Comments on: What should we call PPC/Paid Search/SEM?

By: David Szetela

David Szetela — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:38:23 +0000

Thanks, Greg – and I agree with you on all counts!

By: Greg Flewelling

Greg Flewelling — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:35:48 +0000

You’re the god of PPC Dave, so it hurts me to correct you. Advertising is part of Marketing, not vice versa. Gotta go with PPC and SEM for everything together (SEO, PPC, etc.) Love PPC Rockstars.

By: Frederik Trovatten

Frederik Trovatten — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:41:26 +0000

PPC or paid Search.

I get ticks everytime I hear the work SEM as a referrer to PPC.

Search Engine Marketing/SEM is “Marketing in Search Engines” and can be videos, images, SEO and SEM.

I vote for PPC

By: Andrew@BloggingGuide

Andrew@BloggingGuide — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:18:34 +0000

I voted PPC Advertising. It should be PPC Advertising because the name explains it all. It’s straight-to-the-point or specific enough to know what it is really referring to.

By: Andrew Goodman

Andrew Goodman — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:22:15 +0000

Hello sir,

I believe I have already made my position abundantly clear as mud on this matter:

http://www.traffick.com/2009/11/ppc-has-always-been-wrong-term.asp

By: Robert Brady

Robert Brady — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:55:31 +0000

I’m behind you 110% on Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising. This is the easiest way I’ve found to describe the field even if people sometimes think you just said “paper clip”.

By: Scott Brinker

Scott Brinker — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:05:57 +0000

I probably shouldn’t mention this, but the academic community still refers to this as “sponsored search.”

But I like PPC.

By: Marc Poirier

Marc Poirier — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:54:24 +0000

I call it performance marketing.

Search is diminutive. Social media and display ads are usually part of the mix.

Pay-per-click doesn’t always apply. CPM and CPA deals can be very good as well.

The bottom line is we’re simply performing measurable and accountable marketing.

By: Mary O'Brien

Mary O'Brien — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:16:05 +0000

I think it may have been Danny, years ago, who coined the term paid search, but it never seemed to catch on outside the industry. At this point with the Content Network becoming a bigger part of what we do, I agree that it makes more sense to call it something else.

To me, Search Engine Marketing always applied as the umbrella term for SEO and PPC as it encompasses both, whereas Pay-Per-Click Advertising is just that.

God knows there are enough confusing acronyms in marketing without adding more, so I’m all for calling it exactly what it is.

Cheers, Mary

By: brad

brad — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:33:12 +0000

David – you hit upon one of my big pet peeves.

I really don’t like the name SEM for paid search. Once upon a time SEM meant both PPC & SEO (plus local, video, whatever you want to call any info that shows up on a search result page).

Then suddenly, SEM meant paid search only – that’s annoying. What is someone called who just wants their site on a search result regardless of the method?

Paid search not only means you are ignoring the content network, doesn’t it also mean you do search feeds that shows up in search results (such as the old Yahoo paid inclusion)? Few people specialize in both shopping feeds and PPC.

I’ll vote for PPC. PPC consists of paid search and content advertising. SEM means you do both. And please just call me an internet marketer as I do email, banners, domaining, SEO, PPC, and more.