Charlottesville SEO Web Development

Updated 2009-10-18

SEO And SEM Are Not The Same

Chances are, the company you hire to increase traffic to your web site will not excel at both SEO and SEM. Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are fundamentally different approaches that require different skills.

It is not surprising that search engine optimization is often confused with search engine marketing. Both terms refer to a set of activities that target increasing the flow of traffic to your web site. That's what they have in common. Now let's explore the differences.

What Is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Search engine optimization is the process of fine tuning your web site to facilitate thorough and proper indexing by the major search engines with the objective of improving search-results ranking for target keywords. On-site optimization focuses on two web site components: content and programming.

Content is optimized by ensuring target keywords are included and strategically positioned. To be effective, the surrounding copy must be relevant and well written. Professionally optimized text flows naturally so that the reader is not aware of keyword insertion and positioning.

Web programming is optimized by streamlining and consolidating code. In addition, ethical coding techniques such as semantic structuring are employed to emphasize key content.

Properly executed SEO can dramatically improve search engine rankings. Results achieved with such on-site optimization efforts are called, "natural search results" or "organic search results."

SEO is performed on your web site by SEO copywriters and front-end web developers.

What Is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

Search engine marketing refers to a collection of promotional activities that may include press releases, pay per click (PPC) advertising campaigns, social networking, and more. For each promotion or advertisement, search engine marketers monitor performance metrics including web traffic, conversion rates and return on investment (ROI).

SEM is typically an ongoing effort characterized by fine tuning your advertising message and utilizing the dizzying array of new-media opportunities to drive traffic to your web site.

Pay per click advertising links — purchased links displayed above or to the right of organic search results — are a primary component of many search engine marketing campaigns.

SEM is performed off your web site by marketing experts specializing in online media.

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Link Building

Before concluding that the line separating SEO and SEM is clearly drawn, however, we must consider one activity that straddles both: link building. This term refers to a collection of promotional methods employed to encourage other web sites to link back to your site (back links).

Promoting a site to acquire back links is another means to achieve organic search results so it would make sense to include link building in the search engine optimization category. Because this activity is essentially a form of promotion, however, it is technically search engine marketing, not search engine optimization.

In spite of this technical distinction, link building services are offered by most search engine optimization companies. Why? SEO firms are measured by their ability to boost links to your web site above those of your competitors' sites in natural search results. In competitive industries, where all the major players have effectively optimized their web sites, back links (links pointing back to your site) will be the decisive factor determining which sites claim the top organic rankings.

Conclusion

Efforts undertaken on your web site to boost visibility in organic (not paid) search engine results are classified as SEO. Activities undertaken away from your site to promote, advertise or market it are classified as SEM. Link building, while technically a promotional activity, is normally provided by SEO companies because it plays a key role in natural search results ranking, especially in competitve markets.