{"id":1304,"date":"2020-08-05T10:03:23","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T17:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/?p=1304"},"modified":"2020-08-05T10:03:24","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T17:03:24","slug":"moving-from-sem-to-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/blog\/moving-from-sem-to-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for the Right Fit: What to Expect Moving from SEM to SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Moving from SEM to SEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Moving into a new role at your company, or even at another\ncompany, is daunting. We know that firsthand because we both had over 4 years\nof paid search experiences before making the decision to move into SEO roles at\nMerkle.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transition wasn\u2019t always easy. We\u2019ve both learned a lot\nfrom our experiences, and we\u2019re giving you the inside scoop, so if you\u2019re\nmoving to SEO from SEM, you can have a smooth transition (or maybe just learn a\nthing or two about the other side of search marketing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, people outside of the search realm assume SEO and SEM are the same thing. They\u2019re both search marketing, right? But that\u2019s far from the truth. SEO (search engine optimization), is a whole different ballgame than the SEM (search engine marketing, aka PPC (pay-per-click) or paid search) world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Two Most Notable Differences Between SEM and SEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Google\u2019s Role in the Relationship: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

SEMs have a friendly and more direct relationship with\nGoogle, likely because it\u2019s a paid channel. They generally have a Google\nrepresentative who will help solve problems, suggest new features, such as alphas\nand betas for advertisers to participate in, and much more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEOs, on the other hand, have a very indirect relationship with Google, drawing learnings from thought leaders and a few authoritative Google employees who engage with the SEO community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing for Change: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The changes that are made on both sides of search also differ. For SEOs, a large amount of interpretation is needed to understand evolving search engines. On the other hand, SEMs have a better understanding of what is changing in their ecosystem. Because SEOs don\u2019t work directly with Google and don’t have a financial relationship, there\u2019s a lot of “test and learn” and insights drawn from the data gleaned from Google and other search engines. On the other hand, SEMs have their own Google Ads blog dedicated to the changes happening in Google Ads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"SEM<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The SEM Skills that Can Be Carried Over to a Career in SEO <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Due to the similarities between the two channels, there are a handful of skills that do transfer over nicely from SEM to SEO. The top skillsets include keyword research, reporting, copyrighting, marketing knowledge, and agency operations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keyword Research<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Keyword research is a big one (and perhaps the most obvious). Having an understanding of keyword elements such as: search volume, keyword relevance, long-tail vs short-tail keywords, and branded vs. non-branded keywords will provide a leg up when transitioning channels. Furthermore, many of the available keyword research tools (such as SEMrush<\/a>) are in fact used by both channels. After all, the main goal of both SEM and SEO is to rank higher for relevant keywords. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"SEMrush<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In addition to understanding how keywords work, another element that was extremely helpful was our awareness of how paid search works. This knowledge allowed us to understand the organization, auction system, and navigation of Google Ads. Even to this day, the organization of SEM\u2019s keywords has sprinkled into how both of us organize our keywords when building out our SEO content strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporting and Tools<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Reporting is another skill that crosses over from SEM to\nSEO. Most clients will want to see weekly or monthly reports from both\nchannels. In SEM, there tend to be more metrics and data points to report on\n(such as cost-based metrics like cost per conversion (CPC) and total spend). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In search, you can\u2019t talk about reporting without mentioning spreadsheets. With foundational spreadsheet skills in Excel and Google Sheets, you can use your reporting experience from SEM and apply it to SEO reports. Knowing how to use Excel aids with data analysis and manipulation, which is an integral part of keyword research. Lastly, knowing how to use other Google platforms, such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Data Studio eases the learning curve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copywriting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Another skill set that can be easily transferred from SEM to SEO is copywriting. On the SEM side, you need to be succinct when writing ad copy, because there are strict character limits. You also have the advantage of A\/B testing copy. This means you must get to the point quickly, which is something that is similarly sought after in SEO\u2019s metadata. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing Knowledge<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It is important to have a foundation of general marketing experience and knowledge. To maximize performance in both channels, you must understand user journeys, audience segmentation, keyword intent, and generally why and how consumers use search engines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agency Operations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To make the transition easier, you\u2019ll need to have a firm grasp of how advertising and digital marketing agencies operate. This includes having experience with client and agency relationships, project management, running status calls, general account management, business acumen, and putting the client\u2019s needs first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Did We Have to Learn from Scratch?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Technical Hurdles<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In our opinion, the principal hurdle of transitioning from\nSEM to SEO is the technical knowledge that is required. This includes SEO\njargon: <\/p>\n\n\n\n