Let me start out by saying…
Patience! Patience! Patience!
In this article I am going to talk about the difference between SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing). There seems to be some confusion for some people and I am going to clear the air. Let’s start by looking at the actual definitions of each and then we will move on to what you need to know.
SEO:
Acronym for “Search Engine Optimization.” This is the process of editing a web site’s content and code in order to improve visibility within one or more search engines. When this term is used to describe an individual, it stands for “Search Engine Optimizer” or one who performs SEO.
SEM:
Search engine marketing, or SEM, is a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs). According to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, SEM methods include: search engine optimization (or SEO), paid placement, contextual advertising, and paid inclusion. Other sources, including the New York Times, define SEM as the practice of buying paid search listings.
So in essence, SEO is a part of a bigger picture, SEM. I’ve heard a great metaphor for this and I will share it with you. SEO vs SEM would be like the old fable of the Tortes and the Hare. The Tortoise and the Hare were in a race and the Hare took off blazing fast and everyone thought he would win the race. Then the Hare become overconfident and took a nap and the tortoise ended up passing him and winning the race. Do you remember that story? Well guess what, SEO is the tortoise and SEM is the Hare. You can be up and running with Google Adwords (or equivalent) in under 5 minutes, but it takes MONTHS, sometimes YEARS to get great results via SEO. So remember, when you start your SEO campaign to keep in mind the number one rule, PATIENCE!! This doesn’t happen overnight.
Here are some great things you can do to help your SEO efforts while you develop you patience:
1.) Become a regular at a related forum or blog site.
Try to help the other members and make great posts for things you are knowledgeable in. A great example would be if you were in the Dog Grooming business to join a forum like DogForums.com and give people tips on how to shave certain breeds, how to not get bitten if your new, etc…
2.) Write articles filled with great information and give it away for FREE!
You have some information thatother people are dying to have. Give it to them for free and I promise that you will naturally drive traffic your way and build relationships with other sites. There is one thing I will ad to this. DO NOT go on an unrelated site and post something completely off topic. Example: Don’t go to Golf.com and submit an article that is about Blue Whales feeding habits in the Atlantic Ocean. You might as well be banging your head against the keyboard.
3.) Become a student.
Yep. Whether you have been in the game since 1992 or if you just started. Keep furthering yourself. Find new tactics, read more books related to the topic. After all, this will always be an ever changing field. Once you think you figure it out, Almighty Google and friends will throw a couple curve balls at you. I would like to recommend a great source to start, my favorite (other than HighRankingSEO.net of course 
). SEOmoz.org. They have some killer information and great tools to help you step your game up. There is a ton of stuff for you to examine and take from it what you will.
So if you got to this part of the article you started step one, Patience! Keep working it and developing your skills and before you know it you will be on top. As the great Nike slogan says, “Just do it!”
Thanks folks!
