Search engine marketing (SEM) or PPC is a tactic of Internet marketing focused solely on a paid search engine’s results page (SERP). The aim of any SEM campaign is to have the businesses targeted website(s) and its content appear in the top 3 paid listings. This is done by systematically increasing the visibility of the website(s) on the SERP through onsite optimizations and advertising.
This involves a great deal of SEO – adjusting or rewriting a websites content to achieve higher ranking in search results. Furthermore, PPC listings and advertisement – notably through Google Adwords – are also used to increase traffic and click through rates on site as well.
Gearing towards increased SERP visibility
Fantastic search engine marketing results require long-term strategy and tactical implementation. This is because SEM is intrinsically progressive – it does not stand still. A year back marketers would not have cared about mobile bids nor give much thought to have a well-thought out PLA strategy. Google’s broad match modified keywords search and so many other features were absent. The digital arena keeps evolving and so must you.
Like any trade, SEM takes a lot of practice and expertise, and dedication. Nowadays it’s easy to know the right ingredients for a great marketing strategy: to succeed –
- Research and choose the right keywords. Maintain a focused keywords cluster
- Have clear business outcomes in mind. Optimize bids to achieve them
- Create great landing pages that drive conversions
- Keep track of your campaign. Use testing and measurement tools to continuously improve your process
BUT there is a difference, between knowing the right ingredients and actually implementing them, and then consistently following and evaluating the results. Each of the ingredients and skills requires you to become a business expert and SEM expert. Without doubt only you can provide the business expertise.
What about SEM expertise? For starters, they can be found in a PPC agency
For a long lasting search engine marketing campaign, an Adwords consultant / PPC agency like SM Digital Partners will prove to be of great help as it is not clouded by personal connections, the internal politics of business, or other internal issues. Furthermore it provides an outside perspective – it will speak of what can be done, not what the company can simply do.
But it would not solve your problems completely. Initial account setup from a skilled Google AdWords consultant may yield great results yet it will rarely show the true potential of your account. You’ll have to grow with them. You’ll have to learn from them, engage with them. It’s a two way street!
If you are too unforgiving, expecting to see amazing results from your AdWords and SEM campaigns in the first few months, you will most likely end up disappointed and keep chasing a goal that isn’t possible. Just keep a check whether they have a clear PPC strategy for you and how your PPC success will be measured.
Conclusion
There is no SEM Bible out there that will tell you what to do, nor is there a ‘psychic’ SEM guru that will transfer all that you need to do, directly to your mind. It is best to take search engine marketing as another learning experience. One which requires you to educate yourself, continuously ‘unlearn and relearn’ things as the market, the digital arena and competition evolves and finally grow with it.
If you are looking for a Google Partner certified in Google Adwords, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), please call SM Digital Partners at 561.404.9787.
