Inbound Marketing Blog

Something that we run into quite often is a lack of understanding between the basic principles of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). These are two very important terms in the world of Digital Marketing and can mean a lot of new traffic for a business. Not to get all philosophical on the situation, but we can confidently postulate that all SEO is SEM, but not all SEM is necessarily SEO.

A better way to think about it is to think of SEM as the CEO or owner of a company. That company employs SEO, Pay-Per-Click Advertising, Social Media Marketings, Content Marketing and Website Design. Each of the employees work together, and they all work for SEM.

Here we'll break down SEO and SEM for you so that you can better understand and distinguish the difference.

Keywords have traditionally been the focus of Google and other search engines since the mid-nineties. So after twenty-plus years of focusing search engine optimization efforts around a short list of keywords to work on and rank for, times have changed. With updated Google algorithms, the focus is no longer just on keywords, although those are still relevant. The greater focus is on topics that answer the questions that users are searching for via  desktop computers, mobile devices, and voice command devices. Let's delve into what this change means for you.

It seems like every other day I’m getting an email about why link building is dead or a new strategy on how to do link building. I’ll admit, I don’t read about 90% of those emails (mostly because they’re from questionable sources). But every now and then, an email will have a catchy, humorous, or interesting subject line that beckons me to open. Most of the time, the email or link in the email is to hire that company to do link building. Slightly ironic considering we do that ourselves at Tribute Media, but also making their email irrelevant to me since I don’t need those services. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take a step back.

Way back in the ’80s, if you wanted to go check out a new restaurant or hair salon, you had to pull out the phone book and look up the business’ address. If you were lucky, you knew the general area where the business was. If not, you had to get out a map or call and get street by street directions to write down. Then, of course, if the business was closed for renovations or due to a holiday, there was no way you would know until you drove up to the location. I lived it, and yes, it was rough.

Truth be told, I’ve never fancied myself a writer. I would classify myself as a reader--someone who enjoys reading fiction and non-fiction book, blogs, and stories. I’m not bad at writing, and I don’t dislike the thought of having to write a blog or any kind of content to be put on the internet, I just never thought of myself as a writer in the way I had perceived that title.

Client: "I want to rank for the keywords X, Y and Z."

Of course, the answer is “it depends.” You'll need to evaluate your goals, budget, timeline, and a few other factors to ultimately decide. Think of it as trying to choose what type of car to buy. You have to take into consideration what kind of commuting you will be doing, how many people will be riding in your car, and of course, your budget. You certainly wouldn't buy a Toyota Prius if you're going to be driving on snow-covered, unpaved roads during winter hunting trips, or if you have more than three kids you need to drive around. The better bet would be to look at crossovers and SUVs.

As you take into consideration what your advertising needs, before making a decision, let’s quickly review what each paid advertising method allows you to do.

Display Advertising can be a powerful tactic to drive brand awareness for your company. With its ability to re-engage past customers and launch new products and services, it’s certainly come a long way. Out with those old neon signs, and in with the new digital ads. 

Google Shopping debuted as Froogle, in 2002, as a product price comparison site that used the Google search algorithm and indexing to differentiate itself from other sites that offered the same service. In 2007, Froogle became Google Product Search and then it changed names again in 2012 to finally became Google Shopping. Today, it is one of the favored features Google has to offer users, as it generates 85% of all clicks on Google Ads.

Your website might be the most beautiful in all the land, with content so rich it makes your competitors tremble in fear. That's great, but if the back end of your website runs like a 1985 Yugo, Google is likely to give your site the big thumbs down when it comes to organic search results based on their Summer 2021 core algorithm update.

But do not fret just yet. Google provides several tools that gives you everything (well, almost) you need to fix, and eventually prevent errors.