What Is SEM?
SEM stands for "search engine marketing." Essentially it is the methodology of gaining website traffic or visibility from the search engines. The term is often interchanged with search engine optimization or SEO and paraphrased as "search marketing."
Technically search engine marketing covers two areas:
- Search Engine Optimization - gaining traffic through non-paid efforts; and
- Gaining traffic by paid methods such as advertising, paid links and similar forms of advertising.
Although technically incorrect most people associate the term "search engine marketing" most heavily with the paid forms of gaining traffic. This should be referred to as "search advertising." Confused yet? Great! Let's throw two more lovely terms at you. . . CPC (Cost Per Click) and PPC (Pay Per Click). What is the difference between CPC and PPC? Ask 10 people and you may get 10 different answers. It is a matter of semantics really. They are the same thing.
Making heads or tails of SEO and SEM can be a daunting task if you don't have the background. Prolifik SEO Marketing is a full service Internet Marketing company that specializes in creative website SEO services and making basic sense of this stuff. To us it is fun and what we love to do!
Why should I engage in SEM?
Have you ever gone to a pet store or an animal shelter to pick out a new puppy? Often, they’ll have them all in a little corral and when you walk up to look at them, they KNOW why you’re there. They somehow understand that you are trying to decide which one to pick, take home and make part of your family. So every one of them runs up to you barking incessantly, “Pick me! Pick me!!” It’s a cuteness overload and it can be overwhelming to make a pick. The world of internet marketing is just like that. Only you are one of hundreds, thousands or even millions of marketers barking, “Pick me! Pick me!” at overwhelmed consumers. The search engines’ job is to organize that chaos, line you up, and present you to the searcher; however, unless you are one of the first few in line, you are probably not going to get chosen. So how do you get to the front of that line? Make your efforts Prolifik.
Today's savvy consumer no longer uses print media to find products and services. Instead they are looking to search engines to gain information that leads to informed decisions. Rankings, ratings and reviews influence consumer mind share more than ever today.
Rankings
Many studies show that consumers will only take the time to view the top 10 rankings on any given search engine results page. The importance of being at the top is pinnacle to your success. The image to the left illustrates the click through rate for the average search engine results page.
It takes years of experience and dedicated expertise to get a website listed at the top of the search engines. Prolifik's search engine optimization specialists and SEM consultants will apply our methods to your efforts to bring you website traffic and customers.
Ready for a couple of new industry terms? "White Hat" SEO strategies are ones that are in line with today's SEO best practices and seeks to stay above board in strategy and processes. Contrary, "Black Hat" strategies seek out questionable tactics to effective game or trick search engines and temporarily gain better rankings because of it.
Prolifik employs white hat SEO strategies. Why? Because it is ethical. It works. It is proven. It is sustainable. Does it seem wise to try to fool some of the largest companies in the world (Google, Microsoft) at their core business?