Long conversions on what search means when people talk about search can lead to missed opportunity (waste in lean speak) if the folks have different definitions of search.
What? Don't think this happens? Just start with asking what SEO, Search Engine Optimization, and SEM, Search Engine Marketing, means to the next person, but be warned, it may be a long conversation if you haven't agreed on the definitions. Generally (defined as a Google search for SEO vs SEM), most sites in the field of search have agreed that SEO is the activities an organization performs on its' web presence to enhance the ranking on one or more search engine. SEM tends to be a bit more contentious about the 'real' definition and a reference to 'paid search' is usually present with the debate about if not paid activities should be included in the definition.
My favorite definitions are:
SEO=Organic Search Efforts
SEM=Paid Search Efforts
Using Google as an example, if you have paid for an ad or keyword, you have used SEM; if you have adjusted content, meta data, or links, you have used SEO.
Why is this important?
~500 algorithm changes every year by Google (Source: Google post, Search Engine Watch, Moz)
SEO is big (Search Engine Journal, Positionly)
SEM is big $18.4B in 2013 (IAB)
How much are you spending for #1? How much is #1 worth? (Previous Post, Marketing Ninja's research).
Time to gear up for change (or is it change of the change?).
