Search engine advertising can be referred to as the subset of Search Engine Marketing practices that aims in securing top positions at search engines. This form of marketing is an intrinsic part of digital marketing strategies. Search Engine Advertising is also referred to as the Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing commonly. In the following section of the blog, we discuss in detail about Search Engine Advertising along with the pros and cons of implementing the strategy with your marketing practices.
Table of Contents
What is Search Engine Advertising?
Search engine advertising (better known as search advertising or search marketing) is the activity of paying for traffic to your website through paid placement on a search engine’s search results page. Search engines are like giant information databases, so their results are very useful in locating websites and pages with relevant content. If you can enter a niche related to your target market, you can likely create a campaign that will attract more visitors to your website, increasing your chances of gaining sales.
Why is Search Engine Advertising important?
A company without a website is invisible online. But how do you get your website noticed in the vast, ever-growing universe of pages? The answer might be search engine advertising. It’s a challenge many of us have faced, especially when we’re just starting. But today, you can select keywords and ads that target your desired industry and audience. Searching for your ideal sector will help you choose the keywords to run your ads.
SEM vs SEO
Search engine marketing (SEM) differs from search engine optimisation (SEO). SEM is the use of online advertising to drive traffic to websites. SEO is all about making sure your website is perfect for search engines. How do you know which one you should be doing? Usually, the best-recommended SEO strategy is to combine the advantages of both forms of marketing. While SEO guarantees you authentic and organic results, the use of SEM in your marketing campaigns can boost your ranking on the desired keywords instantly. Furthermore, it is relatively difficult to secure positions and rankings with organic campaigns alone.
Pros of SEM
The advantages of making use of Search Engine Marketing practices have been discussed below. Have a reading to have a better understanding of this marketing tactic:
Targeted Marketing for Targeted Customers
Google, Yahoo!, and Bing provide a powerful way to reach your customers directly while paying only when clicking on your ad. They’re able to assess your product’s quality through the search terms that you use and the landing page on your website. Customisation of ads has a better chance of reaching potential clients.
This Marketing Approach is Cost-Effective
Because SEM is affordable, it’s a great way to build your business from the ground up. Many bloggers and other companies start with SEM. This is because they’re just starting before they turn to SEO or invest in an email marketing campaign. It’s also a great way to test the waters with your product before you launch it.
It’s Easy to Get Started
Since your budget limits you in adopting expensive means of marketing, SEM is a great way to see how effective your strategy and landing page are. As long as you know what kind of website visitors you want, you can set up your campaign quite easily. SEM tools allow you to select keywords and target locations, which will give your business a chance in the SERPs while also saving money.
You Can Use Your Data to Target Your Ads
Google, Yahoo, and Bing use content based on your keywords. If you don’t have the right data, you’re not getting the right results. SEM tools provide you with the data you need to target the market in the areas you want at a much lower cost than other methods.
Cons with SEM
The following are the cons of SEM that you must be aware of before launching your SEM campaign:
It can’t be ineffective without SEO
SEM targeting is based on keywords, so you don’t get to choose the location or specific audience (unless you’re willing to forgo an effective SEO strategy). Further, SEM campaigns are used in combination with SEO strategies to give them strength. Hence your SEM campaigns can be ineffective in the long run if you plan to thrive on the success of the SEM campaigns alone without having SEO plans in place.
It Requires Ongoing Maintenance
Like most online marketing strategies, SEM requires significant time and effort. You’ll need to focus on creating a great landing page and ensuring your data is up-to-date at all times. It’s also essential to learn about keywords and use them effectively. You will be required to add constant budgets to keep your SEM campaigns up and running. Furthermore, you will be required to make the needed changes and optimisation time and again to ensure that you achieve success with your SEM campaigns.
It is constantly changing and requires vibrancy
Google, Yahoo, and Bing are constantly getting more sophisticated as they update their algorithms and make changes. The changes in the algorithms and the guidelines take place time and again, forcing marketers to make constant amendments to their marketing strategies. You need to be aware of these changes and take time-bound action to find the correct keywords that will get your ads onto the SERPs optimised for achieving maximum ROI.
Search Engine Advertising Platforms
- If you consider search engine advertising, you need to check out the many online platforms that can serve as your guide. Here are some of the most popular systems for SEM:
- Bing
- Yahoo!
- Baidu
- Yandex
- Stumble Upon
- Craigslist
Important elements for winning your SEM Campaigns
Advertising on search engines is commonly done in several ways. One popular way is to target certain aspects and elements which can guarantee you success with your SEM campaigns.
Industry-Specific Keywords
Industry-specific keywords are used to reach clients only in your chosen industry. For example, if you sell organic fruit and vegetables, you can target “organic” in your ads. If people are searching for “organic food,” click on your ad, you’ve successfully attracted their attention.
This well help in ensuring that you target the right audience with the right keyword at the right time.
Specific Location-Based Keywords
You can also select specific keywords that target specific locations, including districts, cities, and states. Since you cannot optimise your SEM with a geographic centred approach, the use of the location-based keyword can compensate for the disadvantage. For example, if you want your business to appear on the SERPs in Delhi, you can select “Delhi” as your keyword.
Specifying a Target Audience
You can also target a particular audience by running your ad on search results pages (SERPs) with specific information criteria.
It’s essential to focus on conversions when choosing keywords for your ad campaigns. A modification can be anything from a phone call to a completed form on your website or blog post or any other type of sign-up or lead submission.
Final Words
As per a publication, there are active 10 million active advertisers who are using the services of Google Ads to carry the Search Engine Advertising campaigns. This highlights the fact the importance of investing in paid marketing campaigns by implementing the best practices of Search Engine Advertising.
However, before carrying out your SEA campaigns, you must be aware of the associated risks that it carries.
To hence engage your resources for the first time campaigns on Search Engine Advertising, it is recommended to carry the expertise of the advertisers and agencies who have the experience of carrying these campaigns on the day to day basis. This will help in ensuring that your resources are put to best use.
Expand My Business can help you find your best SEA partner agency or vendor with its vast pool of hundreds of agencies and companies which offer these services. Further, with our end-to-end project management solutions, we focus on bringing results to your project at the best budgets and timelines. Get in touch with us now to know more!
We are Team EMB the voice behind this insightful blog.
