every happy patient (this starts your SEO foundation). Ensure your website is technically sound.
Phase 2: Growth Mode (Months 6-12)
- Focus: 50% Google Ads / 50% SEO.
- Goal: Transitioning to sustainability.
- Action: Keep the ads running for high-value treatments (Implants, Invisalign). Start producing blog content. Optimise your local map listing. You should start seeing some organic traffic now.
Phase 3: Authority Mode (Year 2+)
- Focus: 20% Google Ads / 80% SEO.
- Goal: Profit maximisation.
- Action: Your SEO should now be bringing in a steady stream of patients. You can dial down the ad spend. You only use Ads for specific promotions or to push a new treatment. Your marketing cost-per-patient drops significantly.
Why Local SEO is Non-Negotiable
Even if you decide to rely on Ads, you cannot ignore Local SEO.
This is your Google Business Profile (the map listing). It is the modern version of the Yellow Pages. If a patient searches “dentist near me,” Google shows the Map Pack first.
To rank here, you need:
- Consistency: Your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) must be identical everywhere on the web.
- Reviews: You need a steady stream of 5-star reviews.
- Proximity: You need to be physically located near the searcher.
This is the “low hanging fruit” of SEO. It is easier to rank in the local map pack than in the main search results. For a squat practice, claiming and verifying your Google Business Profile should be done on day one.
Budgeting for the Battle
How much does this cost?
For Google Ads, you pay for media. A typical squat practice might spend £1,000 to £2,000 a month on ad spend to generate enough leads.
For SEO, you pay for time/expertise. You might pay an agency a monthly retainer to write content and build links.
If you try to do SEO yourself to save money, be careful. “Cheap” SEO often involves spammy tactics that can get your site banned by Google. It is better to do nothing than to do bad SEO.
Summary
So, is SEO or Google Ads better for a new squat practice?
Google Ads is better for survival. It keeps the lights on in the first six months. It is the rent you pay to be seen.
SEO is better for wealth. It builds the long-term value of your business. It is the mortgage you pay to own your market.
A smart practice owner uses Ads to buy time while their SEO strategy builds momentum. You rent the location while you build the skyscraper.
If you ignore Ads, you might starve before you rank. If you ignore SEO, you will be paying rent to Google forever.
Balancing these two channels can be tricky. You need to manage bid strategies, keyword research, and technical site audits all at once. This is where a dedicated partner can remove the stress.
If you want to build a marketing strategy that delivers patients today and profits tomorrow, we can help you map it out.
Click here to book a strategy call with Dentify Digital.