Search Engine Optimization
SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization, but what does that actually mean? It means optimizing your website (with both on-(web)site and off-(web)site work) such that it improves the likelihood of your website ranking higher in the Search Engines when related terms are searched for.
We all know that not many people ever browse beyond the first few pages of search results. Sometimes not beyond the first few results on the first page. This makes it highly imperative for your website to rank well, if you intend to not lose out on this free organic traffic and potential business.
In order to get your business name, details and website link up on the first Search Engine Result Page or SERP, as its known in the internet marketing community, you need to improve your visibility online using SEO methods, tools and tactics. The process involves keyword analysis, meta tag creation, content optimization, link building, content writing and publication, trade directory listings, guest blogging for other websites and social networking activities among others. Each of these strategies helps you gain a small edge that has a big effect on your SEO when taken collectively.
The tough part is that each of these activities needs to be performed regularly for your optimization to be maintained over a period of time. Keywords constantly need to be analyzed for effectiveness and changed if they are not delivering the profits they used to, meta tags need to be updated as per new trends in the niche, new links leading back to your website need to be constantly created and of course a steady presence must be maintained on all social networking websites.
Search Engine Marketing
While SEO deals with generation of traffic without payment, SEM is Search Engine Marketing that involves buying traffic using paid search listings. It is an established fact that if you are on the first page of results from a search engine you can exploit your online visibility to generate more traffic. More traffic also equals more sales and better profit margins. This is made easier by simply buying a paid listing that will appear on the SERP for certain keywords that you pick out. While your link is on one side under the category of sponsored links, it will still appear along with all the organic search engine results for that keyword. This gives you a fifty percent chance of getting traffic to your website as some people avoid sponsored links, while others don’t mind clicking on them.
SEM works out in many cases and can be easier to implement than SEO. It helps a website owner promote the website without much effort. However, without backing up the website with good content, services and products, it will be found that SEM is not much use after the initial boost in traffic. For any website to have staying power in the online world today a combination of paid and unpaid optimization tools need to be used. SEM serves as a good initial traffic booster while one works on SEO for long term traffic.
To find out which is the ideal mix for you, ask our experts at Adiante. Request a free site & keyword analysis and proposal. At Adiante, Your Success is Our Success.