Drive Traffic to Your Website and Boost Conversions with an SEM Campaign
You’ve probably heard the term used on the internet when searching for different ways to market your business, or have seen it pop up in some of the articles or books you have done your research with, but you’re still not really sure what SEM is and what it can do for your business.
In this blog post, we’ll cover what SEM is, who it is for, and why it may be beneficial for your company.
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What Is SEM
To start things off, we need to understand what SEM even means. SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing, and it is the process of attracting website traffic by paying for advertisement space on search engine platforms.
In the 1990s, search engines needed a way to monetize their platforms, and ads proved an invaluable asset. Today, SEM is vast and predictably dominated by Google. Google made over $161 billion in revenue last year, mostly attributed to its search marketing business.
How SEM Works
Search engines have built amazingly complex advertising platforms to help users find exactly what they need. They are made possible with the advancements in AI, complex algorithms, and machine learning. Through SEM, advertisers are able to latch on to this technology by targeting specific keyphrases related to the businesses they are promoting. This makes it easier than ever to attract potential clients.
Budgets
Businesses set limits on their daily, weekly, and monthly spending. This can be extremely helpful when you are starting off your campaigns so you can control the amount of money you are putting into a campaign until you see the benefits. By splitting your budgets across multiple campaigns, you’ll be able to do ongoing A/B testing to find the keyphrases and ad copy that work best for you.
Pay Per Click
PPC or Pay-Per-Click advertising is the most popular form of SEM. This allows businesses to pay only once their ad has been clicked on and the user taken to the predetermined landing page.
Quality Score
Quality Score is the most important metric for your SEM campaign. Google assigns a rating to your keywords and ads. This rating is vital as it will determine how much you are paying per click. There are multiple factors considered by Google in determining this ranking.
These factors include:
- Your click-through rate (CTR). The total amount of clicks your ad received divided by the total number of impressions (views) for the ad.
- How relevant your keyword is with respect to your ad. Less relevant keywords can yield a lower score, while highly relevant keywords can increase a score.
- Quality and relevance of landing pages. Where the traffic is directed to is just as important as what keywords and terms you are choosing. A visitor should be able to quickly identify the reason for clicking on your ad based on the content they see on your landing page.
- The text in your ad. Messaging is everything, and if you aren’t conveying the right message, then the user might not see the information they need.
Why It All Matters
Search engines, in general, have one goal: to provide the most accurate information possible based on the intent of the user. The less helpful and relevant your ad is, the less a search engine will choose to show it and the more you will pay for advertising.
How SEM Can Help Your Business
New Businesses
If your business is new and you don’t have an online presence, then SEM is the fastest way to get in front of your targeted audience without having to build that presence overtime through other marketing methods, such as organic SEO. This would be an ideal product for those newcomers to begin building that online presence.
Existing Business
It is never too late to expand your marketing strategies. Whether you have a strong online presence or have never focused on building one, SEM can help you diversify what you already have established and grow upon that. For instance, if you have a new product and have never advertised for that before, then it could take a while for that content to resonate and build that presence. With the help of SEM, that new product will be right in front of your targeted audience as soon as the campaign begins.
Established Businesses
If your business already has a robust online presence, then that doesn’t mean that SEM isn’t for you. Goal-based planning can turn into increased revenue in a short amount of time with the help of SEM. Whether you are looking to launch a new product or expand into a different market, SEM will give you the jump-start your business needs to grow and prosper.
Competition
Is your competitor better established in the marketplace, or are they showing up consistently ahead of you in the online rankings? Using SEM, you can pay to show up in front of them and ensure that the first thing a user sees is your advertisement or posting. Either target the same services they offer or even directly pay to show up whenever someone searches your competitor’s name.
Are you interested in stepping up your marketing game? One Firefly is the go-to marketing agency in the home and business automation, security and audio-video industry. Give us a call at 954-921-2393 to let us know how we can take your business to the next level!