TommyCarey
Level X3
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I always get the question "What's the difference between SEO and SEM?" and even though they're similar, the descriptions and methods behind them are vastly different... If that makes sense ![SEM [vs] SEO - How they are different.](https://www.seoclerks.com/images/blanksquare.gif "SEM [vs] SEO - How they are different."){kind=small}
I'll start off with SEO.
SEO is Search Engine Optimization and it's the act of optimizing the pages on your website in order to increase your rankings within the search engines in order to pull in traffic from the search results. By gaining traffic from the search results of the search engines you are getting super targeted traffic that converts much higher than anything else. The only thing that converts as well as natural rankings within the search engines is paid rankings through adwords (Google advertising), Yahoo! and Bing advertising. This will put your ad at the top of the search results right near all the natural listings gained through SEO methods.
Optimizing your pages consists of focusing on your titles, descriptions, header tags, alt tags and keyword density. You'll also have to avoid any black hat techniques like keyword stuffing, hidden text and doorway pages. These blackhat methods will not work anymore and will only hurt your website in a short amount of time.
Now on to SEM
SEM or Search Engine Marketing is the act of marketing in a way that you're building a brand as well as funneling in sales through ad slots and content posted around the web. Search engine marketing is wording your ads or pages in order to increase conversions. SEO can be involved with SEM because when you're building a brand through SEM you're actually doing some SEO at the same time. When you see someone posting a service thread on a forum they are marketing their website on a third party platform in order to build awareness and pull in sales. By doing this they are also doing some SEO by adding links to their sales threads so people, and search engines, can click through to their website.
SEM also falls into banner advertising as well. Wording the text on your banners can increase your conversions ten fold if done right. If you do the proper marketing through text on your banners, you will build brand awareness and people will remember you
Remember to follow me
https://www.seoclerks.com/user/Razzy
Thanks,
Razzy
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Lynne
The way you have explained it is that SEO more refers to the methods you implement on your own website, so it would be the on page SEO?
I am starting to love this online marketing journey, it is so interesting and there are so many things you can do to get yourself ranked and gain traffic that are absolutely free. It is amazing how much I have learned in the last few years. I spent a lot of money, on all the wrong things the way I see it.
I should have been focusing on spending my money on SEO packages that would juice up my rankings as opposed to throwing money into the big black hole of PPC compaigns with Adwords. I also see that I could have spent a lot less money than I did...but I prefer spending my money on things that will benefit my website for many years to come instead of just getting a few hits today! Thanks for explaining the differences here. Would you say the that off page SEO falls into SEM as well as SEO? The way you have explained it is that SEO more refers to the methods you implement on your own website, so it would be the on page SEO? I am starting to love this online marketing journey, it is so interesting and there are so many things you can do to get yourself ranked and gain traffic that are absolutely free. It is amazing how much I have learned in the last few years. I spent a lot of money, on all the wrong things the way I see it. I should have been focusing on spending my money on SEO packages that would juice up my rankings as opposed to throwing money into the big black hole of PPC compaigns with Adwords. I also see that I could have spent a lot less money than I did...but I prefer spending my money on things that will benefit my website for many years to come instead of just getting a few hits today!
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