Professional agencies offer Search Engine Marketing services (SEM services) to small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) for better online visibility and quick ROI.
Unlike Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) marketing, SEM primarily focuses on paid advertisements marketing strategies.
In this Innocams article, I’ll give you an overview of this SEM and what SEM marketing companies do for their clients.
What is SEM?
SEM is a set of techniques used to improve the SERP visibility of SMB’s paid ads.
SEM mainly follows the pay-per-click (PPC) model of online marketing. In this model, advertisements are shown at the top or bottom of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
One unique feature of SEM is that advertisers pay search engines only when their ads are clicked.
How SEM Differs from SEO
You must understand that SEO marketing drives organic traffic to websites from unpaid sources like a search engine.
On the other hand, providers of search engine marketing services drive traffic from paid advertisements like PPC.
Though not similar to SEO, many top SEM services companies insist on combining these two online marketing methods for even better SERP visibility and business growth.
They are right. The combined SEO-SEM force can skyrocket a business’s online visibility, conversion rate and growth.
However, for the sake of clarity and easy understanding, I’ll confine myself to SEM in this article.
How SEM Works
When someone searches for something on a search engine, pages (SERPs) containing relevant results are displayed.
These results show both organic results and paid advertisements. An efficient provider of search engine marketing services will ensure your paid ads are shown prominently in search results.
The key to succeeding in an SEM campaign is to display ads on the first page of the SERPs.
To do it effectively, the agency providing you with these search engine marketing services will utilise the efficacy of keyword manipulation.
After thorough keyword research, the agency will identify some keywords related to your product or service. Then it will use these keywords strategically in the adverts.
Now, when someone, looking for the product or service that you offer uses those keywords, your ads will be displayed prominently in search results.
The key here is to identify the right keywords that match well with the search intent of the users and to use them in the right places.
SEM may take many forms. Here are some of them you’ll find on Google.
Search Advertisement
Search ads are text-based advertisements that appear at the top or bottom of the search engine results pages (SERPs).
When visitors will search for keywords used in the ads, Google will display them on the SERPs.
Display Advertisement
These are image-based ads. These ads have a psychological benefit because the target audience remembers them as it finds them while browsing their favourite sites or applications.
Your display ad may appear on some 2 million websites and applications under Google Display Network (GDN).
Shopping Advertisements
Shopping adverts appear when someone searches for a specific product. They may appear on Google Maps, SERPs, Google images etc.
Local Advertisements
These ads appear on Google Maps or SERPs when users do a ‘near me’ search.
These advertisements help SMBs sell their products or services to local customers.
Video Advertisements
These adverts appear at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of videos on YouTube or other sites. These are highly targeted ads based on user data.
Benefits of Search Engine Marketing Services
Outsourcing your search engine marketing services to a professional agency may yield several benefits.
To put the importance of SEM in the right perspective, let’s start with understanding the current global online scenario.
Growing Target Audience
In its January 2023 Digital Report, Datareportal revealed that a whopping 64.4% of the global population (8.01 billion) now use the Internet.
The percentage is increasing rapidly.
Other studies revealed that almost 89% of purchases start with an online search for products or services.
So an effective SEM campaign can provide SMBs with a unique opportunity to reach a massive number of people with their products and services.
Provides Excellent Visibility
Paid advertisements appear strategically advantageous top and bottom areas of the SERPs. This results in an increase in visibility and exposure which may lead to more sales.
Targets Valuable Audience
Search Engine Marketing Services are based on bidding for targeted keywords to mobilise desired audiences.
Besides, it is also based on explicit information on the target audience.
Hence, SEM services have the potential to attract and convert your desired audience easily.
Saves Precious Time
By taking care of your SEM needs, the SEM company can save you a lot of time that you can invest in other crucial business activities.
Easier Budget Management
In the PPC model, which SEM leverages, the advertisers pay only when their ads are clicked. Thus you can analyze the campaign results and allocate budget to the most effective campaigns.
Offers Measurable Results
You can easily measure the results of your campaign launched by your search engine marketing services provider.
Using parameters like clicks, cost-per-conversion, impressions etc. you can make data-driven decisions, which are much more effective than guesswork.
Essential Services You Must Get
While selecting your SEM services provider, make sure it is offering the following services in the package.
These SEM companies offer many services like SEO marketing and Social Media Marketing (SME). But the following services are the must-have features in an SEM campaign.
Before I list these features, let’s know how search engines select and rank paid ads.
We’ll concentrate on how Google selects and ranks paid ads because it is the most popular search engine this time around.
Google’s Side of the Tale
Google uses an auction system to select and rank paid advertisements. During the selection process, the search engine considers six metrics. They are listed below.
- Maximum Bid: The maximum amount of money you are willing to give for one ad click.
- Ad Context: Google considers metrics like time of the search, location of the users, used keywords etc to select and rank paid ads.
- Ad Quality: How relevant and useful your ad will be to the users.
- Ad Assets and Format: Google also considers the likely impact of the format and additional information (like your phone number etc.) on the ad.
- Competition Impact: The level of competition will determine the selection and rank of ads and the PPC amount.
- Ad Rank Thresholds: A set of rules that govern the eligibility of an ad to be published.
Services Your SEM Must Leverage
While your chosen agency for search engine marketing services is at it, make sure they are providing you with the following services.
These services are important as they align with the abovementioned Google ad selection and ranking metrics.
Customised SEM Strategy
Your search engine marketing needs are unique. Your online marketing drive must adopt strategies that can address your unique needs and pain points.
Shortly, from ad group selection to keyword research–your every SEM effort must be tailored to your unique needs.
Unless your chosen provider of search engine marketing services offers this customised service, tick it off your list and go shopping elsewhere.
Dedicated SEM Strategists
The agency also must dedicate an SEM strategist to your account.
Having a dedicated strategist is important as he will help you understand what you are up to and the progress of your SEM campaign.
This strategist will understand your unique needs and identify the most effective online marketing strategy for your business.
Regular and Clear Communication
Having a dedicated strategist around will serve another crucial purpose: he will keep you in the loop.
As their client, your search engine marketing services company must inform you of the results your SEM campaign is yielding.
This dedicated strategist must hold a one-to-one meeting with you at least once a month and give you a detailed progress report of your campaign.
Transparent Price Structure
The SEM company must have a transparent price structure so you know what you are walking into.
Budgeting every move you take in your SEM journey will help you allocate your budget to the most effective campaigns.
You cannot do proper and effective budgeting unless you know what you will have to pay for which SEM service.
Additional Services You May Need
One disadvantage of SEM is the moment you stop your campaign, your ads will vanish from the SERPs and other places.
This is why most businessmen select full-service digital marketing agencies for their SEM work.
For example, SEO and SME.
Your business website needs SEO for online visibility and business growth. A strong social media presence is also crucial for the online marketing of your product or service.
Providing you with these services along with SEM, your search engine marketing services provider can leverage SEO and SME for a better online marketing campaign for you.
SEM Company Checklist
You should also consider the following factors while choosing your SEM services company.
Reputation of the Company
Always check out what kind of reputation your selected SEM agency enjoys. Never settle for companies with questionable market reputations.
Go through the website of the company. An efficient and honest SEM agency will have a high-speed responsive site with outstanding ease of use and detailed descriptions of services offered.
A look-see at the site may help you understand the efficacy of the agency.
Don’t Fall for Smooth Talk
A comprehensive SEM drive takes time to show results. No responsible and efficient agency will promise unbelievable results in a phenomenally short time.
Stay away from agencies that promise unrealistic results.
Check Out Customer Reviews
Read the customer reviews of the agency carefully. A reputed and efficient agency that provides SEM services will have lots of good reviews under its belt.
A few negative reviews are okay. They will help you compare your agency’s strengths against weaknesses. But only bad words across the board are a danger signal.
Ask for Referrals
Read the case studies and ask for referrals. If possible, contact one or two customers who have dealt with your chosen agency before you and consider their opinions.
The Team and Tools
SEM is a multidisciplinary campaign that needs professionals from different online marketing fields. Check out what kind of team your chosen SEM agency has.
Also, check out what tools they use for SEM purposes.
Good search engine marketing services providers usually use tools like Google Ads, Semrush, Microsoft Advertising, WordStream, Ad Roll etc.
Experience in Your Industry
There is no one-size-fits-all SEM strategy. Different industries call for different strategies. Find out if your chosen SEM company has experience in your particular industry or not.
Conclusion
To summarise, search engine marketing is a powerful online marketing strategy that can produce outstanding visibility, brand awareness and ROI quickly.
Leveraging SEO and SME for your SEM campaign, an efficient search engine marketing services provider can help your business’s online efficiency grow fast.
But you will have to carefully choose a reputed, efficient and honest SEM company to make your SEM campaign fruitful.
FAQs.
Q. What is SEM?
A. Search engine marketing or SEM is the process of helping online paid advertisements gain visibility and brand awareness.
Q. What is a search engine marketing services company?
A. Professional agencies that provide businesses with SEM services are called search engine marketing services companies.
Q. Does SEM require SEO too?
A. Not necessarily. However, SEO and SEM jointly can launch a more effective and comprehensive online marketing campaign.
Q. Is SME a part of SEM?
A. SME is not a part of SEM. However, it can be used in conjunction with SEM for a better online marketing campaign.
