The Difference between SEO and SEM (And How to Get the Most Out of Both)

SEO gets your business showing up in regular Google search results without paying for each click. We'll explain the three key elements that make it work, how long it actually takes to see results, and how to get the best out of it.

What’s SEM and How Does It Work?

SEM means paying for ads that put you at the top of search results instantly. Find out how it works, how Google decides which ads to show, and how to get great results from it.

Best Ways to Use SEO and SEM for Your Small Business

This is where strategy matters. Learn exactly when to use SEO versus SEM, what the best practices are for maximum results, and the common pitfalls to avoid if you want to get the most out of your marketing efforts.

Ready to understand how this actually works for businesses like yours? Let's dig in.

SEO boils down to three things working together: on-page SEO, technical SEO, and off-page SEO. On-page SEO means making sure each page on your site clearly explains what you do, using words people actually use when they’re searching for what you offer. Your homepage, service pages, and blog posts need to match how customers talk about their problems.

Technical SEO is the behind-the-scenes stuff: making your site load fast (under three seconds), work perfectly on mobile phones, and be secure. Google cares about this because customers do. Off-page SEO is what others say about you online. When reputable sites link to yours or customers leave reviews, Google sees it as proof you're legitimate. Get all three working together, and you're playing the game right.

Why SEO Takes Time (And Why That's Actually Good)

Here's the reality: SEO takes 6 to 12 months before you see real results, with peak performance hitting in years two and three. That sounds like forever when you need customers now, right? But here's why slow is actually your advantage. Google doesn't trust new content immediately. It watches to see if people find it helpful, if other sites reference it, and if it stays relevant over time. 

This gradual process means once you do start ranking, it's much harder for competitors to knock you off. You're not renting visibility like with ads; you're building an asset that keeps working without ongoing payments. Think of it like planting a tree. You water it for months, seeing nothing, then suddenly you've got shade for years.

Real Ways to Get SEO Working for Your Business

• Find the keywords your customers actually use
  Think about how people search for your services; not industry jargon, but real phrases like "leaky faucet fix" or "best pizza delivery near me." Use Google's search bar. It auto-suggests what people are typing. Those suggestions? That's free keyword research.
• Use keywords naturally in the right places
  Put your main keyword in your page title, your first paragraph, and a few headings. But write like a human first. If you're cramming "best plumber Montreal" into every sentence, you've gone too far. Google's smart enough to understand synonyms and related terms.
• Make your site fast and mobile-friendly
  Over 60% of searches happen on phones. If your site takes more than three seconds to load or looks broken on mobile, people leave, and Google notices. Test your site on your own phone. If you're frustrated, so are your customers.
• Create content that answers real questions
  What do customers ask you all the time? "How much does it cost to...?" "What's the difference between...?" Write blog posts or FAQ pages answering those questions in plain language. Each answer is a chance to rank for that specific search.
  

How Google Ads Works

Google Ads works on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, meaning you only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad and visits your website. Your ad can show up a thousand times, but if nobody clicks, you pay nothing. This is different from traditional advertising, where you pay just to have your ad exist (like a billboard or newspaper ad).

Here's how it works: You pick the keywords people search for, like "roof repair" or "Italian restaurant downtown", and tell Google the maximum you're willing to pay for each click. The average cost per click is around $2.69, but it varies wildly by industry.

You set a daily budget (say, $20), and once that's spent, your ads stop for the day. So you never accidentally blow your budget. Google advertising runs on an auction system: every time someone searches your keyword, Google instantly decides which ads to show based on your bid, your ad quality, and how relevant you are to that search.

How Google Decides Which Ads to Show (AKA What’s a Quality Score)

Google doesn't just show the ads from whoever pays the most. They use something called Quality Score (basically, how relevant and helpful your ad is). It's based on three things: whether people actually click your ad (expected click-through rate), how well your ad matches what someone searched for (ad relevance), and whether the page people land on after clicking your ad delivers what the ad promises (landing page experience). 

A high Quality Score means you pay less per click and your ads show up more often. So two businesses bidding the same amount? The one with the better ad wins. This is why a plumber with a specific ad about "24-hour emergency service" beats a generic "plumbing services" ad every time.

Best Tips to Get Started with Google Ads (the Smart Way)

• Pick one service to promote
  Don't try to advertise everything at once. Focus on your most profitable service or the one you want to book more of.
• Write an ad that speaks to the problem
  Instead of "Professional Plumbing," try "Burst Pipe? We're There in 30 Minutes." Be specific about what you solve.
• Send clicks to a specific landing page
  Don't send everyone to your homepage. If your ad is about emergency service, the landing page should be about emergency service with a big phone number.
• Set a small daily budget
  Even $15-20 gets you started. You can always increase it once you see what's working.
• Use location targeting
  Only show ads to people in your actual service area. No point paying for clicks from people 100 kilometres away.
  

Speed over Patience

You're not waiting for Google to notice you organically; you're buying your way to the top. Now here's where it gets interesting: when you combine SEM's instant visibility with SEO's long-term staying power, that's when small businesses really start dominating their local markets.

When to Use SEO vs When to Use SEM

Use SEM when you need results now: launching a new service, filling your schedule during slow season, or testing whether people actually want what you're offering. It's perfect for competitive keywords where you're not ranking organically yet. Use SEO when you're thinking long-term: building authority in your area, establishing yourself as the go-to business, and creating traffic that doesn't stop when your ad budget runs out. 

Start with a small SEM budget to get immediate customers while you build your SEO foundation. As your organic rankings improve over 6 to 12 months, you can reduce ad spend or shift it to promote new services. Remember, businesses that combine both see 45% better results than those using just one approach.

Best Practices for Combining Both Strategies

• Share keyword data between strategies
  If certain keywords convert well in your ads, create SEO content around them. If you're already ranking #1 organically for a keyword, you probably don't need to run ads for it.
• Use SEM to test, then apply to SEO
  Test different headlines and messaging in your ads; you'll get feedback in days. Take the winners and use them in your SEO content, page titles, and meta descriptions (the summarized text that appears underneath a page title on search engines).
• Optimize landing pages for both
  Make sure pages load fast, work perfectly on mobile, and clearly answer what people searched for. A page that converts well for paid traffic will also rank well organically.
• Track everything separately
  Use different tracking for SEO and SEM so you know exactly what's working and what each channel costs you per lead.
• Target different customer stages
  Use SEM for "ready to buy now" searches like "emergency plumber" and SEO for earlier-stage searches like "how to tell if I need a new roof." Cover the whole journey.
• Dominate the entire search page
  The goal is for you to own the top of the search results with both your ad and your organic listing.
  

Common Pitfalls That Waste Money

• Don't compete against yourself
  If you're ranking #1 organically for a keyword and also running ads for it, you're paying for clicks you'd get for free. Save that ad budget for keywords where you're not ranking yet.
• Stop sending everyone to your homepage
  Create specific landing pages that match what people searched for. If your ad is about emergency service, the landing page should be about emergency service.
• Fix your mobile experience
  Over 60% of searches happen on phones, and 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take more than three seconds to load. Test your site on your own phone.
• Don't set it and forget it
  Check your campaigns weekly, especially in the first month. Markets change, competitors adjust, and you need to stay on top of what's working.
• Make your ads specific
  Generic ads like "Professional Plumbing Services" get ignored. Specific ads like "Burst Pipe? 24/7 Emergency Response" get clicks.