Digital marketers use a lot of jargon and acronyms, which can be confusing to nonspecialists in business.

Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are two distinct, important concepts in digital marketing, but the terms are often used interchangeably and incorrectly. It is important to understand the difference.

SEO

Search engine optimization is “the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine,” according to Google’s Knowledge Graph. It’s one part of SEM, and there’s a science to it.

SEO consists primarily of tactics that are performed on your own website pages and on other websites like review sites and external blogs that might mention and/or link to your site.

Optimizing your website for search engine results consists mainly of incorporating searchable keywords through title tags, meta descriptions, heading tags, alt text and on-page headings and text. You can strengthen your SEO strategy on your website by blogging, building strong URL names, and integrating social media networks. In this recent article, Search Engine Land columnist, Andrew Dennis, discusses the qualities that make content easy to promote and share.

Off-page SEO strategies consist primarily of creating quality backlinks on review sites, business profile sites and external blogs.

SEM

Search engine marketing increases the visibility of websites in search engine results pages through website optimization and advertising. SEM is the broader field, including SEO, but also involving other search marketing tactics.

In addition to SEO, SEM includes using paid advertising on search engines like Google and Bing, unpaid social media marketing, and paid ads on social media. Pay per click (PPC) ads and listings are the primary focus when people discuss SEM tactics.

Use not one or the other, but both.

It is important to consider the difference between SEO and SEM when you are establishing marketing strategies, hiring marketing staff and establishing marketing budgets. Using the terms SEO and SEM interchangeably can cause confusion and complications. Objectives and results differ between them, and the skills relevant to one are not fully transferrable to the other.

It is not an either/or decision, however. SEM is a necessary strategy for most companies, and SEO is a necessary component of it. Given the level of competition online, you have to do both to achieve strong search results.

With the holidays creeping up on us, now is the time to incorporate SEO and SEM campaigns into your marketing strategy to move the needle forward. If you’re interested in learning more about how SEO and SEM can improve your site’s performance in search rankings, contact one of our media experts for a consultation.

Times-Union Media

At Times-Union Media, we can help grow your business. We offer a full suite of digital marketing services that reach real customers who want to do business with you. Not only do we have proven local capabilities along the First Coast, but also because we are part of GateHouse Media™, we have extensive technology and resources at our disposal for your success.