SEO vs. SEM

The online market is still expanding very quickly. Nearly every industry can be found online, therefore any company that wants to succeed must be simple to locate in a Google search. Due to this, understanding digital marketing is a desirable skill set and a great way to stand out from the competition in the job market.

Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing are two of the many talents that fall under the umbrella of digital marketing (SEM). The main distinctions between SEO and SEM are listed below, along with reasons why learning both abilities can help you succeed in the digital sector.

What Is SEO?

SEO is a component of SEM, but SEM is not just SEO as it also encompasses paid search marketing. Think of it like this – a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not always a square.

SEO, also a component of inbound marketing, is all about optimizing a website to improve search engine rankings and organic traffic. The goal is to ensure that when someone searches for a product or service, the business you’re marketing shows up in search results. For example, if someone searches “Italian restaurants in Chicago” into Google, they’ll see a variety of listings. Ideally, you want the Italian restaurant you’re marketing to also show up on the first page of search results. For any business to appear in search results, they must do more than just have a website built – they need a skilled digital marketer to implement SEO.

The two primary types of SEO are:

On-Page SEO:

• Keyword research and placement
• Content creation and optimization
• Header tags, title tags, meta description tags
• Images and ALT text
• URL structure
• Conversion optimization
• User experience
• And so much more!

Off-Page SEO:

• Link building
• Increasing traffic from social media to your website
• Guest blogging
• Asset creation (infographics, videos, etc.)
• Press releases
• And more!

What Is SEM?

While SEO is targeted for industry and locality, SEM (search engine marketing) empowers marketers to hyper-target their demographics with paid search engine advertising. SEM is often considered to be only paid search, but SEO is technically a component.

Chances are you’ve seen ads off to the side or at the top of search results in Google, all with minor indications they’re ads. These are examples of SEM at play. If the words people type into Google match the keywords you’re bidding on, your ad can appear in search results. Unlike SEO where the money isn’t being exchanged with search engines, with SEM you pay when someone engages with your ad, like by visiting your website or calling the listed phone number.

Digital marketers can create hyper-targeted paid ads on all social media channels, but the most popular and effective way is with Pay-Per-Click ads (PPC). The most popular and effective PPC method is Google Ads, but Bing and Yahoo also offer options. Once your ads are running, you can get reports to see how they’re performing and adjust settings on the fly.

What Is PPC Hyper-Targeting?

To truly understand how effective PPC can be, you must understand how demographic and hyper-targeting works differently in SEO and SEM. In SEO you can utilize general industry and local keywords to drive organic traffic to your website. For example, take “hair salon in Atlanta” – the industry is indicated, and Atlanta ensures that you’re attracting the right local traffic. But what if a hair salon offers many services? This is where PPC comes in.

With PPC you can hyper-target your customers by a variety of interests and needs. This includes where they live, their age range, gender, parental status, and income range. Your PPC ads will only populate for users searching for your keyword who also fit your hyper-targeted demographic. Your ads are only charged when someone clicks on them, and PPC is so effective at hyper-targeting that some digital marketers only offer this type of marketing service.

Which Is Better, SEO or SEM?

While there are many differences between SEO and SEM, the most effective way to grow a company’s online presence is with a strategic approach that includes both. If a company is online-only, strategic SEO and SEM is the most effective way to grow their business.

Can You Teach Yourself Digital Marketing?

We live in an exciting day and age where you can learn countless personal and professional skills online. So, yes, you can discover the differences between SEO and SEM and how to learn each digital marketing strategy mentioned here. However, many things online are outdated, fragmented, and are a fraction of what you need to create an effective strategy.  

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