Although search engine optimization (SEO) is a component of Search engine marketing (SEM), they are two different marketing mediums and it is important to distinguish between the two as a lot of people often use them interchangeably. SEO is the process of optimizing your website so that the bots can easily crawl and index your website. Depending on the content of your website and the level of optimization, your site would be able to attain high rankings on SERP's. This would drive a surge of qualified traffic to your site and substantially increase your sales figure. SEM on the other hand is a method of marketing your website by leveraging the power of search engines. SEO is an integral aspect of SEM. Search engine marketing is done by enhancing the ranks of your website organically and with the help of paid as well as sponsored listings.
A comprehensive SEM campaign would include the following:
· Search engine and directory submission
· Search engine optimization
· Pay per click marketing
· Trusted feed programs and paid inclusion
· Reputation management and link popularity
· Performance monitoring and ROI calculation
Now that you are able to distinguish between the two, let us explore the pros and cons of each
SEO Pros
· The ability to generate organic traffic provides a steady stream of traffic for your website.
· SEO involves a one -time payment followed by low ongoing maintenance fees, which makes it a very cost effective business proposition for fledgling businesses and marketers with a very low budget.
· SEO employs the use of organic listings which is highly advantageous if you are seeking high page rankings on Google.
SEO Cons
· SEO is a very elaborate process that could last days and even months for the first initial pay off.
· You would have very little control over the ultimate page ranking of your site, as it is search engine optimization
· Search engines are constantly updating and changing their algorithms. This could have a negative impact on your SEO campaign and undo months of planning and strategy.
SEM Pros
· SEM is more reliable than SEO as you are paying for traffic. SEM would thus enables you to predict and calculate the cost efficiency and volume, which would be used to forecast relevant metrics.
· Paid listings are manually generated and are hence in more consonance with the customer's true intent.
· Sponsored advertisements are more target oriented and are devised with the objective of generating more sales for your enterprise.
SEM Cons
· There are customers who are vary about pay per click advertisements and often consider them to be spurious.
· Due to the competitive nature of pay per click marketing, market forces often inflate the prices of highly targeted keywords.
Search engine optimization is thus a very critical aspect in any search engine marketing campaign. The synergy of SEO and SEM can create a very potent strategy for your online marketing campaign and both are equally indispensable in propelling the success of your online enterprise.
A comprehensive SEM campaign would include the following:
· Search engine and directory submission
· Search engine optimization
· Pay per click marketing
· Trusted feed programs and paid inclusion
· Reputation management and link popularity
· Performance monitoring and ROI calculation
Now that you are able to distinguish between the two, let us explore the pros and cons of each
SEO Pros
· The ability to generate organic traffic provides a steady stream of traffic for your website.
· SEO involves a one -time payment followed by low ongoing maintenance fees, which makes it a very cost effective business proposition for fledgling businesses and marketers with a very low budget.
· SEO employs the use of organic listings which is highly advantageous if you are seeking high page rankings on Google.
SEO Cons
· SEO is a very elaborate process that could last days and even months for the first initial pay off.
· You would have very little control over the ultimate page ranking of your site, as it is search engine optimization
· Search engines are constantly updating and changing their algorithms. This could have a negative impact on your SEO campaign and undo months of planning and strategy.
SEM Pros
· SEM is more reliable than SEO as you are paying for traffic. SEM would thus enables you to predict and calculate the cost efficiency and volume, which would be used to forecast relevant metrics.
· Paid listings are manually generated and are hence in more consonance with the customer's true intent.
· Sponsored advertisements are more target oriented and are devised with the objective of generating more sales for your enterprise.
SEM Cons
· There are customers who are vary about pay per click advertisements and often consider them to be spurious.
· Due to the competitive nature of pay per click marketing, market forces often inflate the prices of highly targeted keywords.
Search engine optimization is thus a very critical aspect in any search engine marketing campaign. The synergy of SEO and SEM can create a very potent strategy for your online marketing campaign and both are equally indispensable in propelling the success of your online enterprise.
Dominic Choudhury is a Social Media Expert, entrepreneur and a prolific blogger. He has authored numerous articles on social media, finance, marketing as well as an array of topics related to home improvement and the health and medical field.
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