How does SEM differ from SEO?
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SEM and search engine optimization (SEO) are often used interchangeably, but while both aim to increase search engine presence, they are not the same thing. SEM involves paid advertising as a primary growth lever, whereas SEO is about producing content (e.g. blog posts and podcasts) and optimizing website pages, categories, and images to rank organically in search results.
If you have the budget for paid advertising, you should incorporate SEM and SEO; focus just on SEO for now if you don’t have a lot of money to spend. Paid SEM is more of a short-term strategy, while SEO is a long-term game. SEM campaigns can help you grow faster while you’re waiting to gain traction, but SEO is key for sustained growth.
• While SEM lets you target particular keywords and people, you should still look to incorporate important keywords where possible with your SEO strategy.
Why is SEM important?
You should use SEM to target specific demographics and generate traffic related to your brand. Once they click through, it’s important that you deliver on the message you promise and that the other aspects of your website, landing page, etc., are relevant.
Since SEM places you above organic results at the top of SERPs, you could increase conversions; your copy will still need to entice the user, though.
What are the key components of an SEM strategy?
Some of the aspects to keep in mind when brainstorming and composing your SEM strategy include:
- Keyword Research: Get a list of keywords related to your target audience, and determine which ones you wish to target. Keep in mind that different keywords will have higher cost-per-click (CPC) rates and budget accordingly.
- Creating Ads: Write concise copy that states a clear reason for users to click through on your ads. Prioritize the most important information and understand your search engine’s character limits.
- Landing Page Optimization: Once users click through, you need to deliver on your ad’s promise. Make sure that your landing pages do this; and like the ad, prioritize the key information you want to share; keep this “above the fold” (i.e. on the page before users start scrolling). Focus on one specific call to action (CTA).
- Bid Management: Set what you deem to be appropriate bids for the keywords you plan to target; this is crucial for measuring ROI.
- Tracking and Analyzing Performance: Give your ad campaigns time to perform. When you have enough data, use this to determine where you may need to make tweaks.
All of the above are important for different stages of SEM; you need the right keywords to target your audience, and the copy needs to make users stop and click. Once you’ve directed them to your landing page, it’s vital that you deliver on your promises and convey your core message. This may take some time to get right, so be sure to adopt an experimental mindset.
• Set up Google Keyword Planner and Google Analytics to track performance; the latter integrates with Hocoos.
How do you measure SEM success?
Below are some of the metrics you should monitor:
- Clickthrough Rate: Also known as CTR; this is how many people click on your ad after viewing it.
- Conversion Rate: The breakdown of people who do what you want them to do (e.g. sign up for a free trial).
- Cost-Per-Click: Also known as CPC. This is determined by how much you pay when people click on your ads, and it’ll vary from keyword to keyword.
- Return on Ad Spend: The amount of money you earn compared to how much you spend.
What are some common SEM tactics and strategies?
SEM takes several forms, and these are some of the main strategies that you’ll encounter when marketing your products and services.
- Search Ads: These are text-only ads in search engines. You’ll see them at the top or bottom of the page.
- Display Ads: Visual ads with still pictures or videos that appear on websites, such as blogs.
- Remarketing: Tracking users who’ve already been to your website and sending them retargeted ads.
- Shopping Ads: These include products and their prices, and they appear in SERPs.
These ads apply to different situations, and you determine your business goals before choosing your channel(s).
Conclusion
Contrary to popular belief, SEM and SEO aren’t the same. Nonetheless, you should complement organic SEO with SEM where possible. SEM is worth considering if you have a budget but haven’t yet seen the benefits of SEO as it allows you to target a specific audience – however, choosing the right keywords is critical.
Understanding your business goals and which SEM channels apply to your business are both important. Beyond that, you must also finetune your ad creatives and make sure that your landing pages make users feel like clicking on your ad was the right decision.
