As an internet user, there is a high likelihood that you use Google every day for various reasons. Maybe you want to order something online, do a little bit of research, or just a quick search to find out the meaning of a name.

Google receives and processes over 3.5 billion searches a day – that’s approximately 40,000 a second. If you own a business website, this information should help you understand that there are so many internet users and business websites like yours.

To make your website stand out, you have to do something to make sure that Google notices your business and ranks it above your competitors – that’s where Search Engine Marketing (SEM) comes in.

SEM vs. SEO vs. PPC

These three acronyms pose confusion to anyone interested in marketing their business. However, it’s not as complicated as it seems.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is an umbrella term for all kinds of digital marketing, whether paid or free. SEM’s primary goal is to increase your site’s visibility on search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-per-Click (PPC) are two different kinds of website marketing/advertising that fall under SEM. Most people, however, refer to PPC as search engine advertising. This article will learn more about these two kinds of search engine marketing and their differences.

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization is simply the use of different techniques to improve your rankings on search engine results. With smart SEO strategies, you can get your company’s website to appear on the first page of outcomes related to a specific set of keywords.

However, to remain relevant to search engines, you will need to find out what the engine considers when ranking. That way, you can optimize your website and pages to ensure that they align with the ranking algorithms.

Even though SEO is an amazingly effective SEM technique, it can take a lot of effort and time to get everything right. All said and done, SEO has various benefits and disadvantages. Let’s start with the pros:

Pros of SEO

The main advantages of using SEO to promote your business’s website include:

1. It’s cost-effective if you do it yourself

The main trick to enjoy this benefit is to ensure that you continuously equip yourself with knowledge and dedicate enough time to writing engaging content. That way, you can rank better with the main expenses revolving around getting a good theme and hosting.

1. Good ROI

Search Engine Optimization provides you with the opportunity to reap big from the effort that you put in. If you are patient enough and put in the required effort, you can achieve beautiful results, especially in the local business field. That’s in consideration that such an area will have less competition.

1. Better content control

The good thing about SEO is that you can rank high for almost anything that you do. The only thing you have to do is ensure that your content meets your audience’s interest. Better content control means that you get to decide the length of the titles and other vital components of the content on your website.

1. Better staying power

SEO is a good website marketing technique since its results are long-term. Of course, it’s advisable to update your content and strategies to avoid losing your ranking over time.

Cons of SEO

Every website marketing technique has its downsides, and SEO is no exception. So here are the main disadvantages of SEO in website marketing:

1. Hard to master

You’ve got to come to terms with the bare truth that SEO can be quite challenging to master. It takes some time to become an SEO expert.

1. SEO results take time

If you’re impatient, you will quickly realize that SEO may not be the right strategy for you. It takes patience to see the desired results. And as a result, time is the chief component for consideration with SEO.

1. It’s an ongoing process.

You have to keep in mind that your site can never be 100% optimized. Your site only becomes more optimized as you continue working on it. You can only expect your ranking to get better if you continue to improve your SEO strategy.

Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)

PPC advertising is when you pay for advertisements for your site on Google or other search engine results. You can leverage the traffic you get by using keywords related to the services you provide or the products you sell.

Pros of PPC

Just like SEO, PPC has various advantages, such as:

1. It’s fast

Compared to SEO, PPC is considerably fast. You can expect to see tangible results within days of starting your campaign.

1. Allows for granular targeting

Using PPC as a marketing technique for your website allows you to target specific audiences, depending on factors such as demographics, geography, and more.

1. Easier to master

Even though you still have to put in considerable effort to see your PPC campaign working, it’s much easier than using SEO. Besides, there is ready customer support from Google employees when using PPC – something you don’t get when using SEO.

1. No uncertainties

Unlike SEO and ranking algorithms, PPC is direct and features direct and easy-to-interpret updates. And since you are paying for this service, you have the tools and support you need from Google.

1. More buyer-oriented

The majority of clicks you get from PPC are usually buyer-oriented simply because you use commercial keywords when placing your ads. While not everyone who clicks on your ads will make a purchase, the buyers’ percentage will be higher than using SEO.

Cons of PPC

The following are the main cons of using PPC to market your business’s website:

1. You pay for every click

The rule is simple: pay to play. You pay for every click that you get, whether or not it converts into a sale. As such, you have to ensure that the money you are paying is less compared to what you earn, or else you’ll be making severe losses.

1. Short-term results

Unlike SEO, using PPC as a marketing strategy does not guarantee long-term results. The staying power of the PPC effect is considerably lower, unlike when using SEO. Once you stop paying, the traffic to your website will diminish almost immediately.

1. Your budget determines your growth.

PPC may give you the advantage of scale, and your budget determines your outcome. As such, you will have to pay more to sell more.

1. Less control over the content

With advertising, you have to stick to a set of rules to get your ad to display—Google or any other search engine company whose advertisement services you prefer to use for your PPC strategy.

Final Word

If you wondered how advertising or website marketing is different from Search Engine Optimization, you now have a better idea. And as a reference, search advertising is referred to as Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising.

To get your website to rank even better, you may consider a mix of PPC and SEO. To do this, you have to be willing to put in some effort to optimize your site, spend some cash to utilize PPC, and finally be patient in achieving the desired results.