ABOUT SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING

You have probably been hearing about SEM, SMM, and SEO. All three have similar acronyms, similar concepts but different meanings. Yes, their definitions are verse. When going through them one after the other. Trust me when I say that for a beginner. It really can get confusing. So the questions are.

WHAT IS SEM?

Search engine marketing (SEM) remains one of the most effective and lucrative online marketing techniques. It gives the user the opportunity to promote websites by maximizing search engine result visibility which is popularly known as SERP.

SEM is quite broad and encompasses paid search ads. Paid search advertising, pay per click (PPC), cost per click (CPC), Cost Per Million (CPM) and organic search results (SEO).

It primarily uses Google Adwords and Bing Ads to optimize websites.

Keyword research optimization

For instance, If I want to locate my documents easily. I will file them accurately using different file names to aid ease of identification and location. The role keyword research plays in SEM is similar to that explained above. It allows your website to be located quickly, using relevant and appropriate keywords.

Website popularity

As we all know, “Out of sight is out of mind”; as a result, Online traffic will generally identify more with websites that frequently reflect on search engines. Hence, developing a substantial web presence is of utmost importance.

WHAT IS SEO?

SEO involves all the link building and on-page optimization activities. The purpose of which is to achieve good rankings in organic search. While SEM is everything else you pay for, such as PPC traffic. You might ask if this means that paid links belong to SEM.

SEO is always better as Organic Traffic is better than the paid one. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. And SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing. SEM involves PPC advertising like Google Adwords. You can initially opt for SEO. And then if needed go for SEM. SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is a technique through which we use paid ads to get more traffic on our website.

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEM, SMM, AND SEO?

I must emphasize that SEM, SMM, and SEO are not the same. And cannot be used interchangeably. However, I consider the various parts of a whole structure. SMM targets people based on their unique interests, locations, wants, etc. while SEM depends on the keywords to identify target customers during searches on Google. And other search engines. Although both can be independent, they form a more formidable tool when utilized together.