How Do You Get More People to Your Website?
You need more traffic to your website, but should you pay for it or earn it organically? That’s the million-dollar question.
If you’ve ever searched for a product or service online, you’ve likely seen two types of results: sponsored ads at the top and organic listings below them. These represent two core strategies in search marketing, SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Understanding the difference between SEO and SEM isn’t just a technical exercise. It’s about knowing how to maximize your marketing budget and build a strategy that drives the right traffic to your site. In this guide, we’ll explain how each approach works, when to use them, and why they’re most powerful when working in tandem.
What is SEO? The Long-Term Investment
How SEO Works
SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results organically. This means improving content, technical performance, and authority so that Google sees your site as valuable to users.
SEO involves:
- Keyword optimization: Targeting the words and phrases your audience is searching for.
- On-page improvements: Optimizing website content, metadata, and structure.
- Technical SEO: Improving site speed, mobile-friendliness, and security.
- Link-building: Earning backlinks from reputable websites to build authority.
Content is a key driver of SEO success. From blog posts to landing pages, the more relevant and optimized your content, the better your chances of ranking. Read more about why content matters for SEO.
Pros and Cons of SEO
Pros:
- Sustainable long-term traffic
- Builds credibility and trust with users
- Cost-effective over time
Cons:
- Takes months to see significant results
- Requires ongoing optimization and content creation
- Algorithm changes can impact rankings
Why SEO is a Long Game
Think about how often you Google something and click the first organic result. That top-ranking spot wasn’t won overnight. It was built through consistent effort, content creation, and optimization over months or even years.
For businesses focused on brand credibility and long-term growth, SEO is essential. But it takes time. Learn how to improve your rankings with our guide to Mastering B2B SEO.
If you need immediate results, that’s where SEM comes in.
What is SEM? The Fast Track to Visibility
How SEM Works
SEM is a paid search strategy where businesses use platforms like Google Ads or Microsoft Ads to display ads at the top of search results. Unlike SEO, which relies on organic ranking, SEM allows you to bid on keywords and pay for placement.
SEM involves:
- Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: Paying only when someone clicks on your ad.
- Targeting options: Reaching users based on location, device, or even behaviors.
- Ad copy and landing page optimization: Creating compelling ads that drive conversions.
Pros and Cons of SEM
Pros:
- Immediate traffic and visibility
- Highly targeted audience reach
- Performance-based–you only pay for results
Cons:
- Requires ongoing budget allocation
- Can get expensive depending on the competition
- Ads disappear when the campaign stops
Why SEM is a Short-Term Play
Imagine you’re launching a new product and need leads now. Waiting months for SEO to gain traction isn’t an option. With SEM, you can launch a Google Ads campaign and start generating clicks and conversions immediately.
But once you stop paying for those ads, your traffic disappears. That’s why SEM is powerful for immediate impact but not a replacement for SEO.
SEO and SEM serve different purposes, but they aren’t competing strategies. In fact, they work best together.
Why SEO and SEM Are Stronger Together
How They Complement Each Other
Many businesses think they have to choose between SEO and SEM, but the most effective digital marketing strategies use both.
Example: Imagine you own a new fitness studio. You want long-term visibility, so you start working on SEO by optimizing your website, creating location-based content, and building backlinks. But SEO takes time to gain traction. In the meantime, you run SEM campaigns targeting people searching for “fitness classes near me” to get immediate sign-ups.
By using both strategies, you:
- Get immediate traffic with SEM while building long-term authority with SEO.
- Leverage SEM data to refine your SEO strategy. Ads provide insights into which keywords drive conversions, helping shape your content efforts.
- Maximize visibility. Even if your site ranks organically, appearing in both paid and organic results increases your chances of getting clicks.
Even if you’re paying for traffic with SEM, the quality of your website copy still matters. Great SEO copy improves organic rankings and increases conversions from paid ads. Get our top SEO copywriting tips.
When to Use SEM, SEO or Both
Use SEO When:
✔️ You have time to build organic authority
✔️ You want sustainable, long-term traffic
✔️ You want to build brand trust and credibility
Use SEM When:
✔️ You need immediate leads or sales
✔️ You’re in a competitive industry where SEO takes too long
✔️ You’re running time-sensitive promotions or product launches
Use Both When:
✔️ You want to dominate search results for critical keywords
✔️ You need immediate traffic while working on long-term growth
✔️ You want a data-driven strategy where SEM insights inform SEO
✔️ You’re looking to scale your business and expand your audience
✔️You want to accelerate growth while building lasting visibility online
How Holland Adhaus Can Help
Choosing the right strategy isn’t just about SEO vs. SEM–it’s about how they work together to drive results. Many businesses struggle to balance these efforts, either spending too much on paid ads or waiting too long for SEO to deliver.
At Holland Adhaus, we build custom search marketing strategies that align with your goals. Whether you need to improve organic rankings, run a targeted Google Ads campaign, or combine both for maximum impact, we take the guesswork out of the process.
Struggling to get the right traffic to your site? Let’s chat about building an SEO + SEM strategy that drives real results.
Melissa Morrison
Digital Marketing Manager, Holland Adhaus
Melissa consistently brings a unique blend of professionalism and joy to every project she does.
