Search Engine Marketing: 12 Things Experts Say You Need to Know About SEM

Search engine optimization (SEO) has always been at the forefront of most business’s marketing strategies when it came to finding their way to the top of search engine results, especially Google’s. However, staying there in the long-term can be an overwhelming and difficult task. At the same time, SEO brings in organic search engine traffic, which is the ideal way to get traffic to your website and to boost profits. However, it can take a little while for you to see the results of your hard work. Experts say that there is one thing that can help speed things up: Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Here are 12 things that they say that small business owners should be aware of regarding SEM:

1. SEM campaigns tend to provide a pretty quick return on investment (ROI), while SEO campaigns offer a longer-term ROI.
2. It is wise for small business owners to make an investment in both SEO and SEM, as they are more fruitful when they are utilized together rather than on their own.
3. Only begin with a smaller budget for SEM to see if you’re able to convert your website visitors into to real customers. This will allow you to test your campaign as you go. You can see what is working and not working, adjust the campaign and then test again.
4. SEM will allow you to reach specific customers by targeting by location, keywords, etc.
5. Make sure that you optimize your SEM campaigns by focusing on targeting parameters – add location, negative keywords and call extensions.
6. Take the time to research relevant keywords for your campaign.
7. If you see that your SEM campaign is profitable and that you’re capable of handling additional business, then you can increase your SEM budget.
8. Don’t forget that optimizing your business website for SEM will actually help SEO and vice-versa.
9. For an SEM campaign to be truly successful, you can’t start it and then forget it. It must be managed on a daily basis at minimum, though more frequently would be best. Constant effort is a must, either by yourself or by a digital marketing firm.
10. Keep in mind that the initial month (maybe a little bit longer) will be the most expensive, as you will be running tests to be what works and what doesn’t. This is a learning experience and you need to figure out which ads perform the best.
11. If your website is not SEO-optimized, then the bounce rates are going to be high with your SEM campaign. This is going to cost you per lead.
12. If you do not have a solid foundation first, then you should not invest in an SEM campaign. So, make sure that you have an eye-appealing website design, strong message, and smooth navigation before moving onto SEM. 

If you are looking to start your search engine marketing campaign, but have some questions or need someone to get things set up for you, call or email us at WebDetail.