SEO and SEM

Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are sometimes viewed interchangeably. I think this (misunderstanding) stems from the fact that both use search engines as vehicles to generate leads in order to promote a website’s product and/or services.

What it is SEO and what’s SEM? To understand one or both, we need to dissect the kind of campaign being done by each of them. SEO is about positioning a website in search engines. Its main concern is to get found easily in the search results whenever a user enters a keyword. SEO aims to land a website on the first page with search engines. Let’s say a user is in the look for a laptop, he usually types in the search bar the keyword “laptop.” Websites that are optimized for this keyword have the advantage over its competitors because they are the most prominent and is likely to buy from them than those that are buried in the search results.

SEM on the other hand does not aim to be on the first page. It aims to be also found in the same keyword through search engine advertising. You will notice sometime that whenever you’re searching for something, your search engine returns a “sponsored link” or an advertisement. That is an example of an SEM. Companies employ SEM especially for short-term campaigns. However, I’ve seen companies that regularly use SEM to generate more visits to their site and to inform their customers of their latest product or service offerings.

If we’re going to dissect further, SEO is a much more complicated campaign than SEM. SEO entails both technical and copywriting skills. You need to also acquire some skill in interpreting “search analytics,” and patience to monitor your performance with the search engines. On top of that, you need to promote your website in other websites in forums and in social networks.

You need a professional to do this job for you. Another dampening reality about SEO is that, it does not guarantee results. Meaning, you can have the best looking website around or a trusted SEO professional with you, but there is no way of telling whether your site can get through the first page with the search engines. 

It does not imply, however, that SEM is a much better campaign over SEO. You have to remember that SEM is far more expensive in the long run than embarking on an SEO. In fact, a SEM campaign can also ruin your online campaign when done without the proper tools and advice of SEM professionals. SEM has a world of its own that needs to be understood. I’ve seen companies paying Google ads but later on found that they are not getting the results they want. Many companies have yet to know when or where to place their ads. Online ad placements also require a high degree of strategy. You need to have a basis why your ad should be placed on a Monday and never a Thursday or why your ads should appear during afternoons instead of first hour in the morning.

Also, just because Google is the widely used search engine in the world, it does not mean that you put your ads in Google advertising. Google, Yahoo and Bing have strengths of their own. You need to find out which of these search engines return the most out of your ads. 

What about combining both SEO and SEM? Companies that have been using the search engine for their online campaigns have come to understand that each have their own strength which the other does not have. For example SEM, rely heavily on ads to invite visitors on their website only to the chagrin of visitors that their website sucks. The nice thing about SEO is the part of the work to make the site useful to visitors; to be informative and content-driven. Many websites suck because it lacks the content users want to see. In the information age “content is king.” Thus, no matter how much money you spend for SEM it still boils down to how useful your site is to your audience.  

On the other hand, no matter how content-filled your site is, an SEO campaign can take too long to get the desired results. It is a painful and arduous task to promote a website in directories, in social bookmarking sites, social networks, and so forth to get some people to visit your site. And if you still don’t find your website in the first three pages of search engines, your site is meaningless. 

I believe that SEO and SEM are not distinct campaigns. They can be complimentary and cooperating when trying to get the most results in your online campaign. However, a company cannot just embark right away to get into SEO and SEM altogether without trying at least one of them for a start. Having both right away can drain your online marketing budget quickly. So take it one step at a time first.

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