Billions of people use the internet every day. This level of market value contributes enormously to online searches for local businesses, corporations, and online stores. The internet is so powerful that 36% of all small businesses make all of their sales from online searches.
If you’re interested in drawing more attention to your website and business, there are two main digital marketing initiatives to pay attention to. These are SEO and SEM.
Understanding the difference between SEO and SEM will ultimately help you choose the best campaign that will drive more online visibility for your business. In this SEO vs SEM article, we’ll explain how each initiative contrasts.
What Is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Search engine optimization is the process of improving the ranking of a website on organic (unpaid) search engine result pages (SERPs), with the goal of earning higher web traffic levels and improving ROI.
To do this, marketing specialists perform on-page and off-page optimization techniques using SEO technology. This can be anything from optimizing the website’s title tags and meta descriptions to increasing its click-through rate with targeted keyword placements.
SEO also encompasses developing high-quality content that will rank well in SERP features like featured snippets and rich results.
Creating a strong backlink profile is another fundamental element of SEO since links help search engines understand what websites are credible and should be ranked higher than others. You can find lucrative backlink opportunities using intuitive SEO software.
Click here to learn how an SEO company can help you dominate your industry’s SERPs.
What Is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?
SEM is a digital marketing strategy that helps increase a website’s visibility in SERPs through paid ads.
SEM works by using auction-based bidding to earn higher ad placements on SERPs. The bid amount is based on how much an advertiser is willing to pay per click for their ad. Generally, the higher the bid, the higher the ad placement.
Paid SEM ads are also known as cost-per-click (CPC) ads because advertisers only pay when someone clicks on their ad. The CPC model makes it easier to track and measure the success of an SEM campaign since it’s based on concrete actions.
What Are the Benefits of SEO?
There are a number of benefits that come with investing in SEO.
Some of the most notable advantages include:
- Long-term online visibility
- Increased leads and sales
- Greater brand awareness and recognition
SEO campaigns are designed to bring in qualified leads in the long-term, unlike SEM campaigns.
What Are Some SEM Benefits?
SEM also has several key benefits, including:
- The ability to track and measure campaign success with ease
- Generates leads and sales in the short-term
- Great for building brand awareness quickly
While SEO takes time to show results, SEM results are immediate. This can be beneficial if you’re looking to drive quick results or want to supplement your SEO efforts with a paid campaign.
Learn More About the Difference Between SEO and SEM
As you can see, learning the difference between SEO and SEM isn’t difficult. SEO is a long-term digital marketing strategy, while SEM provides quicker results at a higher cost.
With that said, do you want to learn more about online marketing? If so, check out our blog for more helpful articles.
Comments are closed.