What Is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

• SEO: Earning traffic through unpaid or free listings

• SEM: Buying traffic through paid search listings

Originally called �search engine marketing,� the shorter phrase �search marketing� is now often used as the umbrella term over SEO and SEM. The longer phrase �search engine marketing� � or SEM � is now typically used to describe paid search activities.

• What Is SEM & Paid Search Marketing

• What Is SEO / Search Engine Optimization?

For more about the broader medium of search marketing, read on!

Search Engine Marketing Advice At Search Engine Land

How To: SEM is our section devoted to practical tips and tactics about search marketing in general.

Search Engine Land Columns are where we publish a number of regular columns on various aspects of search marketing, including:

• Brand Aid

• Conversion Science

• In House

• In The Trenches

• Just Behave

• Small Is Beautiful

• Strictly Business

SEM Library Archives is an area of Search Engine Land that provides a collection of all stories we�ve written on the topic of SEM. We also have subcategories, including:

• Search Marketing: Branding

• Search Marketing: General

• Search Marketing: Landing Pages

• Search Marketing: Local Search Marketing

• Search Marketing: Mobile

• Search Marketing: Public Relations

• Search Marketing: Search Term Research

• Search Marketing: Shopping Search Marketing

SEM Tools is another area of Search Engine Land with a collection of stories we�ve written about search marketing tools. It includes these subtopics:

• SEM Tools: Keyword Research

• SEM Tools: Links

• SEM Tools: URL Shorteners

• SEM Tools: Web Analytics

SEM Industry is a section of Search Engine Land that focuses not on search marketing advice but rather the search marketing industry (which even has an industry group, SEMPO ). Within our SEM Industry section are these subsections:

• SEM Industry: Acquisitions

• SEM Industry: Awards

• SEM Industry: Blogs & Forums

• SEM Industry: Community

• SEM Industry: Conferences

• SEM Industry: General

• SEM Industry: In House

• SEM Industry: Organizations

• SEM Industry: Outsourcing

• SEM Industry: Pubcon

• SEM Industry: Search Engine Strategies � SES

• SEM Industry: Search Marketing Expo � SMX

• SEM Industry: Stats

Remember, those with Search Engine Land memberships also have access to a wide-range of video content about SEM recorded at our SMX: Search Marketing Expo conferences . Our Search Marketing Now  webinar site also has SEM presentations  available on demand, to anyone, for free.

Search Engine Marketing Resources

There are a number of blogs and forums that focus heavily on search marketing topics, including: aim Clear , Bruce Clay Blog , David Naylor , Marketing Pilgrim , Michael Gray , Nine By Blue , Outspoken Media , Search Cowboys , Search Insider , Search Engine Guide , Search Engine Journal , Search Engine Land, Search Engine People , Search Engine Watch , Search Marketing Gurus , SEM Club House , SEOmoz , SEO Book , TopRank , WebProNews  and WebmasterWorld . Need more? Really? OK, visit TopRank�s �Big List � of online marketing blogs.

Those seeking easy-to-scan compilations of search marketing news from across the web should check out Alltop , SEOmash  and Search Brains . For compilations of the best articles in search marketing in a given year, visit The Semmys . Over at Search Engine Roundtable , you�ll find a regular compilation of important discussions happening on a variety of search marketing forums.