ONLINE MARKETING

A Guide on the Difference Between SEO and SEM

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About 68% of all journeys online begin with a search engine. Not everyone clicks on organic search results, though. Sometimes, consumers click on paid ads before finding your business online.

With search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO), you can increase your chances of reaching consumers.

What is the difference between SEO and SEM, exactly, and how can these strategies benefit your business? Read on to find out! After reading this guide, you can determine which strategy will help your business grow.

Learn all about SEO vs SEM today!

What Is SEO?

Before we discuss the difference between SEO and SEM, let’s look at each strategy separately. What is SEO, exactly?

Search engine optimization is an organic search engine marketing strategy. Not many people realize that SEO falls under the umbrella of SEM.

SEO involves optimizing your website content to ensure consumers find your brand online. Your website can appear as consumers search using specific keywords. You can ensure your content appears for those search queries to reach your ideal customers.

Strategizing

In order to improve your organic search engine rankings, you’ll need to consider four different types of SEO. These include:

  • On-page SEO
  • Off-page SEO
  • Technical SEO
  • Local SEO

On-page SEO involves optimizing your website content for specific queries. For example, you can add a target keyword to each page or post on your site. The target keyword should appear in the:

  • URL
  • Page title
  • An H1 header
  • Opening and closing paragraphs
  • SEO title and meta description
  • Image file name and alt text
  • Body text

The SEO title and meta description appear on search engine result pages (SERPs). It’s important to make sure the title and description are compelling enough to encourage clicks. As more people click on your content, your clickthrough rate will improve.

A high clickthrough rate could boost your organic SEO rankings.

Off-page SEO involves factors outside of your website. For example, it’s important to generate backlinks. These links appear on other websites before directing people to your website.

Backlinks are one of Google’s most important ranking factors.

Technical SEO involves the backend of your website. For example, you’ll need to provide the best possible user experience (UX). A positive UX indicates your site is easy to use and navigate.

If your site is easy to use, people will linger on your pages, increasing your dwell times. High dwell times can also boost your rankings. 

It’s also important to make sure your site is fast, mobile-optimized, and secure. Google will look at the mobile version of your site first before crawling and indexing your content.

Local SEO can help you reach local consumers. You can update your Google Business listing to strengthen your local strategy. Generating positive reviews and creating localized content can help, too.

The Benefits

A strong search engine optimization strategy can help you rank at the top of SERPs. Ranking at the top for relevant queries can help you generate:

  • Brand awareness and recognition
  • Brand trust and loyalty
  • Website traffic
  • Credibility and authority
  • Leads and sales
  • A stronger ROI

Consumers will see your website before a competitor’s during relevant searches. As a result, SEO can also give you a competitive advantage. 

If you want to experience the benefits of SEO, consider hiring an experienced SEO marketing agency this year. Working with an agency can help you save time and money. You can improve your rankings while focusing on what matters most: your customers. 

What Is SEM?

What is search engine marketing, then?

SEM for businesses involves a combination of digital marketing strategies. These include:

  • Search engine optimization
  • Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
  • Programmatic advertising
  • Remarketing
  • Display advertising
  • Video advertising
  • Geotargeting
  • Shopping advertising
  • Social media advertising

You can use digital advertising platforms to create both text and display ads. Your ads can appear in front of consumers based on search queries or demographics.

Strategizing

Before developing an SEM strategy, it’s important to gather audience research. Precise targeting can help you save time and money. Otherwise, you might unintentionally blow through your budget without improving your ROI.

Working with an experienced SEM agency can help you save money in the long run.

Develop personalized ads to connect with your customers online. Personalization can help you build stronger relationships with consumers. They’ll recognize that you understand the problems they’re facing before choosing your brand ahead of a competitor’s.

The Benefits

You don’t have to wait long to generate results from your SEM campaigns. In fact, once you create your ads, you can appear in front of consumers online instantly

Precise targeting can ensure you reach your ideal customers, too. Then, you can generate leads and sales with ease.

SEM also allows you to appear in front of consumers on different platforms. You can use omnichannel marketing to generate more brand awareness.

What’s the Difference Between SEO vs SEM?

What is the difference between SEO vs SEM, then?

The biggest difference is SEO is organic while SEM is paid. With SEM, you’ll pay a cost each time someone clicks on an ad. The cost-per-click (CPC) can vary based on your industry.

With SEM, however, you can generate immediate results. With SEO, you’ll have to wait to improve your rankings.

Not many people realize using both SEO and SEM services could prove beneficial in the long run. For example, SEM can help you generate immediate website traffic. As more people visit your site, your organic rankings will improve.

Then, you can start reaching more people through both SEO and SEM.

Both strategies can help you generate brand awareness, web traffic, and sales. Together, they can boost your ROI to help your business grow. 

The Difference Between SEO and SEM: Start Marketing Today

To recap, what is the difference between SEO and SEM? SEO is an organic strategy while you’ll have to pay for SEM. However, both strategies can help your business grow.

Consider using both SEO and SEM services today.

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