In this piece we go through how the 2 separate disciplines we covered in what SEM is and what SEO is differ from each other. We touched on those differences when we wrote about SEM, so let us set them out properly here.
Are you stepping into digital marketing and finding the abbreviations, SEO and SEM above all, a little confusing? Do not worry. We are writing this to shed light on the basic differences between these two pillars of online visibility. After reading it you will have a much clearer picture of what separates SEO from SEM, and how each one can shape your presence online. If you know the subject well, you can add whatever differences you like in the comments.
Note: We share a lot of valuable material on our SEO Podcast channel on Spotify. Follow us there to keep up with the episodes. You will not find what goes into those episodes written down anywhere else; they are genuinely worth your time.
What SEM and SEO Actually Mean
A note on the term for English speaking readers: in this article SEM is used to mean the paid side of search. In English usage the abbreviation is often stretched to cover the whole of search marketing, SEO included. Read it here in the narrower sense: paid search.
SEO (search engine optimization): picture your website as an enormous treasure chest full of valuable information waiting for internet users to find it. SEO is the map that leads those treasure hunters to your digital riches. It covers every process that optimizes your content structure and the other elements of your site so that it ranks higher, organically, on the search engine results pages, the SERPs. Put another way, it gets your site showing near the top when users type in the relevant keywords. Which naturally brings you more visitors. And you pay nothing for it.
In an article, we at Türk SEM usually put SEO like this.
- Natural results
- Organic results
- SERP
- Search results
- Rankings you earned
- Google ranking
SEM (search engine marketing): think of SEM as a spotlight that puts your website in front of those treasure hunters immediately. SEM covers the paid strategies that secure your site visibility on the search engine results pages. It takes in things like pay per click (PPC or CPC) advertising, where you bid on particular keywords to get your ad shown in the results. This route gives you visibility straight away, and you pay a fee for every click.
Think of it this way; your site quality score times your cost per click bid produces a number, and that number is what competes on what you might call the “keyword exchange”.
The Basic Differences Between SEO and SEM
1. The nature of the traffic:
- Traffic built through SEO is earned and organic, meaning; users find your site naturally, usually off the back of their own specific query.
- Traffic from SEM is paid, because companies are essentially paying for the site to appear when certain keywords are searched.
2. Cost:
- SEO takes no direct payment to the search engines, but producing content, optimizing and making technical improvements to the site cost time, effort and sometimes cash.
- SEM carries a direct cost, since you are paying for the ads to appear on the SERPs. Spend can run high, especially on competitive keywords.
3. Speed of results:
- Reaching high rankings through SEO takes time, alongside consistent effort. It is a long term discipline that pays out slowly.
- With SEM you see the results immediately and can find your site in the searches. Once the ad campaign is approved, your site shows at the top, the middle or the lower part of the results and can pull traffic right away.
4. How long the visibility lasts:
- A page properly optimized against the SEO criteria carries on holding its ranking and its visibility even after you stop actively working on it.
- Visibility through SEM depends directly on the length and budget of your ad campaign. When the campaign ends or the budget runs out, your ads stop showing.
SEO and SEM Differences, Side by Side
| Feature | SEO (search engine optimization) | SEM (search engine marketing) |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The process of getting a website to rank near the top of the organic search results | A strategy for securing visibility on search engines through paid advertising |
| Cost | Usually free, but it takes time and effort | Requires paid ad campaigns (Google Ads, for example) |
| Speed of results | Results can take a long time (months) | Results can come fast (days or hours) |
| Durability | Long term effect | The effect ends when the ad budget does |
| Targeting | Built around keywords and content | Detailed demographic and behavioral targeting is possible |
| ROI (return on investment) | Usually a higher long term ROI | Gives you a measurable ROI in the short term |
| Level of control | Limited control over the results | Full control over ad delivery and budget |
| Type of traffic | Organic traffic | Paid traffic |
Conclusion
That is roughly the whole of it; we tried to lay it out in a way that is practical and actually useful to you. Do not forget that your project needs both arguments. SEO and SEM only show what they are really worth when the two move together. Our recommendation at Türk SEM is to set a strategy for both of them and work on both.
All 8 types of digital marketing contribute something different next to one another. At bottom, having all 8 basic types working together can do you a great deal of good.
