Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

SEM strictly involves gaining search visibility through paid ads on search engines like Google. These ads are commonly known as pay-per-click (PPC) ads. There are many other terms used for SEM activities, including cost-per-click (CPC) ads, paid search ads, and paid search advertising.

PPC advertising allows you to target potential buyers through relevant ad copy and keywords that match their search queries. PPC ads appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) alongside organic listings. They give your business the opportunity to increase the visibility of your web pages, landing pages, blog articles, and more.

What are some examples of SEM strategies?
Google AdWords is by far the most popular search engine platform for hosting ads. Also consider other opportunities, such as Bing Ads or Yahoo Search Ads. Wherever you choose to spend your internet marketing dollars, there are a few key strategies for successful SEM:

✔ Launch ad campaigns with a specific audience (eg geographic, industry, etc.) in mind
✔ Create ad groups consisting of target keyword variations
✔ Write relevant ad copy using those targeted keywords
✔ Set an advertising budget
✔ Monitor metrics like clicks, impressions, click-through rates, and average cost per click
✔ There are other considerations when launching and maintaining an effective paid search campaign, but these five are especially important for any beginner. If you want to boost your SEM efforts to complement organic search engine optimization, take a look at Google Adwords.