Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a process of building site pages in a way that enables the pages to rank highly in organic search results. The organic search results are based on the search engine’s unique mathematical algorithms, used to determine the relevance of indexed pages for a particular word or phrase.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the term usually attributed to paid advertising for keywords and sponsored links. These advertisements are generally purchased from Google (Google Adwords), or Yahoo! Search Marketing (YSM). However it is widely considered now that SEM is a wider discipline that incorporates SEO. Under this definition, SEM encompasses the multitude of avenues available to ‘market’ sites online, which inherently improves your search ranking.
In May 2013 Google released their new algorithms for search engines – Penguin 2.0 (now updated to Penguin 2.1) and Hummingbird. Since then the key to ranking well is to focus on your businesses online content and promote credibility and authorship through the various platforms. This is leading to the term Content Marketing which is replacing SEO as the phrase to describe the promtion of Websites in search engines.
Content marketing is not focused on selling, but communicating with customers and prospects. The idea is to inspire business and loyalty from buyers by delivering consistent, ongoing valuable information. This way content marketing inherits a ‘soft-sell’ approach to advertising your business. Google’s complex algorithms can tell by popularity, low bounce rates, repeat views and other analytics how relevant and attractive your content is to your target audience and your business expertise. Rankings are boosted by focusing on engaging, interactive content, and reliable sources of information that are customized to the interests of your target audience. Content Marketing can be considered a combination of SEM & SEO.
Let STORM Web tailor a package suitable for your Content Marketing & SEO strategy.