SEO Vs. SEM: Which One Is Better To Focus On?
Aug 06, 2022
The confusion between SEO and SEM has prevailed since the dawn of digital marketing. The terms are often used interchangeably without being aware of the stark differences between the two practices. While SEO and SEM deal with using search engines to promote a business and get it the desired traction, it is essential to understand the difference between them to decide which suits your business the most.
In a nutshell, the difference between SEO and SEM is that while SEO uses keyword research, search intent, and other relevant means to enhance organic search results, SEM combines organic reach, optimized content, and paid ads.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty details of SEO vs. SEM, let us briefly understand the two practices.
What Is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is a set of processes dedicated to optimizing a website and its content to help it rank high on the search engine results pages (SERPs). The essence of SEO lies in driving organic or unpaid traffic to your website.
SEO involves understanding the search intent of internet users, identifying the most effective keywords used by your target audience, and using these keywords to optimize the content of your website and help it climb up the SERPs whenever your audience searches. It also involves using suitable meta tags, titles, and descriptions to help your site get indexed higher than your competitors.
Good SEO does not involve paid promotions or ads posted on search engines to push your website above others. It uses the organic activities of your target audience and the quality of your website to determine its rank on the SERPs.
What Is SEM?
SEM stands for search engine marketing. SEM is an umbrella term that includes both organic and paid ways of marketing your business, and it contains organic methods of getting higher ranks (SEO) and paid campaigns (PPC ads). In other words, it is fair to say that SEO is a part of SEM, while SEM is a much broader term to use than SEO.
SEM has evolved considerably over time and is now referred to as a paid form of search marketing. It involves posting ads on the SERPs that are visible to the internet users above other organic sites. Here, PPC campaigns or Google Ads are essential in promoting your business.
PPC (pay-per-click) ad campaigns involve creating and posting ads for which the advertisers pay every time internet users to click the ads. These ads are developed and optimized considering the targeted audience, the allocated budget, and a range of other factors.
Google Ads allows you to create ads based on specific keywords used by your target audience. When your audience uses the targeted keywords while making Google searches, these ads would appear in their SERPs, persuading them to visit a site or make a purchase. A range of shopping, YouTube, and digital banner ads are also a part of SEM.
Similarities Between SEO And SEM
Before getting to the differences between SEO and SEM, let us have a look at how the two digital marketing activities are similar:
- Both SEO and SEM help you improve the visibility of your website on the internet
- Aim at driving qualified traffic to your website using organic (SEO) and paid (SEM) means
- Provide you with a more specific and deeper understanding of your target audience
- Use keyword research to understand search intent and get better reach using the same
- Are optimized in their ways to improve the performance of your website
Differences Between SEO And SEM
Let us now understand the difference between SEO and SEM to help you make the right marketing decisions.
Here are some of the fundamental ways in which SEO is different from SEM:
The Presence Of The “Ad” Icon
The “Ad” icon makes distinguishing between a paid and an organic search result easy. If a link carries an “Ad” icon, it is the result of SEM as an advertiser pays for the search result. Sites ranking organically through SEO would not have this icon next to them.
Ad Extensions Vs. Snippets
You would also see ad extensions when you encounter a search result related to SEM, along with the “Ad” icon. These extensions carry details about the advertised business, such as lead forms, location, callouts, site links, etc. This gives internet users a better idea about the company being advertised on the SERPs.
Organic search results through SEO would not carry such ad extensions. However, they have feature snippets on top of all search results. These snippets give internet users a gist of the information they want, such as definitions, lists, etc.
Choosing The Audience
SEM allows you to choose the audience to view your ad and the content therein. Here, you can be very specific in targeting your audience and show your ads to a limited bunch of internet users without any spillover.
SEO does not allow you to choose the audience viewing your content. Any internet user typing in relevant keywords would view your website, web page, blog, article, or any piece of optimized content posted on the internet. These internet users may or not belong to your target audience.
Cost Of Search Marketing
SEM is a mode of paid search marketing, while SEO is free. SEM requires you to pay every time an internet user clicks on a search result/ad. On the other hand, being organic, SEO does not need you to pay to get views on your website.
Immediacy Of Results
With SEM, you can see the results immediately as the search engine would place your ad above the search results. On the other hand, SEO takes some time to bring your website up the SERP ladder and make it visible to your target audience.
If you need to run a marketing campaign that requires the immediate attention of your audience, SEM is the suitable alternative to choose. On the other hand, if you are looking for slow but sustainable results, SEO is the way to go.
Keyword Opportunities
SEO provides unlimited keyword opportunities when it comes to targeting the right keywords to be more discoverable on the internet. Depending on your business and the target audience, you can focus on an unlimited number of keywords (provided you do not spread yourself thin).
On the other hand, the keyword opportunities offered by SEM are limited by the advertisers' budget. Targeting more keywords would require you to pay more to get traction through SEM.
SEO Vs. SEM: Which Is A Better Alternative?
The search marketing alternative that is best for you depends on the needs of your marketing campaign and your business objectives. If you are willing to pay to get your website on the top of the SERPs (while letting your audience know about it), you should go ahead with SEM. SEM is also a suitable alternative to choose if you do not have enough time to get organic traction.
On the other hand, if your budget does not allow for a PPC or a Google Ads campaign and you are looking for a completely organic reach, you should implement SEO in your marketing campaign.
However, instead of selecting the best alternative, marketers often combine SEO and SEM to get the best of both worlds. An ideal mix of organic and paid search marketing gets you substantial traction and helps you secure your position on the internet.
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