If you are not an expert in Online Marketing, you can quickly find yourself lost in the specific vocabulary of the sector.
But don't worry, rankingCoach is here to explain everything and make you an expert in the field. Online Marketing is also known under the acronym SEM which means Search Engine Marketing. SEM refers to all marketing methods available to improve the presence and visibility of a website on search engine result pages.
In order to improve a website's searchability, there are four main categories of optimization one should look into - SEO, Local SEO, SMO, and SEA.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website in a search engine's unpaid results. SEO is often divided into two parts - On-Page Optimization and Off-Page Optimization. On-Page Optimization is related to content on the website - the titles/URL of the pages and the multimedia content including images and/or videos. Off-Page Optimization refers to all measures that can be taken outside the actual website to improve its rankings such as Link Building (backlinks) and/or Social Media presence.
Local SEO refers to the registration of a business in specific online directories which allow your customers to find information about your business such as location, opening hours, and reviews from previous customers. This will carry over to search engine results based on locations, such as location-specific queries and Google Maps results.
Social Media Optimization (SMO) refers to visibility on social media which can be done by creating profiles and posting content regularly to attract customers and reach their interest.
Lastly, Search Engine Advertising (SEA) refers to advertising in search engines such as Google or Yahoo. Each search engine has its own platform dedicated to the creation of advertising campaigns such as Google AdWords or Yahoo Gemini. SEA differs from other previously mentioned methods as it involves a financial commitment.