Digital marketing and internet marketing are closely related terms, and many people use them interchangeably. However, there is a useful distinction: internet marketing specifically refers to marketing that happens through the internet, while digital marketing is a broader category that includes internet marketing and other forms of marketing that use digital or electronic technology.
For most small businesses, creators, bloggers, affiliate marketers, freelancers, and eCommerce brands, the daily work of digital marketing happens online. That includes websites, search engines, social media, email, online video, paid ads, content marketing, affiliate marketing, and online communities.
Understanding the difference helps you choose the right tools, channels, strategy, and language for your business. More importantly, it helps you focus on the customer journey instead of getting distracted by terminology.
What Is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the use of digital technology and electronic devices to promote products, services, brands, ideas, or organizations. It can include online channels, but it may also include digital methods that do not require an internet connection at the moment a customer sees the marketing message.
The American Marketing Association describes digital marketing as marketing methods conducted through electronic devices that use some form of computer, including online marketing efforts conducted through the internet. It identifies channels such as websites, search engines, blogs, social media, video, and email. [336]
Digital Marketing Examples
- Website marketing.
- Search engine optimization.
- Google Ads and paid search campaigns.
- Social-media marketing.
- Email marketing.
- Online video marketing.
- Affiliate marketing.
- Influencer marketing.
- Mobile app marketing.
- SMS text-message campaigns.
- Digital billboards.
- Connected television advertisements.
- In-app advertisements.
- Digital display advertising.
- Digital audio advertising.
Digital marketing can therefore include marketing messages delivered through a computer, mobile device, television, display, app, kiosk, or other electronic format.
What Is Internet Marketing?
Internet marketing is the use of online channels that require an internet connection to reach potential customers, build awareness, generate leads, educate an audience, promote offers, and make sales.
Internet marketing is sometimes called online marketing, web marketing, or web-based marketing. It focuses on channels such as websites, search engines, email, social media, video platforms, online advertising, online marketplaces, affiliate programs, and digital communities.
Internet Marketing Examples
- Publishing a blog post that ranks in Google Search.
- Sending an email newsletter to subscribers.
- Creating YouTube tutorials.
- Posting Instagram Reels or TikTok videos.
- Running Facebook or Google Ads.
- Creating Pinterest pins that link to website articles.
- Promoting affiliate products through a resource page.
- Optimizing an eCommerce product page for search.
- Hosting a webinar.
- Managing an online community.
- Building a sales funnel with landing pages and email automation.
Salesforce describes internet marketing as promotional and sales activity conducted over the internet. It identifies websites, social media, email, and search engine marketing as common internet marketing tactics. [328]
The Main Difference
The simplest way to understand the difference is this:
Internet marketing is a type of digital marketing, but digital marketing may include channels that are not strictly internet-based.
| Internet Marketing | Digital Marketing |
|---|---|
| Requires an internet-connected channel. | Uses digital or electronic technology, whether or not the channel always requires the internet. |
| Includes websites, SEO, email, social media, online ads, online video, and affiliate marketing. | Includes all internet marketing channels plus possibilities such as SMS, digital displays, mobile apps, and connected television advertising. |
| Focuses on online discovery, engagement, conversion, and customer relationships. | Focuses on marketing through a broader digital ecosystem. |
| Often used by bloggers, online businesses, affiliates, creators, eCommerce stores, and service providers. | Often used by businesses running integrated campaigns across online, mobile, media, and electronic channels. |
In practice, the difference can be blurry. A business may use email, social media, SEO, mobile notifications, text messages, and online ads together as one connected marketing strategy. That is why many marketers use the terms as if they mean the same thing.
Digital Marketing Includes Internet Marketing
Think of digital marketing as the larger umbrella. Under that umbrella are online activities such as SEO, social media, websites, email, online advertising, content marketing, and affiliate marketing.
Internet marketing is the online portion of that umbrella. It includes the marketing activities that happen through internet-connected platforms and devices.
Simple Example
A local fitness studio may use several marketing channels:
- A WordPress website with class schedules and membership information.
- Google Business Profile optimization for local search visibility.
- Instagram Reels to show workouts and instructor tips.
- Email campaigns to promote trial memberships.
- Google Ads for people searching for nearby fitness classes.
- SMS appointment reminders.
- A digital display ad inside a local shopping center.
The website, local SEO, Instagram, email, and Google Ads are all internet marketing. The SMS reminders and digital display may also be considered part of the company’s broader digital marketing strategy.
Internet Marketing Channels Explained
For most online business owners, internet marketing is where the majority of attention should go. These channels help people discover your business, learn from your content, join your email list, request a quote, book a call, or make a purchase.
Website Marketing
A website is the online home of your business. It can explain your offers, publish articles, collect email subscribers, display testimonials, sell products, answer questions, and provide customer support.
Unlike a social-media account, a website is an asset you control. A WordPress website hosted through a provider such as DreamHost or SiteGround can become the center of your online content, product pages, landing pages, services, and email sign-ups.
Search Engine Optimization
SEO is the process of improving a website so that relevant pages may appear in search-engine results. It involves keyword research, helpful content, technical site improvements, internal linking, user experience, and earning trustworthy links.
SEO is useful because it can attract people who are actively looking for an answer, product, service, or solution. For example, someone searching “best web hosting for beginner bloggers” has a different intent than someone casually scrolling through social media.
Content Marketing
Content marketing uses articles, videos, checklists, guides, newsletters, podcasts, templates, and tutorials to help a target audience. Good content builds trust before a customer is ready to buy.
Google encourages creators to focus on helpful, reliable, people-first content created primarily to benefit people, not to manipulate search rankings. Strong content should answer the reader’s question, demonstrate useful knowledge, and create a satisfying experience. [237]
Email Marketing
Email marketing allows a business to communicate directly with people who have chosen to subscribe. It can be used for welcome sequences, newsletters, product education, customer support, promotions, abandoned-cart messages, lead nurturing, and follow-up.
Tools such as HubSpot, MailerLite, ConvertKit, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, and Systeme.io can help businesses create opt-in forms, landing pages, automated sequences, audience segments, and campaigns.
Social Media Marketing
Social-media marketing uses platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and X to reach potential customers. The best platform depends on where your audience spends time and what type of content they prefer.
For example, Pinterest can help visual businesses and bloggers drive traffic to evergreen content. YouTube can be useful for tutorials and product demonstrations. LinkedIn can be useful for professional services and business-to-business marketing. Instagram and TikTok can help creators demonstrate products, build personality-driven brands, and answer common questions through short-form video.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is an internet marketing model in which a publisher earns a commission for referring customers through a tracked link. It can be used in articles, videos, newsletters, resource pages, and social-media content.
Affiliate recommendations should be transparent, relevant, and useful. The Federal Trade Commission says that if a relationship between an endorser and a marketer is not expected by the audience and could affect how consumers evaluate the endorsement, the connection should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. [181]
Paid Online Advertising
Paid internet advertising involves paying to reach people through online platforms. Common options include Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, TikTok Ads, Pinterest Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and display ad networks.
Paid ads can provide fast traffic and useful testing data, but they require careful tracking. You should understand your audience, offer, landing page, conversion rate, customer value, and advertising budget before spending heavily.
Digital Marketing Channels Beyond the Internet
Digital marketing may also involve electronic channels that are not always described as internet marketing. Whether a channel is considered “online” can depend on how it is delivered and connected.
SMS Marketing
SMS marketing uses text messages to communicate with customers. Businesses may send appointment reminders, delivery updates, limited-time promotions, order notifications, or event information. Consent, privacy, frequency, and clear opt-out options are important.
Mobile App Marketing
Mobile apps can send push notifications, display in-app offers, guide users through onboarding, and promote new features. An app may use the internet, but it is often discussed as part of a broader digital marketing ecosystem.
Digital Displays
Digital billboards, screens in stores, interactive kiosks, and electronic signage are examples of digital marketing that may reach customers offline or in physical locations.
Connected Television and Streaming Ads
Connected TV and streaming ads are delivered through digital platforms and smart televisions. They are increasingly part of digital marketing campaigns, especially for brands that want video reach beyond traditional online video platforms.
Digital Audio
Digital audio advertising can include advertisements on streaming music services, podcasts, and online radio. These campaigns may be internet-based, but businesses often group them with other digital media channels.
Why the Difference Matters
For a beginner, the terminology may seem unimportant. However, understanding the distinction can help you plan your strategy more clearly.
It Helps You Choose Channels
If your business is online-only, your internet marketing strategy may focus on a website, SEO, email marketing, video, social media, and affiliate partnerships. If your business has a physical location, you may also use SMS, digital displays, mobile loyalty apps, and local digital advertising.
It Helps You Build an Omnichannel Strategy
Digital marketing can connect multiple customer touchpoints. A customer might first see a social-media video, visit your website, join your email list, receive a text reminder, purchase online, and later see a retargeting ad.
These interactions work better when they feel connected. The brand message, offer, customer experience, and tone should remain consistent across channels.
It Helps You Measure the Right Results
Every marketing channel should have a purpose. SEO may be measured through organic traffic and leads. Email may be measured through subscriber growth, engagement, and conversions. Paid ads may be measured through cost per lead, cost per sale, and return on ad spend.
Do not judge every channel only by followers, views, or clicks. Focus on the business outcome that matters most, such as qualified leads, sales, repeat purchases, appointments, or customer retention.
Which One Should You Use?
You do not have to choose between digital marketing and internet marketing. Internet marketing is usually the practical starting point for online businesses, while digital marketing may become more relevant as your customer journey expands across more channels.
Focus on Internet Marketing If You Are:
- Starting a blog or niche website.
- Building an affiliate marketing business.
- Selling digital products.
- Offering freelance or consulting services.
- Starting an eCommerce store.
- Creating a YouTube channel or online brand.
- Growing an email list.
- Using SEO to attract customers.
- Promoting an online course or membership.
Use a Broader Digital Marketing Strategy If You Are:
- Running a local business with both online and in-person customers.
- Using mobile apps, SMS, digital signage, or streaming ads.
- Managing marketing across multiple customer touchpoints.
- Building an omnichannel customer experience.
- Operating a larger company with several marketing teams and channels.
How to Create a Simple Strategy
Step 1: Define Your Goal
Choose a specific goal, such as getting newsletter subscribers, booking consultations, selling a product, generating local service calls, or increasing repeat purchases.
Step 2: Define Your Audience
Identify who you want to help, what problem they have, what they want to achieve, and where they look for information.
Step 3: Choose One Primary Channel
Start with one main channel. For example, use SEO and content if people search for your topic, YouTube if demonstrations are useful, LinkedIn for business services, or Pinterest for visual content.
Step 4: Build a Website and Email List
Your website gives you control over your content and offers. Your email list gives you a direct way to communicate with people who choose to hear from you.
Step 5: Create Helpful Content
Publish content that answers real audience questions. Articles, videos, checklists, guides, reviews, comparisons, and tutorials can all help people make progress.
Step 6: Measure and Improve
Track traffic, email sign-ups, leads, sales, customer questions, and conversion rates. Use that data to improve your content, offers, and customer experience.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using digital and internet marketing terms without a clear strategy.
- Trying to use every channel at once.
- Publishing content without understanding the audience.
- Relying entirely on a social-media platform instead of building a website and email list.
- Buying expensive tools before validating an offer.
- Using paid ads before understanding conversion tracking.
- Ignoring privacy, permissions, and unsubscribe requirements.
- Hiding affiliate relationships or sponsorships.
- Making exaggerated income, health, or performance claims.
- Tracking vanity metrics instead of business results.
Final Thoughts
Internet marketing and digital marketing overlap heavily, but they are not exactly the same. Internet marketing focuses on online channels such as websites, search engines, social media, email, online video, and paid digital advertising. Digital marketing is broader and can include these online methods as well as SMS, mobile apps, connected TV, digital displays, and other electronic media.
For most online entrepreneurs, bloggers, affiliate marketers, freelancers, and eCommerce businesses, internet marketing is the most relevant starting point. Build a useful website, create helpful content, understand your audience, grow an email list, choose one primary traffic channel, and improve based on real data.
The terminology matters less than the customer experience. Use the channels that help your audience discover, trust, and benefit from your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is internet marketing the same as digital marketing?
They are often used interchangeably, but internet marketing generally refers to marketing through online, internet-connected channels. Digital marketing is broader and can include internet marketing plus other digital methods such as SMS, mobile apps, and digital displays.
Is SEO internet marketing or digital marketing?
SEO is both. It is an internet marketing method because it focuses on search engines and websites, and it is also part of the broader category of digital marketing.
Is social media marketing internet marketing?
Yes. Social-media marketing uses internet-connected platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Facebook, and X to reach and engage audiences.
Is email marketing internet marketing?
Yes. Email marketing is a core internet marketing channel because it uses the internet to deliver messages, build relationships, promote offers, and follow up with subscribers and customers.
Is SMS marketing digital marketing?
Yes. SMS is generally considered digital marketing because it uses mobile devices and electronic communication. It may be discussed separately from internet marketing because text messages do not always depend on a traditional web connection.
Which is better for a small business: digital marketing or internet marketing?
Most small businesses should begin with internet marketing basics, including a website, local or organic search visibility, email, useful content, and one relevant social platform. Broader digital channels such as SMS or digital displays can be added when they support the customer journey.
Can I learn digital marketing as a beginner?
Yes. Start by learning audience research, basic website setup, content creation, SEO, email marketing, social media, analytics, and simple offer creation. Focus on practical experience instead of trying to learn every platform at once.
