Comments on: SEM Means Search Engine Marketing, Not PPC!

By: JamesGunnSEO (James Gunn)

JamesGunnSEO (James Gunn) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:15:03 +0000

via @aimclear Blog: SEM Means Search Engine Marketing, Not PPC! – http://tinyurl.com/ctj5hz

By: Answering 5 Common SEO Shopping Questions » aimClear Search Marketing Blog

Answering 5 Common SEO Shopping Questions » aimClear Search Marketing Blog — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:21:17 +0000

[...] bandwidth involved working with my SEM colleagues, twittering, staying in touch with Facebook peeps and processing clients is delightfully [...]

By: Marty Weintraub

Marty Weintraub — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:24:50 +0000

@john: No offense taken friend. I look up to your perspective on these types of things actually, and appreciate where you’re coming from.

By: john andrews

john andrews — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:29:23 +0000

@Marty I wasn’t referring to you as someone pushing an agenda. I wrote this while the SMX conference was promoting a redefinition of SEM.

By: john andrews

john andrews — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:27:38 +0000

Labels are tools and unless the client/marketplace needs them, this kind of discussion just supports some industry player’s agenda.

SEO evolved as a specialty, requiring focus and dedication. You can’t absorb SEO into anything else… it will always be SEO as long as SEO is needed. Pay Per Click was a general concept, but in practice it’s a Google/Yahoo!/MSN program with custom interface and dedicated tools.

“search engine marketing” was always a bad moniker… and now the owners are trying to make it worse. A little SEO, a little PPC, add some social media… SEM. Sorry… if you need a label for what you sell, don’t try and co-opt trades like SEO and paid search marketing. It’s disrespectful to those dedicated to the specialty.

And therein lies the rub. If you want to be an industry leader, and have the industry adopt your terminology, you have to earn their respect and support. No “search marketer” has done that yet. As long as MakeMoneyOnline Internet Marketers and Negative Option CPA affiliates and Social Media tabloid publishers are granted “expert” status at SEM (or whatever) conferences, the SEO pros will balk at accepting that label.

Clients need marketing, promotion, advertising, and PR. They always have. Sell them SEO, paid search marketing, Internet Marketing, Internet Advertising, online reputation management services, online promotion, or whatever else you want to sell them.

By: John Saldi

John Saldi — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:18:08 +0000

Great article. “Somehow the misuse of traditional vernacular makes me feel dirty and disrespectful. ” I totally agree with you. Good point.

By: Marty Weintraub

Marty Weintraub — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:59:04 +0000

@Michael: That’s cool. BTW, it’s “social media” and some marketing activities are cool, provided they serve the community’s users. Thanks for your comment.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:15:37 +0000

How funny – we just had this big discussion in our shop and I have been reschooled and need to update our website to reflect the newly acquired wisdom. I can evolve. The other topic of great debate was, “is it Social Media or Social Marketing”, when referring to our “Social Services” (hehe). I used the same argument that Paul suggests – that calling Social Marketing, Social Media is like calling Advertising, TV…just because that’s where it happens, doesn’t make it so.

By: John Schmelig

John Schmelig — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:12:23 +0000

If SEO would just go away, we could keep on referring to PPC as SEM, and continue on our merry way.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:35:21 +0000

Thanks Marty! I agree with you 100%. Over the last 6 months all I’ve heard is SEM is PPC. And I’m always wondering if that’s what it was why don’t we just call call everything PPC! It was nice to see somebody else had the same frustration. SEM is a combination of SEO and Paid/PPC. Appreciate you stepping up and taking a stand.

Eric Fransen