SEO versus SEM? Whats the difference?

The SEO world broke into 2 specialties in recent years

Search Engine Optimisation
Search Engine Marketing

So buzz words aside, whats the difference?

My understanding is SEO is mainly onpage stuff, like content, copy, keyword density etc, and SEM is things like press releases, article writing, blogs etc.

If thats the case, where does tradtional linkbuilding fall?

be interested to know if any of our SEO bods specifically specialise in one or the other, or do most cover both disciplines. Or of course do you just class it all as SEO

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I think there does need to be some integration between the two, theres the sort of relationship designers have with developers, its ok to try and be both, but to try be one without the other is just a big mistake.
My favorite example of SEM effecting SEO is tv adverts where the large organisations no longer say go to our website "www dot" ..... but instead tell you to google a word. this doesnt just mean google thinks people associate a particular website with a word, anyone can do that, but with personalised search results now, you can type in a product range and the brand you googled earlier could appear above it in your results depending on your previous activity.

Sorrry if the above post was a bit of a ramble, was just an example of what I consider to be SEM rather than SEO, although that debate can go on forever im sure. Im always facinated though at how we can influence search engines without them noticing or without even being online.

in another forum someone commented on this situation and said - "its not like search engines can read billboards etc" - which is very true, although, anyone noticed a google streetview car driving round lately "trying to"?? :-) lol

So where you put link building? SEO or SEM?

Its off page, so you could argue its SEM, but it's always been an SEO fundemental.

Or maybe there is no clear distinction between SEO and SEM?

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I agree,
personally (and that does mean just my opinion), i would be more inclined to class link building as SEO as it is directly affecting your sites rankings without human interaction.

I suppose the marketing side i would generally look more towards human interaction....

I can see your mind ticking over link baiting next...

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Your right! lol so basically, SEO and SEM are the same thing, just don't tell anyone

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i think theres a very grey line...

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As a newbie to it I viewed SEO as the techy BIT, onsite and SEM as the human interaction offite link building etc etc.

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yup, but linkbuilding is one of the cornerstones of SEO.

As nickora says, all very grey.

My cynical side says its all marketing waffle from unscrouplous large SEO firms who want to charge more

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"Well yes of course your only on the 3rd page, what? didnt anybody tell you? youve only been paying for SEO!, if you actually want any visitors you have to pay for SEM too! - dont worry, your lucky we just havent thought of what the acronym SEZ can stand for yet, but we'll be sure to charge for that too when we do!"

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