Search Engine Marketing (SEM) & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Posted on August 16, 2011 by rvalenzuela

With all the hype about SEM and SEO, it’s easy to get confused about what these terms mean and what benefit or issues they can cause with your Web presence. But, fear not, Internet Warriors! The PlainTalk crew is here to make sense of it all for you.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is an umbrella approach to marketing yourself in e-land. Typically, it integrates paid placement of links and information about your organization, products and/or services along with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to increase your Web visibility—kinda like advertising and P.R. in the conventional world.

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, yeah, but there is some mad science to it all. The basic keys to good SEM and SEO are 1) good website content (creative & fulfilling for search engines and visitors, alike); 2) in-depth knowledge of search engine processes and tactics; 3) appropriate and judicious spending for any paid elements that may be used; 4) tracking and analyzing results; and 5) an understanding and commitment to SEM/SEO…in their most beneficial form, they are ongoing efforts.

On the flip side, badly conceived or improper SEM or SEO techniques can cause as much damage to your Web presence as good efforts can create benefits. In many cases, well-intended changes in content or improperly managed search engine submission attempts may actually cause your rankings and visibility to drop dramatically.

So, let’s recap…

SEM and SEO can be very beneficial to the success of your Web marketing efforts by increasing your visibility to Internet audiences and providing easier ways for customers to find you
They are not “overnight” accomplishments (anyone who tells you different, doesn’t understand them or is interested in you for something else)
Anybody can do the basics, but the real benefits and interpretation of SEM and SEO initiatives take expert assistance

That’s the PlainTalk about SEM and SEO…at least, for now. If you want to read or hear more, visit www.plaintalkmedia.com or call 816.472.0693 and ask for the Chief Web Ranger. Peace, out.