The clarification of SEM vs SEO is pretty simple. Yet, for some reason and for many people, it is still very much needed. For example, just recently I read a top SEM guy equate the two. And there I was, thinking that he, of all people, should get it. But I guess not. I guess there is still uncertainty about what each one is and whether or not they are interchangeable terms.

So I would like to clarify. Maybe it really isn’t necessary, but here we go. Simply put: SEM and SEO are NOT the same thing. They are not interchangeable terms, able to be tossed about and equated without care. They are not “Spielberg” and “Great Movies”. Now, they might sort of look similar; they might even be connected in a way. But, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are not one in the same. The difference is very clear.

Granted, the difference isn’t like apples and oranges, where both are completely different things connected only under a certain subgroup. In fact, the comparison is more like apples vs. Fuji apples. SEM is the apple; and SEO is the Fuji apple. That is to say, in the broader category of SEM lies the subcategory and type of SEM known as SEO. Let me explain further.

SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is the broad category of tools that a company will utilize in order to bring more traffic to a website or more attention to a product. It increases the “magnitude” of a site, attracting as many searches as possible.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is more specifically the tool of increasing the search-ability of a website (or optimizing) so that it can more readily be found in all search engine listings, including organic and natural listings.

SEM includes SEO but is not limited to it. That is to say, there are more tools in the SEM belt than SEO. These include such things as Paid Inclusion, Traditional Ads, and Pay-Per-Click Advertising, all of which focus on a different marketing medium than traditional SEO. Unlike SEO, for example, they are faster tools, able to bring traffic to your website quickly. They get the message and increase your visibility immediately.

SEO, on the other hand, builds up the content of your website, making it readable, informative, and helpful. All of these make your site relevant and desirable, which, too, increases traffic, though slower than the other tools. Overtime, however, SEO has proven just as, if not much, much more, effective in bringing traffic to your site, leading ultimately to SEO’s popularity and importance.

The final word: SEO is the best tool in SEM’s belt. You cannot have effective, long-lasting SEM without quality SEO. Now, there are no questions about that.

Once one realizes that SEM and SEO are not the same thing, and that the former is a broader category including the latter, then more questions arise: what, then, is the point of SEO? If there are other strategies, why shouldn’t we just use them? Is SEO necessary for successful SEM?

The answer, folks, is a resounding YES! SEM that includes SEO is the only path to success. Plain and simple. To flesh this out, we’ll look at some of the other strategies included in SEM and then weigh the pros and cons of not incorporating SEO.

Paid Inclusion, Pay-Per-Click, Paid Advertisements
One of the quickest ways to increase visibility and boost traffic is to use one of these three strategies. Each one is basically catering to the search engine by paying them to show your website.

Here’s how it works. The first strategy, paid inclusion, is when you pay the search engine to list your website. For some search engines this is the only way to get listed. Others simply present it as an option, hoping that you’ll pay them instead of using other strategies.

The second and third, Pay-Per-Click and Paid Advertisements, are similar. Both entail paying for an advertisement of your website and both immediately send out information about your company on the search engines. The first works with keywords; the price is figured by number of visits to a site through each link (i.e. pay per click) and the popularity of your chosen keywords. The second type of advertisement is more traditional, posting information about a website or a company and then figuring the cost by number of ads, successful or not.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Other SEM Strategies
The advantages and benefits of these strategies are in their immediacy. Immediately they bring attention to the website. There’s no waiting. The ads are posted. The website is listed. Once you pay, it’s done. Your visibility is increased and your traffic is boosted.

But then what happens? What happens if people visit your website and there’s nothing there of interest or help? What if you don’t even have a fully functional website yet, but have all the tools for traffic to come? The disadvantages then to these strategies are in the long term. They’re built for speed, not for sustainability. Thus, they need something else.

Advantages of SEO
They need SEO. SEO should always be the first tool used when working with SEM, and here’s why. SEO’s function is to make sure your website is both search engine and user friendly. It provides content to your site that’s both relevant and relatable, informative and important. It’s what searchers are really looking for. They might come to your site because of a Paid Advertisement, but they will stay because of SEO.

Ultimately, you might find that SEO will suffice on its own, without the other tools. But for now, my advice is that it must come first. SEM and SEO is the only path to a long-term success.

I read recently that some think viral marketing is better than SEO, because it’s fuelled by recommendations, ignited and guided by users and their friends. Like a grass-roots movement, viral marketing can spread like wildfire and generate more traffic to your site than traditional SEO. Is that true? Does that mean SEO is obsolete and we all should be working hard to create as much viral marketing as possible? The answer, I think, is…maybe.


SEO Obsolete?

First, I don’t think SEO is obsolete. Granted, it’s changing form and moving with the trends of the marketplace and the Internet (Web 2.0 as prime example), but the traditional methods and practices of SEO – content writing, article submission, web submission, link building – are still as potent and practical as before. They work, and they will continue to work for a long time to come.

They are the foundation and starting point for any SEM campaign. Regardless of what other tactics are utilized, search engine optimization is of extreme importance. It combines with social media optimization and social networking to form a power-packed punch that sends your traffic soaring.

In terms of political campaigning, SEO and SEM can be thought of as the TV advertisements, the press releases, the interviews, the visits and the debates – all the traditional forms of campaigning that have worked for so many politicians in the past and present. Yet, there is another type of campaign that most resembles viral marketing: the grassroots, word-of mouth movement.

Viral Marketing Effectiveness

As seen in the last campaign for the Presidency, grass-roots movements can be extremely effective in gaining notoriety, fame and acclaim. Through word-of- mouth and, now, the online social networking, popularity can grow faster than ever before. This is, in essence, what viral marketing is. It’s spreading awareness for a website through referrals and recommendations.

There are many forms of viral promotions to stimulate talk. They include video clips, eBooks, interactive Flash games, text messaging and brandable software; all of these attempt to pique the interest of a consumer and satisfy them in ways to not only bring them back, but also bring their friends. Think along the lines of funny videos (all the SNL digital Shorts) or addicting games (Orbitz).

More Effective than SEO?

Though viral marketing has proven to be effective and looks to continue being effective, it can’t be said to be more effective than SEO. However, it can’t be dismissed either. Thus: maybe. If an SEM campaign uses both SEO and viral marketing, then it will decidedly work. The two don’t stand in contrast, but can work together. My recommendation, though, is always to start with SEO and then add other marketing strategies, including viral.

SEO fact or fiction

In the world  of SEO writing, several important debates are taking place. These “controversies” range from topics as fundamental as the use of SEO to as specific as the changes that W3C is implementing to search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Excite. There are a lot of myths and misinformation surrounding these controversies, so let’s take a look at all the rumors and set you straight.

•    First debate: There is a right way to do SEO.

Answer: Fiction. The acronym SEO stands for search engine optimized which is used in any search engine like Google. There is no right way to do SEO as different strategies work differently depending upon company policy.

•    Second debate: SEO doesn’t really work with Google.

Answer: Fact and Fiction. Yes, SEO works well with Google, bring vast results for clients and consumers. Yet, Google will also be changing how it ranks web pages later next year. Working with W3C, Google will change their requirements from keyword searches to organic results. “Organic” simply means a natural search that will be more suited to the searcher, instead of the popular keyword searching results.  This should (and will) bring more people to the right site.

•    Third: SEO companies are becoming obsolete.

Answer: Fiction. This controversy surrounds the results that a company may get from an SEO company, as well as whether or not to do business with them due to their lack of results. While some will argue that if a client doesn’t get results with a company, then they should not hire them again, the truth is that after the change in Google takes place, this particular argument will indeed be moot.

If you are an SEO company, it is advisable to run what you have as far as pages, but start the transition now, in order to be compliant with the impending change. And as far as doing business with an SEO company is concerned, your best bet is to go with a company that has proven results. Bear in mind, however, that once the W3C changes take place, SEO will be less important and the natural search will become more important. If you are working with a company currently that does SEO, then you will need to ask them how they will become compliant with the recent W3C move.

To sum up: The Google/W3C changes may be frightening at first, but they will ultimately have the interests of the consumers in mind. SEO, too, is changing and the best thing that can be done is to roll with the punches and conform to the new changes. Ultimately your company will see better results with more qualified people that will be interested in buying from your company. This will, in the long run, bring you more qualified customers that will increase your sales and bring the ever-so valuable money back into the coffers. And we all like/desire/need that.

SEM, SEO and PPC support each other

These three acronyms, SEM, SEO and PPC can make all the difference to the staying power of your online business.  They stand for Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and are the true backbone of online business. These three little tools should be combined together if you’d like to raise your profits in the ever-growing, fast-paced Internet world. This article will explain what each of these components are and what they do.

SEM

The first of the SEM/SEO/PPC combination is SEM.  This is the one we all see in action, although not many of us recongize it consciously.  Search Engine Marketing has very little to do with search engines, and everything to do with marketing.  Those who perform SEM creating marketing campaigns just as they would for a physical store.

SEM professionals may recommend many areas, from pay-per-click ads to social media; optimization to advertisements; videos to white papers.  An SEM’s sole purpose is actually two parts: to get you noticed and to make your products enticing.  How they do that all depends upon that particular professional.

SEO

The second component of SEM/SEO/PPC is the Search Engine Optimization.  SEO is one of the top ways to get Google Ranking. Optmization is not about making the search engine see you as a site relevant to the search term, although many people see it as that.  Optmization is about making the engine see you as one of the top relevant sites.

Almost every SEO professional will include finding your niche and the keywords that fit that niche in any campaign.  The rest of an SEO campaign, again, depends upon the professional.

PPC

PPC rounds things off nicely.  Pay-Per-Clink links are clickable ads leading your chosen link.  Used correctly and well researched, PPC can and will send clicks to your website.  Those searching for goods, services or whatever else is covered by the ad will be led to that particular link (usually a landing page of some sort).

A strong PPC professional, knowledgable in writing short ads, finding strong keywords and good placement, can make a lot of difference in the quality of hits.  What keywords, ad placement and the length of text allowed for the ads all depends on how big your marketing budget is and what you want to achieve.

The Triad

SEM, SEO and PPC work together to make the perfect online marketing campaign.  The right professionals can create a knock-out marketing strategy; one planned to bring people to your website that are already interested in your product.  They’re not just “looking around”.

SEM is the beginning.  Marketing is all about strategy, of which SEO and PPC is just a part.  SEM says “This is what we have to do to interest people in your company and your product.”

SEO is a “targeted” marketing strategy, generally including everything from your website design (is it compliant? Did you use good practices?) to your content quality (is it well-written? Are keywords used? Is it relevant?).

PPC is a combination of ad placement/writing and SEO content in the form of landing pages.  A well-written, well-placed ad, combined with matching (and also well-written) landing page content, has almost doubled a site owner’s ROI in some cases.

Combined, SEM, SEO and PPC will definitely raise the amount of clicks to your website, your Google placement (ranking) and your website quality.  The rest is up to your product.