SEO and SEM; familiar with these terms? If you?re a webmaster, you certainly are. If you spend a lot of time with a webmaster, you?ll hear the two terms tossed around so frequently they will probably seam as if the two terms are interchangeable. However, that view would be wrong, as there is a difference between the meanings of the two words.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing. So you see, they are different. To understand better, SEO is anything you do to your page to make it more search engine friendly. SEM is anything you do to get higher ranks in search engines, such as, search engine optimization, requesting back links, and submitting your URL to search engines.
It?s important to know the difference between the two terms; make sure you ask for all information if your unsure before going and spending money on a SEO or SEM package. For example, a company offers you a package, if you don?t ask and get all the information, you might be buying into a package that merely is the company submitting your website URL to a few search engines, something you can easily do yourself.
Now some important information to be sure to follow. Get a list of all the search engines they plan to submit it to and websites like Yahoo!, Google, and 100’s More! do not count. Ask if they will keyword your site and if they include META and ALT tags. They last important tip is to get a list of specific things they plant to do to help surfers find your website.
Whether it’s called SEO or SEM, the precise names don’t matter so much as the services offered and particular actions companies will take. Since SEM is so broad, it can range to anything from a comprehensive and detailed package of multiple services to a mere bare bones effort not worth buying. You need to find companies that know what they’re doing and have developed a history for good business practices and treating customers fairly. With a little effort put into researching your options, you can be sure to get the best online marketing for your money.
