Search engine marketing (SEM) refers to the short text advertisements which appear at the top or down the right hand side of search engine results (PPC ads). These are often labeled as "sponsored Links" or "sponsored results". These advertisements are generally purchased from Google (the Google Adword), or Yahoo! Search Marketing
(YSM - formerly Overture) (YSM supplies the paid search advertisements to Yahoo! Search, and Microsoft Live Search (MSN).
Advertisers bid in a never ending auction to determine the highest placed advertisement. Google's system also factors Click-Through Rate (CTR) in its ranking of advertisements. Search Engine Marketing process is often generically referred to as "pay per click" (PPC) advertising because you only pay when someone clicks on the advertising link.
Search engine marketing (or, more correctly, search engine advertising) is effectively paid advertising in search engines, where you 'Pay Per Click' (PPC). It is text advertising delivered in response to search words and phrases typed into the search box. The user types in a search phrase, the PPC advertisements which have bid on that phrase are displayed, and if the surfer clicks on an advertisement they are taken to the sponsor’s website. At that point, the sponsor’s account is charged for the 'click through' by the search engine's advertising partner.
Search Engine Optimization is defined as:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is defined as the process of creating and redesigning pages in a manner which enables the pages to rank highly in 'algorithmically' determined, or ‘Organic’ search results, which are generally displayed on the left hand side of the page. The 'organic' results are independently determined by the search engine's own mathematical algorithm, and are based on relevance to the search phrase. Search engines use complex mathematical algorithms to determine the relevance of indexed pages for a particular search query. The algorithms are generally understood to factor over 100 on the page (i.e. the words used on the page itself, their location, repetition etc.) and off the page (i.e. links pointing to the page, site popularity etc.) aspects in the equation of their results.
Search engines index HTML code. Before a website can rank in a search engine, it has to be designed with accessibility in mind. Search engines are effectively text browsers with no plugins (no Javascript, no Macromedia Flash). If a site isn't accessible, which means a site/ page can't be read by a search engine spider, then the site/ page can't be indexed by the search engine. Links that can't be read - can't be followed by the search engine. Many new' web design tools produce content which can not be seen or read - and therefore can not be indexed by search engines.
Pros and cons of SEO and SEM:
Search Engine marketing (SEM) is an instant gratification advertising campaign. You can set up a Google Adwords campaign in half an hour - and often have your advertisements running within the hour. Try that with any other advertising medium! You don't have to make any changes to your website. You don't have to know how your website is built. And best of all, you only pay when your advertisement is clicked on, not when it is shown.
So what are the negatives to SEM? Well, you 'Pay Per Click' (PPC), and will keep paying per click for all your traffic. You'll even pay for clicks by your competitors. The issue of click fraud is a growing problem - and although every major PPC system claims to have ways of detecting click fraud - its out there.
Search Engine Optimization is a longer term approach, and encompasses many ethical practices web design standards. There are often no payments required to the search engines, as the major search engine spiders (robots) visit your site for free (i.e. Google , and Yahoo! ). Good content, targeting well searched terms and phrases, designed with accessible in mind and built to conform to the consortium’s standards, often rank highest in the search engine rankings.
A complete website marketing strategy will address both forms of search engine traffic. At AJS Promotional Media, we understand both search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM), and the implications of accessibility for your human users and search engine spiders. One of the first steps in forming a website marketing strategy is assessing the site design and accessibility to ascertain all of the options available to you in an effective search engine marketing campaign.
Our process is quite simple actually. Through our web-site analysis, we can ensure that your site is accessible, and hasn't penalized itself in search engines, by its design and technology. AJS Promotional Media specializes in internet positioning and marketing strategies.
