{"id":52885,"date":"2020-02-04T00:29:54","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T05:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/?p=52885"},"modified":"2020-03-06T04:58:44","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T09:58:44","slug":"seo-sem-and-ppc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/seo-sem-and-ppc\/","title":{"rendered":"Search Engine Marketing Defined"},"content":{"rendered":"

Search Engine Marketing Defined
\nWhat\u2019s the Difference?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

As my thinking is, when hearing Search Engine Marketing Defined,\u00a0or SEM, would be
\n(and once was) a useful way to summarize and classify both the paid and non-paid initiatives
\nthat go into Digital Marketing via search engines. That would mean both the pay-per-click advertisements, or PPC ads, and the organic search initiatives commonly referred to as
\nsearch engine optimization, or SEO<\/a>, would fall under that SEM blanket term. And thus,
\nhelps us with using the phrase Search Engine Marketing Defined …<\/p>\n

SEM would be the category of Marketing through search engines. The paid (PPC) and
\nnon-paid (SEO) channels of SEM would both fall under it in terms of hierarchy. And, even
\nwhen you consider the literal terminology in coordination with this idea of SEO and PPC
\nfalling under that SEM blanket, it almost makes sense. But, much like the English language,
\npop culture, and the Cleveland Browns, it simply can\u2019t work the way it\u2019s supposed to. There
\nwill always be exceptions to the rule (like the conundrums above).<\/p>\n

So, when discussing Search Engine Marketing Defined, the search industry shapes itself,
\nadopting the term SEM, or SEO, or PPC, to fit strictly into the paid search sphere. It surely
\nappears that this is here to stay, too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Search Engine Marketing Defined<\/span>
\nSEM vs PPC<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

PPC is SEM. That is, pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is the same as
\nsearch engine marketing (SEM), or at least a vital part of it.<\/p>\n

SEO is none of those things.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What likely evolved over time, considering defining search engine Marketing, due to the multiple potentially confusing Digital Marketing acronyms, as well as the need to define specific paid
\ninitiatives outside of Google paid search, brought two heavily used cost-driven Marketing terms
\nto mean the same thing (leading to even more potential confusion from newbies). I\u2019ve always
\ntried to make sense of the literal meaning of things, too, especially acronyms. But from there,
\nit\u2019s easy to get even more lost in the idea.<\/p>\n

While the breakdown of the abbreviation PPC is spot on \u2014 regardless if it\u2019s called PPC, CPC,
\npaid search, search ads \u2013 we know it is referring to paid search marketing, typically through
\nsearch engines like Google and Bing. Other terms and tactics used in Digital Marketing
\ninitiatives \u2013 especially those tied to search marketing tactics<\/a> (both paid and organic) \u2013
\nmay not be so simple and clearly defined, though.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"SEO<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Search Engine Marketing Defined<\/span>
\nSEO vs PPC<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

We know SEO is search engine optimization.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But, to echo the sentiments of search pioneer Mike Grehan, when we are defining search<\/a>
\nengine Marketing, that never did make much sense. Marketers aren\u2019t optimizing search engines;
\nwe\u2019re optimizing content and websites for search engines (secondly, right after optimizing them
\nfor humans) so they can better understand, access, and relay our property to the masses. Again, acronyms don\u2019t always make sense. So, naturally, this is a bit illogical. Just like other things in life
\nthat don\u2019t always add up, there are some acronyms that will never make sense either. Like Humvee, which doesn\u2019t stand for any words that start with U or E in them. (It stands for High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle, and was spawned from the original acronym, HMMWV.)<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also determined that PPC marketing is (at least now) the same as, or a very large part of,
\nSEM.<\/p>\n

– Both are paid initiatives.<\/em><\/strong>
\n– They need a budget.<\/strong><\/em>
\n– It makes a lot of money for search engines <\/strong><\/em>
\nlike Google and other advertising platforms.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But, while Wikipedia\u00a0defines\u00a0SEM as \u201ca form of Internet Marketing that involves the promotion
\nof websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) mostly through
\npaid advertising,\u201d it\u2019s not so quick to call them the same thing. In fact, pay-per-click Marketing
\nhas its own separate Wikipedia page than the topic of search engine Marketing (despite there
\nbeing plenty of discrepancies and confusion throughout the page). The bottom line is this:<\/p>\n

SEO is not a component of SEM<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

And, while PPC is typically the largest and most demanding component of SEM,
\nboth PPC and SEM are paid initiatives that offer real-time data, ROI, and protected
\ndata that can only be accessed by advertisers of certain platforms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why Search Engine Marketing<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Defined Matters<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

The most important reason for clarification around, considering Search Engine Marketing<\/a> defined,
\nthese important terms and abbreviations is consistency. Too many novice Marketers, or Marketers
\nwho aren\u2019t specialists in maximizing value through search, have adopted these industry definitions
\nand crossed them, combined them, confused them, and used them in a way that only further diluted their true meaning.<\/p>\n

And even well-seasoned Marketers who simply didn\u2019t agree with or possibly even completely
\nunderstand the terms themselves help contribute to the turning tide as well. Conferences have set
\nup entire segments of their educational offering around the SEM naming convention when referring
\nto strictly paid Marketing efforts, but those efforts aren\u2019t strictly done through search engines. SEM,
\nat least from this perspective, includes PPC ads on search engines but also on third-party platforms
\nlike Amazon and YouTube, as well as industry-focused platforms like Houzz, or Thumbtack, or Yelp.
\nIt also includes display ads and remarketing efforts. And, as the opportunity to advertise on Social
\nMedia continues to grow, it will include paid advertising on those networks, too.<\/p>\n

Keeping the definitions and their usage consistent is going to be the best way to keep the
\ninformation organized in a way that makes sense for Marketers. It also helps us as Marketers to
\nconvey our thoughts and ideas to clients, our peers, or a friend who is curious about what exactly
\nit is we do for a living. And that helps us when we state “Search Engine Marketing defined”.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Using the Marketing Right Terms<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

for the Right People & Setting<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

When discussing Digital Marketing \u2013 specifically search Marketing<\/a> \u2013 and how it pertains to a brand
\nor message, it\u2019s important for Marketers to use language that is digestible for clients and potential
\nclients. 8 of 10 times, non-marketers already don\u2019t know the difference between incredibly different
\nkey terms. Like SEO and PPC (or SEM), when speaking to someone outside of the search
\nMarketing community, these terms need to be clearly defined at least once, and typically more
\nthan once, throughout the conversation. We all have those new-business pitch stories where a
\nclient goes on throughout years of his or her life thinking SEO is responsible for paid search ads
\nor that paid search ads were achieved through organic optimizations.<\/p>\n

First, the terms must be understood on a level playing field. <\/strong>
\nHopefully, this post helps do that.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We now agree that:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

– SEM and PPC refer to paid initiatives through search and other advertising platforms.
\n– While SEO is the organic effort that goes into Marketing through search engines.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Secondly, we must always consider who the audience is and the level of knowledge it has when
\nit comes to Digital Marketing, particularly search Marketing<\/a>, while also ensuring we detail:<\/p>\n

What each term means, how it works, and how it relates to the audience\u2019s goals.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lastly, and most importantly, we must never assume someone on the other end of our conversation knows what we are referring to when we use important industry terms like SEO, PPC, or SEM. We
\nmust be concise and explain exactly what we are talking about. Ensure the group partaking in the
\nconversation agrees. On a bad day, someone else in the room may disagree and tell us we are
\nwrong. On a good day, though, we\u2019ll get a room full of people all on the same page who are able
\nto move forward and correctly use consistent terminology for some of the most important practices
\nin Digital Marketing today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Final Thoughts on<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Search Engine Marketing Defined<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I give credit to Sam Hollingsworth, who wrote this article. I thought it was great to put it out there
\nagain. He specializes in general SEO<\/a>, content strategy, and Social Media. And this information is
\ncrucial to know and learn for any Small Business Owner. I also would inject, that a Business Owner
\nneeds to hear things like this in simple and easy to digest terms and explanations. So, it can also
\nbe portrayed as \u201cthere will be additional costs, if you wanted to directly market through \u201cads\u201d \u2026
\nAnd, instead of focusing on \u201cgetting found\u201d, or more organic exposure, you can focus or filter
\nyour Marketing efforts by using \u201cPaid ads\u201d on the networks \u2026<\/p>\n

As usual, your budget, how much you invest back into your business<\/strong>
\nfor growth, and whatever you are willing to do to get the job done.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Search Engine Marketing Defined What\u2019s the Difference? \u00a0 As my thinking is, when hearing Search Engine Marketing Defined,\u00a0or SEM, would be (and once was) a useful way to summarize and classify both the paid and non-paid initiatives that go into Digital Marketing via search engines. That would mean both the pay-per-click advertisements, or PPC ads, and the organic search initiatives […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1059],"tags":[1071,1414,81,1415,1010,1016,1017,1015,1018,1011,1012,1019,1014,1013,1411,62,811,1069,8,1009,1007,1006,1008,1005,813,815,816,814,1004,807,808,1410,809,126,1412,1413],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52885"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52885"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53264,"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52885\/revisions\/53264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imjusticemarketing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}