by Lisa Deeth | I Will Build Agency
SEO and SEM are critical to your online marketing efforts. If you’re not building traffic, leads and sales to your website then you’re probably wasting money.
What is SEO and SEM?
SEO and SEM work together to help you get more online sales and leads. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is the art of increasing your website’s organic search results in major search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing.
Example: If someone were looking to buy widgets you would want them to find your business when they type widgets into Google. So you would do things like optimise your website title tags, descriptions and URLs with “widgets” so Google recognizes that you are relevant to the widget buyer’s needs.
SEM is an acronym for Search Engine Marketing. SEM is the act of promoting your products and services through the use of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns on search engines like Google or social media sites like Facebook ads. This helps to get you found online when someone searches for keywords related to your product or service offering. It means paying for traffic vs getting it free from SEO alone. For example: If someone were looking for Highfields Painters, you would want them to find your business and be found towards the top of the first page when they type this in their search engine.
What can I do to improve my SEO?
There are lots of things you can do to get better SEO. First, create or update your website with relevant content that offers solutions to the needs of your ideal customer. This will help Google recognize that people searching for your type of product or service are finding YOU online when they search.
Secondly, make sure your site is mobile responsive since over half of all internet traffic now comes from mobile devices like iphones and android phones.
Lastly, work on getting high domain authority in Google’s eyes by building links using strategies like guest blogging posts on popular blogs in your industry or becoming an expert source for media publications.
What can I do to improve my SEM?
If you’re just starting out in SEM then it’s best to start small. That means picking one or two search engines to advertise with and creating your ad campaigns for them. Once you get the hang of it then you can expand to other search engines or create ads on social media networks like Facebook. If you are unsure of where to start, we recommend engaging the services of a marketer like I Will Build Agency, who is experienced and can get you results quickly, so you can do what you are good at.
Businesses that typically benefit from SEM vs SEO
SEO is best for building long-term traffic because Google considers relevancy when ranking websites in its organic results. People typically do searches several times over many days before making a purchasing decision so if they find your site relevant in their initial search then an SEO campaign could mean hundreds of future leads for you (if not more!).
SEM works well for businesses looking to get traffic and leads quickly. We have used this strategy to build consistent leads for service based businesses as well as advertising physical products that might not be found with an organic search. Google is great for intentional searches and Facebook / Instagram advertising is good for impulse buys.
You might be wondering how SEO and SEM are related. The truth is that they are intrinsically related because both are part of the process of building traffic to your site. Each compliments the other in their own way, combining to form a powerful force for drawing customers to your site.
How can I get more online sales and leads?
We’ve just gone over the basics of SEO and SEM so that you have a solid foundation on which to build your knowledge further. The best way to learn how these strategies work is by putting them into action. Contact us today for a free consultation and we will show you where to start with to get more online sales and leads.
If you would like some assistance with your SEO or SEM, please contact us at support@iwillbuildagency.com or schedule an appointment at www.iwillbuildagency.com
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