What Is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

Read Time: 5 minutes

Did you know that Google processes around 99,000 search queries every second? That’s a whopping 8.5 billion searches per day. For businesses, this presents an incredible opportunity. You can tap into these statistics to boost your brand’s visibility through search engine marketing (SEM).

SEM is a form of marketing that allows you to boost your brand’s visibility on search engines through paid advertising. This guide explores search engine marketing in depth.

SEM vs. SEO: Understanding the Contrast

Let’s start by clearing up a common confusion between two critical terms: SEO and SEM. SEO, or search engine optimization, is all about enhancing a brand’s online visibility on search engines through organic methods, meaning unpaid strategies. This involves creating backlinks, conducting keyword research, and crafting top-notch content.

Conversely, SEM, or search engine marketing, focuses on boosting a brand’s visibility through paid advertising on search engines. Essentially, SEM involves allocating a budget to give your website an extra push in visibility. Another notable distinction between SEO and SEM is their timelines: SEO typically yields slower results, while SEM generates immediate outcomes.

Types of Search Engine Marketing

Some of the common techniques used in search engine marketing include:

Pay per Click (PPC)

This is a form of search engine marketing whereby an advertiser pays a fee every time a prospective visitor/customer clicks their ad. These ads are usually shown on search engine result pages or other websites. PPC ads may be videos, text, images or a combination of both.

Display Advertising

Display ads are image-based ads that you place on other people’s websites or apps. Whenever someone browsing those sites or apps clicks on your ad, they’re redirected to your website. This is a fantastic way to boost your website traffic because you can pick out sites with tons of visitors related to your offering. You can reach an audience who may have otherwise not found your website.

Shopping Ads and Video Ads

Ever notice those little product listings that pop up right at the top of your search results? They’ve got everything you need: a product image, the price, and a link to take you to the product page. That’s simply a shopping advertisement. You may also spot them on Google’s shopping tab. And then there are video ads. These advertisement clips appear at the end of a video on YouTube or other websites. They intend to increase brand awareness and improve web traffic.

Local Service Ads

This form of search engine marketing has a geographical aspect. It aims to improve a brand’s visibility within a certain geographical area. The ad appears on top of a search engine when a user searches for a particular product or service in their area. The ad will include location, name, reviews, operation hours and contact details. It’s a pay-per-leads ad, meaning you will only pay if a user contacts you through the ad.

Why You Should Consider Search Engine Marketing

Are you wondering if you invest in search engine marketing (SEM) for your brand? Here are some reasons SEM could be a game-changer for you.

• Speedy results. You benefit from instant traffic as soon as your ads go live. Even your lead generation is much faster. However, although SEM is much quicker, it doesn’t imply you should do away with an SEO campaign. Aim to have the best of both worlds. As you strive to grow your numbers organically, which may take some time, SEM will help your business attain immediate results in the short term.
• Sustainability. In an SEM strategy, you are the captain of your marketing ship. You may upscale or downscale your campaign based on your business needs.
• Competitive advantage. If you are competing against brands that mainly rely on SEO ads, your brand may rank above them. Paid ads typically rank higher than SEO ads on search engines.
• Target marketing. SEM allows a company to niche down to specific customers. This targeting can rely on factors such as age, socioeconomic group, race, or locality. By targeting specific keywords, you can reach potential customers who will l probably like your offerings.
• It’s measurable. SEM platforms, like Google ads, Facebook ads and Bing ads, allow you to measure the performance of your ads. Such performance metrics may be top-performing keywords, impressions or click-through rates. It’s data-driven marketing. You can easily access how your ads are performing, identifying top performers and areas for improvement.

How to Start Implementing Search Engine Marketing

Now that we’ve delved into SEM and its benefits let’s discuss how we can kick-start your journey. Here are some simple steps to help you implement SEM and get those results rolling.

• Define your goals at the onset, and set smart objectives. Do you want to increase brand visibility and loyalty, generate leads or increase sales? With well-defined objectives in place, you can measure results and effectively ascertain the return on your investments.
• Conduct keyword research. Keyword research is the foundation of successful search engine marketing. Conduct keyword research to establish what keywords your competitors are using and what your target audience is searching for. You may use keyword tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs or Semrush.
• Create a budget. SEM works through paid advertising, which implies you will need to have a budget for it. Determine the amount of money you will spend on your campaign and budget accordingly.
• Create a landing page. This is the page where a visitor lands after clicking your ad. It should deliver value by offering what your ad promises. Ensure your landing page has a great user experience. It should have good loading speed and mobile friendliness, and remember those compelling calls to action.
• Set up your Ads. Now that you’ve nailed your keyword research, budgeting, and created a remarkable landing page, it’s time to set up your ads. Set up your ads on a platform that aligns with your objectives and has a broad reach. Examples of these platforms include Amazon ads, Google ads, Bing ads, Pinterest ads and Facebook ads.
• Monitor and optimize performance. Once your ads are live, you should constantly monitor their performance against set objectives. Tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console can help you track and optimize performance. They’ll show you important metrics such as ad impressions, click-through rates, conversions, clicks and cost per acquisition.

Get Started on Your SEM Journey With Connectica LLC

Search engine marketing presents real benefits to all businesses seeking to boost their website traffic exponentially. But here’s the catch—you need to nail your SEM strategy to reap the rewards. That’s where a reputable full-service digital marketing agency like Connectica LLC comes in. We’re not just a service provider but your trusted partners in success. We will guide you step by step till you achieve excellent SEM results. Contact us today to get started.