Do you know your SEM from your SEO?
Two acronyms you’ll frequently encounter in digital marketing are search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM).
SEO
SEO involves writing content for your website in a specific way. If done right, your website should show up in the search results when people search for the service you offer. People will then visit your website – without you paying a cent.
At first, search engines used to read the list of keywords typed in by web developers but they soon realised people were abusing the system by including long lists of irrelevant keywords to generate more traffic. So if you’re still doing that, it’s time to change.
Today, search engines have evolved and now “read” your actual content looking for those keywords or phrases.
That means you need to be more careful with your content, or have more of it.
For example, if a real estate agent wrote, “Are you tired of your home? Is it time for a change?” their website would probably rank poorly in the search results.
That’s because people looking for properties will type phrases like:
- ‘Houses for sale in Camperdown’
- ‘Units for sale in Camperdown’
- ‘Real estate agents in Camperdown’
Instead, the real estate agent should include the words and phrases people use when searching for properties. For example, “Are you tired of your home? Is it time for a change? We’re a real estate agent in Camperdown, Sydney. We can help you buy the perfect house or unit in Camperdown.”
But because there may be several real estate agents selling properties in Camperdown Sydney, all using those keywords, the search engines must find another way to rank the websites.
That’s where quantity can play a role. In theory, if you’re using the keywords multiple times on multiple pages, you’ll rank higher than a website using the keywords only once.
In practice, there are other factors at play, for example:
- The sites users generally click on when they search for a phrase will strengthen that website’s ranking
- Search engines reward sites that prioritise user experience (such as fast page-loading speeds and easy-to-navigate design)
- Search engines also favour websites that authoritative sites link to
- A website’s overall popularity can affect its ranking
SEM
SEM, unlike SEO, is paid marketing. You select and pay for certain keywords or phrases. When people search for those words or phrases, your ad gets displayed. If people click on your ad and visit your website, you get charged for the click (which is why SEM is also known as pay-per-click marketing, or PPC). You might also have to pay for the ad to be displayed, regardless of whether it’s clicked on.Read More
Blogs to the rescue
Regularly publishing educational or newsworthy information about your industry can benefit your website.Read More
Contact us to find out how we can help you improve your SEO
