Difference Between SEO, SEM and SEF
So you’ve decided to create your website and drive traffic to it! And you’ve heard these terms tossed around - SEO, SEM, SEF etc. They all seem the same to you. They are not.
I was like you too, until recently. I can shamelessly admit that it was after I had done a few website optimization assignments that I actually figured the difference between these words. Let me cut the c@ap and get to the point.
Let’s start with what we think you’ll already know.
SEO - Search Engine Optimization:
Wikipedia Definition: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (”organic” or “algorithmic“) search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results or the higher it “ranks”, the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.
In essence, SEO is the process of increasing a site’s ranking for organic search results on Search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN.
SEM: Search Engine Marketing
This is where the confusion begins. Most people use SEO and SEM interchangeably and they might even justify it. In fact, the Wikipedia definition of the term SEM actually includes SEO. That’s strange.
But I can tell you that if you are one of them, the pros are gonna laugh at you behing your back :). So, regardless of where you stand on the chicken-egg debate, it might be a good idea to know what SEO experts think the difference is.
SEM is the process of marketing a website via paid/sponsored search engine listings. In other words, Google Adwords Marketing, Yahoo Search Marketing and MSN Adcenter advertising all qualify under SEM. So, to me, the major differentiating factor is that in SEM you are paying money directly to the Search Engines for sponsored listings. It is a more direct form of advertisement than Search Engine Optimization where you are actually trying to naturally/organically rank higher for your target key phrases.
SEO usually takes longer and more creative techniques to implement. Your rankings on search engines depend on a variety of factors. I will cover these in a separate post.
SEF - Search Engine Friendly
This phrase is usually used in the context of Search Engine Friendly URL’s. So, SEF is not a process or a technique. It is an adjective used to describe certain elements of website such as URL, Title, Footer, Design, Code, Etc. that are designed to make it easier for search engines to crawl and rank them for relevant key phrases. Making a site SEF is one part of the SEO process. Makes more sense now?
Any debate about these definitions is welcome..
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