Does SEO & SEM as a Compound Subject Bother You?

Did your client ever mix up what you do (SEO) given all the hardcore front-end coding, fixing that random font and JS loading time, with Google Ads? Does that rev your nerves? If so, this article is for you.

At BMG, we often hear SEO and SEM mentioned in the same breath, and we always take the time to explain the difference. Over the years, we’ve encountered so many interpretations of SEO that we decided to compile a comprehensive list for all the OG SEOers. We hope someone finds it useful and perhaps even invites us to discuss it on a podcast someday.

On-page SEO

On-page SEO is the ultimate OG: it involves optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and attract more relevant traffic from search engines. This includes optimizing content, HTML elements, and site architecture. Implementation involves using relevant keywords in titles, headers, meta descriptions, and throughout the content. For example, if you’re writing a blog about coffee, include keywords like “coffee recipes” and “authentic espresso.” Create valuable, informative, and engaging content that answers user queries, such as a detailed guide on making homemade coffee with step-by-step images. Additionally, link to other relevant pages on your site to enhance navigation and distribute link equity, like linking your homemade coffee guide to a page about brewing techniques.

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO, another OG SEO technique, involves actions taken outside your website to impact your rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs), primarily through backlink building. Implementation includes acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable websites, such as getting a food blog to link to your homemade coffee guide. Promote your content on social media platforms to increase visibility and generate backlinks by sharing your blog post on Facebook and Instagram. Write guest posts for other reputable blogs and include links back to your site, for instance, contributing an article about coffee to a popular food blog.

Technical SEO

Technical SEO is from the old days of HTML, but these days Cloudflare and other awesome tech can improve this. It focuses on optimizing your website for the crawling and indexing phase, helping search engines access, crawl, interpret, and index your site effectively. Implementation involves improving loading times by compressing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing JavaScript. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix speed issues. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly by using responsive design to adapt to different screen sizes and test your site on various devices to adjust the layout accordingly. Create and submit an XML sitemap to search engines to ensure they can find and index all your pages, generating a sitemap using tools like Yoast SEO and submitting it to Google Search Console.

Local SEO

Have you ever seen why a local store shows up first? Well, Local SEO, a semi-OG technique, focuses on optimizing a website to be found in local search results, crucial for businesses that serve specific geographical areas. Implementation includes creating and optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) profile with accurate information, images, and customer reviews. For example, a local coffee shop should include its address, phone number, hours, and menu on GMB. Ensure your business information is consistent across all local directories and platforms by listing your coffee shop on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and local business directories. Use local keywords in your content and meta tags, such as "best coffee in New York."

Mobile SEO

Back in the day, Mobile SEO wasn't as popular, but it has been for the last 10+ years. This ensures that your website provides a good user experience on mobile devices, involving responsive design, site speed, and mobile-friendly content. Implementation includes using responsive web design to ensure your site adjusts to different screen sizes and ensuring buttons and links are easily clickable on mobile devices. Implement Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to improve mobile page load times, converting your blog posts to AMP format for faster loading. Ensure your content is easy to read on mobile devices by breaking up long blocks of text and using bullet points for readability.

Voice Search SEO

Did you ever call your mom on FaceTime and her Alexa picked up your Alexa command? Yeah, voice search matters, and voice search SEO focuses on optimizing your content to answer voice queries, which are often conversational and question-based. Implementation includes using natural language and long-tail keywords, such as "how to make the best homemade coffee" instead of "best coffee recipes." Create FAQ pages to answer common voice search queries, such as "What is the best way to brew coffee at home?" Additionally, optimize for local searches as many voice searches are location-specific, like "Where can I find the best coffee near me?"

E-commerce SEO

Ever notice that CPCs are expensive? Well, E-commerce SEO involves optimizing online stores to rank higher in search engine results. Implementation includes writing unique, keyword-rich product descriptions that describe a coffee maker's features and benefits in detail. Encourage customers to leave reviews, as these can improve rankings and provide fresh content, by sending follow-up emails requesting reviews after a purchase. Use schema markup for products to enhance search listings with rich snippets, adding product schema to display ratings, prices, and availability in search results.

International SEO

Not everyone speaks New Jerseyan: International SEO focuses on optimizing your website to rank in multiple countries and languages. Implementation includes using hreflang tags to indicate the language and geographical targeting of your pages, like hreflang="en-us" for English (United States) and hreflang="it-it" for Italian (Italy). Create content tailored to each target market, offering localized versions of your coffee recipes in different languages. Use country-specific top-level domains (ccTLDs) or subdirectories, like using .it for Italy or /it/ subdirectory for Italian content.

Video SEO

Did you ever look up that Tesla video and wonder why some things show up and others don’t? Video SEO involves optimizing videos to improve their search engine ranking and visibility. Implementation includes using relevant keywords in video titles, descriptions, and tags, like titling your video "How to Make Perfect Homemade Coffee." Provide transcriptions of your videos to improve searchability by including a text transcript of your coffee-making tutorial. Create and submit a video sitemap to search engines, including your video URLs in a sitemap to help search engines index them.

Image SEO

Did you ever look up that image of before and after implementing your conduit at Home Depot and wonder why some images show up but others don’t? Image SEO works for both Pinterest and Search among others, and it involves optimizing images to improve their visibility in search engines. Implementation includes using descriptive alt text for all images, such as "homemade espresso with fresh crema" for an image of a coffee. Use relevant keywords in image file names, like naming an image file "homemade-coffee-recipe.jpg" instead of "IMG1234.jpg." Compress images to reduce load times without sacrificing quality, using tools like TinyPNG to compress images.

Negative SEO

Negative SEO is as OG as the good old days of unethical practices aimed at decreasing a competitor's rankings. Although it is unethical and strongly discouraged, implementation includes creating spammy backlinks to a competitor's site, such as linking a competitor's site from link farms. It also involves copying and duplicating a competitor's content to create duplicate content issues, like reposting their blog posts across the web. Posting negative reviews about a competitor's business is another tactic, such as leaving false bad reviews on their Google My Business profile.

White Hat SEO

White hat SEO refers to ethical optimization techniques that follow search engine guidelines. Implementation includes creating valuable and relevant content for users, such as writing comprehensive guides and how-tos. Earn links through high-quality content and relationships by getting other food bloggers to link to your coffee recipes. Focus on improving the overall user experience, including site speed, mobile-friendliness, and easy navigation, by streamlining your website design for better usability.

Black Hat SEO

Black hat SEO involves unethical practices that violate search engine guidelines to achieve quick rankings. Although it is unethical and strongly discouraged, implementation includes overloading content with keywords, such as unnecessarily repeating "best coffee recipe" throughout a page. Showing different content to search engines and users, known as cloaking, is another tactic, like displaying keyword-rich content to search engines while showing regular content to users. Creating a network of websites solely to link to each other, known as link farms, involves setting up multiple low-quality sites to interlink.

Gray Hat SEO

Gray hat SEO involves tactics that are not explicitly against the rules but are still questionable. Implementation includes using sensational headlines to attract clicks, such as "This Coffee Recipe Will Change Your Life!" Creating content that offers little value but targets specific keywords, like a page with minimal content that is just enough to get indexed, is another tactic. Encouraging reviews in exchange for compensation without disclosing the incentive, such as offering discounts for positive reviews, is also a gray hat SEO practice.

Organic SEO

Organic SEO focuses on earning traffic through unpaid efforts and high-quality content. Implementation includes developing and promoting high-quality content that attracts organic traffic, such as a series of blog posts about different coffee recipes. Attract backlinks naturally through valuable content, like creating a comprehensive guide on coffee making that other food bloggers link to. Conduct thorough keyword research to target terms your audience is searching for, using tools like Google Keyword Planner to find relevant keywords for your niche.

Paid SEO

Paid SEO, this is a touchy topic for all the genuine SEO OGs: so basically, it’s paying for content and backlinks, such as sponsoring a post on a popular food blog that reviews your coffee products.