When it comes to attracting visitors to your BigCommerce online store, search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are two essential strategies that can help increase your visibility online. While both aim to improve your search engine rankings, there are significant differences between the two.
Table of Contents
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the process of making changes to your website to improve your online visibility in organic or unpaid search engine results. The goal is to optimize your website in a way that meets the search engine’s algorithms and improves your website’s relevance, authority, and trustworthiness.
Key elements of SEO
To effectively execute an SEO strategy for your BigCommerce store, you must understand the key elements that search engines consider when ranking your website.
Keywords
Keywords are sets of words or phrases that your customers use when searching for products or services online. SEO experts use keywords to optimize website pages, product descriptions, and other website content. Thorough keyword research helps identify the most effective keywords for your store.
Content
In the world of SEO, content is king. Quality content will help increase user engagement, establish your store as a trustworthy source of information, and improve your search engine rankings.
Backlinks
Backlinks are links to your website that come from other reputable websites. Search engines view a website’s backlinks as votes of confidence and credibility. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more trustworthy your website appears to search engines.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves optimizing your website’s technical aspects, such as page speed, mobile responsiveness, metadata, and website architecture. It’s essential to ensure your website’s technical elements meet the latest SEO standards to improve your website’s visibility.
What is SEM?
Search engine marketing (SEM) is a paid strategy that involves running advertising campaigns on search engines. It offers a more immediate way to drive traffic to your store than SEO, but it can be costly.
Key elements of SEM
To run successful SEM campaigns, you must first understand the key components of this strategy.
Keywords
Like SEO, SEM relies on keyword research to identify the right search terms to target in your advertising.
Ad Copy
To make your ads stand out, you need to write engaging ad copy that highlights the unique selling points of your products or services.
Landing Pages
Your landing pages are where customers end up after clicking on your ad. Landing pages should be optimized to ensure visitors are directed to the correct products or services and encouraged to complete their purchase.
Budget and Bidding
SEM involves bidding on specific keywords and setting a daily budget for your campaign. The cost per click varies depending on the competitiveness of the keyword.
SEO Vs. SEM: Which Strategy Is Best for BigCommerce Store Owners?
Both SEO and SEM are crucial components of a BigCommerce marketing strategy.
SEO is more of a long-term strategy that takes time and effort to produce results. It’s ideal for online businesses that want to establish an online presence and attract organic traffic.
SEM is more of a short-term strategy, ideal for businesses that want to drive immediate, qualified traffic and conversions. It’s perfect for new businesses that need to generate revenue quickly or established businesses looking to promote new products or services.
Ultimately, the best strategy for your BigCommerce store depends on your business goals, budget, and the competition within your industry. A combination of both can help you achieve better visibility in search engine rankings and drive traffic to your store.
Conclusion
SEO and SEM are two essential BigCommerce marketing strategies that complement each other and can significantly increase your online visibility. By optimizing your website and running paid advertising campaigns, you can attract more qualified traffic, increase your online sales, and grow your business. Always stay up-to-date with the latest SEO and SEM trends to ensure your BigCommerce store meets the latest search engine standards.