What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Working in digital marketing naturally means encountering many acronyms and other industry jargon. It’s crucial to understand what is search engine marketing (SEM). Research shows that 68% of traceable website traffic comes from organic and paid sources. This solidifies how crucial your online presence is.

What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Don’t feel ashamed if you’ve found yourself questioning ‘what is search engine marketing (SEM) in the past.

SEM is a digital marketing strategy commonly referred to as search engine marketing. SEM can be described as an umbrella or blanket term consisting of both paid and organic strategies. These tactics aim to increase the online visibility of a business website on the search engine results page (SERP). These digital marketing channels are PPC (pay-per-click) and SEO (search engine optimisation).

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a form of paid advertising through Google’s ad and it works exactly how it sounds! Every time a user clicks on the ad, the advertiser pays a fee. This can vary depending on the cost-per-click (CPC) of the specific keywords that trigger the advertisement.

On the other hand, where PPC aims to deliver those results every marketer dreams of QUICK. SEO is an organic strategy aiming to improve a website’s ranking on SERPs over a longer period.

The Importance of Search Engine Marketing

According to SmartInsights, nearly 60% of search engine users aged 16-64 have purchased a product or service online. With an increasing number of consumers using search engines to research products and services, SEM is crucial in marketing strategy. It helps marketers worldwide to capitalise on increased traffic by allowing them to reach their target audience!

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The Benefits of Search Engine Marketing

So, now that we have defined SEM and you understand what marketing channels are within the umbrella term, let’s delve into the benefits of utilising search engine marketing.

Boosted Visibility

As mentioned earlier, building your website’s visibility through SEO will naturally take a long time. However, as SEM utilises PPC, you can expect to see results much quicker. Although your competitors may outrank you organically, your paid ad will take you above the organic search results. This makes it the ideal short-term strategy for boosting your online visibility.

Increased Website Traffic 

Driving website traffic through SEO can be challenging and take a long time. This is where running paid ads can help bridge that gap and help increase the traffic to your website. This can help to increase the number of leads generated and therefore increase sales and revenue.

Remarketing 

Search engine marketing (SEM) allows you to leverage remarketing. This strategy targets users who have previously interacted with your website or brand. It will display ads to these potential customers as they browse the web. Remarketing to users that have previously interacted with your business can increase your conversion rates.

You can utilise personalised advertising based on the user’s previous activity on your website. This could involve reminding them of an abandoned cart or advertising a product or service they showed initial interest in.

Do you want to learn more about SEM and how hiring a professional SEM agency can help you dominate the competition? Check out our free resource ‘Why Hire A SEM Agency | The Ultimate Guide‘ where we define SEM and provide all the benefits of working with a SEM Agency.