The primary difference between search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) is an unpaid digital marketing strategy, while the other is paid. SEO strategy is totally focused on attracting organic traffic to the concerned website. In contrast, SEM concentrates on both organic and paid traffic. These digital marketing strategies aim to increase your website's online visibility and grow your business, but they operate differently.ย ย
The agencies that provide digital marketing services must be well aware of both the strategies and make the maximum use. It is always essential to look for the best SEO agency in Delhi to provide the maximum SEO and SEM optimizations possible on your website. In that way, your web page will receive the highest traffic.
Know the main differences between SEO and SEM
- SEOย ย ย
It is the unpaid digital marketing practice of optimizing a website to rank higher organically in the search engine results pages (SERP).
- SEM
It is a paid marketing strategy used to rank higher in SERPs with the help of various paid advertisements conducted within search engines.ย
Which one is better for your business?
- The reliability and efficiency factors rest more on SEO strategy. It is proven that this digital marketing strategy is more effective in earning organic traffic, leads, and revenue generation.
- SEO strategy is more cost-effective in comparison with SEM, which mostly uses paid advertising strategies. While using paid advertising to draw traffic, leads, and sales to your website might turn expensive.
It is found that using SEO is the better choice and recommended by experts like the best SEO agency in Delhi, where you have to choose between one. However, an expert digital marketing services provider invariably will suggest the usage of a combination of both. That way, you get the best results from both the marketing strategies and that too in a cost-effective way. When SEO and SEM work together, they can give fantastic results.ย
There are some situations where one is advantageous over the other. In some cases, SEO is sufficient, while in some, SEM is more preferred.ย
The situations where SEO is preferable are:
- It takes three to six months for SEO strategies to work and draw traffic, leads, and generate revenue. If you have that much time, then opt for SEO.
- If you do not want to operate on the monthly ad expenditures, go for SEO.
- SEO management is equally important. If you have both time and resources like an agency providing digital marketing services to actively manage your SEO regularly, SEO is your option.
SEM must be used in a situation when:
- Suppose you are looking for an instant effect on traffic, leads, or immediate online sales generation. In that case, SEM is more preferable to SEO.
- If your business requirement is to make a prominent presence in highly competitive search results and the time consumption by SEO strategy is undesirable, use SEM strategy.
- Weekly management of the ads is another aspect of SEM. If you have the infrastructure for the maintenance, then SEM is your option.ย
Know about the Pros and Cons of SEO over SEMย
Advantages
- SEO is useful in building the trust of potential customers. It exposes the business values even to those who were unaware of your presence earlier, turning them into potential customers by gaining their trust.ย
- SEO does not depend on paid advertisements and hence requires zero expenditure on ads.ย
- Once you have done your SEO build-up, you know that it will work for you 24*7, unlike SEM, where the ads run for a specified time according to your ad settings.
Disadvantages
- SEO is time-consuming. It takes three to six months before you see your SEO start working for your website and draw in traffic, leads, and eventually sales generation.ย
- SEO is a process that demands maintenance over time. It is not a task done and forgotten. With time you need up-gradation on SEO to maintain your search engine rankings.ย ย
The best SEO agency in Delhi would suggest using either strategy based on your business's requirements. You may use anyone or both together. It entirely depends on your time, resources, and budget of your business.
