Skip to content
      We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing. We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing. We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing. We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing. We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing. We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing. We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing. We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing. We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing. We Proudly Celebrate Six Nominations for the 2026 Golden Gavel Awards Defining Our Excellence in Legal Marketing.
      SEP 21, 2016

      The difference between SEO and SEM

      Did you know that SEO and SEM are in fact separate? While often used interchangeably, there is a distinct difference bet...
      SEO and SEM
      Eric Elliot
      Eric Elliot LEGAL MARKETING SPECIALIST
      Eric Elliott is the founder and CEO of VIP Marketing and Craft Creative. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, Eric has become a preeminent voice in legal marketing, specializing in high-impact video production and strategic media placement. Under his leadership, VIP Marketing has helped hundreds of law firms across the Southeast achieve market dominance through cinematic storytelling and data-driven campaigns.Previously, Eric served as a senior media consultant for major broadcast networks, where he developed the 'Frequency-First' methodology that now powers LegalStrategy's core services. He is a frequent speaker at national legal marketing conferences and a regular contributor to regional bar publications.
      Share

      Did you know that SEO and SEM are in fact separate? While often used interchangeably, there is a distinct difference between SEO and SEM. We will detail the difference below along with a little trick to remember the difference between the two.

      What Is SEO?

      SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. This form of marketing is unpaid and depends on optimizing  your website and other platforms with keywords so your webpage ranks higher on the SERP, also known as Search Engine Results Page.

      What is SEM?

      SEM is an acronym for Search Engine Marketing. This form of online marketing is paid. SEM is PPC, Search, etc. In one form SEM could mean purchasing a text search ad as shown below:

      SEM Example VIP.png

      So, what’s the trick?

      I’m glad you asked! In order to remember the difference, I’ve used the following “trick”:

      SEO has an “O” at the end that I pretend is a zero to signify that it costs nothing to advertise. I’ve also used the “O” to signify organic.

      SEM has an “M” at the end that I use to signify money, meaning it costs money to advertise.

      Never miss an update! Have new content delivered straight to your inbox! Subscribe at veryimportantplacement.com.

      Like this article? Share it by using the social sharing buttons below. We love meeting new people; connect with us on any of our social platforms!

      Contact Us

      Ready to See Your 
Law Firm Thrive?

      No hard pitches. Just a quick chat to explore fit.