The pros and cons of SEM (search engine marketing) are plentiful. The biggest pro and advantage to utilizing search engine marketing is the speed of service. By buying the ad space a company is better suited to become a top result in a search engine such as Google or Bing. By utilizing this ad space, a company is guaranteed a quick result and the top page views.  The con to this approach is the view by the customer. Most consumers won’t use the ad link as they view it as a targeted result instead of a natural result. I have also encountered times in my own search results where I have questioned the validity of a link just because it showed up as an ad space option. Another con to utilizing SEM is that the company cannot accurately analysis viewership and other data. Because the results are essentially bought a company cannot utilize any data gained from SEM other than the return on investment. If the ad generates a profit and causes the company to gain new clients, then the ad can be seen as a win. However, if the company either breaks even or losses on the ad space the ad could be seen as a loss and a failure.

            Search engine optimization (SEO) is a more organic and natural approach to search engines. By utilizing SEO, a company can track its online presence and determine how to better approach target demographics. SEO is the process of utilizing keywords and phrases to garner viewership. This utilization process is slow at first but garners the best results. By using SEO, a company can forecast what content they want viewed at what times. For example, a business that specializes in winter snow removal would be best to advertise in the fall months before any other company has started doing so. If they were to do this and track their viewership throughout the months leading up to winter, it could be assumed, that the company would garner more business. Another benefit to SEO, is being able to utilize Google Analytics and actually track peak hours of views and searches. By doing this a company can fine tune its website and make necessary changes which will benefit consumers and the company alike.

            Personally, I would suggest using an SEO approach to marketing. While it is slower at first, this method garners the most accurate and clear results. The results can be used to make necessary changes and even improve the consumer experience. By utilizing the analytics results a company can decide where to invest further advertising or even which social media platform would work best. By using the analytics data, a company can also decide what its target market should be and the best way to attract that market. For example, if a company were to attract the teenage demographic (ages 13-19) using Twitter to reach them would be the better option. Most teenagers do not use Facebook and prefer Twitter and Instagram, by knowing this a company can better format their ad space and even change their marketing to meet that specific platforms style.