SEO & SEM An Overview
SEO:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to a website from search engines through organic search results. SEO involves a variety of techniques to improve the ranking of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords or phrases that are relevant to the content on the website.
SEO can be divided into two main categories: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to the techniques that are used to optimize the content and structure of a website to improve its relevance and authority for specific keywords. This includes things like optimizing titles and descriptions, using headings and subheadings, and including relevant keywords in the content.
Off-page SEO refers to the techniques that are used to improve the authority and credibility of a website through external signals such as backlinks and social media mentions. This includes things like link building, social media marketing, and online reputation management.
SEO can be a complex and ever-evolving field, as search engines are constantly updating their algorithms to improve the quality of the search results. However, the main goal of SEO is to improve the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs) without paying for it (unlike SEM) to increase the amount of organic traffic to the website. SEO can help to increase brand awareness, generate leads and boost sales.
SEM:
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a form of digital marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) through paid advertising. SEM typically includes the use of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, such as Google Ads, Bing Ads, and other search engine advertising platforms, where businesses can bid on keywords and phrases relevant to their products and services.
With SEM, businesses can place ads on search engines and other websites, and pay each time someone clicks on their ad. This allows businesses to target specific audiences and reach potential customers who are actively searching for products or services like theirs.
SEM campaigns can be tailored to specific goals and budgets and can be used to drive website traffic, increase brand awareness, generate leads, and boost sales. SEM campaigns are often managed by professional SEM managers who are able to use various tools, data, and techniques to optimize the campaigns for the best results.
SEM is often considered a subcategory of search engine optimization (SEO) which focus on improving the organic search results, but SEM is distinct from SEO in that it involves paying for visibility in the search results.