The decisions that stall a growth programme.
Six comparisons, each answering the question in its first paragraph and then showing the work. Every one carries a verdict — a comparison that will not lean where the evidence leans is just a shrug with a table attached.
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SEO vs GEO
SEO vs GEO
They are not alternatives. GEO — generative engine optimization — is a layer on top of SEO, not a replacement for it, because Google states that a page must already be indexable and snippet-eligible in ordinary Search before it is eligible for AI Overviews at all. Anyone selling GEO as a way around search fundamentals is selling something that cannot work.
Read the comparisonSEO vs Paid search
SEO vs Paid Search
Paid search buys a position; SEO earns one. If you need traffic inside two weeks, paid search is the only option on that timeline. If you need a channel whose cost per acquisition falls rather than rises as you scale, that is SEO — and its payoff typically starts showing after months, not weeks.
Read the comparisonIn-house team vs Agency or partner
In-House vs Agency
Hire in-house for work that is continuous, core to your product, and improves with company-specific knowledge. Bring in a partner for work that is specialised, intermittent, or needs a capability faster than you can recruit it. The mistake is hiring in-house for a problem you cannot yet specify.
Read the comparisonMulti-touch attribution vs Incrementality testing
Attribution vs Incrementality Testing
Attribution tells you which touchpoints appeared before a conversion. Incrementality testing tells you which ones caused it. They answer different questions, and the second is the one budget decisions actually need — because channels that capture existing demand accumulate attributed credit for conversions that would have happened anyway.
Read the comparisonRules-based automation vs AI agents
AI Agents vs Rules-Based Automation
Use rules where the decision is knowable in advance and being wrong is expensive. Use an agent where the input varies too much to enumerate and a human can review the output. The distinction is decision latitude: a rules engine does what the branch says, an agent chooses among available actions.
Read the comparisonLocal SEO vs National SEO
Local SEO vs National SEO
Local SEO competes for proximity-driven results, most visibly the map pack, and requires a verified business profile tied to a real address or declared service area. National SEO competes on relevance and authority with no geographic gate. If you have no physical presence, only the second is genuinely available to you.
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Reference
Definitions for the vocabulary
Contested terms marked as contested, with the disagreement named.
02Questions
How engagements run
Ownership, guarantees, cost and coverage, answered plainly.
03Research
The long-form versions
Guides with visible sources, review dates and stated limitations.
04Next step
Talk through your decision
A comparison narrows the options. Your constraints pick one.