Why You Should Make the Most of Your SEO & SEM Efforts
Both SEO and SEM are key to helping you attract new visitors to your website. But how do you know if one is a better fit than the other when it comes to your organization’s specific marketing needs?
In today's digital world, it’s more important than ever for organizations to have a strong online presence. One of the easiest and most effective ways to achieve this is through search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM).
What is SEO? SEM?
SEO is the process of optimizing your website’s content and architecture so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) than that of your competitors. SEM is the process of using paid advertising to appear at the top of SERPs.
Both SEO and SEM are key to helping you attract new visitors to your website, which can ultimately return in increased brand awareness and higher sales or memberships for your organization. But how do you know if one is a better fit than the other when it comes to your organization’s specific marketing needs?
Is one better than the other?
While you should always incorporate BOTH SEO and SEM elements into any successful marketing strategy, there are times when prioritizing one over the other is necessary to achieve your desired marketing goals.
You should prioritize SEO when you are looking for:
Long-term benefits: SEO is a long-term strategy that can help you build a sustainable online presence. Once you have optimized your website for SEO, you will continue to see results for years to come.
Cost-effective: SEO is a relatively cost-effective way to attract visitors to your website. You can do most of the work yourself, or you can hire an SEO consultant to help you, without having to pay for boosted traffic.
Increased organic traffic: SEO can help you attract more organic traffic to your website. This means that people will find your website through natural search results, rather than through paid advertising.
Improved website ranking: SEO can help you improve your website's ranking in SERPs. This means that your website will be more visible to potential customers, which can ultimately lead to increased page views, revenue, and/or subscriber counts.
You should prioritize SEM when you are looking for:
Quick results: SEM can help you get results quickly. If you are running a paid advertising campaign, your website can start appearing at the top of SERPs within days or even hours.
Targeted traffic: SEM allows you to target your advertising to specific keywords and demographics. This means that you’ll be able to ensure your ads/content is seen by those who are actually interested in what you are offering.
Measurable results: SEM allows you to track the results of your advertising campaigns. This means that you can see exactly how much traffic your ads are generating, and how many conversions you’re getting from your ad campaigns, providing you with a true ROI for your work.
Which one is right for me?
The best way to decide which one is right for you is to consider your overall goals and marketing budget.
If you are looking for a long-term strategy that can help you build a sustainable online presence, then a digital marketing strategy prioritizing SEO is your best bet. If you are looking for a quick way to get results, then you’re better off maximizing your SEM alongside your SEO efforts.
The best approach is to use a combination of SEO and SEM. By incorporating both into your digital marketing strategy, you’ll be able to attract both organic and paid traffic to your website, which can ultimately result in increased revenue and memberships for your organization.