Search Engine Marketing (SEM) vs. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Tech

Search optimization is a challenging strategy to control if you don’t know the difference between search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO). Today, search optimization is a crucial marketing strategy for brands endeavoring to drive online traffic, attract attention, and expand their business. When SEM and SEO are leveraged to their full potential, they can deliver incredible results.

When you compare search engine marketing with search engine optimization, you’ll find that they have characteristics that both separate and overlap each other.

Search Engine Marketing

SEM strictly involves generating search visibility through PPC (pay per click) ads on search engines like Google, within a few clicks. With search engine marketing, businesses have the opportunity to boost the visibility of their landing pages, website pages, blog articles, etc. PPC marketers can target potential clients using keywords and ad copy that are relevant to their search queries. As soon as the ad campaign is launched, it starts showing up in relevant search engine results pages (SERPs).

Search engine marketing is preferable over SEO for testing simply because you can turn SEM paid ads on or off immediately. You’ll be able to revise ad copy, change the page content, target new audiences, etc., to test and monitor new strategies quickly. This can’t be accomplished through SEO, because it would take too long to make changes and monitor the end results.

Search Engine Optimization

SEO is a strategy that’s results are gained over time. It can take months of applying SEO strategies before the content starts to rank on search engines say Chris Poole of CT SEO Company. Strategies used with search engine optimization include the following.

On-page SEO

This strategy involves optimizing each specific page of a website, targeting a specific keyword and appealing to search engines. On-page SEO strategies include researching keywords, creating high quality, relevant content, and keyword optimization. Higher ranking is achieved by helping the search engines understand the page’s content.

Technical SEO

This strategy involves optimizing “non-content” related components of a website, and the site as a whole, to improve its backend foundation and structure. Technical SEO strategies are related to mobile friendliness, the site’s speed, architecture, indexing, crawlability, structural data, and security. Technical SEO enhances the search crawler and user experience, leading to improved search rankings.

Off-page SEO

This strategy builds a website’s authority and reputation, and by “linking” it to other authorities’ websites and managing directory and local listing profiles. When several sites link to a business’s website, it indicates to the search engines that the company’s site is reputable, reliable and trustworthy. These “trustworthy” based factors increase its search rankings.

To be effective, an SEO plan needs to combine all three of these strategies and you can seek help from New York SEO – Hook Agency.

While advocates for both sides argue that one or the other may be more effective, both search engine marketing and search engine optimization should be a part of any businesses online marketing arsenal. Both strategies can be extremely valuable if carried out correctly and should be part of your inbound marketing strategy.