How to Increase your website traffic through SEO and SEM
Search engine optimization and search engine marketing can be a confusing concept. Both terms are almost always used together, which makes matters even worse. SEO and SEM are really two sides of the same coin, but they consist of very different actions and relate to different aspects of marketing.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is increasing the amount of website visitors by getting the site to appear high on results returned by a search engine. This is done by monitoring and adjusting the content of the website to match the searches potential visitors are making in an attempt to locate a provider of the services or products that you offer.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the process by which search engines “crawl” content to see how effective it will be to attract traffic. Search engines will assess a number of things in a website (such as keywords, tags, and link titles) and rank it for its capacity to attract organic traffic based on a variety of factors.
Some things that crawlers look for include:
Quality Content: Having great quality content sends a message to search engines that your website and business is delivering a legitimate good or service. Part of the way they assess you is via link building and keywords.
User Experience: Is your website designed for users to have a frictionless experience? Is it fast and easy to navigate? Can users meet their end goals (e.g.: making a purchase) with ease?
Link Patterns: Are you backlinking to authority sites? Where are your inbound links coming from?
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a form of Internet marketing that involved the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPS) through optimization and advertising. This is typically done by purchasing keywords through search engine sites like Google under a Pay-Per-Click model.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a descriptor that incorporates various types of paid search advertising. This is the type of thing that you’ll see as Google ad and usually ends up on the top of a page list. Usually, this has a to do with keyword placement and usage and that’s one way why doing it well can require some extra knowledge and strategy.
Here are some examples of SEM-based advertising activities:
Targeted (paid) ad campaigns
Writing copy using very selective keywords
Ensuring that advertising activities fall within an allotted budget
Applying key performance indicators like click-through-rates (CTR) and cost-per-click (CPC) towards future advertising activities
The Success of SEO/SEM depends on the quality of your website and the quality of the metrics that you are collecting. You need to know what keywords your visitors are using to find your site. This data will form the foundation of your SEO/SEM efforts.
Remember, SEO and SEM work together. It’s not an either/or proposition. Also, your marketing must be constantly adjusting to changes in not only the searches that visitors are using to find your site, but also in how Search engines like Google change their ranking methodology.
Ultimately, SEM and SEO should be combined to give your business the maximum amount of exposure possible. SEO is great to get organic visitors to your website and build ongoing brand awareness. However, it’s a long-term process. SEM, on the other hand, comes into effect immediately, and is great if you have a new offer you’d like to communicate or want to invest in quick marketing spurt.
If you need help with your digital marketing strategy or implementation, Calliope Concepts is here for you. Contact us today to learn how we can help you grow your business online.
