I was amazed at how many Industry professionals I’ve met are under the impression that SEO and SEM are the same thing. I frequently hear online marketers talking about one as the other and sometimes, I hear them compare one another. Some actually say that SEO is better than SEM or vice versa. Well, here’s the clarification on the correct definitions of each, and why they are two completely separate terms.

SEM, or search engine marketing, is a phrase used to describe anyone trying to market a service or product online through the search engine result pages. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process by which the online marketer can improve their chances of success by optimizing their website for the targeted keyword phrase they are trying to rank high in the search engines for.

A quick search for the phrases turned out a great article in Wikipedia about SEM which describes exactly what I am referring to. Below is a quick summary describing exactly my point:

Search engine marketing, or SEM, is a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs). According to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, SEM methods include: search engine optimization (or SEO), paid placement, and paid inclusion.

However, linked from that same article, is a perfect example of this misconception where online marketers don’t seem to know the difference between them and often confuse one with the other. In this article, the author describes SEM as being applicable or defining only those online marketers that use a pay per click or paid inclusion systems. It then says that SEO applies to online marketers targeting organic or natural search results only:

Search engine marketing involves click costs. Search engine optimization works through free traffic. Those two facts are the basis of a popular myth: that it’s easier to get good ROI through SEO than it is to get the same ROI through SEM.

I’d like to clarify the real meaning of each and no, I didn’t coin up either term, but I do live and breath both terms all day every day and I know the difference on each. Here’s the simplistic version and differences between the terms for those who may still use each term as one and the same:

1. SEM – Search Engine Marketing applies to everyone promoting a service or product online, whether targeting paid inclusion methods, pay per click or natural and organic search results.
2. SEO – Search Engine Optimization applies to the techniques used by those online marketers to get their websites ranking higher in the search engine result pages. It can also be used to describe methods of optimizing a web page to achieve higher conversion rates once the visitor arrives to the page, although that practice is also referred to as Conversion Rate Optimization.

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