You may have caught my recent SEM Video – The Difference Between PPC and SEO. If so, then you know that PPC (Pay Per Click) includes the sponsored results on all the search engines, where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) includes the natural, or organic rankings.
Another acronym that gets thrown around a lot is SEM (Search Engine Marketing), and has been a cause of a fair amount of contention over the last few years as to what exactly it includes.
Some purists believe SEM and PPC are about the same thing (namely, SEM is any paid search engine placement). I, for one, have chosen the path of assuming that SEM is the over-arching discipline of providing customers through the search engines. So, it includes PPC, SEO, paid inclusion, and any other search engine related tactic you can think of.
Semantics aside, SEM (including pay-per-click and search engine optimization) is still the most cost effective form of marketing when done correctly. Feel free to contact me to learn more about how it can help your business!