Is Search Engine Marketing a part of digital marketing?
How is search engine marketing related to digital marketing?
You can’t survive as a business today without a robust online marketing strategy. This strategy must consist of website design, social media platforms, content creation, consumer interaction, and many other elements if you want to be taken seriously in today’s marketplace.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is another important part of the equation, but it’s a concept that you may not be too familiar with. Today, we’re going to explore where SEM fits in the realm of digital marketing, the similarities and differences with search engine optimization (SEO), and some tips on how to optimize your website’s usage.
Digital Marketing Vs. Search Engine Marketing
Digital marketing has become one of the most important aspects of building a business in today’s technological age. Search engine marketing fits into the picture by being a type of digital marketing that’s used to increase the visibility of a company’s website in search engine results provided to consumers. Search engine marketing is closely related to search engine optimization, but it’s important to understand the differences.
Search Engine Optimization Vs. Search Engine Marketing
Companies often give search engine optimization and search engine marketing different weight as part of a digital marketing strategy. Both of these techniques involve getting better search engine results, but search engine marketing — also known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising — refers to paid advertisements where advertisers bid on keywords that users are likely to enter when searching for products or services. As you might expect, it can be especially advantageous to use both SEO and SEM in your company’s overall marketing strategy.
Tips to Optimize a Search Engine Marketing Strategy
Developing an effective SEM strategy takes time and know-how, and many companies have no idea where to begin. We’ve compiled some of our favorite tips on how to optimize your strategy so you can get started right away:
Identify Your Target Audience
Whether you’re using paid advertisements or not, it’s important to identify your target audience so these advertisements will go to the right people. This is where you’ll create buyer personas that are based on a variety of factors such as gender, income, age, hobbies, online activity, etc. Once you’ve identified your target audience, you’ll be ready to decide precisely where your advertising dollars will be best spent.
Write Persuasive Content
The use of paid advertisements doesn’t mean that you can throw out any type of content and it’ll work to your benefit. You must make sure that every bit of copy you write is persuasive and appealing so consumers who come across the advertisement will be more likely to check out your website. If you can demonstrate how your product or service tackles a need or answers a question, then you’ll already be ahead of the game.
Perform Keyword Research
Just because you’re paying for these advertisements, that doesn’t mean you can skimp on proper keyword research. You must select relevant keywords and key phrases that are most likely to be searched by potential customers so you can rank higher in Google and other search engines. Luckily, Google and other outlets have keyword research tools available that are easy to use and very effective in assisting you with paid and organic search results.
Consider Max Bid and Q-Score
Search engine marketing works with the use of ad auctions where you bid on the ads that will be used to market your products and services. Google uses both the maximum bid amount and the quality score of your ad to determine how it will rank on the Google search engine. You’ll find many online tools available that will help you make future ads so that you can increase your quality score for better results.
Choose the Best SEM Tools
Perhaps the greatest thing about search engine marketing and other digital marketing endeavors is that you’re never alone. There are always many online tools that will help you gain a better foothold in search engine results and other types of metrics. These are some of our favorite SEM tools that have proven to be effective for a variety of clients:
- Google Trends
- SEMrush
- HubSpot’s Ad Tracking
- Google Ads Keyword Planner
- Wordstream
- SpyFu
Develop a Consistent Strategy
Consistency is a key component to every business’ success. There’s nothing wrong with testing the waters here and there, but you’ll want to decide on a consistent SEO or SEM strategy sooner rather than later so that you can have the most success. Some companies decide on one over the other, though you may want to mix SEO and SEM together. Also, you must be cognizant of what’s working and what isn’t, and make alterations as needed.
Check Out Your Competition
It’s great when a company does its own thing, but ignoring your competition is a mistake. If one of your competitors is consistently ranking higher on Google, then you must ask yourself what they’re doing differently and how you can use their strategies to improve your own search engine rankings. When you’re first starting out, you can also pay attention to competitors that aren’t doing so well, which can help you avoid certain pitfalls.
Always Provide Quality Content
We’ve already talked about your content being persuasive, but that’s only part of the equation. If you want your content to rank high on Google and other search engines, then it needs to always be of the highest quality possible. Not only must it be well-written, but the content also needs to be informational and insightful so that your target audience will respond positively to it. In addition to utilizing proper keywords, it’s important that you avoid clickbait, which is a surefire way to earn a negative reputation.
Contact P3 Agency for Search Engine Marketing Services
The marketing professionals at P3 Agency specialize in SEM, SEO, and other marketing needs. If you have any questions about web design in Clearwater or any other services, our team can help. For more information or to receive a free, no-obligation marketing assessment, give us a call at (800) 515-9422 today.