SEO and PPC cannibalisation describes situations where paid and organic search compete for the same queries, potentially leading to unnecessary advertising spend. The analysis in this guide uses GA4 to investigate overlap and campaign efficiency.

Step 1: Link Search Console to GA4

Before analysing overlap, link Google Search Console (GSC) to GA4 for the organic search data used in this guide.

Step 2: Create an SEO and PPC comparison report

  1. Sign in to GA4 and go to Explorations.

  2. Create Free Form Exploration.

  3. Choose these dimensions:

    • Session source/medium (traffic source/medium)

    • Landing page + query string (landing page)

  4. Add these metrics:

    • Sessions (number of sessions)

    • Conversions (conversions)

    • CTR (CTR from GSC)

    • Cost per conversion (cost per conversion from Google Ads)

  5. Filter to show only "google / organic" and "google / cpc".

Step 3: Identify pages to investigate

  • Identify landing pages that receive both organic and paid traffic.

  • Compare organic and paid conversions If paid traffic accounts for a substantial share of conversions on a page that ranks well organically, investigate possible overlap.

  • Check the cost per conversion (CPA) against organic CTR If organic CTR is high while paid ads also spend on that query, review the combined performance.

Step 4: Adjust the advertising strategy

  1. Reviewing bids for broad-match keywords To prioritise organic visibility where it is strong.

  2. Focusing PPC on keywords with stronger conversion performance Reserve budget for terms where organic rankings are weaker.

  3. Testing a pause in PPC for strong organic keywords Compare performance before and after to assess the contribution of paid search.

  4. Creating complementary campaigns Use PPC for pages with weaker organic performance.

Step 5: Monitor and improve

  • Set up alerts in GA4 for unexplained increases in paid traffic to pages with strong organic performance.

  • Use Google Ads to investigate Search Impression Share If the analysis suggests ads are replacing organic clicks, consider an adjustment.

  • Compare organic rankings in GSC before and after PPC activity as part of the investigation.

Summary

Investigating SEO and PPC overlap can inform budget decisions. Analytics and Search Console data help assess combined performance and opportunities to improve marketing ROI.

Back to top ↑