SEO & SEM Strategies That Will Grow Your Online Presence

Summer Craig Consulting

The goal of SEO & Paid Search Advertising is to raise a website’s overall credibility in order to build organic traffic and hit target audiences.

WHAT’S THE RIGHT MIX OF ORGANIC SEO VS. PAID SEARCH ADVERTISING?

So you want to boost your online presence and ensure that your website rises to the the top when people search for your product or service online. But how to do that?

First let’s look at your two options, both of which are essential in promoting your business. The first are SEO strategies that are implemented by an expert. And the second is the digital version of paid marketing.

IF YOU OPTIMIZE IT, THEY WILL COME – ORGANIC SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is basically an umbrella term for all the “free” strategies you can employ to make sure that your web site will be located by a search engine.

You want to be ranked highly on search engines like Google, Microsoft Bing and Yahoo because often searchers won’t move past that first page of results. They assume that something is at the top of the page because it deserves to be. 

However, each search engine has a different algorithm for looking through web pages and returning the top search results. If your website is ranked highly, the odds are that you are going to get a lot more traffic – and get a lot more sales.

TACTICS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SEO RANKING INCLUDE :

  • Content that is engaging and uses specific keywords
  • Site navigation that is easy for the user
  • Multiple links to other external or internal sites
  • Promotion of your content on social media
  • Adding video content to your webpage

PAID SEARCH ADVERTISING IS THE CHERRY ON TOP – SEM

While improving your SEO is a must, oftentimes your site will need a boost to really stand out from the competition. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) allows you to position your site in the place where it will have the maximum impact. SEM is not in competition with SEO, but rather a helpmate.

You have probably seen examples of SEM at the top of any search engine. Some search engines clearly designate which search results are organic and which are paid while some “camouflage” the paid search links more.

SEM is essential when you want to promote yourself to a targeted audience. 

SOME SEM TACTICS INCLUDE:

  • Retargeting non-converting site visitors
  • Competitor bidding (for brand awareness)
  • A/B Ad Testing
  • Look Alike Audience Expansion
  • Negative Global Lists (the ID of words and phrases that you do not want searchers to associate with your product or service)
  • Industry specific targeting
  • Multiple Keyword type testing

SEO & SEM BREAKDOWN

To some extent, this will depend on your goals, your budget and your industry. Organic SEO practices are table stakes for all businesses but paid search advertising will help you to increase visibility faster and reach a specific customer base sooner. 

SEO:

  • Free but needs knowledgeable implementation
  • More hands-off  
  • Brings you steady traffic
  • Supports your other marketing efforts 
  • Reinforces your brand 

SEM:

  • Produces results – and profits – more quickly
  • Can be scaled for budget 
  • Generates needed keyword data for SEO
  • Can target your exact audience 
  • Immediate brand exposure
  • Ability to target specific geographic areas
  • Ability to test multiple ad variations

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