Did you know that there are over 3.5 billion search queries every day on Google? With all these searches, you would think that every website gets the amount of traffic that they need to be on top of Google searches.
However, if you are an online business owner, you know that this is not the case. Without the right search engine marketing strategy, your website will drown in the sea of over-saturated niches, no matter how great your product or service is.
You don't have to be a marketing professional to rank well on the SERP, however, it is essential to know the basics of SEM for dummies.
The problem is that search engine marketing can be overwhelming at first, there is a lot to learn, and any wrong moves could cost you some rankings.
Keep on reading this guide on SEM for Dummies so that you can feel confident and ready to start improving your SERP rankings today!
Many people believe that doing SEO will be enough for their website rankings, however, this is not the case anymore. SEO is actually just a component of search engine marketing as a whole.
An SEO strategy involves on-page and off-page activities, keyword implementation, optimized web copy, website speed, link-building, URL's, and meta descriptions. Essentially, SEO is the organic version of drawing in traffic.
An SEM strategy goes a little bit deeper than SEO, as it involves paid advertisements to achieve good SERP results. Some effective SEM strategies are pay-per-click advertising (PPC), and cost-per-click advertising (CPC).
Keep in mind that neither SEO or SEM is better than the other, they are both an essential component to an effective online marketing strategy.
While SEO is great for maintaining your status on the SERP, if you are new to the online world, or launching a new product, it will take a long time for it to be noticed.
This is where the power of SEM comes in as an excellent tool to gain awareness in a fast and effective way.
A good PPC strategy is perfect for those who are launching their first website or making changes to their brand. This is kind of like using a digital megaphone to announce your presence and drawing visitors in to check out your website.
Yes, an effective SEM strategy does cost money, however, it has an incredible return on investment (ROI). This will save you a lot of time and frustrations waiting with the limitations that SEO has for gaining awareness.
There are a few major advantages to using a good search engine marketing strategy, some of which cannot be done just by using search engine optimization alone.
Let's say that you are launching a new online course and you want to spread the news to everyone about it.
If you know a thing or two about marketing, you know that it isn't about the number of people who notice your website, it is about targeting the right people who are most likely to purchase your products. Online marketing is about quality over quality, every time.
The right PPC advertising strategy will help you to target those exact people who would be interested in taking your course. These targeted ads are directed to the audience of your choosing and placed at the top of their search results.
An effective SEM strategy can increase your conversion rates by 3.75%, so it is essential to know how to create an SEM strategy that works.
To launch your first SEM campaign, we have some essential tips that you need to be successful.
Google Adwords and Bing Ads are the two largest search platforms, and to use them correctly, you need to know specific details. This includes who your target audience is, who your competitors are, where your audience likes to purchases products or services, and where they search for information.
There are high-ranking keywords that typically have a high difficulty associated with that. To avoid the risks of high-competition, use different variations of the keywords, along with long-tailed keywords.
When you are starting your first PPC campaign, start small until you get used to how the search algorithm works. This way, you are not wasting a ton of money in the case your ad is not appropriately targeted.
to convert your visitors into a sale, you need to have a landing page that is clear, direct, and well-written.
In the beginning, provide a call-to-action instead of waiting until the end, this will help prevent your visitors from losing interest. Include this CTA through your landing page, using a brighter colored font to make it more captivating.
Keep the information clear and concise. Do not add any copywriting that is irrelevant to your product or service. You want to avoid all distractions and ensure that it is easy and straightforward.
You need to establish yourself as a professional who has the answer to your visitor's problems. In order to do this, you need to be relatable and show that you understand their pain points.
Speak from the standpoint of your target audience and paint a picture of how your product or service will help them. Try not to speak from your language as it could come off as inauthentic.
There you have it! An easy to follow guide on SEM for dummies, with all the basics to get you started on how to set up an effective SEM campaign today.
If you would like to learn more about how to optimize your website, check out our article on winning SEO tactics that will immediately boost your rankings!
