Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are two of the most important aspects of online marketing. When used together, they can be a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes.
SEO is the process of optimizing a website so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This can be done by improving the website’s content, structure, and links. SEM, on the other hand, is the process of advertising a website on search engines. This can be done through pay-per-click (PPC) advertising or through organic search engine marketing (SEM).
There are many benefits to combining SEO and SEM. First, it can help businesses reach a wider audience. When a website ranks higher in SERPs, it is more likely to be seen by potential customers. Second, it can help businesses generate more leads and sales. When a website is advertised on search engines, it is more likely to be clicked on by potential customers. Third, it can help businesses save money. SEO and SEM can be a cost-effective way to reach a large audience.
If you are looking to improve your online marketing, then you should consider combining SEO and SEM. It is a powerful combination that can help you reach your business goals.
Understanding SEO and SEM Services
Search Engine Optimisation or SEO involves the optimisation of a website specifically focused on improving organic search rankings for traffic driving keywords. Some common tactics as part of an SEO strategy include on-page optimisation, off-page optimisation, keyword research, content marketing, and link building.
Search engine marketing or SEM involves pay per click advertising to users in the search network, whether it be the Google Search Network, or other search networks such as Bing, Duck Duck Go and Ecosia. SEM can involve running ads focused on consideration, purchase or loyalty phases of the funnel, with work needing to be done on keyword targeting, ad creative, extensions, budgets, scheduling and more.
By focusing on reaching users while they are actively searching, SEO and SEM complement each other. Firstly, by ensuring that there is presence on the first page of Google search results for priority keywords. Secondly, there is brand protection to ensure that competition does not bid on your keywords that you rank for. Thirdly the additional real estate of having both an organic and paid listing is valuable in the SERP.
THE GARDENING METAPHOR
The relationship between SEO and SEM can be better described using the example of having an at-home vegetable garden vs going and buying at the market.
Take SEO as the example of the at-home garden, it takes time, effort and investment to start growing those vegetables, and patience is required. While using SEM, we can use a shopping list of search terms to the market and purchase traffic and often conversions.
SEM is your quick fix, immediate solution, but in the long run SEO is going to bring down that cost.
As SEO rankings rise, SEM should remain for that additional real estate, but search terms focused on can be diversified to more long-tail terms that the website doesn’t organically rank for.
Finding the right balance
Identifying the right balance of investment (both time and financial) into SEO and SEM is really dependant on a few factors.
The most important action to take is to set SMART objectives or KPIs that will then guide decision making here.
A crawl of the website and an overall organic search audit should be undertaken to determine what terms the website is already ranking for, and an SEM forecast should be undertaken to gain an understanding of what sort of budgets, keywords and activities need to be undertaken to ensure a strong presence in the SERP through SEM.
If you’re looking at making a decision about your search strategy, it’s important to have that conversation with an expert. When deciding between SEM and SEO the answer in the best case should probably be both, as there are numerous benefits to synergising these tactics into a larger search strategy. If you’re unsure about how to tackle your search strategy, let’s have a chat and make a plan of attack.