For starters, SEM is an abbreviation for Search Engine Marketing, and is a broad label that covers pretty much anything that will get your site listed more visibly in search engine results. This can range from utilizing back links to deliberately submitting your URL to search engines. By contrast, SEO is narrower, and stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is a subcategory of SEM, but any individual SEM operation does not necessarily contain SEO.

However, be careful when shopping for SEO or SEM services. So companies may just be providing services, such as submitting your website’s URL to a few search engines, which you are perfectly capable to do yourself. Don’t be fooled! If they do not tell you the exact services it offers in the package you have intrest in, then be sure to ask questions.

Information that would be good to gain would be what they plan on doing to increase traffic to your website. So they are submitting your URL to search engines? Which ones? Have them give you a list of those search engines. What about the use of keywords? Ask about keyword optimization of the website. Ask about META and ALT tags.

Whether it’s called SEO or SEM, the precise names don’t matter so much as the services offered and particular actions companies will take. Since SEM is so broad, it can range to anything from a comprehensive and detailed package of multiple services to a mere bare bones effort not worth buying. You need to find companies that know what they’re doing and have developed a history for good business practices and treating customers fairly. With a little effort put into researching your options, you can be sure to get the best online marketing for your money.