Search Engine Marketing Is Not Search Engine Optimization

Google AdWords Are Not SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

A client seeking SEO services shouldn’t be expected to know how it all works as they aren’t an SEO specialist. That’s why you called an agency right? Most often a client needs straight answers and some help with their website’s ranking and/or conversions.

That said, it’s important to know the difference between improving ranking versus paid ads that drive people to your website. While both can support each other in their effectiveness, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not the same thing as Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

In short, SEM such as Google AdWords means that your URL is not ranking on page one, but rather appears there. Depending on how aggressive, accurate, and expensive a Google AdWords Campaign is, completely determines where you will appear. Utilizing proper SEO tactics is how to ensure your website is ranking on page one.

SEO: What It Is, What It Isn’t.

You’ve got a website that you need to rank well on Google, so you need good SEO, right? RIGHT!

SEO can get your website onto page one of Google for the services you provide, right? RIGHT – EVENTUALLY!

SEO is a magic trick that garners instant results and Google is automatically aware of my website and services now, right? WRONG!

SEO means search engine optimization, it does not mean “how to trick the internet to get traffic”. While SEM can serve a great purpose, SEO is imperative for long-term success. SEO is a long-form strategy to ensure your website has the correct content, technology, and content structure in place. It is meant to help Google organically provide users with your website should you have the goods or services they seek.

Any SEO specialist who claims they can get your website on page one in under a month is likely using what are considered “black hat” tactics. These will eventually get your URL punished by Google and you’ll have to start all of your SEO efforts over again. Not worth it. Take your time.

Explaining SEO

Say you want to be a professional soccer player when you grow up and win the women’s world cup. So, you start playing in kid’s leagues, you eventually play for your junior high, continue to play in local leagues, and attend soccer camps every summer. You eventually play for your high school and the college recruiting process begins. If your skills are good enough, if all of the tools you employed have stuck to your on-field game, you can get picked up by a college.

You play by the rules, you play amazingly, you pass your school and drug tests, wrap up 4 years of college play, and again the recruiting process begins. Now you’re getting looked at by A-league teams. You play for a year or two in a small town, still playing by the rules, working super hard, training non-stop, and again the recruiting process begins. Now you’re picked up by a national women’s soccer league team and the dream is becoming a reality.

That is SEO: You have to play by the rules, work hard on your strategy, stick to it, and be patient. If you cheat, you’ll get caught and you’ll lose your progress.

What Is SEM?

Breaking Down Search Engine Marketing?

We’ll fall back on the above sports metaphor. SEM is like being from a wealthy family who can pay for sessions at the world’s finest soccer training facilities. They can pay for one on one training with world-renowned coaches, and provide a personal trainer hired just for them. They’re not cheating, and they’re still working incredibly hard. But, it certainly helped advance their skills faster than those who can’t utilize such resources.

An additional major difference is that SEO is completely necessary to get ranked on Google and for people to organically land on your website. SEO has also been proven to have an overall 14.6% conversion rate. Whereas SEM is a choice to spend money on paid ads for visibility and has a 1.7% conversion rate. (source)

Be Sure To Have Solid SEO For Your Website!

Wondering what entails good SEO and what is all the strategy and hard work that needs to get done? We’ve got a number of blogs about SEO to help guide you through the ins and outs of proper SEO.

Need more help than a few blogs? Give us a shout and we’ll talk things over to see if we’re the team to help you out!

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