There has long been reference to the phrase SEO, meaning search engine optimisation for a website. This field is dedicated to the actual pages within the site, including the code, the content and the structure amongst other things. There is now a new term emerging in the World of search engines, and that is SEM, Search Engine Marketing. This differs from SEO in the fact is takes a wide angled approach to the actual branding and marketing of an online business, which is more important now online marketing has expanded in many ways.
Because the first form of improvements that were obvious with a web page was SEO, there has been a rise and increase in importance of optimisation. There are hundreds of UK based companies making a living out of helping firms rise up the rankings, improving the traffic and helping the business remain sustainable. As SEO has changed over the years, the marketing of a brand and product/service has changed to include different domains. By domains we don’t mean website domains, we mean the area in which you can actually promote your business. The importance and exposure that is apparent from social networking sites, press releases and online profiles has meant the term SEO has shifted to include a more marketing driven profile. SEM includes all the main attributes of search engine optimization, but gives more weighting to the external efforts that are undertaken during a campaign.
So which external factors affect a SEO SEM project? Well Twitter would be a great example, with there being many businesses choosing to host their blog and company updates through this medium. Offers and deals, and updates on the products can be posted for all followers to see, and because of the strength of this website, the results can be very powerful in a short space of time. Musicians and other famous people choose to optimise their profile by having this sort of presence, and it is seen as a necessary compliment to a branded website.
Facebook is another popular place that a company can have an online presence, and it is important that a specialist firm makes the most of the potential Facebook has to offer. Just like a normal landing page, the content, Meta and link structure needs to managed correctly to make sure the profile has a chance of good SERPs.
The main reason why this has become an integral part of SEO, is the fact that there is a huge number of places to be able to promote yourself. This is far too much for a business manager to be able to expect to handle in an organised manner, and a good SEO SEM consultant will make this a key feature of a successful campaign. This kind of work helps with the longevity of a website.
Tags: Internet Marketing, SEO Marketing, SERPS