We all want our businesses to become big hits, and therefore, there are a number of marketing tactics that we deploy to maximize the reach of our businesses, in other words, to increase the audience who can be converted into potential customers in the due course of time. So, when trying online branding, there are two marketing channels, SEO and SEM, which are often wrongly used interchangeably. Thus, we need to explore the difference between SEO and SEM and what’s their effect!

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the art of improving a site’s ranking on search engines so that it becomes reachable as well as accessible to more and more people. In other words, it’s the art of persuading search engines to recommend your content to their users as the best solution to their problems. 

What is SEM?

SEM, or Search Engine Marketing, is the act of using paid services, also known as SEM services in order to increase the visibility of your brand on the search engine results pages. It’s also known as PPC, pay-per-click. These paid searches involve everything from setting up and optimizing paid ads, to managing the account to increase conversions and returns. They are typically located at the top and bottom of the page with an ‘ad’ designation to let users know that it’s a paid placement.

SEO vs. SEM: What are the similarities?

Now, let’s look at how these two are similar:

• Enhance the visibility of the website
• Use keyword research to discover and target relevant keywords
• Require ongoing testing and optimization
• Drive a higher amount of relevant and quality traffic
• Help you gain a deeper understanding of your audience

SEO vs. SEM: What are the differences?

Let’s also look at how they differ from each other:

• A paid placement is easily distinguishable via the ‘ad’ icon, whereas the organic listings don’t have this icon. They do offer rich snippets, however with ad extensions, one can have far more control over how and when these are displayed.
• An advertiser pays every single time a user makes a click on the ad depending on the type of campaign created. But, one has to pay nothing when a user clicks on an organic listing that ranked due to SEO service.
• One can instantly see results within a few clicks via SEM service, whereas SEO service can take time unless you have no competition, which is rare. It can take months to see organic results after starting an SEO strategy.
• SEO strategy continues to add value over time leaving lasting results, but when you invest in SEM, that’s not the case – as soon as you turn your ads off, your visibility stops.
• SEM is easier to test and revise than SEO given the nature of the algorithm.

SEO vs. SEM: Which one to go for?

The very obvious answer that goes with this question is – whichever suits your requirements! While choosing between these, you can always consider factors like your specific goal, existing performance, margins, the lifetime value of your customer, etc. They will help you identify your ‘requirement’ more easily and clearly. Also, integrating both these strategies can be an apt option.

For more info on the difference between SEO and SEM, SEO packages, etc., get in touch with the experts at Design Pundit Advertising Pvt. Ltd., the best SEO company in Gurgaon.