We have often come across SEM, SMM, SEO, and others that sound similar to us. If you have come across the word SEM and scratched your head in confusion, this post is for you.
We will analyze the SEM in simple and easy laymen’s terms and its importance in digital marketing practices.
What is SEM?
SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing. It encompasses the paid means to increase your brand’s visibility in the virtual world. Earlier, SEM was equated with SEO. Nowadays, it is mainly used as a standalone term for paid search engine marketing.
In SEM, brands pay for the ads of their products or websites to appear on the SERPs. With the help of targeted keywords, users are shown the ads of the products when they search the related keyword of the brand.
Though SEM is mainly used to refer to the paid results, it also includes the natural organic searches performed by the Google algorithm to display the brand’s online page. But nowadays, organic results, for all practical purposes, are associated with SEO.
Importance of SEM for your business
Increases your visibility and enhances the conversion rate
For any business, having visibility in its domain is of paramount importance. SEM helps you appear on the first page of the Google search page, thus increasing your visibility. It enhances your reputation as a leader or authority in your domain and helps build trust among the customers.
It also helps in better conversion rates and helps in gaining more customers for the business. Contrary to this, if your website appears on the second or third page of the Google search engine result, the chances are that very few users will visit your page.
Cost-effective solution
SEM is a cost-effective solution for companies of any size or scale. Be it a start-up or a multi-national company; it does not burn a hole in your pocket. It is economical as when someone clicks on the ad of your brand only then the payment happens.
Based on your needs and requirements, you can scale up your investments to reap benefits and maintain the flow.
Helps in providing quantified results.
Using the features like Google Ads for your SEM strategy will help you get the results in a measurable format. It provides you with numerous benefits to keep track of your campaigns. And if something is not going according to your plan of action, you can correct it.
That’s the best part of using SEM. It provides numbers (and who does not love the numbers?) to keep a tab on your performance.
Gives instant result
SEO and other related strategies of digital marketing practices take time to show results. You have to do similar things in a loop. This can be monotonous, and without the results showing quickly, it can lead to frustration.
On the other hand, SEM can give you instant results. The moment your ad is live, you can expect the customers or users to click on it to visit your website.
Maintains consistency of traffic
Consistency of traffic coming to your website plays a significant role in maintaining high rankings in search engine results. Sadly enough, the ups and downs of the traffic happen regularly, and unfortunately, most of the time, these cannot be explained.
To get over this, search ads can come to your rescue. It will ensure the regular flow of traffic to your website and will also help in controlling the flow of traffic according to your needs.
SEM provides you flexibility
With SEM, you can adjust your ads according to your target audience, location, and other parameters. It gives you a greater option in customizing the ads keeping your budget constraints and other factors in mind.
It provides more options for your ad campaign without rigidity and helps in achieving success through marketing.
SEM helps to increase brand awareness
According to a survey by Google, search ads help to boost the brand awareness by up to 80%. This helps in generating interest in the brand, which is beneficial for it in the long run.
In case someone does not click on the ads, it is still visible on the top of the search engine results page, which helps capture the customers’ attention.
Wrapping up
SEM works and can be beneficial to the brands. It helps in giving instant results and acts as an asset for the business. You can use it for better analysis of the data and helps in greater conversion.