Many of us think that Search Engine Marketing (SEM) or Paid Search Advertising, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are the same things.
But are they the same?
They are not.
SEM is basically a type of online marketing.
Here, you promote a website by boosting its visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), primarily through search or paid advertising.
SEO – on the other hand – is optimizing pages through organic and non-paid methods, through content promotion and social media.
But we’ll talk about the difference in detail later.
Let’s find out first what is SEM!
It is a procedure to get traffic and visibility from search engines, through paid and unpaid efforts.
It strengthens and improves the reach of search engines so that you get more customers – at the right time and in the right place.
Search engine marketing covers:
a. SEO: This helps you get traffic with unpaid or free listings. It works on website content and site architecture, and improves ranking in SERPs to boost PPC (pay-per-click) listings.
B. SEM: So you have to buy traffic through paid search listings.
SEM is also called:
a. Paid search ads
B. Paid ads
c. PPC (Pay Per Click)
Although Google Ads is the most popular and most used paid search tool, you will help your online marketing cause more if you use Bing or Yahoo as well.
Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing: Which is Better?
Coming back to the differences, the main difference between the two is that SEO is simply a component of search engine marketing. In addition to SEO, SEM includes many other search marketing strategies as well, such as PPC and Social Media Marketing (SMM).
While SEO increases website visitors, by making the site bring in high results on search engines, internet marketing is the internet marketing that enhances the visibility of the website via organic search engine results and ads.
An additional key difference between the two: with SEO, you have to be patient and wait for the results; With PPC, you can hope for instant results.
Do not use the terms SEO and SEM interchangeably.
The reason: Although they work in tandem, they are nothing but the same term.
SEO or Search Engine Marketing: Which Marketing Tactic Is Better?
According to some in the know, if we compare the two, organic SEO has an advantage.
However, any better results may depend on your overall digital marketing goals.
Search engine marketing cannot thrive without organic SEO.
However, PPC (a component of SEM) may make more sense, as opposed to SEO in many specific cases.
For example, if you are launching a site for the first time, and you are keen to get high visibility right away, launch a PPC campaign. It will take less time, versus SEO.
However, it would not be wise to focus solely on PPC and completely ignore SEO.
Granted organic SEO may take more time to produce results. But it will cost less in the end even when you are able to establish search credibility that you may not be able to get with PPC.
If your websites rank high in the organic results for your target keywords, you will get free 24/7 traffic, are industry recognized, and have all the SEO benefits.
Plus, as more searches come up naturally, you’ll enjoy the option to focus your search engine marketing efforts on other keywords to expand your reach.
Effective SEO will make your site fast and easy to use as well.
What the pendulum tilts more towards SEO is that Google follows a system known as Quality Score.
If Google finds that people click and then go away thanks to the not so good experience, you will have to pay more for each click.
To end it, if you want to drive traffic quickly, start with search engine marketing, but work on SEO simultaneously.
Create a long lasting and secured online business with powerful SEO!
Don’t just rely on paid traffic!
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