The ABCs on SEO and SEM: Know Before You Spend
Webmasters throughout the world are ramping up their efforts in order to reel in targeted traffic. Appeasing the search engines is the name of the game and SEO is the key. Or is it SEM? While the terms are often used interchangeably, SEO and SEM are quite different in regard to the techniques they entail and the goals they aim to achieve. Let’s go over these differences and determine their level of importance to you.
Optimization’s Purpose
Search engine optimization or SEO, is the process of optimizing a website to naturally achieve rankings in search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. This method primarily deals with the implementation of keywords and creating link popularity through links that direct back to a specific page on a website. For example, let’s say your business involves leasing servers to clients who require larger websites and anticipate higher traffic volumes. In this scenario, some keywords you want to target might be “dedicated servers” or “dedicating hosting.” In regard to link popularity, it basically means that you exchange links and preferably get your URL listed on other websites. These methods are so effective because they create the type of data search engine robots or spiders seek. When a spider combs the Web in search of fresh content, they will crawl across your site and others, index those keywords and reward you with a spot in the search engine. The golden rule of SEO is quite simple — relevance. What I mean is that your keywords and links must be relative to your niche. So if you’re in the computer software industry, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to use “hardware” as your primary keyword. Likewise, you want to get inbound links coming from other sites in your niche opposed to one that sells MP3 players. In non-technical terms, SEO is simply the process of designing your site in a manner that appeals to search engines and provides you with natural rankings.
Bigger Goals with SEM
Search engine marketing or SEM, is the practice of researching and employing various techniques that help a website achieve the most exposure possible through search engines. Sure, it may sound similar to SEO but there are vast differences. SEM generally includes a combination of tactics such as PPC (pay per click) campaigns, paid inclusion, marketing landing pages and yes, even SEO. When looking at it from this angle, SEO can be viewed as one of the many important elements of search engine marketing.
The goal of SEM is to not only increase search engine visibility, but also generate qualified traffic that comes in with a strong interest in the products or services you have to offer. You can probably understand the concept a little better when comparing it with more traditional forms of advertising. The old-fashioned, brick-and-mortar company uses advertising mediums such as print, radio and billboards. For the Web-based business, these mediums are PPC, paid listings, social networking and SEO. Each has its advantages and disadvantages but when tightly integrated, they can dramatically increase exposure by putting your offerings in front of more potential clients.
Comprehending the language of the Web can be difficult but not impossible. If you want to leverage the popularity of search engines, understanding the difference between SEO and SEM is critical. This is how most Web surfers find the content they’re looking for so you definitely want to get yourself listed. SEM simply isn’t complete without site optimization and all the aspects that go into SEO. On the other hand, SEM focuses on a bigger goal and therefore, tends to deliver better results.
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