What Is The Difference Between Search Engine Marketing & Search Engine Optimisation?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a pretty common term these days, and most people with an online business will have some idea of the basics of SEO.

Your basics of SEO might also include already knowing why you need it and some beginner’s ways to put it into action (and if you don’t know the basics then read this article).

But what about Search Engine Marketing?

To many, this term might not be as familiar. So what is it? And is it the same as SEO?

What is Search Engine Marketing?

Search engine marketing (or SEM) is not the same as SEO, although your overall SEM strategy should encompass some SEO planning.

Search engine marketing (sometimes also called Search Marketing) is broader and defines everything you do to increase the reach of your business online using search engines.

Search engine marketing is everything you do to increase your business’ visibility on search engines such as Google or the strategies you use to get more visitors through search engines.

What is SEO?

Let’s start with a definition of what SEO is, so we can see how SEM is different.