When we talk to our customers about the terms '' SEO '' and '' SEM '', their faces are often filled with confusion. Understandably, not all of our customers are in the web business, so they do business with us. But hey, we're not here to talk about our customers, but about online marketing.
SEO is an acronym for '' Search Engine Optimization '', also known as SEO. Search engines exploit robots also known as "spiders" who surf the Internet from sites to sites and hyperlinks to hyperlinks in order to discover the content of the sites. It's not for nothing that we call this the '' web ''!
SEO is used to optimize the content of websites in order to please the "spiders" who provide search engine algorithms with information. In short, the better the optimization, the more easily the spiders transmit the information to the search engines, the greater the chances of appearing in the first pages of a search engine (such as Google).
Then come SEM or '' Search Engine Marketing ''. Also called Paid SEO is the easiest technique to appear in the first positions of different search engines, but also the most expensive. This allows, in return for a cost per click (CPC or PPC in English), out in the first Google search results. This is extremely effective at quickly attracting traffic that already has an interest in your products or services.
The Main Differences between the two:
The traffic acquired by the SEO is free, while that of the SEM is paid.
SEO is a very specific term that defines good practices in the creation of websites. SEM pays to search engines in exchange for high quality traffic.
SEO is used to show your site in the first results when someone searches for keywords related to your business. The SEM, it is to pay to go out in the first results with exact keywords that are likely to be sought by your target audience.
SEO is a long-term solution, while SEM becomes very efficient fast enough.
The SEM allows to start quickly, without having to change the structure of the site. The SEO itself, requires a lot of changes to the site, and therefore, a lot of time.
With SEM campaigns, it may be that your competitors decide to click on your ads, which causes you fees.
Conclusion
SEO and SEM are two very good techniques for getting traffic to your website. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. In an ideal world, if the budget allows, exploiting these two techniques at the same time will help you achieve results in the short, medium and long term. It all depends on your needs.
If your budget is small and / or you want to get results quickly, SEM is the best option because it gives you sales quickly to reinvest in marketing. If you do not want to invest an astronomical amount during the year, SEO is the best choice for you. You will pay for changes to the site, but long-term results will not cost you anything.
