Digital and online channels have been part of our lives for decades now, but usage of mobile phones, the internet, and other technologies has increased rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic. The reality is that the digital environment isn’t going away anytime soon.

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is the process of using different tactics and actions to make a website or webpages appear higher up in search results when people use search engines like Google. SEO uses organic search, and clicks or views aren’t paid for.

SEM stands for search engine marketing. Although it is also designed to help web pages appear when users enter search queries, it focuses mainly on paid results. That is, results appear but are paid for when users interact with these results. Both SEO and SEM are useful in digital marketing and should be used in tandem for the best results.

The coveted top spot on Google is the holy grail of digital marketing. But there’s no quick fix to getting it. A variety of digital marketing strategies come together to get a business or web page to “rank” (show in the top search results) on search engines.

These strategies all play an important role and include identifying keywords or phrases, optimizing website pages for these keywords, improving the website experience, driving traffic to your website via other channels, developing content that people share and find valuable, and using paid advertising to leapfrog other results. Over time, different pages on your website should climb up the Google rankings when people are searching for your products, services, or content related to your business