Search engine marketing  sounds a lot like SEO, and it looks like something related to marketing and search engines, what exactly is it?

 

Being in a digital business world, where digital marketing is a norm, you must have come across the term SEM at least once. 

Although it sounds a lot like SEO, and it looks like something related to marketing and search engines, what exactly is it? 

Have you ever wondered what SEM means and how it can be helpful for you and your business? Then, this article is for you! 

 

So, without further adieu, let’s dive into the term SEM and find out what it is and how it works! 

 

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) 

 

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a digital marketing strategy where paid methods are used to increase search visibility. The term was used as a combination of search engine optimization and paid search in the past. But now, it only refers to the paid search part. 

Through SEM, businesses can pay for ads to be displayed in the search results when people search for specific targeted keywords. And they are charged only when someone clicks on an ad. 

You must have noticed the results which appear at the top showing ‘ad’ while searching for something on google or bing. Yes, that’s SEM. 

It usually appears at the top or the bottom and will be specified as an ad so that the users know it is a paid advertisement. Some ads also appear as product images in the featured carousel space. 

 

Difference between SEM, SEO, and PPC. 

 

As I said earlier, SEM and SEO sound similar, but they are different. SEO is the tactics used to improve the organic visibility of your content so that it appears in the search results organically. But SEM is utilizing the paid methods to be visible in the search results. 

In short, SEO results are earned, whereas SEM results are bought. 

 

In the case of Pay-per-click (PPC), it refers to a paid marketing strategy where businesses create an ad and are charged each time someone clicks it. When this happens in search engines, it is considered SEM. But all PPC is not SEM, as PPC ads can appear on a lot of platforms, including social media and websites. So we can say that PPC is one Type of search engine marketing

So PPC is an SEM tactic, but it’s not always the same. 

 

How is it done? : steps in SEM. 

 

Search engine marketing is a great tool to improve your visibility and increase your leads. Doing it right is important to get the desired results. So let’s take a look at the steps involved in SEM. 

 

• Define your SEM strategy. 

The first step in implementing a great Search engine marketing strategy is to define your SEM strategy. You should have a clear understanding of the aim and goals of the SEM campaign. Identify your target audience, and know what they are looking for. 

Knowing their needs will help you understand how to structure your SEM campaign. Try to provide what they want. Identify your opportunities and current market position to position your SEM in the right direction. 

 

• Choose the Right keywords 

The next step is to choose the right keywords to focus on. The keywords must be relevant, clear, and phrases that your target audience frequently searches for. 

You will have to identify such keywords through interactions, surveys, analysis, and research to get the most out of SEM. Because you are going to spend your money on these keywords, so make sure they are the right keywords. 

You can also use keyword research tools to find the relevant keywords related to what you are offering. 

 

• Optimize the content. 

SEO is an important part of SEM. Your content must be relevant and optimized for the search engines. It should be simple and search engine friendly. 

The content must be clear, short, precise, and engaging to work and fulfill the purpose of SEM. Special care should be taken in specifying alt tags, meta tags, title tags, etc. As it affects the SEM. 

 

• Submit the site to search engines 

Search engines won’t display your content just because you are paying money to be displayed. They have to make sure the website is good and relevant. 

So, once all the above steps are completed, submit the site to search engines for indexing. Search engines analyze your websites and decide whether it is eligible or relevant to be presented as an SEM ad. 

 

• Optimize and Manage your SEM strategy. 

Once your ad is online, track, optimize, and manage your SEM strategy. You should bid for the most relevant keywords related to your website and make sure your content is promising enough to convert a reader to a customer. 

You should also manage the budgets and performance of the campaign to know the success of your SEM strategy. It also helps to find out where to improve. 

 

• Measure the performance and success. 

The most important part of SEM is to measure the success of your efforts. Analyze whether the strategy is working and how much. It will help you understand what is working and what is not. You can develop your strategy and make it better by knowing the problems and can continue to implement what’s working. 

You can use Web analytics to monitor the success of your SEM strategies. 

 

Search engine marketing is a powerful tool in generating leads and sales for your business by reaching relevant audiences in a fast and effective way. But doing it right is important for getting desired results. 

I hope this article gave you an overall idea about SEM and how it can be implemented. If you need more information or would like to implement an SEM strategy for your business, contact wethinksolution. We can help you create the best SEM strategy according to your business.