Search engine marketing: what does it really mean? Wikipedia currently describes SEM as the practice of buying search engine listings, but that was not the term’s original meaning.
As discussed in my article Does SEM = SEO + CPC Still Add Up?, I still view SEM more broadly, although that perspective may evolve over time.
Describe search engine marketing. According to Wikipedia, the act of purchasing search engine listings is the current definition. That is not the original definition of SEM. As my post Does SEM = SEO + CPC Still Add Up? shows, that's still not how I define it, though that may change. However, how did SEM get to be in Wikipedia in this manner? Follow along to witness how minor adjustments grew into a completely new meaning.
June 2005: Wikipedia Begins Incorrectly
On June 25, 2005, the first search engine marketing Wikipedia page was created. It said: Promoting a website in search engine results pages is known as search engine marketing. Search engine optimization is comparable to it.
I immediately thought it was incorrect because it still defined SEM products as Google AdWords and Yahoo Search Marketing.
December 2005: Wikipedia Accomplishes
The definition had become more precise and inclusive by December 2005: Search engine marketing, or SEM, is a collection of marketing strategies used in Internet marketing to advertise a website on search engine results pages.
The three primary approaches are: * Search engine optimization, which involves changing the structure and content of a website to improve rankings for pertinent keywords in search results.
Paying the search engine company for a guaranteed high position or an advertisement that appears next to the results is known as search engine advertising.
Paid inclusion, which involves paying the search engine company to ensure that the website appears in the search.
June 2007: An alternative definition was introduced.
That was fairly on point. Further modifications occurred, but the assumption that SEM was an umbrella term persisted until June 7, 2007, when the section bolded below was added to the definition.
Search engine marketing, or SEM, is a type of Internet marketing that aims to increase website visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). The Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization defines SEM methods as search engine optimization, sponsored placement, and paid inclusion.[1] Other sources, including the New York Times, define SEM as the technique of purchasing paid search listings, as opposed to SEO, which aims to improve free search rankings.[2][3]
That was contributed by Jonathan Hochman, a contributor here, a kind guy, and an experienced search marketer – not to mention a senior Wikipedia editor. So, Jonathan screwed up?
However, sources claim that…
I'm sure Jonathan will come along and comment here, but I believe he was actually attempting to ensure the report was correct.
At this point, it was evident that some people understood SEM to indicate paid search. One of the sources cited was a New York Times article from 2006, which wrote:
Search marketing is exemplified by text advertising that show next to online search results; marketers purchase the right to have their ads appear on-screen when computer users type in key words.
There is also search engine optimization, which attempts to determine how to rank a client's website higher in search results when computer users search for a subject or topic.
However, there is also a problem in Wikipedia. It appears to prefer sources like the mainstream media to "prove" the "facts" it reports, even if the media gets it wrong. And many search marketers reading the New York Times story in 2006 would have been perplexed by that definition. Despite this, an alternate definition of SEM was given equal weight to another definition that many in the business had long accepted.
Industry Experts Also Supported the Broader Definition of SEM
The other source used to support the alternate definition was written by Bill Wise and Dave Pasternack, two experienced search marketers. They wrote a paper in 2005, which stated:
There are click expenses associated with search engine marketing. Search engine optimization works with free traffic.
These two facts form the basis of a common myth: that it is easier to achieve a strong ROI through SEO than through SEM.
On the one hand, this demonstrates that the industry was inherently conflicted. But then again, it was "proof" written by two people who worked for an entirely paid search agency. And proof that, based on the comments, there are still many conflicts today:
I disagree with both the preceding point and the way many people refer to paid search as "SEM".
Before writing anything, make sure you understand the principles. Check out the SEMPO vocabulary and learn. Don't try to duplicate anything.
SEM (Search Engine Marketing). Right? SEM includes SEO and PPC, right?
You can pay for placement or get it organically.
In the end, the change resulted in two different definitions of SEM: one that included SEO, the long-standing definition sourced to the industry's oldest and largest group, and one that excluded SEO, based on a mainstream media article and a column by two people who only worked in paid search.
May 2009: SEM Changed To Exclude SEO
Again, stating an alternate definition is acceptable. But that is not what has stuck. We received this adjustment in May 2009.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is internet marketing that promotes websites by increasing visibility in search results through paid placements, ads, and sponsored listings..[1].
The Pay Per Click (PPC)-led Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization includes search engine optimization in its remit, but the industry recognizes SEO as a separate discipline, with most sources, including the New York Times, defining SEM as 'the practice of buying paid search listings'.[2][3]
Woah. That's a significant alteration, made anonymously by an author identified only by their IP address, 82.46.45.203.
One Person Quietly Reshaped the Definition of SEM
Without any new proof, it was now claimed that SEO was acknowledged as separate from SEM by "most sources."
Today, SEM still excludes SEO; inclusive definition is a "alternative"
Some of the harm was reversed in July 2009, when we received the following revision:
Search engine marketing (SEM) is an internet marketing approach focused on increasing website visibility in search engine results through paid placements, contextual ads, and sponsored listings.[1].
The Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), along with Forrester, eMarketer, Search Engine Watch, and Danny Sullivan, includes SEO within SEM in their reports.[2]. According to the New York Times, SEM is 'the technique of buying paid search listings'.[3][4]
The undocumented "most sources" section was eliminated. The premise that SEM encompasses SEO was widely supported, with organizations, newspapers, and even yours truly cited. Nonetheless, the essential concept remained unchanged from May 2009: SEM was strictly for paid searches. The definition has remained unchanged as of the publication of this article.