Why does SEO Reduce the Cost of Digital Operations (SEM)?

3min.

Comments:0

03 February 2026

SEO
Why does SEO Reduce the Cost of Digital Operations (SEM)?d-tags
Large organizations have been investing in optimizing sales structures for years to maximize the productivity of their field sales forces. At the same time, these companies are keen to utilize paid SEM campaigns. And rightly so, because SEM acts as a digital sales representative today, delivering leads and sales in real time. The problem is that while companies optimize Field Operations, they often neglect Digital Operations.

3min.

Comments:0

03 February 2026

A suboptimal digital environment, such as low-quality content or poor site architecture, makes paid campaigns increasingly expensive and less effective. That is exactly why SEO is the optimization of digital sales structures, not a “marketing cost.” It is an investment in the foundation that lowers the cost of the digital sales force, i.e., SEM.

SEM sprzedaje – ale sprzedaje drożej, jeśli fundament jest słaby

In the offline model, you know this mechanism perfectly well:

  • if a salesperson drives a poorly planned route, efficiency drops,
  • if the reporting structure doesn’t work, decisions are delayed,
  • if regions are divided poorly, teams lose potential,
  • if the field force lacks good tools, costs rise, and results fall.

The same thing happens in digital.

If SEO, meaning domain foundations and content, is neglected, your paid campaigns:

  • have a higher CPC,
  • have a lower Quality Score,
  • have a worse Landing Page Experience score,
  • require larger budgets,
  • deliver leads and sales at a higher unit price,
  • lose auctions to competitors who have better “organizational digital.”

It’s like sending a salesperson into the field without tools, a CRM, or a set route. They will be “driving,” but for much more money and with a much lower result, and it won’t be nearly as profitable.

SEO is the Optimization of Digital Sales Infrastructure

SEO is not a campaign, it is not an ad, and it doesn’t work like a banner. SEO acts as a modernization of the entire digital sales system, because it influences:

  1. Site Quality (Your “Digital Store”)

Speed, UX, and technical preparation – this is the equivalent of the tools you give salespeople in the field.

  1. Content and Category Structure

This is like dividing regions and arranging the field force effectively.

  1. Building Domain Trust in Google’s Eyes

This is like the credibility of a salesperson who has built relationships in the market for years.

  1. The Match Between Queries and Your Offer

This is like route planning – you direct traffic where you can actually deliver value.

As a result, your SEM campaigns work more efficiently, because the Google Ads system sees:

  • a better site,
  • better content relevance,
  • greater usability,
  • greater domain trust.

And this lowers click costs, improves traffic quality, and increases conversions.

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Przemek Jaskierski
Przemek Jaskierski SEO Strategy Manager

SEO and SEM Should Work in Tandem

In every large company, the sales department is one of the most expensive items on the P&L. That’s why optimization is prioritized. Every percentage point of efficiency improvement pays off multiple times.

Analogously:

  • SEM is one of the most expensive elements of the digital P&L,
  • SEO is the process of optimizing a unit’s cost.

Without SEO, paid campaigns are like a field force without a system, route plans, tools, or segmentation.

SEO is the optimization of customer acquisition costs in digital channels. It not only lowers the cost of Google Ads activities but also helps acquire customers organically, which holistically significantly reduces CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost).

You Optimize the Field. But Do You Optimize the Digital Field?

Most companies:

  • reorganize sales structures,
  • invest in tools for salespeople,
  • raise team competencies,
  • implement process-support systems,
  • map territories and plan routes.

But at the same time, these same companies:

  • direct paid traffic to suboptimal pages,
  • pay high CPCs for no reason,
  • don’t care about content structure,
  • don’t invest in visibility foundations,
  • burn through budgets because the digital sales infrastructure is weak.

It’s a paradox. Since you wouldn’t tolerate such shortcomings and a lack of strategy in the offline world as an entrepreneur, why do you do it online?

Summary: SEM Are Your Digital Salespeople, and SEO Is the Optimization of Their Work

In large companies, sales is a strategic area of optimization.

In the digital world, the situation looks identical; only a few organizations realize it.

  • SEM = actively sells, just like the field force.
  • SEO = optimizes structure, costs, and efficiency, just like sales management.

So if you invest in paid campaigns but don’t invest in SEO, it’s like:

  • sending salespeople into the field without a plan,
  • raising salaries but not modernizing processes,
  • increasing budgets but ignoring foundations.

Without SEO, you pay more for the same result. With SEO, the same SEM budget works better!

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Dominika Obara-Żmuda
Dominika Obara-Żmuda SEM Team Leader

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  • how to combine SEO with paid campaigns to strengthen the image and lower the cost of reaching the customer.

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Author
Author
Piotr Nowak

Global Sales Director

FAQ

Why does SEO realistically lower the cost of SEM campaigns?

Thanks to SEO, Google perceives your site better and considers it valuable to users. Site optimization allows you to win ad auctions against competitors while simultaneously lowering CPC costs, so you utilize your SEM campaign budget better.

Can SEM work effectively without investment in SEO?

Without SEO’s help, it will be difficult to fully leverage the SEM budget. Landing page quality assessment is crucial in Google Ads, so if your site is weak and your content is low quality, you won’t succeed in this field and will only burn through your budget.

Is SEO a marketing cost or an operational investment?

SEO allows you to save in two ways: on the one hand, it lowers SEM operational costs, and on the other, it helps you acquire customers organically. Thus, the CAC for the brand is much lower.