Anyone with a product they want to sell online can benefit from SEM. Plus, these campaigns are easy to target and measure. The best way to think about SEM is starting with the premise: a user goes to a search engine with a question in mind. If you can provide that answer and it’s profitable for you to do so you can benefit from Search engine marketing agencies will help you to do that stuff for you without any hassle. Using a search engine marketing agencies will help you craft targeted campaigns that capture attention and convert.
Search engine marketing (SEM) can significantly impact your online success. Those who sell products or services online can use SEM to reach potential customers exactly when they are searching for them.
ROI can be easily tracked with SEM campaigns. Analysis and reports will show you where improvements are needed. Your campaigns are constantly optimized for better performance by using this data-driven approach.
Furthermore, SEM works as follows: a user goes to a search engine with a question or need, and if your business can answer it, you win. Using an SEM agency will help you place your ads tactically so they appear when your target market is actively searching for solutions and increasing your chances of making a sale while aligning your marketing efforts with users’ intent.
Benefits of Search Engine Marketing Agencies
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the advantages of using SEM marketing:
- Highly intent-driven. SEM enables you to meet customers as they search for the products and services you are offering. “You’re reaching people in ‘market’ for whatever reason at exactly the moment they are looking for an answer or solution. Capturing lower-funnel activity means you can ‘nudge’ someone to purchase your product or service without first convincing them of a need.
- Visible, fast. SEM is an easy and quick way for newer businesses to get started. “When you are a newer product in a crowded field, targeted SEM campaigns allow you to show up immediately next to more established competitors, getting your name out there with their coattails.
- Real time, measurable. SEM allows you to see the ratio of people who click on your ad compared to those who buy your product or service and make changes accordingly. “Anyone who has a clearly defined goal—whether that be increased website sales, lead generation form-fills or increased blog readership—can use SEM to quickly measure increased traffic to the destination where people can complete that goal. And if you see a campaign isn’t working, it’s easy to turn that tactic off immediately and reallocate dollars without being set in a sunk cost,” Dappert said.
- Targeted. SEM also allows you to get very specific about the potential customers you want to target. “SEM dollars are spent at the keyword level. But any campaign can be geo-targeted, device-targeted, flighted for certain times of day or seasons and is, in general, a way to expand your reach to a target profile without spending too much (or relying on cookies).
SEM vs. SEO
It’s easy to get confused by online marketing terms with similar meanings. There is also a slight difference in meaning between terms.
SEM and SEO differ in the following ways:
- Search engine marketing is paid advertising on search engines.
- A website’s search engine optimization (SEO) increases organic traffic from search engines.
Website rank depends on many factors, including keywords, content quality, and backlinks (how many other websites link to yours). It takes time and effort to increase SEO, but once a website starts ranking high, the traffic is free. SEM advertisers, on the other hand, pay for each click.
The Basic Features of a Search Ad
A search ad is made of a few components. Dappert explained what goes into creating one.
- Headline: The headline is displayed at the top (the part of the ad that is hyperlinked and appears in blue on Google). Headlines have a 30- or 35-character limit.
- Description: Beneath the headline, you’ll find a text that’s a brief description. The descriptions have a 90-character limit.
- Extensions (Optional): Extensions are optional but give advertisers different possible actions someone could take on the ad. Jewelry companies might advertise multiple earrings on one earring ad.
- Landing Page: Your landing page is where you direct potential customers after they click on an ad.
Cost of SEM?
The cost of SEM varies by company. According to Irwin, ballpark estimates range from $500 to $10,000. Depending on your needs and budget, you may need more or less.
You can also adjust your budget as you gain more insight into which keywords work best. “The good news is that the tactic is so highly measurable, you can see what’s working and what isn’t—and adjust the budget accordingly.
“When setting up your campaign, you should research historical Industry Cost-Per-Click (CPC) rates in keyword-planning and search-forecast tools to get an estimate of how much your competitors spend,” Dappert suggested. She adds that CPC ranges from $2 to more than $55 depending on the industry and that reasonable conversion rates are usually between 5% to 10% and there’s a base floor of 15 clicks (per day, per ad group) needed for the engine to optimize.
The best strategy when assessing cost is to look at what competitors spend, keeping your goal value in mind, and recognizing that you may have to spend a bit more than them to get yourself on page one.
Bottom Line
Driving traffic to your website is easy with search engine marketing. Search engine marketing allows you to reach potential customers with targeted ads. SEM strategies can be used by any business. While there is a lot to learn about what makes an effective search ad, the good news is that there are plenty of online tutorials to learn more. Digital advertising agency Magiclogix specializes in search engine marketing. We increased client revenue 7x – 8x through performance-based solutions.
