What is Search Engine Marketing?
Search engine marketing (SEM) is an internet marketing strategy used to promote your business, products, or services online through paid advertisements. It’s the opposite of SEO (search engine optimization), which refers to strategies that boost your website’s visibility in organic search results.
SEM definition
The good news is, that you don’t have to be a marketing genius to use SEM. You can invest in it without spending a ton of money: SEM involves paying for ads on search engines like Google and Bing, but there are usually no other costs involved if you’re using PPC (pay-per-click). Additionally, the majority of consumers have learned that the top links in their searches are paid ads; they expect these ads to appear when they type keywords into search engines.
SEM is a way to drive targeted traffic by bidding on targeted keywords.
An example of a keyword is “cat care.” This would be a relevant keyword for a pet care company because when people type it into Google, their search engine results will show them websites that have bid on the phrase “cat care.”
Search engines are smart enough to know what search terms mean so that when you type in “cat care,” you don’t see only websites where cat owners go to get their tuxedos pressed and dyed. Instead, you may see pet stores around your area or companies that specialize in cat grooming services.
Bidding on keywords is how these businesses can make sure they appear at the top of Google searches.
What are the benefits of search engine marketing?
Search engine marketing is a way to get more customers through ads on search engines. As with all ads, you pay only when someone clicks on your ad and goes to your website.
The great thing about search engine marketing is that it’s very cost-effective: you only pay if someone clicks on your ad, which means that you’re getting directed traffic for just a few pennies per click. That may not sound like much—but in the long run, it can add up!
On top of being cost-effective, search engine marketing is also a way to compete with other businesses for customers. If two people are looking for the same product, one might go straight to their preferred retailer—but if they don’t know of any (or they’re unsure where they want to shop), they’ll probably go online and search for what they need.
Search engine marketing is an easy way to ensure that when someone searches for something related to your business, your ad will be at the top of the list!
With so many benefits, it’s clear why search engine marketing has become such an important part of advertising campaigns today.
The cost of SEM
When you are considering how much to spend on SEM, you need to keep two important points in mind:
- How much a keyword is worth in your industry. The more valuable a keyword is to your business, the more you should be willing to pay for it. This isn’t just about how many leads you’ll get; it’s also about what kind of lead will end up clicking on your ad. If you’re offering an expensive product or service that needs a lot of research and consideration before purchase, the people searching for your keywords may have high average order values. But if you’re selling a cheap commodity that requires very little research and consideration by the consumer, then there’s not as much money up for grabs with each click.
- How competitive the keyword is in Google advertising auctions. There are millions of different keywords out there, but not all of them are equally competitive—meaning some cost less than others to bid on. When deciding what to spend on SEM advertising, it is helpful to figure out how popular a keyword is among other businesses conducting search engine advertising.
SEM involves things such as search engine optimization (SEO), keyword research, and link building.
The most important aspect of SEM is search engine optimization, or “SEO.” SEO isn’t just one thing. It is a collection of processes and activities you can do to improve your website’s visibility in search results. These include things like keyword research and link building.
You can think of keyword research as a way to find words that people use to search for what you sell. Link building is a way to get other websites to link to your website.
At the end of the day, all these activities help build stronger websites by increasing traffic, which helps your business grow faster than it would organically.
SEM helps companies to get more business through their websites.
Search engine marketing (SEM) helps companies get more business through their websites. SEM involves helping a website rank higher in search results, as well as utilizing services such as shopping ads and pay-per-click campaigns to drive traffic to a website. If you have all of the products your customers want, but no one knows about them, then you can use SEM to promote them. By making improvements like improving the visibility of your website in search engines and running campaigns that drive people directly to your site, you’ll be able to get more leads and customers who are already interested in what you’re offering!
