SEM, SEO, and your E-commerce Website

[Kristijntje]

"Build it and they will come" is catchy phrase in the movies, but it doesn't work on the Internet, as any e-commerce or small business with a Web site can attest to. Traditionally, businesses have been left to paying their way to the top of the category list in local Yellow Pages or 30-second radio ads, never knowing if customers arrived at their door because of the expensive ads or plain old positive word-of-mouth advertising.

While Internet marketing can provide a higher conversion rate, knowing how to use search engine technology isn't a matter of intuition. Just having a Web site today is not enough. Small e-commerce-based businesses need to consider investing in optimizing their Web site for organic (i.e., free) search engine rankings, as well as backing it with a successful search engine marketing plan (i.e.,paid listings).

SEM is Not Just SEO
Adding to the confusion for small businesses unfamiliar with search engine technology, is that search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) are not the same thing — even though some tend to use the acronyms interchangeably...

full article: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions...hp/3618326