SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
Marketing on search engines. In common usage, the paid side (ads), as distinct from SEO's organic side. Some use it as the umbrella for both.
Free · no signup · last reviewed August 29, 2026
The definition
Marketing on search engines. In common usage, the paid side (ads), as distinct from SEO's organic side. Some use it as the umbrella for both.
Why it matters to an owner
When a vendor pitches 'SEM', make them say which they mean. Paying for clicks or earning rankings. The budgets, timelines, and deliverables are completely different.
Keep going
PPC (Pay-Per-Click)The advertising model where you pay only when someone clicks. Google Ads and most search/s…SEO (Search Engine Optimization)Making your site the best available answer for searches your customers make, so it ranks w…CPC (Cost Per Click)What you pay each time someone clicks your ad. Set by auction, so it varies by industry, k…
This is the work. Want it done?
Everything here is free to use yourself. That’s the point. If you’d rather a senior marketer just handle it, in your accounts and your name: 20-minute call, no pitch deck.