SEO and SEM are two sides of the same coin, but they cover very different activities and involve different aspects of marketing. Sometimes the two terms are used together to refer to a similar set of activities, which can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the field. So, what is the difference between Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM)? How do the two relate and work together? Any digital marketing professional should master these two terms and understand their importance in marketing. Read on to discover the role of SEO and SEM in today’s digital marketing arena.

What is SEO and how does SEO work?

SEO is an important part of a digital marketing strategy, and some knowledge is essential no matter what area of ​​digital marketing you specialize in.
As of 2017, Google accounted for more than 79% of search traffic globally, while the other major search engines lagged with 7% or less each. Therefore, the main focus when we talk about search engines in the SEO context is Google, but we still need to remember that other engines Bing, Baidu, and Yahoo are still working.
Internet Live Stats claims that there are over 40,000 searches per second on Google, which equates to 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide every day. (Note that this is a figure taken at the time of writing – if you click on the link you will likely find a different number, as the data from this source is collected in real-time.) It’s a lot of work for any business to compete against and that’s why SEO is such an important area of ​​digital marketing to know about.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the process by which search engines “crawl” content to see how effectively it will attract traffic. Search engines evaluate several things in a web page (such as keywords, tags, and link titles) and rank it for its ability to attract organic traffic based on a variety of factors. element.

Some of the things that crawlers search for include:

• Quality Content: Having great quality content sends a message to search engines that your website and business are offering legitimate goods or services. Part of how they judge you is through link building and keywords.
• User Experience: Is your website designed for a smooth user experience? Is it quick and easy to navigate? Can the user achieve their end goal (e.g., make a purchase) easily?
• Link Patterns: Are you backlinking to authority sites? Where do your internal links come from?

Anyone can learn the basics of SEO and incorporate it into their digital sales, marketing, and content strategy. And when you learn how to do it well, it will bring in more traffic. However, digging into the details takes some time and technical knowledge – for the most part, you should consider hiring an SEO expert if you’re looking to make your website deliver. convert.

You should also be aware that it takes some time for Google to recognize and rank your site high – if your site is brand new, it may not be “noticed” by Google for a while. long.

What is SEM and how does SEM work?

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a descriptor that combines various types of paid search advertising. This is the type of content that you’ll see as a Google ad and usually ends up at the top of the page listing. Usually, this has to do with keyword placement and usage and that’s one of the reasons why doing this well can take some extra knowledge and strategy.
Here are some examples of SEM-based advertising activities:

• Targeted ad campaigns (paid): Google ads
• Write content using very selective keywords
• Ensure that advertising activities are within the allotted budget
• Apply key performance metrics like click-through rate (CTR) and cost-per-click (CPC) to future advertising activities.

There’s such a thing as poorly done SEM, but when it’s done well, it gets you to the top of the rankings. This involves spending time designing your ads so that they are well-targeted.
SEM is a great tool for brand recognition because it means you’ll be at the top of the list every time someone searches. It’s also a great way to bring targeted traffic to your website. And because it involves paid to advertise and you will be able to track the traffic on those ads and then create campaigns based on this information.

The drawback of SEM is that it requires some more specialized knowledge and tools (like Google AdSense). If you are not familiar with this area, you will probably want to hire someone with considerable expertise in web marketing and advertising campaigns to take care of this and make it well worth your time.

How do SEO and SEM complement each other?

SEO and SEM both rely heavily on keywords to drive traffic to websites and business websites. While the marketing techniques used for each are different, both focus on traffic flows and how they relate to marketing activities. People will use search engines to search for something they are looking for and they will be able to find it through organic results (SEO) or paid results (SEM).
Most people search online before buying anything so having a strong presence in search is very important and using a strategic mix of the two can increase your visibility in the long run. long time.
SEO is for organic traffic – so it’s free or organic listings, and SEM is for targeted ads that you pay for. They can be complementary but only if the site is SEO friendly first, does SEM have a better chance of success.

SEO is the foundation for good SEM, and when you set it up properly, you stand a better chance of getting high-quality traffic and improved conversion rates. When you have an SEO-friendly website and properly targeted sponsored ads using the right keywords, you have more chances to appear at the top of paid searches. But you have to prepare SEO for Google to consider you as a trusted site.

If your site is on the newer side, you can prioritize your PPC campaign first as it can take some time for SEO rankings to be established, but don’t neglect your SEO in the process.

Anyone looking for a career in digital marketing should not only have a good grasp of how SEO and SEM work in the current digital environment, but should also learn how both will change. As we become more and more dependent on technology. A good grasp of how each of these elements plays into digital marketing campaigns will be especially important in the digital marketplace in the years to come.