There is a heated debate about highlighting the differences between SEO and SEM, mainly due to the differences in their concepts.
Since its definition and creation in 2001, the distinction between SEO and SEM has been clear. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) was a component of SEM (Search Engine Marketing), which was commonly referred to as Search Marketing back then.
However, over time, the SEO branch has differentiated itself to position itself as an alternative to SEM. Both approaches seek to boost visibility in search engines. Still, while SEO focuses on optimizing your website to achieve a higher ranking organically, SEM relies on instant preferential placement through techniques like PPC (Pay-per-click) advertising.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
It’s crucial to start on the right track when comparing SEO and SEM. Therefore, we’ll begin by defining SEO.
What is SEO?
This involves optimizing your website to attract organic traffic from search engines.
The importance of SEO lies in the fact that search engine crawlers easily understand a properly optimized web page, which dramatically increases the chances of obtaining a higher ranking in SERPs (search engine results pages).
Why do I need SEO?
What is SEO?
SEO is built on three fundamental pillars: technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO.
Technical SEO involves optimizing your website for crawling and indexing, ensuring that search engines can navigate and index your site without issues.
On-page SEO is a set of internal factors that influence the web positioning of our page. Consider these guidelines applicable to web pages and individual content, ensuring they are optimized for targeted keywords. For example, it must have good descriptions, optimized titles, a correctly formatted URL, H1 and H2 headings, alternative texts for images… and so on.
The world of On-page SEO is so diverse that a much more extensive guide is necessary to explore it in more depth. Luckily for you, at Marketeros Agencia, we have already anticipated your needs. In our SEO Positioning Guide for Dummies, you will find everything you need to optimize your website, step by step.
Off-page SEO involves acquiring backlinks from external sites to boost your website’s credibility with search engines.
If you’re new to this concept, it might initially seem overwhelming. Consider it a ranking system where the website with the highest number of quality links ranks higher in the SERPs or search engine results pages.
Links from other websites are why Off-page SEO is known as Link Building.
Keep in mind that it is no longer the more links, the better. This changed with Google Penguin, and since then, many links still need to guarantee good positioning; in fact, it can be harmful if applied uncontrolled. Now, the origin of these links is more important, and this, together with other factors, determines the quality of our link.
This Link Building Guide will teach you everything you need to develop an optimal Link Building strategy.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
The main advantages of SEM over SEO are its instant results and its positioning preference in SERPs. Its clear disadvantage is its high cost.
However, many other factors influence the choice of one of the two strategies:
What is SEM?
This is a digital marketing strategy aimed at increasing the visibility of our website in search engines through PPC (pay-per-click) advertising.
SEM is a contract for advertising space that will appear as such in the search engine results with which the agreement was reached. It likely bypasses organic ranking to appear in the first search results.
Without a doubt, the best-known advertising agency in the field of SEM is Google Ads (Google Adwords). This agency preferentially positions your keyword by paying only for the clicks made on your ad, a model which is essential when conducting Google Ads Competitor Analysis to gain insights on how your rivals are performing and identify opportunities for improvement.
This is why it is called PPC or Pay Per Click. Other companies like Bing or Yahoo have a similar system but are less successful than Google Ads.
Why do I need SEM?
Which is better, SEO or SEM?
The eternal dilemma… I want to position my brand-new website, but… what strategy is best for me?
Let’s see their differences.
SEO VS SEM
If we analyze everything we have learned, we will see that this is our best option if we are looking for long-lasting results. Websites that rank high in the SERPs for their keywords can get free traffic 24/7/365, which gives them fame in their respective fields since they will have reached the top without cheating (PPC).
Websites that use the SEM PPC system see quick results, seeing an increase in their traffic that can provide the visibility needed at the beginning of a business. However, once you cancel the contract, that traffic disappears overnight, as your ad is removed and will no longer appear in any SERP.
Another important difference between SEO and SEM is that SEO takes much longer to show results, while SEM, with its PPC system, is almost instantaneous.
One of the most common strategies for positioning a website is to hire SEM at the beginning while working on SEO in parallel. Once the website starts to roll and the first seeds of SEO grow, it is time to cancel SEM and focus solely on SEO.
Conclusion
A good simile often used in Search Marketing is that of races.
SEM is a specialist in the 100-meter dash, capable of overtaking anyone in a short time at the cost of great effort. However, in long-distance races, he not only gets tired but also receives no reward when he retires halfway.
SEO is a full-fledged long-distance runner who, through perseverance and good work, can reach the front of the race and stay there for a long time.
Unfortunately for SEM, every self-respecting website seeks durability, not being a trending topic one day and being forgotten the next.
