What Is SEM? The Definitive Guide to Search Engine Marketing

What Is Search Engine Marketing?

Search motor trading (SEM) is simply a integer trading believe aimed astatine improving a website’s visibility successful hunt engines done paid ads and unpaid results. 

With paid hunt marketing, your website appears successful paid results. These results typically look arsenic “Sponsored.” 

Like this:

Search motor optimization (SEO)—improvements to your website that amended its visibility—can thief you summation unpaid results (also called integrated results). 

And these results look without immoderate label: 

Using some approaches successful hunt motor trading tin thief you:

• Improve website visibility
• Attract much traffic 
• Generate much leads
• Increase revenue
• Grow your business

How Does Search Engine Marketing Work?

SEM relies connected keywords (phrases users participate into hunt engines) that tin beryllium utilized to create applicable contented and ads designed to pull your target audience. 

Using nan correct keywords successful nan correct places is simply a cardinal portion of getting your ads and contented to look prominently successful hunt results.

Your likelihood of occurrence successful some realms is greater if you guarantee that your ads/content lucifer nan keyword’s hunt intent—the logic why group hunt that query.

We’ll spell complete this successful much item later. But for now, cognize you tin easy spot nan type of hunt intent erstwhile utilizing nan Keyword Magic Tool for keyword investigation (in nan “Intent” column): 

Types of Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Optimization 

Search motor optimization is focused connected improving your hunt motor visibility utilizing non-paid strategies for illustration publishing value contented that contains your target keywords. 

But besides utilizing different on-page optimizations (e.g., penning enticing meta descriptions), applying method fixes (e.g., implementing a sound website architecture), and leveraging off-page strategies (e.g., gaining links from different reputable websites).

Organic hunt trading takes clip to present results. But postulation and visibility generated by integrated hunt trading efforts tin past months aliases moreover years. 

Plus, refreshing your contented to see updated accusation tin summation your chances of maintaining aliases improving your hunt motor results page (SERP) rankings.

For example, finance tract The Balance published a station connected blogging backmost successful 2008 that continues to look successful nan apical results for “blogging.” Because they support it updated.

Paid Search Marketing

Paid hunt trading is focused connected improving your hunt motor visibility done paid advertisements. Which involves penning applicable copy, including compelling images (for immoderate ads), choosing assemblage targeting, and specifying keywords to trigger nan ads. 

Paid ads activity connected a pay-per-click (PPC) basis. In this business model, nan advertiser pays each clip personification clicks their ad.

Paid hunt often delivers faster results than integrated hunt marketing. But nan infinitesimal you extremity your paid advertisement campaigns, nan visibility and postulation they make ceases.

Here are nan different types of Google ads for SEM:

Search Ads

Google hunt ads look connected SERPs erstwhile users hunt for circumstantial keywords. 

Like this illustration for nan keyword “buy patient mattress online.”

Shopping Ads

Google Shopping Ads look erstwhile personification searches for a circumstantial product. 

They tin look successful SERPs, Google’s Shopping tab, Google Images, Maps, etc.

Like this illustration for “buy waterproof location mat.”

Local Ads

Local ads thief you beforehand your section business connected Google SERPs and Maps. 

Like this illustration for “graphic creation agency adjacent me.”

Paid SEM Best Practices

Many marketers see SEO successful their SEM strategies. But we focused nan tips beneath connected paid hunt trading pinch Google Search ads.

Learn How Google Ads Works

Google Ads uses an auction strategy to find which ads to show and successful what order. 

According to Google’s mentation of nan auction, location are six main factors they consider:

• Maximum bid: The maximum magnitude you're consenting to salary for an advertisement click 
• Ad quality: How applicable and adjuvant your advertisement is apt to beryllium for users
• Impact of advertisement assets (formerly called extensions) and format: How nan further accusation you provided successful your advertisement (like telephone number, links to circumstantial pages, etc.) and format are expected to impact performance
• Ad Rank thresholds: A group of values utilized for determining whether your ads are eligible to beryllium displayed 
• Ad context: The measurement factors for illustration nan hunt word used, nan user’s location, nan clip of search, nan instrumentality used, and much play a role
• Auction competitiveness: The level of title impacts who wins and what their last costs per click (CPC) will be

Set Up Your Campaign Structure

A well-structured Google Ads relationship groups ads together topically to guarantee strategical bids. 

Let’s spell complete nan measurement an relationship breaks down:

• Campaign: The highest level of statement wrong a Google Ads account. Each run tin comprise aggregate advertisement groups. Campaigns let you to group an wide budget, take your assemblage targeting, and use settings that impact each advertisement groups wrong nan campaign.
• Ad group: Within each campaign, advertisement groups shape your ads by a communal theme. Each advertisement group contains 1 aliases much ads. And a group of keywords.
• Keyword: Terms you bid connected for each advertisement set
• Ad: Individual ads’ transcript that users will spot erstwhile your ads are triggered

Here’s a ocular to clarify: 

Choose nan Right Keywords

Once you’ve wished your advertisement groups, you’ll want to target circumstantial keyword groups that resonate pinch your assemblage for each. 

And selecting nan correct ones is each astir striking a equilibrium betwixt including arsenic galore applicable position arsenic imaginable while omitting those that aren’t apt to thrust results. Bidding connected irrelevant keywords tin discarded your budget. 

Here’s really to prime nan correct ones:

Target Keywords pinch Commercial and Transactional Intent

Choose keywords group usage erstwhile they’re intelligibly willing successful making a purchase. Which you tin find by analyzing keyword intent.

There are 4 types of intent:

• Navigational: Keywords group type into hunt engines erstwhile they want to find a circumstantial tract aliases page
• Informational: Keywords group usage to find information
• Commercial: Keywords group usage to investigation circumstantial products, services, aliases brands 
• Transactional: Keywords group usage erstwhile they want to execute a transaction

For ads intended to thrust sales, attraction connected commercialized and transactional keywords.

Use nan Keyword Magic Tool to find these keywords. 

Just participate a wide word related to your merchandise aliases service. Then, prime nan “Intent” drop-down, cheque nan boxes adjacent to “Commercial” and “Transactional,” and click “Apply.”

You’ll now beryllium near pinch conscionable keywords that person commercialized and/or transactional intent to consider.

Now, let’s spell complete really to measure those options.

Review Keyword Volume and Competition

When evaluating position successful nan Keyword Magic Tool, return a look astatine really galore mean monthly searches they get (volume) arsenic good arsenic really competitory they are.

In nan Keyword Magic Tool, prime nan “Volume” drop-down. And take a scope from nan menu. 

The scope will dangle connected your manufacture and really celebrated nan merchandise aliases work is. Because we’re utilizing nan highly competitory footwear niche successful our example, we’re mounting nan scope from 1,001 to 10,000. 

Next, click nan cogwheel icon connected nan apical correct broadside of nan array and click nan container adjacent to "Competitive Density” to adhd it to nan table. This is simply a metric that measures title successful Google Ads connected a standard of 0 (not competitive) to 1 (highly competitive).

Review nan keyword database and prime ones that onslaught a equilibrium betwixt measurement and competition.

Keywords pinch precocious hunt volumes thin to beryllium competitory but tin thief you summation sizeable visibility. Lower-volume hunt position are often little competitory but often pull users who are highly motivated to buy.

Then, see nan “CPC” file for each word you’re willing in. 

This is nan mean value advertisers salary for a click connected their ads targeting that term. Which tin pass really overmuch you want to bid to guidelines a bully chance of winning nan auction without going excessively high. 

Repeat this process for each your advertisement groups. 

Analyze Competitors’ Ads

Reviewing your competitors’ advertisement transcript tin springiness you ideas to usage erstwhile penning your ain advertisement copy.

Semrush’s Advertising Research instrumentality tin thief you do this.

Enter a competitor’s domain name, prime a country, and click“Search.”

Head to nan “Ad Copies” conception to analyse your competitor’s ads.

If you click connected nan drop-down icon beneath each advertisement transcript box, you’ll get a database of keywords nan advertisement is ranking for successful paid search:

Use these ads arsenic inspiration for your campaigns. 

Each paid hunt advertisement is made up of 4 components: 

• Headline
• Display URL
• Description
• Ad assets (optional)

Here are a fewer champion practices for each of these components:

Optimize Your Headline

The header is apt nan first point your target assemblage will see. So, it needs to beryllium compelling.

That intends you should beryllium clear and circumstantial astir your merchandise aliases work while gathering nan 30-character limit (note that you tin usage up to 15 headlines).

And a bully header should:

• Include simple, nonstop language
• Use keywords naturally
• Address personification intent
• Appeal to emotion aliases usage joke (if it fits your brand)

Use a instrumentality for illustration nan AI Ad Copy Generator to create amended advertisement headlines. 

Add nan URL of nan page you want to tally ads for. And click “Continue.” 

Next, adhd nan keywords you’re targeting. And click “Generate ads.”

Once nan ads are ready, you’ll get an email pinch a record containing aggregate headlines and descriptions. 

Choose a Display URL

Your show URL is nan web reside that appears connected your ad. It gives users an thought of wherever they’ll onshore aft clicking connected nan ad.

The guidelines portion of nan show URL is your website's main address. Like “https://www.yourwebsite.com.” 

But you tin make it much circumstantial to your advertisement to springiness users an thought of what type of page they’re heading to. Like “https://www.yourwebsite.com/shoes/athletic.” 

Use a show URL that will:

• Help users expect what benignant of page they’ll onshore on
• Highlight immoderate circumstantial offers to entice users
• Be short and simple

Write Click-Worthy Descriptions

Writing enticing descriptions tin seduce users to click—and you tin adhd up to 4 descriptions per advertisement group, each up to 90 characters long.

Here are a fewer tips for penning click-worthy advertisement descriptions:

• Incorporate keywords successful a measurement that feels earthy and applicable to users 
• Keep messaging concise truthful users don’t suffer interest
• Include a telephone to action for illustration “shop now,” “place your order,” aliases “book now”

Using advertisement assets to see further accusation whitethorn person users to click.

A fewer examples of advertisement extensions are: 

• Call buttons
• Location information
• Links to circumstantial parts of your site
• Additional text

But they won’t ever show up. Because they’re influenced by a fewer factors:

• Ad rank: Assets look erstwhile a minimum advertisement rank is met
• Position of your ad: Ads pinch a higher position return privilege for displaying assets
• The circumstantial assets you’ve used: Assets will only show if they’re predicted to amended your ad’s performance

Read Google’s afloat list of advertisement assets to study much astir circumstantial types.

Track and Analyze SEM Metrics

Measure really good your paid ads are performing by evaluating nan pursuing metrics:

Impressions

Impressions show you really galore times your advertisement was shown to users. Which gives you an thought of your scope and visibility. 

You tin spot this metric wrong Google Ads:

Clicks

Clicks are nan number of times your advertisement was clicked. Which tin thief you understand interest.

And you tin spot them successful Google Ads:

You tin besides measure your click-through complaint (CTR)—the percent of impressions that resulted successful clicks. 

This helps you understand really efficaciously your advertisement captures your audience’s attention.

Conversion Rate

Conversion complaint refers to nan percent of advertisement clicks that lead to conversions. Which helps you understand really effective your advertisement and landing page are. 

Once you set up conversion tracking, you tin position this metric successful Google Ads.

Paid SEM Challenges

Creating a High-Quality Landing Page Experience

Creating a value landing page that aligns pinch your ads tin effect whether your ads look successful nan first place. And seduce visitors to return action.

So, usage accordant messaging and guarantee a affirmative personification acquisition by leveraging intuitive navigation and prioritizing accelerated page loading speed.

Our Landing Page Builder makes it easy to create user-friendly landing pages without immoderate coding experience. 

Choose from 400+ customizable templates to get started. 

Then usage nan drag-and-drop builder to create master landing pages that align pinch your run goals. 

Understanding nan Geo-Targeting Settings

The default geo-targeting mounting successful Google Ads is “Presence aliases interest: People in, regularly in, aliases who've shown liking successful your targeted locations.” 

But this mounting isn’t perfect if you’re advertizing a section business. 

Updating your geo-targeting settings to “Presence: People successful aliases regularly successful your targeted locations” lets you target only those who are physically wrong aliases often wrong your specified area.

Improve Your Search Engine Visibility pinch SEM

SEM enables you to pull much website postulation and make much revenue. And nan correct exertion tin help. 

Semrush offers a wide scope of integer trading devices to support your SEM campaigns. From keyword investigation to competitor analysis.

Sign up for a free relationship today.