Search engine marketing is a form of Internet marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages primarily through paid advertising. — Wikipedia
How Does Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Differ from Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Well, the difference between SEM and SEO is quite simple. With SEO you attempt to improve/increase your search traffic without paying for listings. SEO is done through hard work and time. Yes, you may have to pay an agency or you can DIY. However, with SEM you are increasing your traffic through purchasing paid search listings. A great example of this is Google Adwords.
Common SEM Terms
- Paid Search Ads
- Paid Search Advertising
- Pay Per Click (PPC)
- Cost Per Click (CPC)
- Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPC)
How Can SEM Help Your Small Business?
Instant Brand Awareness
SEM puts you front and center with your customers, to give you an opportunity to speak to them. When you create an ad you bid against others creating ads for chosen targeted keywords. With a combination of quality score and price, search engines such as Google and Bind decide where to put you in the paid search results.
Most of the time by having the highest bid, you get the top spot (a few other factors included). This process is much faster and easier than SEO. Your ads usually start showing almost immediately after they have been approved by the search engine.
High Degree of Advertising Control
You can choose when your ad runs, what your budget is, which devices will see your ad, where your ad will run, and more. This is extremely important for small businesses that need to make smart moves on a limited budget! Being able to tailor your campaign to meet your needs means you can control your marketing like never before!
Targeted Advertising
Target keywords, age, geographic location, gender, hobbies/interests and more to see if your message is reaching the right people
Campaign Tracking
Virtually everything having to do with SEM can be measured. Want to know how many people clicked on your ad? What time of day they clicked? Which of two ads was more popular? Thanks to quantifiable data, all of these questions and more can be answered.
By having the ability to track and measure campaigns, you can see what works and what doesn’t work. Then you can adjust as needed. This cuts down on wasted advertising costs and helps to stretch your investment so you can put more of your marketing budget into what works best for your business.
Conclusion
Online is a great place to market your small business. SEM can positively boost your business sales and brand awareness. It makes sense to learn more about SEM and how it can help boost your sales.
