Search engine marketing (SEM) is a dynamic channel for growing a business. It’s about using search engines and online business directories to channel online traffic to relevant websites. SEM is a fusion of search engine optimisation and pay per click (PPC) searches (or known as ‘paid search’).

Understand SEO

SEO is all about increasing and improving the quality of online traffic to a particular website through the use of search engines. So by channelling your keywords to online users you’re able to drive organic traffic to your website. This is a valuable tool in getting your website visible online as most online consumer type keywords into search engines to find products or services they’re looking for. If your website is well optimised it will be ranked high in search engine result lists. But SEO is an ongoing process, one that’s achieved by shortcuts. It entails planning, implementing, monitoring and reviewing. Getting your website into the top search engine ranks and maintaining the presence – requires skill and expertise.

Pay per click

Very different to SEO, PPC is a method of getting your website visible in search engine result lists. It’s becoming a highly regarded marketing tool as businesses have the opportunity to purchase top ranking positions within search engine results.

PPC marketing is able to generate high numbers of online traffic to a particular website. This differs from SEO, which can take weeks and months to deliver similar, if not less, results. It’s able to almost guarantee organic online traffic to a website and is less labour intensive than SEO methods. PPC is a worthwhile option to run alongside an SEO campaign, or to boost a particular product or service. A main attribute of PPC is that it’s able access specified landing sites and target selected areas of advertising unlike SEO. PPC can be stopped or started at any period, allowing the advertiser to target traffic at peak hours or preferred times.

What’s better – PPC or SEO?

In the interest of online marketing both PPC and SEO work best together to achieve results. In most instances online users are more likely to click on SEO results than on the PPC ones. SEO results or organic results from SEO are perceived as more trustworthy to online users, although PPCs are becoming more popular as online searchers become aware they’re a paid for marketing tool. Costs with SEO are far more minimal that PPC, which is another bonus if marketing budgets are tights.

A PPC campaign produces results faster than a SEO campaign, although a SEO campaign is structured to provide long term results. Since PPC is paid for it’s a short term investment, which eventually terminates. If carefully planned it can work very well in tandem with SEO in a marketing campaign. However, not all PPC campaigns are effective and bring in desired results, which is why it’s always worthwhile to have an ongoing SEO campaign.

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