SEO VS SEM; WHICH IS BETTER?

As a business owner, you would possibly be caught in between focusing on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or SEM (Search Engine Marketing). Most businesses are aware that Search Engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc) are fantastic ways to get massive traffic to their websites, but not just any traffic, instead, traffic that can be converted to paying customers. Regardless of what type of business you operate, whether online or at a physical store, there is a high probability that prospects are actively searching for you and desire to find you. Let’s quickly get to understand the basis of these two concepts.

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization which is referred to as SEO is a way of optimizing a website to receive organic/natural traffic or prospects from the Search Engine Result Pages (SERP) to your site. Although search organic traffic is free, the method of Search Engine Optimization may incur some costs, depending on the competitiveness of the market you’re targeting. SEO aims to attract to your website relevant prospective clients that are interested in your products or services. However, optimizing to receive targeted organic traffic is just one part of the process, the other aspect is the ability to get this traffic in high volumes by targeting multiple yet relevant keywords.

SEO gives you:

More Brand Awareness

Even if your target market doesn’t recognize your brand yet or they have no idea that you exist, building a keen awareness of a brand will not only affect the lowest line of your business, but it will also increase the prospects for your business.

Lower Costs

With SEO, you don’t need to worry about investing so much and getting minimal results because the cost of running a successful SEO campaign is a lot lower.

Better Return on Investment

For your business to stand the test of time, it must have a reliable marketing strategy. SEO is hugely beneficial since it is a sustainable way to get targeted traffic to visit your website or blog.

 

Now, What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

Search Engine Marketing is a way to bring in relevant traffic from Search Engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) by purchasing paid or sponsored Ad listings on these Search Engines. SEM is often referred to as Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising and there are numerous web and social media PPC platforms, however, Google Ads remains the most popular and successful option for many online marketers. Without delay, SEM aims to assist advertisers to gain more visibility on Search Engines and drive the right reasonably traffic to a website or landing page. A healthy and active strategy is crucial for you to gain an uncomplicated Return on Investment for you or your clients. SEM or PPC is one amongst the most widely used types of online marketing methods.

Let’s check out some importance of SEM.

Reach the Top

The above-the-fold area of the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) is where most of the attention is fixed. One of the essential advantages of paid ads is that you’re able to grab the attention of your target audience by positioning yourself on top of the page.

Have More Control

Sponsored Ads or PPC allows you to be up to speed with the results you achieve. By tweaking and testing every little detail of the Ads, you will be able to improve the performance of all your campaigns and breakthrough whatever feels like a limitation.

Increase Brand Visibility

When you’re trying to drive traffic to your website, there is no need to get large numbers of visitors because all you need are the relevant people who will take action after seeing your listing. When you’re doing SEO, the right people may not land on your website but with PPC Ads, your Ads are targeted towards users who are looking for your products or services.

Achieve Quick and Measurable Results

Anyone who promises you quick results with SEO is probably a joke. SEO is a process in itself that takes a definite amount of patience and commitment. It actually takes time to make an exact level of organic visibility with SEO, although Search Engine Marketing has its share of disadvantages which you must remember if you’re going to plunge into it.

Here is the big question.

 

SEO or SEM: Which Should You Choose?

No matter the size of your business, it has a unique audience specifically interested in your products or services. The application of either SEM or SEO usually depends on the marketing goals of your business. For some businesses, SEO makes complete sense, while PPC is out of the question, while for others, SEO might not seem viable when you compare it to the advantages provided by PPC. If you are a business that is genuinely interested in creating a robust online presence and getting better returns in both the short and long term, then you must balance SEO and PPC side-by-side. Your SEO efforts should cover for the shortcomings of PPC advertising and the other way around. By incorporating the two marketing methods into your business, you’ll find yourself getting effective results from both of them.

Knowing your business and its long term goals are also essential to form an excellent online marketing strategy that provides impressive results. Specializing in SEO and SEM automatically means that your business has taken a stronger approach than your competitors who only specialise in one of the marketing strategies.