SEO vs SEM - advantages and disadvantages

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) versus Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Firstly, what is the difference:
SEO is the optimisation of your web pages to rank better in the "natural" search results. see diagram
SEM is the management of PAID advertising places (eg Google Adwords) adjoining search results.

Which is better? - neither is simply better than the other.
They each have advantages and disadvantages.

SEO has the advantage of little or no ongoing costs and is perceived as more genuine than paid adverts. The disadvantage is longer time initially to get results.

SEM has the advantage of instant and more controllable results but at much greater expense. You pay for each click on your advert and you must continue to pay to get the clicks. Even small business can run up monthly SEM costs in the thousands. Many SEM specialists don't handle clients with budgets less than $500 per month.

If you are starting a new business or setting up a new web site, a mix of both makes a good strategy. SEM to get a quick result and SEO for medium term, longer lasting results.

Although WebStart does not specialise in SEM, we are happy to offer advice and recommend who does if needed.