SEO versus SEM: Knowing the Difference is Crucial to Online Marketing

Is SEO and SEM one in the same? Surprisingly, many online businesses believe they are. But, that is a mistake and it is mistake that can be costly. One reason many people become confused over those terms is because these terms are often not explained in a clear, understandable manner. Knowing what these marketing tools can (and cannot) do can help any online marketing campaign to achieve higher success.

source: punto rojo marketing

SEM: Search Engine Marketing

SEM is a broad term and it can include just about everything that a company does when it uses the technology of search engines to promote a web site and to increase site traffic. SEM is not one particular tactic but rather simply a term used to represent a whole host of online marketing tactics. As such, SEO is considered a part of SEM.

SEM can also include such things as paid inclusion which is paying a director or search engine to add a company’s website to its online database without having to wait for the search engine or directory to do so in its usual manner, which can be very time consuming. SEM can also include using paid advertising on search engine result pages which are also known as SERPs. Generally, this type of ad will appear when a specific keyword is typed into the engine search function by a user. Pay per Click (PPC) are another way of doing online marketing that falls into SEM.

SEO: Search Engine Optimization

SEO is simply the art and science of using certain tactics to get your website listed on a search engine, in the right place, for the right reason. The main way that sites use SEO when they want to get listed or when they want to move up the ranks toward a page one appearance, is through keywords. Keywords are simply words that are used by people to find certain things. If a searcher types in the word “widget”, for instance, and your site has page content that accurately represents widgets, your chances of having your site appear to that searcher are greatly improved.

SEO most often takes place within a site’s content pages. The more pages a site has, using the most effective keywords for that company’s offering, the better the chances that the search engines will rank that site higher than a site that has fewer keywords or pages. The key, however, is to make sure that your site is using the correct keywords for your products or offerings. Simply putting in a bunch of keywords that have nothing to do with your offerings (and thus will provide no benefit to those looking for those goods or services) is considered a major offense by the search engines and can even result in your site being delisted. Always keep in mind that the main purpose of SEO is to help make the website better for users and for search engines. As such, SEO is a key to promoting your website and must be used if you want to increase company exposure and sales.Here at TomatoInk we take care of SEO and SEM so we make it easier for you to find us!

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