Search Engine Marketing, is a form of Internet Marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility or ranking in the Search Engine result pages. By increasing your website's ranking, you also increase your chances of prospective customers finding and using your product or service.

An organic search is a process by which Internet users find web sites having unpaid (or Un-Sponsored) search engine listings, as opposed to using the Sponsored (also called Paid) advertisement listings displayed among the search results. The field of Search Engine Optimization, (SEO), is focused on maximizing the visibility of a web site by making its listings appear more frequently (higher ranking) and more prominently in organic search results.

This is a longer term strategy great for building brand recognition online, marketplace education and awareness and driving visitors to your website. While this is the most cost effective strategy, it also has the greatest opportunity for reward Long term, this can be a windfall for some website.

Sponsored Search are search engine (Google, Yahoo, MSN) results but you pay for the placement. Or more accurately, you pay when someone clicks on your advertisement. Commonly also called “Local Search”.

This strategy is generally used for lead generation campaigns (everything from leads for plumbing to leads for building the corporate catering business for franchisees). It is very cost effective because “you get what you pay for” in terms of clicks to your website.

The chart below shows the Pros and Cons of each Strategy:

A combined strategy of both Sponsored and Organic Search is the most effective long term strategy. As Organic efforts show results, this creates opportunity to reduce the spend on Sponsored Search efforts.