SEO GLOSSARY

What is Search Engine Marketing?

Search engine marketing (SEM) refers to strategies for increasing visibility in search engine results pages to drive more traffic and conversions to a website. SEM includes both organic and paid strategies.

Organic Search Engine Marketing

Organic SEM focuses on improving ranking positions in search engines’ unpaid results based on relevance and authority. This involves:

• On-page optimization with keywords in titles, headers, content, etc.
• Building high-quality backlinks from other sites to earn trust signals
• Producing compelling content that solves searchers’ queries
• Site speed optimizations for better user experience

Ranking higher organically leads to more clicks, traffic and exposure for your brand.

Paid Search Engine Marketing (PPC)

Paid SEM uses advertising placements like Google Ads to promote visibility. This includes:

• Purchasing ads tied to relevant keyword searches
• Bidding on keywords based on value and competition
• Optimizing ads with compelling titles, descriptions and landing pages
• A/B testing ad creative, offers and placements

PPC ads allow you to reach users when they are searching for topics related to your business. You pay only when searchers click your ad.

Benefits of Search Engine Marketing

An effective SEM strategy delivers results like:

• Increased targeted organic and paid traffic to your site
• Higher brand visibility and exposure to potential customers
• More conversions and sales from interested searchers
• Stronger rankings for relevant keyword terms

SEM provides the visibility needed to grow your business online through search.

Developing an SEM Strategy

A results-driven SEM approach includes:

• Conducting keyword research to identify high-value search queries
• Optimizing existing content for those keywords organically
• Creating new content to target priority keyword gaps
• Monitoring search rankings and traffic to identify growth opportunities
• Setting up and optimizing PPC campaigns based on conversions and ROI

Ongoing refinement of organic and paid efforts improves visibility over time.

Why SEM is a Smart Investment

With proper management, SEM delivers a strong return by:

• Driving qualified traffic to your site at a reasonable cost per click/lead/sale
• Increasing brand awareness and associations for your business
• Providing insights on searcher intent and behavior
• Generating leads and sales that otherwise may be missed

The combination of organic SEO and paid search ads gives your business visibility in front of motivated searchers, leading to tangible results.