The Difference between SEO, SEM & PPC

Posted at October 14, 2009

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Many people do not know the difference between SEO, SEM & PPC.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it consists of optimizing your website pages and working on off-site strategies to make your site come up higher on results from the major search engines for relevant keyword phrase searches. SEO is performed for organic/natural search (free search results in Google, Bing and Others).

SEM or Search Engine Marketing is the actions you take with regards to researching, submitting and positioning your site within search engines to achieve the maximum exposure of your site. SEM can include some search engine optimization, some paid listings and other strategies that increase your exposure and traffic to your site.

PPC or Pay Per Click is where you pay to list advertisments that link to your website, also known as sponsored search results. You’ll see PPC search results in Google at the right side column of the search results, the amount you pay per click depends on your competition, in your Google Adwords Campaign (where you set your PPC up) you would bid an amount you’re willing to pay for certain placements.

Many start up business tend to prefer PPC rather than SEO because they feel they can get the results they want quite easily, you can get sponsored listing via PPC up almost immediately whereas SEO can take time and dedication.

For optimal results and exposure, we recommend using all 3 methods of SEO, SEM & PPC and we highly suggest you also consider adding SMM (Social Media Marketing) to your overall online marketing plan.

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