# SEM

SEM is marketing in search engines. In practice it usually means paid ads in Google, where you pay when someone clicks.

Source: https://ibenta.no/en/glossary/sem
Publisher: Ibenta (https://ibenta.no)
Updated: 2026-09-27

---

The word is used in two ways. Some mean all marketing in search engines, both paid ads and [SEO](/en/glossary/seo). Most people who sell you SEM mean only the paid part: the ads above and below the ordinary search results.

## Two different purchases

When an agency offers you SEM, ask what is actually included. If it is only ads, you pay for every click for as long as the campaign runs, and the traffic stops the day you stop paying. SEO builds something that stays. Ads give you visibility tomorrow. Both have their place, but they are two different purchases.

Paid search works well when you need customers quickly, for example right after starting up or in high season. It is also a quick way to find out which [keywords](/en/glossary/keywords) actually bring in enquiries, before you spend time writing content about them.

## What you can do today

Search Google for your own service and your own town, for example "accountant Drammen". See who is advertising and what the ads promise. Then you know what you are up against before you spend a single krone.