If you are starting a company, running a website, or need to drive more traffic to your site, it is very important to consider using paid (SEM) and organic (SEO) strategies to boost traffic. “With over 94% of Internet users using search engines to find what they’re looking for, having an effective presence there is vital” (Lalonde, 2019). SEO otherwise known as “Search Engine Optimization” is the optimization of content to be discovered through a search engine’s organic search results (Hardwick, 2019). SEM or “Search Engine Marketing” on the other hand is the use of purchasing ads on search engines to boost website traffic.
How do SEO & SEM differ, and what are the advantages or disadvantages of each?
SEO
Search Engine Optimization has it’s advantages and disadvantages, but it is a very important tool when it comes to your website ranking in Google. One benefit to SEO as a business is the cost, as it is completely free to implement and use. The key however to utilizing SEO effectively is ensuring that the content on your site is very high quality, and uses accurate and relevant keywords. As a coffee shop for example, you can use SEO tools such as Google Businesses to improve the visibility of your business in search rankings. There is also a level of trust the comes with showing up high in the search results organically. Users will trust the site has the content they are really seeking, especially when they see that it is not an ad.
There are however disadvantages to using SEO, such as delayed results. When you optimize your site, it can take as little as 30 days to begin seeing any results or ranking, so you need to be patient. There can also be a lot of competition when it comes to relevant or very popular keywords, so even if you do a great job with optimization it may not make a large impact in the search results. Your websites content, speed, and responsiveness also always need to be top notch, or Google will not favor your site in search results so you need to make sure you are always staying on top of your website.
If you can utilize Google Business’ feature for Winston Flowers, create relevant and trustworthy content, with enough patience, SEO would be excellent option.
SEM
Search Engine Marketing differs mainly from SEO because you are paying to guarantee that your website will show up in an associated search. However, just like with SEO there are some positives and negatives to SEM as well. With SEM, the results are immediate once your campaign goes live. If you have the money to spend, you can get automatic results, and begin seeing an increase in traffic to your website. You are also now associated with other people that are in your field as well as you are showing up alongside other sites that are listed as an “ad.” You are able to control how much you want to spend on each campaign, so you can adjust the budget. SEM can also increase your organic results as well. Ultimately however the best attribute to SEM is in the ability to really pinpoint your target market or demographic. You can specifically target people that would have a genuine interest in your company, and your click through rate should be great.
The downsides to SEM begin with the knowledge that may be needed to set up successful campaigns and ads. It is possible for an ordinary person to create an ad, but to be very successful it may be wise to bring in an expert to get your started. You want to find the best keywords to ensure your paid advertisements appear to consumers, to make sure that you are getting relevant leads, therefore your return on investment is worth it. When the listing shows up in the search, it shows that is is an advertisement, which may actually turn people off from clicking as opposed to organic results. When you use SEM, you need to be consistently tracking analytics, and tweaking keywords or other things in order to make sure you are still benefiting or getting the results you desire.
My overall recommendation for a business who is considering whether to use SEO or SEM to market their company would be to utilize both. As I mentioned, both strategies offer different benefits, so using them both in unison gives you your best chances for success.
Resources
Gaille, B. (2018, November 12). 18 Search Engine Advertising Advantages and Disadvantages. Retrieved from https://brandongaille.com/18-search-engine-advertising-advantages-and-disadvantages/
Hardwick, J. (2019, November 26). What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization Explained. Retrieved from https://ahrefs.com/blog/what-is-seo/
Lalonde, M. (2019, May 20). PPC vs SEO: Pros & Cons Of Paid and Organic Search Marketing. Retrieved from https://tweakyourbiz.com/marketing/paid-vs-organic
Saba SEO. (2019, July 24). Advantages & Disadvantages of Search Engine Optimization. Retrieved from https://www.sabaseo.com/seo-benefits-and-drawbacks/
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