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Introduction:
Most people understand that SEO and SEM are both important for success in marketing, but what does the difference between them actually mean?
It is a question we get asked very frequently and which we hope to answer with this post. We also include some key points about the importance of each one, how they work together and why you need them both.
First off, let us take a step back and consider the basics: What do these acronyms even mean?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
SEO is about giving you the best results on search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo!, while making it easy for users to find your website using organic or natural search listings. When a user searches for something relevant to your website, an optimized site will have a much better chance of ranking high on the results page. This is because SEO aims to improve your page’s visibility across all search engines, ensuring that people looking for your content online can easily find you.
SEM (Search Engine Marketing).
Whereas SEO is about improving how visible or “rankable” your offer is on organic search listings, SEM focuses on attracting traffic from paid ads. These are usually displayed as text links at the top and side of the result pages. Unlike organic listings, these ads are only shown to people who conduct certain kinds of searches (i.e., those relevant to what they’re advertising). That means one business can bid on another’s brand name and direct people away from their site, which is why it’s important to focus on a strong SEO strategy.
SEO + SEM = Success.
Both offer great ways of increasing visibility and driving traffic to your website. That being said, you shouldn’t use them as a substitute for one another or think that just because you have good rankings, you’re getting the most out of digital marketing as possible. An ideal campaign will include elements and other complementary strategies for the best results.
If this all sounds too complicated, there are companies whose sole job is to take care of both aspects for you – pretty handy, eh? Whether you hire someone or manage everything in-house, ensure they have the experience and knowledge to do a good job, and you won’t be disappointed. And what you are going to get…
- Ranking high in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page)
- Getting more exposure, traffic, and leads
- Getting higher conversion rates from people landing on your website after searching for relevant keywords or phrases related to your offer.
SEO, SEM & Digital Marketing: The Main Differences (and Why You Need Them Both).
SEO is all about increasing visibility through rankings and making content accessible. It’s primarily focused on improved user experience while using organic listings or getting more exposure online using other non-paid methods like guest blogging. We refer to it as white hat marketing because it follows Google rules (e.g., it doesn’t attempt to trick the algorithm).
SEM, on the other hand, is about paid or sponsored ads. These typically use AdWords, which is Google’s advertising platform, but there are many others from Yahoo! and Bing, for instance. Because of this prioritization of paid traffic, SEM can sometimes be aggressive in getting you more exposure through ads by using techniques that may or may not be approved by search engines long-term.
For that reason, it’s frequently referred to as black hat digital marketing. It’s worth noting, however, that these days most people don’t do anything too drastic when they decide to include SEM in their strategy – you won’t find many companies building hundreds of low-quality backlinks anymore, for example…
Which is more convenient?
While it’s true that many people go for the cheaper option when it comes to marketing, SEM isn’t always an ideal choice. Sometimes you can end up spending more on ads than you would have done by investing in SEO from the get-go. That being said, if your goal is simply to increase brand awareness and grab attention, then there are a few better ways to do it.
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