To make sure we’re all on the same page, here are a few basic search engine marketing definitions.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is an umbrella term that covers all activities related to marketing companies and their websites via search engines.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategy under the SEM umbrella that pertains to making changes to a website — optimizing it — so it’ll rank high in the main, organic (also known as natural, editorial, or algorithmic) results in the search engines.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is the method of getting websites listed in the “sponsored listings” in the search engine results (down the right side of the page — also sometimes the first few listings at the very top). These are also known as “paid listings.”
Many people mistakenly use the term “SEM” or “search marketing” when they mean “PPC” or “paid listings.” So I’m trying to clarify the correct terminology.
Too basic for you? Don’t worry — I’ll be ramping up with more advanced topics as well, but want to make sure we’re all starting from the same place.
Welcome to Search Advisory! When Mike Adkinson asked me to be the Search Marketing blogger for TechLINKS, I jumped at the opportunity. Search marketing is a critical tool that many in Georgia’s technology community are already taking advantage of. But the industry changes so quickly that it’s hard to stay on top of the latest and greatest news, strategies and techniques when you’re also enmeshed in the demands of your day-to-day responsibilities.
That’s where I come in. My plan is to consume, condense, sort, sift, filter and analyze the most important search engine marketing information as it pertains to TechLINKS’ readers, and then pass it along in an easy-to-digest manner. I plan to cover a wide range of topics, ranging from trends and strategic information relevant to technology executives to more tactical “how to” tips aimed at IT folks on the front lines.
Since I’m a marketer by education and by trade, I like to think I speak in plain English and explain the complex topic of search marketing in an easy to understand way. I won’t be delving too far into the technical nitty-gritty, so no matter what your role is within Georgia’s technology community, there will be valuable content here for you.
I’d love to hear from you! If you’ve got any particular SEM angles you’d like me to cover, please let me know.
