SEO is sometimes used as an umbrella term that includes SEM, but because SEM refers strictly to paid advertising, they are actually separate. SEM is about getting traffic via paid ads, and SEO is more about acquiring, monitoring and analyzing organic (unpaid) traffic patterns. When done correctly the two complement one another extremely well. SEO is increasing the amount of website visitors by getting the site to appear high on results returned by a search engine. SEM is considered internet marketing that increases a site's visibility through organic search engines results and advertising.
SEM includes SEO as well as other search marketing tactics. By having your SEO and SEM relationship work cohesively together, your marketing plan will align for a more effective strategy. Traditionally, an SEM team may include experts in both paid search and SEO However, SEM is more heavily associated with paid search, and many SEM services only cover paid search. SEO helps SEM create efficiencies, and SEM helps SEO determine which high-intent terms should be their focus. SEO is sometimes used as an umbrella term that includes SEM , but because SEM refers strictly to paid advertising, they are actually separate.
As an Inbound Marketer, I would argue that organic SEO is the best approach, but as you can see, true SEM cannot succeed without the use of organic SEO. If the website does not provide the quality that Google thinks users are looking for then all of your SEO and SEM efforts will go unnoticed and cause you a severe amount of frustration. Choose one over the other if you need to from a resourcing standpoint, but SEO and SEM working together can truly be the yin and yang of search engine marketing. SEM refers strictly to paid, targeted advertising, while SEO centers around increasing unpaid, organic site traffic. They go hand in hand, as SEM campaigns are generally more successful when paired with strong SEO and vice versa.
All team members are then on the same page about what your business wants to accomplish through SEO and SEM campaigns. While looking for ways to get the best results with your business website, it’s likely that you’ve run across the terms SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing). Whenever your SEO strategy goes awry, you can rely on the quick results that SEM and PPC campaigns can get you.
