PPC delivers traffic immediately after campaign launch but stops completely when you stop spending - it is rented traffic. SEO builds organic rankings over 3–12 months but delivers compounding, self-sustaining traffic once rankings are established. For businesses needing leads or revenue now, PPC is the right starting point while SEO builds in parallel. For businesses with a content-driven model and a longer horizon, SEO-first is more capital-efficient. The two are most powerful in combination - content marketing is the asset that makes SEO work while also providing the landing page and ad copy material that makes PPC more effective.