What Is Search Engine Marketing?
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Search engine marketing, also known as SEM, is a form of internet marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility to a certain target audience. The visibility increases in search engine results pages (SERPs) most commonly through paid advertising. Search engine marketing includes search engine optimization (SEO), which adjusts or rewrites website content and site architecture to achieve higher ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) to enhance pay per click (PPC) listings.
Types Of Search Engine Marketing
As previously stated, SEM helps generate website visibility to further increase conversions and help businesses get closer to their goals. Search engine marketing consists of paid and organic search strategy, combined with other digital marketing tactics to generate measurable and actionable results for businesses.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO revolves around implementing optimizations that allow search engines to get a better understanding of your business and appear when somebody searches for related keywords that best match the services offered. The strategy emphasizes on search engine rankings which indicates the value you offer and drives visitors to your website. With that being said, a search engine specialist is responsible for ensuring that the business is ranking within the industry and implementing strategies that will impact rankings, increase the overall authority and add value to the business.
Types of SEO Tactics to Improve Rankings
Search engine rankings have two main factors for optimizations:
On Page SEO | Informs search engines as to what the business is about.
Optimizations include: Page titles, meta-descriptions, image alternative text, website accessibility, page speed, keyword research, optimized content, and more.
Off Page SEO | The authority and popularity of the businesses within search engines
The strategy emphasizes on increasing backlinks to improve the overall authority and popularity of the website on search engine results pages. In fact, search engines similar to Google, prioritize websites with strong backlinks because it indicates that the resource is valid, reliable and authoritative, thus why it helps you achieve better rankings.
Question: Which Has A Better Chance of Ranking #1?
Example: Competing business domains in similar industry
Website A | Domain Rating: 15/100 | Backlinks: 120
Website B | Domain Rating: 92/100 | Backlinks: 3.6k
Website C | Domain Rating: 35/100 | Backlinks: 600
Answer: Website B, will have a higher chance of ranking higher within the search engine results page because it has the strongest domain rating with a considerable amount of quality backlinks. Therefore, informing search engines like Google, that the page is highly valuable and indicates that users should visit the page.
Website A | Domain Rating: 15/100 | Backlinks: 120 - Low Chance
Website C | Domain Rating: 45/100 | Backlinks: 600 - Mid Chance
Digital Ads | PPC (Pay Per Click)
Paid digital advertising helps businesses implement a strategy to specifically target, segment and generate a high number of visitors to the website; generally bringing targets closer to the conversion goal (ie. purchasing a product). Digital advertisements can be implemented throughout multiple platforms including SEM, social media, email, and other digital platforms available today. All of which revolves back and benefits the entire search engine marketing strategy.
Benefits of Digital Advertising
Increase brand awareness within the early stage
Generate leads + improve chances of conversions
Get customers to spend more through post purchase journey
Types of Digital Advertising
PPC (Pay Per Click)
Advertisers pay only when somebody clicks on the ad. Therefore, it’s guaranteed that you’re only paying when the user shows interest (not when the ad is viewed) and further guides prospects down the customer journey and interest with your brand.
CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions)
Instead of click, CPM may actually be cost-beneficial for certain businesses. This allows advertisers to pay per 1,000 impressions (ie. every 1,000 times the ad was seen on the screen by users). However, it is important to understand the balance and know which tactic works best for your business in order to get the maximum results.
Search Advertising
Uses a PPC bidding technique to post advertisements on search engine results pages when somebody searches for relevant keywords. When implemented with the proper SEO techniques, the website can increase visitors and benefit from both SEO and paid advertising strategy.
Display Remarketing
Remarketing allows advertisers to re-introduce the customers who have previously had an interaction with their product, brand or service. Therefore, this acts as a reminder to prospective customers and motivates them to convert further on. Moreover, display remarketing can support your overall search engine marketing strategy by increasing click-through-rates, returning website visitors, and maximizing conversions throughout.
Why Digital Advertising?
Digital advertising allows you to get measurable, and fast results the moment you publish the advertisement. Businesses can get deeper insights about their audience based on the interaction with the ads, optimize further to best tailor and provide a personalized experience throughout the entire customer journey.
Method: Keyword Research
Keyword research and analysis involves three steps, and they include:
Ensuring the site can be indexed in search engines
Finding the most relevant and popular keywords for the site and its products
Using those keywords for the site and its products in a way that will generate and convert traffic.
Back End Tools
SEM tools provide data on website visitors and allow the success of a website to be measured. They range from simple traffic counters to tools that work with log files and to more sophisticated tools that are based on page tagging. These tools deliver conversion-related information.
SEO & PPC Tools
How To Use: SEM Tools
Each of the tools provided help search engine marketers access valuable insights to make better decisions when optimizing for search engines or when creating PPC campaigns. There are proper ways to utilize the tools so that you can better monitor your progress and avoid wasted money on digital ads.
Search Engine Marketing tool
Getting access and support to tips and tricks by training experts in digital marketing, can help you understand what it takes to create a successful SEM campaign. Programs similar to Jelly Academy are designed to deepen your critical thinking, problem solving skills, and knowledge to better set you up for success.
SEM: Combining Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Digital Advertising
Search engine optimization and paid digital advertising work together to best support your search engine marketing. With an increased rankings and authority through proper on-page and off-page SEO tactics, your digital advertising efforts can best support to generate qualified leads. Therefore, your business is able to maximize results and improve your overall return on investment.
