Generally speaking, search engine marketing (SEM) provides the framework, tools, and processes to increase visibility in search engines. You can achieve this by getting higher placements in organic results or better positions for ads a company runs.
The two main types of SEM, SEO, and PPC, work together to help businesses get more traffic to their website or landing pages.
Organic search (SEO): This is when consumers find your business through search engines like Google. When your prospects search for information about your products or services, you want to rank higher on the search engine results page so that the probability of them clicking on your link grows significantly. Through on-page optimization of your website, you can improve your ranking for important search terms and phrases. Another way to improve your rank is by getting reputable sites to link to yours.
Paid search (SEM) is an advertising program that lets you buy listings in the “sponsored” area of a search engine. There are plenty of paid search programs, but the most common is called pay-per-click (PPC) - you only pay when a prospect clicks your ad.