When we enter the world of online marketing, we often see concepts that are repeated a lot: SEO and SEM. But do you know how they differ? In this article, we will look at their definitions and differences so it is a little clearer what each one means.
Definition of SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the set of techniques applied to a website to improve its position in organic search results. We could say that SEO is the natural positioning of a website in search engines. In our agency, we are experts in understanding Google’s algorithm to help our clients get more traffic to their websites.
Definition of SEM
The concept of SEM (Search Engine Marketing) refers to the practices implemented on a website to obtain the greatest possible visibility through advertising campaigns in search engines. In other words, we can say that SEM is the paid result in search engines. That means the advertiser pays each time a user clicks on the ad in exchange for appearing in the top search positions reserved for this type of campaign. We are certified to manage your campaigns.
What is the difference between SEO and SEM?
While SEO focuses on improving organic or natural visibility in search results, SEM is based on advertising campaigns using paid ads on search results pages.
Cost differences between SEO and SEM
As we have seen, with SEM you pay a specific amount each time a user clicks on an ad. The more clicks, the higher the cost, but also the greater the chances that those visitors will convert on your website.
This payment model is called PPC, or cost per click, also known as pay per click. In other words, you do not pay for the number of times the ad is shown, but for the users who click on it.
On the other hand, with SEO we do not have to pay a cost for each visit as we do on the Google Adwords platform, but that does not mean it is cheaper. The work and time needed to optimize a website so it ranks naturally in search results can be much greater.
While it is true that in the short term an SEM campaign can be more expensive because you need an Adwords expert, in addition to the cost of the campaign itself, things change in the medium and long term.
SEO is not one of those tasks you do once on your website and then forget about. Content generation is something you have to work on continuously so you can publish regularly and keep it updated. In addition, website optimization and updates are things you can never stop doing.
Which strategy can get better results?
As with the cost or price of SEO or SEM, time plays a decisive role when it comes to obtaining results. In the short term, there is no doubt that an SEM campaign can help you increase your company’s sales. Your website will appear almost immediately in the first search results.
In the case of SEO, it is different. Even if we work on our website’s organic positioning, we will not be able to obtain good results in less than six months. Even if you publish content frequently, your website has a good user experience, and it is technically well optimized, you need to give Google time to discover it and start ranking it.
This does not mean that SEM is better than SEO, far from it. In fact, as soon as you stop investing, you immediately disappear from search results. That is why you should not neglect either of these strategies. You need to work on them together.
How to combine your SEO and SEM strategy
SEO and SEM are two essential strategies in online marketing, and you need to know how to combine them to obtain optimal results. When you have just launched your own business, it is important to start your SEO strategy as soon as possible. The longer you take to do it, the longer it will take to get results.
However, if your website is not yet well positioned in search results, you can combine it with an SEM strategy. Depending on your budget, the results will be greater or smaller.
Once your website starts ranking and gaining visibility in Google’s SERPs, you can use SEM campaigns for maintenance. In addition, for some keywords it is very difficult to appear in the first results, so if your ads perform well for those keywords, you can keep them running.
Can I do without SEO and focus only on SEM?
Even if you consider SEM a good substitute for SEO, you should never do without organic positioning for your website. The conditions of the advertising platform can change at any moment, and your business can be seriously affected.
Or even if your budget decreases or you have to stop running SEM campaigns, your website will disappear completely from search results, and this is something you should avoid at all costs. For this reason, you should never forget the importance of SEO.
You are probably not an expert, but there are many online tools, such as GoDaddy’s search engine visibility service, that will help give your website a boost. With keyword or content suggestions, SEO analysis, or the use of a virtual assistant, everything will be much easier than you thought.
Is it worth doing SEO and SEM?
SEO and SEM are two very different online marketing strategies, but using them together will allow you to maximize your results. It is important to remember that SEO and SEM are not substitutes and that neither strategy is expendable, especially SEO.
SEM will help you achieve good short-term results, but if you think in the medium and long term, SEO is the only strategy that will help you survive on the Internet. If you are starting with your website and want to learn a little more about SEO or SEM, here are some articles that can be very helpful. Let’s go!
At SeDigital, we are leaders in the digital marketing sector as a SEM agency, with hundreds of satisfied clients. What are you waiting for to be next?
