SEM and SEO - What's the Difference?

Originally published February 2006 - Updated July 2006. By Eric Holter.

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SEM and SEO - What's the Difference?

»	SEM vs. SEO
2.	Definition
3.	Google Top Ten
4.	SEO Stickiness

Many people misunderstand the goal of search engine optimization as distinct from search engine marketing. Applying SEM expectations to SEO can lead to significant frustration and disappointment.

This month's newsletter will address the distinction between search engine marketing and search engine optimization. We've written a lot about SEO in the past so this month we'll focus on search engine marketing. The goal is to clarify proper expectations for SEM compared to SEO so that you can engage in the most appropriate approach with the best possible results.

The most common request we hear when discussing search engine services is, "We want our website in the top ten of the search engines when people type in the phrase ______." This goal is flawed and full of unrealistic expectations. Sadly, there are plenty of companies that are willing to take your money in response to such a demand. In some rare cases they might be able to fulfill this request, but often by using unethical and inappropriate methods and tricks that - if they do work - only work for a season and often at the cost of hurting a site in the long run.

Not only is the expectation to get a particular site in a particular position for a particular phrase flawed, but it also tends to obscure other benefits to search engine traffic. Getting expectations in line with what can reasonably be accomplished keeps companies from wasting time and money while avoiding frustration that can come from a flawed search engine strategy. next >

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Comments

kapil

March 30, 2009 3:45 PM
This is simply the practice of paying a search engine or a directory to add a site to its database immediately, rather than setting up that site so that it will be found by the search engine spiders on its own. In the case of some search engines and directories, paid inclusion is the only way to get listed. For others, it's presented as an option. If you're willing to pay, your site will be listed sooner. It's also a useful practice if you wish to make frequent changes to your content, because your site will be spidered more often and you will be able to test how changes affect your ranking.

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kapil
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