SEO and SEM: What they are, how they differ and why use them

As a business owner, it is important to understand the terms that have to do with marketing and promotional strategies. SEO and SEM are two of those terms that we must understand when we have a digital business.

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These two words are heard in any conversation about brand or product positioning on the internet. But what exactly are they?

First of all, it is important to know that SEO and SEM are actually acronyms for terms in English:

stands for search engine optimization, that is, search engine optimization. This alludes to how to build your content so that it appears in the first results of search engines.
SEM refers to search engine marketing, that is, search engine marketing. This refers to advertising or sponsored links that can be made in search engines.

These strategies are then focused on what is “search engine marketing”. And what is the search engine that dominates all queries on the internet? That’s right, our beloved Google.

Now we will talk in more detail about what SEO and SEM are within your digital marketing strategy and why you should take them into account.

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What is SEO

As I mentioned above, the acronym for SEO refers to the strategies used so that the contents (be it a web page, an online store, a blog, etc.) appear in the first results of Google.

This “optimization” in search engines implies understanding (and applying) what are the keys so that when displaying the results of a search, Google recognizes your content as one of the most relevant.

Some of the most important topics are:

Page load speed (the faster the better).
Good browsing experience for the user.
Relevant content that adds value (that you want to stay on your page as long as possible).
Use of keywords (that allow Google to recognize the theme of the content).

What is SEM

SEM, on the other hand, is a search engine marketing strategy that refers to the direct investment of money. These are known as “Google Ads”, identified on the results page with the label “advertising”.

These paid ads are booked for keywords you want to appear for if a potential buyer does a Google search for those terms.

For example, if I have a sporting goods store: when someone searches for “Adidas Superstar sneakers”, if I appear in the first results, it is very likely that person will enter my store to look for those long-awaited sneakers.

Then, from the hiring of these paid ads, Google shows in the first search results the content that one has included in the ad.

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Why it is important to use SEO and SEM strategies

SEO and SEM strategies have become so relevant today (and that is why we hear them named so much) because the positioning for the first results in search engines has become quite a fierce fight.

Why is it key to be among the first results? Because there is an indisputable reality: the number of clicks, and therefore visits to your store or content, is much higher if one is at the top of the search results page on Google.

Also, let’s face it, no one (or almost no one) gets past the first page of results. So if you don’t appear there, basically, it’s as if you don’t exist for the person who did the search for a keyword related to your brand.

Differences between SEO and SEM

The most important differences between these SEO and SEM strategies are:

investment of money
The time to see results

The paid ad tactics, SEM, can be resolved in the short term more quickly. Ads are created with the relevant keywords for your business and a few clicks later, your content already appears in the search results. The issue here is cost. You will have to invest a specific amount of money up front to pay for those ads.

That cost will depend on the keywords you need to select to advertise your product or brand. The more requested those words are, the more competition there will be and the higher investment will be needed.

Secondly, content optimization tactics, SEO, they are more long term since they require more time to be effective. This is because they work in a more organic or natural way. That is, one builds the content in the best possible way (both for the public and for Google to recognize it) and as time goes by and the famous search engine identifies it as valuable, it begins to show more of it.

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SEO and SEM: How and where to start?

At this point, I imagine I will have already convinced you of the relevance of this type of strategy for your digital marketing plan and also about the differences between SEO and SEM.

The next step then, is to analyze how and where to start in search engine optimization. These are 3 of my recommendations:

Define your main goals
Set your conditions
Determine the type of content you want to spread

You can follow these recommendations by answering some questions for each point, I will explain each one below.

Define your main goals

What are you looking to achieve? Immediate sales? Organic traffic to your store? Get subscribers to your newsletter?

Set your conditions

What budget do you have? Do you have any time requirements?

Determine what type of content you want to spread

Do you need to promote a specific product? Do you want to make your brand’s blog known?

From these answers, it is time to order the priorities. Depending on what you want to achieve, you will find the right answer in an SEM strategy, an SEO strategy, or a combination of both.

Some tips on SEO and SEM

SEO and SEM are disciplines that require dedication. But once you understand how they work and the strategic relevance they represent in the dissemination of your online store or branded content, there is no going back.