Although they sound similar, it’s important to know how to distinguish the differences between SEO and SEM as a whole.
Speed
SEM includes both paid advertising and SEO, which requires robust keyword research before adding the target keywords to the content. SEO also takes a lot longer to see results than a paid search campaign.
PRICE
While SEO is, in principle, a cost-free SEM strategy because you don’t pay for clicks, it will be labor-intensive to carry out the keyword research necessary for a successful SEO strategy.
AUDIENCE TARGETING
A paid ad campaign allows automatic audience targeting in the ads manager which can save you from some of the important decision-making.
With SEO, more time will be spent on keyword research to make sure the content you make is relevant to the characteristics and search intent of your chosen audience.