A Beginners Guide to Search Engine Marketing

Tired of spending money on marketing without seeing results? Maybe you need to modify your marketing techniques and strategies. Why not use search engines to your advantage? 

Brands primarily rely on marketing to build their image and drive leads and sales, which is why they invest a ton of money in it. And, if your marketing strategy isn’t working despite spending a considerable amount of money on it, you might be looking at some serious debt! 

We recommend Search Engine Marketing, or SEM, as one of the most operative marketing strategies available. With over 5.7 billion searches taking place on Google on a daily basis, appearing on top of relevant search results can have a serious impact on your traffic which can effectively boost sales. 

Search Engine Marketing or SEM, lets you use the power of search engines to advertise your brand. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Impression (PPI), and Pay-Per-Click (PPC), all come under this inclusive term. However, you’ll be wasting your money if you step into this field without proper knowledge. 

This is why it is better to learn all the basics of Search Engine Marketing before beginning. How does SEM work? What can it do for my brand? And how can I start promoting my brand through SEM? Read till the end to find out! 

Search Engine Marketing or SEM, is an effective marketing strategy in which you advertise your brand with the power of search engines. With SEM, you can advertise directly to people who need something your brand offers, like a product or a service. 

A lot of folks assume SEM to be the same as Pay-Per-Click. In reality, it includes both, PPC and SEO. Search Engine Marketing is an umbrella term, and it combines a lot of different marketing strategies such as Pay-Per-Click marketing, Pay-Per-View marketing, Search Engine Optimization or SEO, and more. 

In Search Engine Marketing, you buy the top spot in search results of certain keywords or search phrases related to your brand. These keywords and search phrases are bought in the form of groups, through bidding. So whenever a consumer searches for something that your brand offers, its ad will appear on top of the search page. 

A lot of things matter in proper Search Engine Marketing. Simply buying the keywords isn’t enough, your ad must have a good quality score for it to be picked up by the search engine and displayed on top. 

Big brands like Nike, Adidas, Sony, Amazon, and many more spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on Search Engine Marketing. This helps them lead an insane amount of traffic toward their stores, generating millions in sales revenue. 

SEM is especially beneficial for new brands struggling to make sales. By appearing on top of relative search results, you will attract consumers who are highly likely to complete an anticipated action, such as buying a product or service. Moreover, it also helps you build your brand awareness. 

As discussed earlier, over 5 billion searches take place on search engines on a daily basis, this makes them the ideal marketing platform. SEM lets you use the power of search engines, such as Bing And Google to advertise your brand. Here is how Search Engine Marketing works:  

Role Of Search Engines

Search engines are the main platforms for Search Engine Marketing. These platforms are ideal for advertisement if done right. Search engines connect target customers looking for something specific to your brand that offers that product or service. The whole process is carried out by algorithms that match searches to your ad. 

Many things are required for your ad to be selected for that designated top spot. But the investment and effort are worth the resulting sales. 

Search engines have specific tools which assist brands and advertisers in Search Engine Marketing. These tools launch, manage, and analyze your campaign. 

Google is the most widely used search platform all over the world and billions of searches take place on the platform daily. Google Ads is Google’s all-inclusive tool used for Search Engine Marketing. Google Ads lets you set your campaign, buy keywords and search phrases, design ads, and set the target audience and schedule. It can efficiently help you set up your entire campaign and manage it. 

Planning A Campaign 

The first step of Search Engine Marketing is planning a campaign. Many people lose money when investing in SEM because they step into the field without proper planning and research. 

Before you begin, make sure to sketch out a plan, know your target audience, outline the keywords and search phrases you want to buy, set locations and a schedule, and last but not the least, have a budget in mind. 

Keywords And Search Phrase Bidding

Keywords and search phrases play a big role in Search Engine Marketing. Always select and bid on keywords most closely related to your brand, products, or services. Before you start bidding, have a budget in mind and try not to cross it. 

Ad Creation

Like any other marketing technique, the quality of your ad matters a lot in Search Engine Marketing as well. Simply buying keywords, and setting up a campaign isn’t enough. You also have to create a high-quality ad. 

Quality score is used to measure ad quality. Your brand’s ad must have a high quality score for it to be picked up by Google and displayed on top of the search results. Google looks at many factors when deciding which ad to pick up. The most important factors are ad relevance, SEO, and the use of images and videos.

Google Ads has many tools that can help you design your brand’s ads effortlessly. In the end, add a destination URL and you’re good to go. 

Optimization And Targeting 

Search Engine Optimization has a big role in SEM. Your advertisement needs to be perfectly optimized for it to be selected by search engines’ algorithms. This involves the use of the right keywords, phrases, headings, and media forms. 

Another big part of setting up a good SEM campaign is selecting the right target audience. Ensure you select the right locations, devices, and times when your ad will be live. 

Budget And Launch 

Lastly, decide on a budget for your campaign. If you’re new to SEM, understand it and try it out first before spending all your marketing budget on it. Launch your campaign and wait a few days for results. If you feel like you’re not getting the desired results, try altering some things like location, time, devices, and keywords. 

Search Engine Marketing can help you effectively improve your sales and grow your brand. Here is what SEM can do for your brand: 

Helps Build Brand Awareness

You can massively improve your brand awareness and reputation through Search Engine Marketing. Whenever your brand appears at the top of consumers’ search results, it will automatically build a positive image in their minds, and they will be compelled to buy from you. 

High Click Through Rate

It has been seen that Search Engine Marketing has a high click-through rate. It means that users are highly likely to click your advertisement in SEM. Once they click your ad, it will take them to the destination URL, which can be your brand’s website, store, or social media page. 

Reaches The Right Audience 

With SEM, your advertisement reaches the ideal audience. This audience is consumers who are already searching for something your brand offers and have searched for it. This is why SEM drives such massive sales. 

Good Return On Investment 

SEM has a good return on what you pay for it. Companies generate millions of dollars in sales with a much smaller investment in Search Engine Marketing. New or low-budget brands can benefit greatly from SEM because of this. 

Search Engine Marketing or SEM, is a highly successful and effective digital marketing strategy, which can help you grow your brand to new heights. SEM uses the power of search engines to advertise your brand, attract consumers, and generate sales. 

Summed up above is a complete summary of Search Engine Marketing. Moreover, we have discussed how you can use SEM, and what it will do for your brand.