SEO vs. SEM

What's the diff?

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the act of altering your web site to perform naturally in the search engines.

SEM, or Search Engine Marketing, is the practice of marketing and advertising through SEO and purchasing paid listings.

Just a little difference in lettering, but a world of difference in definitions....

Webopedia defines SEO "as short for search engine optimization, the process of increasing the amount of visitors to a Web site by ranking high in the search results of a search engine. The higher a Web site ranks in the results of a search, the greater the chance that that site will be visited by a user. It is common practice for Internet users to not click through pages and pages of search results, so where a site ranks in a search is essential for directing more traffic toward the site. SEO helps to ensure that a site is accessible to a search engine and improves the chances that the site will be found by the search engine." SEM, Webopedia notes, is short for Search Engine Marketing. "SEM is often used to describe acts associated with researching, submitting and positioning a Web site within search engines to achieve maximum exposure of your Web site. SEM includes things such as search engine optimization, paid listings and other search-engine related services and functions that will increase exposure and traffic to your Web site."

Copyright © 2005 Susanne Svette
All rights reserved.