What is search engine marketing (SEM) and how is it different from search engine optimization (SEO)? Our guide explains what each one does for your business and website.
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If you are looking for information or products these days, the internet is almost the most important place to go. However, where should you start looking? This is where the search engines come in!
Of course, there is Google – the absolute market leader. With the well-established word “googling”… precisely searching the Internet is simplified. By entering keywords, innumerable pages are searched and displayed to the user after a few seconds. The search results are put in order by algorithms. How do you make it into this ranking? This is where it helps to know what is search engine marketing, what is search engine optimization, and what is the difference between the two and what they can do for your website.
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) vs SEO (Search Engine Optimization): the differences
SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
Paid search engine advertising gives your own page a separate highlight. Within the displayed search results, paid advertising spaces are displayed above the normal result lists. Self-selected keywords for storing these campaigns help to show the advertisements at the right time (with the appropriate keyword input). (Well-known providers are Google AdWords, Microsoft Bing)
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Your own website content contains keywords that appear relevant when entered into search engines. The more often websites are called up, are associated with the keywords and thus appear important for a search engine logarithm, the higher the ranking within the displayed search engine list. The top websites viewed first have the most clicks.
One goal of marketing is to direct the traffic to your own website and to get the full attention – and in the best case without a big loss of budget or without big expenses. This doesn’t just happen through search engines. Several factors play an important role here.
5 tips: optimization and better findability of your website
- Create understandable website domain, ideally your company name
- Structured structure within the website with a high level of topicality
- Use of other media – crosslinks (e.g. printed matter, e-mailings, newsletters, press releases, social media presence, websites of suitable cooperation partners – keyword exchange of logo): General: Cross-references to your website
- Don’t repeat yourself within your website. Your customers don’t want to read the same content on every subpage.
- Creating a sitemap helps search engines find your website and content
5 Tips: How Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing Can Make Your Content More Findable
- Choose metatags cleverly
The headings of the individual pages within a website should refer to your business activities and thus allow conclusions to be drawn about the services or products you offer. - Get to the point
The homepage is the portal to your homepage. Customers have to find their way around here quickly in order not to leave the site again. Short headings and legible texts are a must. - Providing added value
Content is king. Offer your visitors added value in terms of content through regular blogs. Pay attention to the keywords here too. - Analysis of your visitors
Observe how your visitors behave on the website. Where are you staying Does the content seem interesting? Match your page to this pattern. - Put your company in directories
- Review platform (such as Yelp)
- Opening times websites
- Google offers companies the opportunity to find additional information directly in the search ranking as part of a search campaign, without having to click on the website they are actually looking for.
However, Google also receives this information from private individuals through companies. Make sure the information given about you is correct. If not, contact the operator and have the data corrected.
- Example: restaurants, hotels with a direct booking form / contact form via Google
- Opening times and contact details (phone, email, address)
- Reviews written by private individuals
But after all of these tips keep in mind:
Do not create texts stuffed with “search engine words”. The website is used for orientation and information gathering for your customers and not the search engine.
Creating texts that are filled with the right keywords for SEO, but hardly make sense in the overall structure of your website or your company, are a reason for (potential) customers to leave the page as soon as possible. This in turn increases your bounce rate within the website – which can also mean a poor ranking of your page.
Make complexity simple
Well thought-out search engine marketing gives your company a decisive competitive advantage. A panoramic view is required here. A well-balanced online marketing in the field of SEO and SEA will increase your visibility. But that doesn’t always work right away. Give the website and your visitors time. Analyze your measures at a reasonable distance and try different keywords.
