What Is SEM / Search Engine Marketing?

SEM stands for “search engine marketing.” It is the process of gaining traffic from or visibility on search engines. The phrase is also sometimes shortened to “search marketing.”
SEM is an umbrella term that covers two broad areas:

• Gaining traffic through free SEO efforts
• Gaining traffic through paid search advertising

Some people consider SEM to mean gaining traffic solely through paid ads. Our article, Does SEM = SEO + CPC Still Add Up?, explains this split in more depth. Here at Search Engine Land, we stick with the broader definition.
For those who want to learn more about either SEO or paid search, see our guides below:

• What Is PPC, CPC & Paid Search Marketing
• What Is SEO / Search Engine Optimization?

For more about the broader medium of search marketing, read on!
Search Marketing Advice At Search Engine Land
Here at Search Engine Land, we provide search marketing advice and information in a variety of ways:
How To: SEM is our section devoted to practical tips and tactics about search marketing in general.
Search Engine Land Columns are where we publish a number of regular columns on various aspects of search marketing, including:

• Brand Aid
• Conversion Science
• In House
• In The Trenches
• Just Behave
• Small Is Beautiful
• Strictly Business

SEM Library Archives is an area of Search Engine Land that provides a collection of all stories we’ve written on the topic of SEM. We also have subcategories, including:

• Search Marketing: Branding
• Search Marketing: General
• Search Marketing: Landing Pages
• Search Marketing: Local Search Marketing
• Search Marketing: Mobile
• Search Marketing: Public Relations
• Search Marketing: Search Term Research
• Search Marketing: Shopping Search Marketing

SEM Tools is another area of Search Engine Land with a collection of stories we’ve written about search marketing tools. It includes these subtopics:

• SEM Tools: Keyword Research
• SEM Tools: Links
• SEM Tools: URL Shorteners
• SEM Tools: Web Analytics

SEM Industry is a section of Search Engine Land that focuses not on search marketing advice but rather the search marketing industry (which even has an industry group, SEMPO). Within our SEM Industry section are these subsections:

• SEM Industry: Acquisitions
• SEM Industry: Awards
• SEM Industry: Blogs & Forums
• SEM Industry: Community
• SEM Industry: Conferences
• SEM Industry: General
• SEM Industry: In House
• SEM Industry: Organizations
• SEM Industry: Outsourcing
• SEM Industry: Pubcon
• SEM Industry: Search Engine Strategies – SES
• SEM Industry: Search Marketing Expo – SMX
• SEM Industry: Stats

Remember, those with Search Engine Land memberships also have access to a wide-range of video content about SEM recorded at our SMX: Search Marketing Expo conferences. Our Search Marketing Now webinar site also has SEM presentations available on demand, to anyone, for free.
Search Marketing Resources
There are a number of blogs and forums that focus heavily on search marketing topics, including: aimClear, Bruce Clay Blog, David Naylor, Marketing Pilgrim, Michael Gray, Nine By Blue, Outspoken Media, Search Cowboys, Search Insider, Search Engine Guide, Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Land, Search Engine People, Search Engine Watch, Search Marketing Gurus, SEM Club House, SEOmoz, SEO Book, TopRank, WebProNews and WebmasterWorld. Need more? Really? OK, visit TopRank’s “Big List” of online marketing blogs.
Those seeking easy-to-scan compilations of search marketing news from across the web should check out Alltop, SEOmash and Search Brains. For compilations of the best articles in search marketing in a given year, visit The Semmys. Over at Search Engine Roundtable, you’ll find a regular compilation of important discussions happening on a variety of search marketing forums.
Most of all, consider taking our free SearchCap newsletter! SearchCap provides a recap of all the day’s search-related news from sources all over the web, as well as the day’s news from Search Engine Land and from Search Engine Land’s related social news site, Sphinn.