Search Engine Optimization Vs. Search Engine Marketing: What's The Difference? by Simplifying The WEB

SEO and SEM are two terms that are commonly bandied about by webmasters. Sometimes it seems as if the two terms are used almost interchangeably. But is there a difference, and if so, what is it?

In fact, there is a difference. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It refers to anything you do to your page to make it more search engine friendly. SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing. It forms a sort of umbrella term that can refer to anything you do to get your page ranked higher in search engines, from search engine optimization to requesting backlinks to submitting your URL to search engines.

It's important to know the difference between the two when you're shopping for SEO or SEM services. If the company doesn't specify what services it offers as part of its "SEM Package," then don't hesitate to ask. And don't hand over any money until you know! Some companies may mean nothing more than submitting your website's URL to a few search engines, and you can do that yourself.

Whenever possible, get a list of specific things they plan to do to help surfers find your website. Will they submit your URL to search engines? Get a list of the search engines they plan to submit it to. ("Yahoo!, Google, and 100's More!" doesn't count.) Will they keyword optimize your site? Be sure to ask if they include META and ALT tags.

Ultimately, whether a company uses "SEO" or "SEM" doesn't matter as much as what services they offer. Ideally, SEM would be more valuable than SEO, because it would include SEO as well as other marketing strategies. But this is not always the case. As we've noted before, it can be simply a code for "stick your URL is a few search engines and be done with it." Look for reputable websites, and ask for specific services they offer. Once you've done your homework, you will be able to make an informed decision between SEO and SEM and march forward proudly, knowing that you truly got the best value for your money.

About the Author

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SEO: The Power Of The Inbound Link by Scott Lindsay

Link building can be a difficult part of any Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. It may even be harder trying to maintain a list of those who are linking to your site.

Did you know that search engines have made this a bit easier for online business to monitor? While the procedure for each search engine may be slightly different you can learn about many of the most successful inbound links you have to your website.

For the purpose of this article I will use the Google search engine. In order to check for inbound links I will use one of my websites www.highpowersites.com. I begin by typing the word link in the search window of the search engine followed by the website name. In the end it looks like this: link: www.highpowersites.com for your website it would look like link: www.yoursitename.com

In this search there were over 10,000 inbound links on the web. This tells me the site is doing well and it helps me see which sites that feature the link are the highest ranking. If you visit other search engines you can learn how to access information about site rankings by visiting a section typically called 'Advance Search Options".

The affects of inbounds links shouldn't be minimized and the use of a free article directory can help spread the word about your site through inbound links. A diverse selection of expert articles is very helpful in improving SEO strategies.

Certainly there are a variety of SEO strategies to consider, but inbound links may provide a significant number of impressions and an improved number of site visitations, which can dramatically improve conversion rate with potential customers.

A great number of links to your website is often viewed by search engines as a means of gauging improved trust. Improved trust in your website will improve your site rankings.

When you have significant inbound links it means that search engine spiders comb through your site more often gaining new and valuable information that can help your overall site ranking.

Beyond free article directories a website owner might simply request affiliated websites to include a link to his/her website as a courtesy. This is not an uncommon practice and provides greater visibility for your website.

The use of a forum or blog can also provide positive inbound links for your website. This is accomplished by either posting information that may benefit readers followed by a link to a section of your website that deals with the issue or by simply placing a link in the signature box on your forum post.

About the Author

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites at: http://www.highpowersites.com. Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com