SEO builds long-term success; SEM buys short-term attention. Many businesses rush into online ads expecting instant results, only to end up frustrated. If this sounds familiar, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Often, the real solution isn’t spending more on ads, but strengthening your SEO.
In this post, I’ll explain the key differences between SEO and SEM, and help you understand when it’s better to choose one strategy over the other. Let’s keep it simple and clear, so you can make the best decision for your project. Let’s get a move on!
What is the difference between SEO and SEM?
Let’s start by defining these acronyms, which can sometimes be a bit tricky to remember. SEO refers to the actions we take to gain more organic reach, while SEM is the fastest way to get visibility by paying to generate traffic.
Now, I always like to make it clear that not every business needs a full SEO strategy before starting to run ads. That is what companies like Meta would love you to believe with that tempting little blue button under posts that did not reach the audience you hoped for.
And let us not forget Google Ads, with its thousand and one ways of “making” ad creation easier using AI. The problem is that without proper data, the AI tends to do its own thing, putting your budget and the quality of leads you are aiming for at risk.
With that in mind, I think you are already starting to get an idea of the answer to this question!
Is SEO or SEM more important?
Dear friends, the short answer is yes, and here is why. When you are considering paying a company like Meta or Google Ads for visibility, you need to keep in mind several factors. They are not complicated terms; they are logical things that you, as a user, also apply in your daily searches, such as:
Knowing your ideal customer
You might find demographic information like age, gender and location of your followers on social media platforms like Instagram, but to truly know your customer, you need more than that.
You need to understand how your ideal customer searches, what limitations they face when looking for a product or service online, and that is clearly defined within a marketing strategy.
Producing content that your customers enjoy
If knowing your customer is essential, knowing how to create content that matches their search intent and where to place that content is even more important than the amount you plan to invest in advertising campaigns.
Make sure your content is simple and direct, answering the needs of the person who is searching online. On the internet, you need to entertain before you can sell, so your images or videos must be clear, eye-catching and of good quality.
All your content should follow a clear graphic style and a consistent tone of communication. This will not only benefit your brand image but also, when you decide to run ads, platforms will consider your content higher quality and offer you cheaper click prices. Do not just take my word for it, have a look at this.
Preparing your Landing Pages
To create quality content for platforms like Google Ads, you will need landing pages. These are digital spaces where you send users to take a specific action, such as filling out a form, subscribing to a newsletter or buying a product.
The recommendation is that each service you want to promote should have its own landing page, with attractive information for people seeking more details. You should include clear text, images and videos if necessary, to ensure that once visitors arrive at your landing page, they take the action you expect. That is what we call a conversion.
Choosing the right social network
At this point, you should have a clear idea of your message and who you want to communicate it to. Now it is time to decide which platform will bring the best results. Think about where your audience spends their time. Do they search on Google for what you offer, or do they browse Facebook or Instagram? Choose the platform (or both) that best matches those habits.
Make the most of each platform’s options to show your ad to the right people. On Google Ads, select relevant keywords to appear in related searches. On Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram), define your audience well by interests, location, age and so on, so that your ads are seen by people who are genuinely interested in what you offer.
Keep in mind that SEO is not a one-off or isolated activity. It is an ongoing process aimed at bringing organic (unpaid) traffic to your landing pages (your website). Like any other important activity, it requires an investment of both money and time.
If you are starting to think about setting aside a monthly budget for your business’s digital strategy, you are probably asking yourself:
Do you pay for SEO or SEM?
In this case, the saying “do not tell me how much you have, tell me what results you want to achieve” fits perfectly, because depending on the goals you set, you can build a marketing plan with actions that impact the short, medium or long term.
You might say you want clients in the very short term and that paying for traffic seems like your best option. In the short term, it is a good idea, but what happens if you run out of funds or the number of leads you expected from that investment does not materialise? And you still have to keep making the respective campaign payments?
What I am trying to say is that you need to set actions for the short, medium and long term. You cannot simply put all your efforts into paying for ads because once you stop paying, you will stop appearing and benefiting from them too.
On the other hand, if you invest that budget into a long-term strategy, such as building a digital marketing plan, an information architecture, and developing your website to start implementing SEO actions, you will move forward much more securely.
You will also be able to make better use of tools like paid ads, bringing you both short and long-term benefits. Because, even though Google does not openly admit it, the paid traffic you receive does help improve your rankings for certain keywords.
Having a website is not essential to do SEO; you can and should work on it in many other places. Up next, I will explain which type of SEO suits each type of business best, so you can start where you are able. We will order them from the most affordable type of SEO to the most expensive.
What are the 4 types of SEO?
If your business does not yet have a website, or one is on the way, do not worry. You can still take advantage of several SEO strategies to gain visibility on Google and other search engines. Below, we explain in a clear and informal way the main types of SEO you can use. We have ordered them from least expensive to most expensive, showing what each involves and which businesses benefit most from them. You will see you do not need to be an expert to get started.
Presence on Google Maps and local directories
Local SEO allows you to appear in Google local searches, such as on Google Maps, without needing a website. It is based on creating and optimising your business listings on platforms like Google My Business, now known as Google Business Profile.
It is mainly useful for local businesses that serve customers in a specific geographical area. For example, physical shops, restaurants, hairdressers, garages, dentists, plumbers or any local service benefit greatly.
If someone nearby searches for “Italian restaurant near me” or “mechanic workshop in [your city]”, your business can appear even if you do not have a website, thanks to local SEO. Even if you offer home services or work from home in your city, you can still use this type of SEO by specifying your service area.
It is an extremely low-cost strategy that mainly requires your time to create and maintain your profile, and it gives you immediate visibility within your community.
Tip: Besides Google, register your business in other relevant local directories, such as Yellow Pages, Yelp or TripAdvisor if it suits your sector.
The more consistent local listings you have, the easier it will be for customers to find you and trust you. Also, encourage happy customers to leave reviews on your Google profile, as positive reviews greatly increase local visibility. All this without spending money, only time and dedication.
Visibility through social media profiles
Although it might not seem like it, your social media profiles can also help your SEO indirectly. This is not about SEO within Facebook or Twitter, but about using your social media profiles so that your business can be easily found online.
Almost any business can benefit from having a presence on social media, especially if it does not yet have a website. It is ideal for entrepreneurs and small businesses wanting to start building recognition.
For example, a new fashion designer could use Instagram to showcase products, a consultant could have a LinkedIn page for services, or a local bar could create a Facebook page with its location and customer reviews.
It is also very beneficial if your target audience spends a lot of time on social media, such as fashion and food lovers on Instagram or tech enthusiasts on Twitter and LinkedIn.
As with local SEO, the cost is low. Creating and optimising profiles is free. You only invest your time sharing content regularly, for example, posting once or twice a week to stay active. In return, you gain visibility and can even build a community.
Bear in mind that social media alone will not help you climb the ranks for generic searches on Google, but it will ensure that when someone searches for your brand, they find you easily and see that you are active. This boosts your credibility and allows you to control the information people find about you online. In short, it is a simple and virtually free way to maintain an online presence while your website is under construction.
Tip: Make sure all your profile information is complete, such as your bio, business category, contact details and location, and use your business name consistently everywhere. This helps search engines recognise that all your profiles belong to the same business. Also, link your profiles to each other and to your Google Business Profile or your future website so that everything is connected.
Optimisation of your future website
On-page SEO is the optimisation you carry out within your own website. It includes all the adjustments and improvements you make to help Google understand your site and show it to people searching for what you offer.
In general, building a proper website takes several weeks of research and organising information about your business. To have a website truly optimised for SEO, it is essential to carry out keyword research for each service or product and to create a structured information architecture.
These processes require a certain level of knowledge and usually start from around £4,000 to £5,000 upwards. If you do not yet have this budget, you could learn and do it yourself. You might also consider taking private classes where I would review your project, give you feedback on each activity, correct any mistakes I find, and set you specific tasks to complete.
Mentions and links from other websites
Off-page SEO covers actions carried out away from your website to improve your search rankings. Simply put, it is about getting other websites to mention your business or link back to your page.
These mentions, especially if they include a link to your future site, tell Google that your business is relevant and trustworthy because other pages “recommend” it.
This is considered one of the most expensive SEO techniques, as in some cases you must pay annual fees to blogs where you buy links. It is strongly recommended that you work with a professional because, trust me, not just any link will help. In fact, the wrong links could harm your SEO rather than improve it.
