What is the Difference Between SEO and SEM?

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SEO vs SEM

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“What are SEO and SEM techniques?”

“Are SEO and SEM the same thing?”

Answering all your questions so you can build your brand through online channels that fit perfectly to your business model. Did you know, Google processes over 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide?  According to Statista, Google had the highest share of 61% of an organic mobile search traffic in 2019.  This shows that Google is undoubtedly dominating the Search Engine Market becoming an Internet Giant with the constant upgradation in technologies and algorithms. Just imagine your growth rate, once you start ranking at Google. Seems impressive? Well it is. You just need to work on your Digital Marketing strategies to reach your ultimate destination.  Keep reading to uncover which is the best strategy – SEO vs SEM for an exponential online success. 
What is SEO?

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a practice of optimizing websites in order to gain organic traffic for improving visibility in SERPs. This is one of the most effective ways to bring your brand to the top five results.

However, Google keeps on changing algorithms, and therefore, it is inevitable for SEO Specialists to keep on optimizing the site and work on the latest tactics.

Based on that, you need to assess a plethora of things like Title Tags, Meta Descriptions, Keywords, Link Tags, and others to let Google crawl your website for top ranking. A few of the White Hat SEO Techniques are-

a. On Page SEO

On Page SEO refers to targeting your customer searches by using the right keywords for each individual page of the website. Some of the On-Page Strategies are-

  • Keyword research and placement
  • Optimization of Meta Tags
  • Content optimization
  • URL Optimization
  • Internal Links

b. Off Page SEO

Off Page SEO refers to building the reputation and authority of websites by adding backlinks of high quality or trusted websites. The main objective is to increase the credibility of your site in the eyes of Google. Some of the Off-Page Strategies are-

  • Guest Blogging
  • Social bookmarking at Reddit, MIX and Digg
  • Profile Creation
  • Managing local listings and business directory submissions
  • Creating Press Release

c. Technical SEO

Technical SEO is one of the most important pillars for Search Engine Ranking. It creates a strong technical foundation for your website for crawling and indexing purposes. But, “how can I improve my technical SEO?”
  • Your website must be mobile-friendly
  • Finding and Fixing any Broken Links
  • Optimizing internal and external links
  • Creating and optimizing XML Sitemap
  • Improving the speed of websites
Hire our SEO experts to evaluate the behaviour of your audience and attain a successful organic result.

Is SEO important in 2021?

The strength of SEO is outpacing the traditional form of marketing, bringing several variables and potential technological developments into play. According to a recent study, companies are going to spend $65 billion on SEO in 2016 which is triple of what they have forecasted. And, it will continue to grow to $79 billion by 2020. These stats underline the future scope of SEO in the coming years.
What is SEM?
SEM or Search Engine Marketing is the practice of paid advertisement that empowers marketers to hyper target their audience with an ad campaign. You might have seen these ads at the top of the search page, and that’s what SEM is.
How does it work?
SEM based activities focus on Keyword usage and keyword placement for running targeted campaigns ensuring that these ads are released within the allocated budget. Marketers often use Pay Per Click (PPC) and Google AdSense to increase search visibility and reach out to the right demographics.
"How do I start an SEM?"
  • Conduct Keyword research for the respective product or service
  • Search your target audience type and geographic location to display your ad within
  • Focus on relevant and interactive content creation inclusive of keywords
  • Bid the price to pay for each click on your ad and finally get started
Is SEM important in 2021?
Yes, SEM is important in 2021.  Do you know, in 2019 fiscal year, SEM made profit on an average of $3 in actual revenue for every $1.60 of Google Ad’s spend? This holds a greater impression and thus, you can hire an SEM specialist to link your ads to conversion-focused landing pages for bringing more and more web traffic to your site.

Difference Between SEO and SEM

“SEO vs. SEM: Where Should I Start?”

This is one of the most daunting questions while planning for online marketing. You can check these comparison points and list out your specific business requirements for digital marketing activities.

#1: SEO Vs SEM: Search Results

SEO

While searching for any product or service, you must have looked at the top three searches. So, if those search results don’t show “Ad” as designation, then it’s ‘Organic Marketing’. Moreover, SEO doesn’t have any call or site link extensions. Instead, it possesses ‘Featured Snippets’ in search.

SEM

On contrary to this, SEM refers to paid ads and therefore, top three search results show designation as “Ad”.  Also, it has call extensions or site link extensions to let users reach out to you directly.

#2: SEO Vs SEM: Cost

SEO

SEO is prone to organic marketing and organic results. You won’t have to pay when a user clicks on your search results. That’s the bonus point here.

It lets users reach your website organically without paying any single penny. Additionally, did you know, you get free traffic 24*7 and all-time industry recognition?

It costs approximately from $500-$5000/month to do SEO. Reach out to us today to get a free website audit and a price quote.

SEM

As discussed, SEM is paid placements and you will be charged each time when a user clicks your ad. Therefore, you need to prepare your budget before conducting any SEM campaigns.

Keep this in mind, that, once you stop an ad, your target disappears. Moreover, getting search space has become quite competitive and thus, you need to invest in it considerably to post your ad on a relevant website.  

How much does SEM cost?

On an average, small and medium sized businesses spend nearly $9000 to $10,000 per month including the cost of running a campaign and ad management.

#3: SEO Vs SEM: Risk FactorsSEO

Which is the greatest risk for SEO?  When Google changes any algorithms.  Due to this, you may lose your ranking, and traffic affecting the organic results. And, then you need to invest a considerable amount of time and effort, to find and fix all glitches.
SEM

Which is the greatest risk for SEM? Advertising Costs. 

As you know, cost per click keeps on hiking year by year and so if you are totally dependent on the paid results, this could be a serious hassle for your business.

Because, when a cost per click shoots beyond the accepted level, you have to increase the price that brings a negative correlation with the sales figures and profit margin.

#4: SEO Vs SEM: Results

SEO

With organic marketing, you cannot find an instant result. It takes time to index and rank your site and make your brand reach to the top since it is based on long term positions.

Though SEO gives limited opportunities to make changes and monitor the impact. It has a higher return on investment compared to other tactics. This gives you brand exposure all day, all night because the internet never sleeps.

SEM

The impact of SEM is immediate. You can start putting your ads in front of your target audiences and simultaneously increase the visibility of your brand. Therefore, experts believe that SEM is a great strategy for testing since you can anytime turn on or turn off your paid ads.

Here, you can quickly adjust your audience, revise the geographical location, improvise the landing page to test, and try any new methodologies.

Is SEO a part of SEM?
Various marketers often use tactics of SEO while running an ad campaign to maximize its reach and frequency and manage the dwelling time per user. For instance, SEO focuses upon keyword strategy, content creation, optimizing URL, and other things to target potential buyers. So, yes, SEO is a part of SEM.

SEO or SEM: Which is Better?

SEO and SEM both offer immeasurable benefits that your business shouldn’t ignore. They give voice to your brand and an opportunity to unleash its online presence remarkably.

So, are you looking for a cost effective strategy? Ready to wait for at least three months to generate leads and traffic? Aiming for zero ads spend? Then SEO could be ideal for you.

Do you want an immediate search engine present? And have enough budget to manage ads on a weekly basis? Then go for SEM.

So, it depends on your marketing goals and objective for conducting advertising campaigns and preparing marketing plans. But, still, not sure, where to start with – SEM or SEO?

Call us today at 315-543-6600 to plan your next SEO and SEM campaign, full of opportunities!   

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