Getting to the top of search results is no easy feat. Organic SEO may be the most “organic” way to do it, but it can also take a significant amount of time. The quicker alternative lies in the realm of search engine marketing (SEM), a foolproof method that comes with a price.
Let’s take a look at what SEM is and how it can be beneficial or detrimental to your business:
What Is SEM?
SEM is similar to SEO in a lot of ways. While SEO focuses on organic results, SEM focuses on pay-per-click advertising (PPC). In other words, you’re paying to have your website show up at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs).
SEM is a faster alternative to getting your website ranked. You also have the freedom to choose how long your ads will run. You can even target specific audiences based on location, device and demographics. Nonetheless, keeping your ads running can be costly.
This deters most businesses from SEM but many others find the investment worthwhile due to the immediate visibility.
Advantages of SEM
- Instant Visibility: Imagine instantly ranking on the first page of Google. This is near impossible with organic search results but not with SEM. SEM will get your website to the top of search results, increasing your chances of being seen.
Compelling ad copy and the right use of keywords can further enhance the visibility and attractiveness of your ads.
- Targeted Advertising: SEM allows for precise targeting of your audience. You can define who sees your ads based on location, language, device, time of day and even user behaviour.
This ensures that your ads are shown to people who are more likely to be interested in your products or services.
- Cost Control: SEM campaigns can be tailored to fit any budget. You set your daily or monthly budget and you only pay when someone clicks on your ad (PPC).
This means you have control over your spending and can scale your campaigns based on performance and available budget. It also gives all businesses, large or a small, the chance to position themselves on top of search results.
- Measurable ROI: At the end of the day, only statistics will show you how well your ads are performing. And with SEM, you have access to countless key metrics for your campaigns. This includes impressions and click-through rates (CTR) to name a few.
This data enables you to understand what’s working and what isn’t, allowing you to optimise your campaigns for better results.
- Increased Brand Awareness: SEM can increase brand awareness even if users don’t click on your ads. That’s the beauty of being positioned at the top of your search – everyone gets to see your website and this can build trust overtime. If they don’t choose your brand today, then they might choose your product in the future.
Disadvantages of SEM
- Cost: Cost is one of the main drawbacks of SEM. While you have the ability to control your cost, SEM can still be quite expensive. This is especially true in competitive environments where the PPC can be very high.
If you’re not careful with your budget, you might end up spending a lot of money without significant ROI.
- Short-Term Strategy: Unlike SEO, SEM is suitable for short-term strategies. The moment you stop paying for ads, your visibility drops. This means that while SEM can provide immediate results, it doesn’t contribute to long-term growth.
- Ad Blindness: Everyone has ignored ads in one way or another. Whether it’s a YouTube ad or a physical banner, ignoring ads is completely normal. But this can also impact your ads in a bad way.
This is called ad blindness and it is one of the most detrimental factors when it comes to ads. Users may skip past your ad and focus only on organic results regardless of ad relevance.
- Click Fraud: Your competitors are your enemies when it comes to business. And some competitors will do whatever it takes to win. This includes click frauding their way to victory. Click fraud are invalid clicks that aren’t a result of genuine user interest. Competitors may use fake clicks to attack your company and use up your ad spend. Click fraud may also be a result of accidental or duplicate clicks from random users.
Using SEM and SEO Together
SEM and SEO are two different strategies that complement each other in more ways than one. SEM is paid while SEO is organic, giving you the opportunity to reap the benefits of short-term and long-term gain respectively.
First and foremost, it’s important to establish a strong SEO strategy. SEM works best when your website is SEO-friendly. You can do this by:
- Conducting keyword research.
- Using those keywords on your website.
- Updating content regularly.
- Getting linked to and from other websites.
- Using meta tags in your content.
- Staying up to date with the latest SEO techniques.
Once you have a solid SEO foundation, you can integrate SEM into your marketing strategy to maximise your reach and visibility. This works like a well oiled machine where all components work together to enhance your website for maximum results.
The Bottom Line
SEM is a great alternative to organic SEO. It will give you the results you’re looking for at light speed. Not to mention the ability to control and target your ads effectively. There are potential drawbacks nonetheless and there’s a high chance they will affect your ads.
So remember to consider these pros and cons before signing up for ad sense. And why not work on your SEO while you’re at it!
Visit our website for more SEM tips.
