A decision many small business owners face is whether they need SEO or SEM. The thing is, these two concepts are connected, and you may only need one, but both can help grow your brand. Learn more about these acronyms and find out what you need for your website and brand.
What is SEO
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is what goes into getting a website to rank on search engines. Once a site ranks, continued SEO efforts are necessary to improve the ranking. SEO focuses on keywords, on-page efforts, meta tags, a quality content strategy, and more to help websites rank. SEO focuses on organic traffic. The goal is to position your website in front of people who type relevant terms into a search bar.
SEO is necessary for all websites because it’s a proven method for potential customers to find a business. Your website will have no online presence without a solid SEO plan in place.
What is SEM
Search Engine Marketing, or SEM, is a broad concept that encompasses SEO, as well as paid marketing, such as pay-per-click (PPC) ads displayed on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page). These ads are paid search. For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus solely on the paid advertising aspect of SEM. Particularly the ads that appear on the SERP, to distinguish it from SEO.
When to Choose SEO
Your site should show up in the search results page when a user types in your business name or a description of your products or services, making SEO crucial. The thing about SEO is that it takes time. The sooner you can get started, the better when it comes to SEO.
Content published today may not help your site for several months. However, when executed and managed correctly, SEO can bring users to your site for years to come. There is an ongoing maintenance aspect to SEO. You need to continue producing quality content to keep your ranking. It’s easier to maintain than it is to establish. The expense of SEO can be either your time if you do the work yourself, or if you hire an SEO expert (like me!) to do the work.
When to Use SEM
Paid ads are effective at quickly driving traffic to a site. Ads on the SERP look like a regular search return with the addition of the ‘sponsored’ label, so people may not realize it’s an ad. A lot of people are simply too lazy to scroll, so either way, expect an increase in clicks when paying for sponsored links on the SERP.
PPC is really effective when your business sells a tangible product that is ready to ship today. The holiday shopping season is often an ideal time to launch a PPC campaign if your business sells a product that is easily given as a gift. For example, if you sell sunglasses or jewelry, you should definitely consider a PPC campaign around the holidays. PPC campaigns are effective for service businesses during different times of the year. A roofer will typically find more success running ads in the spring or summer. PPC is most effective when you understand your customers and their shopping habits.
Get the Most From PPC
The primary expense of paid search is the cost of the ads themselves. Placing ads can be costly, but it’s worthwhile if they generate significant income.
It’s worth noting that paid advertising is only as effective as the ads are compelling. You must choose a corresponding link to the appropriate keyword, and ensure everything is targeted to your demographic to make PPC work for your brand. PPC can help drive traffic to your site, but you need a thoughtful, well-structured site to close the deal once visitors arrive. Before paying for PPC, make sure your site has a good flow and is ready to handle traffic.
The drawback of PPC is that once you stop running ads, a lot of your traffic goes away. This is where SEO can fill in. A strong SEO plan will bring users to your site and may reduce some of the need for PPC. These two tools can and should be used together to position your brand in front of customers.
Choose Your Own Adventure
SEO is always the right choice, especially if you have a limited budget and cannot afford to place ads, or if it’s not the right time of year to do so. PPC is a luxury that has the potential to deliver significant results. You need to pay upfront to get those future results. There is a time and place for PPC, and that time and place depends on your specific business and target demographic. A well-orchestrated and established SEO plan will help your SEM and PPC efforts, so it’s essential to get your SEO in a good place before launching a PPC campaign.
Knowing the ins and outs of SEO or SEM is necessary to grow your business, but this ultimately puts more work on your plate. I can help. Let me handle your SEO needs so that you can focus on the other parts of your business. I have decades of agency experience that I can utilize to help your site rank, allowing customers to easily find you. Reach out to tell me about your site so I can strategize a plan.
