SEM and SEO: A History and Definition

Let’s admit that Search Engine Marketing (SEM) came first before Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Let’s also admit that the two are usually referred as one, other web marketing people even use these words interchangeably. They would say SEM when they are actually talking about search engine optimization practices or SEO when they actually mean SEM.

To be enlightened with this confusion, let give a short elaboration of what happened in the internet marketing realm, how SEM and SEO came and coined.

Search Engine Marketing is a general term for all kinds of web marketing ventures. Meaning, internet advertising, Pay Per Click, and web optimization efforts comprise the SEM. SEM is the umbrella of any business that resides or operates in the world wide web. Later in the mid 1990s, the demand for a business or even any website to be visible in the search engine results page increased. This was due to the realization that the more the website appears especially in the top ranking of website listing, the more chances of getting visitors. It was until Search Engine Optimisation was coined. It is defined as the process of optimizing a website in order for it to be visible in major search engines. When Google was established, Yahoo began falling. The reason why the internet users have chosen Google for any kind search is that it gives very refined and specific search results compared to Yahoo. Yahoo search engine by then was very prone to spamming. In Google, there’s no room for spammers when it started to operate. They get banned right away. Recently, Google dominates the market of online business ventures.

The main difference between SEM and SEO is determined according to their operation processes. SEM is an internet advertising that requires a pay and Pay Per Click is one. A business firm has to pay the search engine (which is the publisher of the ad) by click through. SEO, on the other hand, is totally free. A web marketer has to do on-page and off-page optimisation to make the website visible in any organic search.