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Seo and Sem - Definitions, Differences, and Strategies: Seo Is An Search Strategy. Semisa Search Strategy

This document defines and compares SEO and SEM. It begins by stating that SEO is an organic search strategy that involves optimizing websites to rank higher in search engines organically. SEM is a paid search strategy that uses paid ads to increase visibility on search engines. While separate strategies, both SEO and SEM should be used together. SEO lays the groundwork for SEM by optimizing content, and is necessary for effective SEM. The document provides details on SEO and SEM strategies.

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Rokeshuvaraj
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106 views6 pages

Seo and Sem - Definitions, Differences, and Strategies: Seo Is An Search Strategy. Semisa Search Strategy

This document defines and compares SEO and SEM. It begins by stating that SEO is an organic search strategy that involves optimizing websites to rank higher in search engines organically. SEM is a paid search strategy that uses paid ads to increase visibility on search engines. While separate strategies, both SEO and SEM should be used together. SEO lays the groundwork for SEM by optimizing content, and is necessary for effective SEM. The document provides details on SEO and SEM strategies.

Uploaded by

Rokeshuvaraj
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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As marketing evolves, so does the language we use as

marketers. Like many industries, we’re guilty of tossing


around jargon and acronyms that can leave clients
confused. And, to be honest, we marketers are likely
confused about some terms, too!
Here are two doozies: SEO and SEM. These two terms
(both acronyms) are often used interchangeably without
a clear understanding of how they’re related and how
they differ.
 Is SEO part of SEM?
 What components are included in SEM?
 Isn’t organic SEO the best long-term approach?
This article explains it all, but one fact is clear: they have
a symbiotic relationship and, when both are leveraged to
their full potential, they can get you great marketing
results.

SEO and SEM – Definitions,


Differences, and Strategies
Let’s start with definitions. Here’s an easy-to-remember
way to begin:

SEO is an organic search strategy.


SEM is a paid search strategy.
Yes, these are separate (but closely related) strategies,
yet both should be included in your company’s online
search marketing arsenal. In fact, you need SEO to
properly do SEM.
The goal of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is to
increase the number of website visitors by elevating the
site’s position within results returned by a search engine.
This is done by continually optimizing the site to rank
higher. Because of Google’s ever-changing algorithms,
SEO tactics are always changing, too. However, one
thing stays consistent: SEO is made up of “on-page” and
“off-page” strategies (see more below).
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) involves gaining
website traffic by using paid ads to increase a website’s
visibility on search engines. However, your ad copy and
targeting strategy must align with keywords that match
your target buyers’ search queries, allowing your ads to
show up in relevant search engine results pages
(SERPs). Paid ads give your business the opportunity to
increase the visibility of its web pages, landing pages,
blog articles and more. So, marketers using SEM must
tap into both SEO — for keyword strategy and having
high quality content — and pay-per-click (PPC) ads to
target potential buyers and drive traffic. So, yes, SEO is
a component of SEM.

On-Page SEO Strategies


 Optimized meta data — incorporate target keywords
into page title tag, meta description, heading tags,
image ALT tags
 Optimized page copy (that’s also well-written) using
strategic keyword research
 Simple, well-formatted page URLs with selective
keywords
 Optimized page speed
 Social sharing integration within your content
 Internal link building using targeted keywords and
avoiding generic link text
 Content optimized for featured snippets that quickly
answer a query; can be definitions, lists, tables, steps

Off-Page SEO Strategies


 Link building to attract and obtain quality inbound
links; backlinks help make up the majority of off-page
SEO
 Social signals — increasing traffic to a website from
social media sharing
 Social bookmarking to grab attention using sites
like Reddit, Digg, and MIX
 Links from industry-specific communities to attract
your target audience
 Local SEO helps businesses promote their products
and services to local customers
Create valuable, high-quality content that your target
audience finds useful (blog articles and web page copy,
for instance). This helps establish your authority over
time and results in increased organic website traffic,
more opportunities for inbound links and, most
importantly, more conversions.
Pay attention to these on-page and off-page tactics to
ensure your landing pages, web pages, and blog articles
are optimized for search.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Strategies
Google Ads is far and away the most popular platform
for hosting search engine ads. Consider other
opportunities, too, such as Bing ads, Yahoo search ads,
and Amazon-sponsored ads for the right industries. If
you have a target market in China, put an ad on Baidu.
Wherever you choose to spend your internet marketing
dollars, there are some key strategies for successful
SEM:
 Launch ad campaigns with a specific audience (e.g.,
geographic, industry, etc.) in mind
 Create ad groups that consist of target keyword
variations
 Write relevant ad copy using those selective keywords
 Set an ad budget
 Monitor metrics like clicks, impressions, click-through
rates, and average cost-per-click
 Create retargeting audiences
 Develop targeted social media ads on appropriate
networks, such as LinkedIn
There are other considerations when launching and
maintaining an effective paid search ad campaign, but
these seven are especially important for any beginner. If
you want to ramp up your SEM efforts to complement
organic search engine optimization, take a look
at Google Ads.
RELATED: What an Inbound Marketer
Should Look for in a PPC Agency

Which is Better? Should You


Use SEO or SEM?
OK, you now know that’s a trick question. SEO is a
component of SEM; a foundation, really. You can't have
successful SEM without SEO, so one isn’t “better” than
the other. You also now know that you shouldn’t use the
terms “SEO” and “SEM” interchangeably.

Focus on SEO First


SEO lays the groundwork for SEM through well-
optimized content that prospects and customers find
helpful. Without landing pages, web pages, and blog
content optimized for search, SEM efforts fall flat due
to poor quality. Gaining visibility on search engine
results pages (SERPs) ends up being extremely difficult
as a result.
Organic SEO helps establish search credibility, but it’s
important to consistently create quality content and
share on social media and other content distribution and
promotion channels. In other words, you need to have
something for which people will find worthy of searching.

When to Focus on SEM


Are you just launching your company’s website and
creating your initial online footprint to promote your
product or service? Then you’ll likely need immediate
visibility in search until you build up your organic
credibility. With a strategic PPC campaign, you’ll be able
to achieve this.
Of course, you can’t rely strictly on PPC over the long
term. You need to create great content that visitors will
want to engage with once they get to your website.
Evaluate what’s best for your specific needs, but make
sure you fully understand the differences between SEM
and SEO and how you’ll maintain your efforts going
forward.
Discover more tips and solid insights within four
chapters on our SEO deep-dive page. From the basics
to the brain-twisting, we cover it all.

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