A business without marketing is like rice without side dishes. Marketing plays a key role in maintaining the stability and existence of a business. Business does have a very broad scope, but if it is narrowed down only to digital business, then SEO and SEM are the main pawns.
Apart from SEO (Search Engine Optimization), SEM (Search Engine Marketing) can also be categorized as the vanguard to ensure that published content has a high conversion rate and user engagement.
So, this article will focus on exploring in detail about SEM (Search Engine Marketing) as a type of digital marketing. If Erzedka Friends are curious about what SEM is, its important components, examples, the difference from SEO, to the benefits of SEM for business, then you are in the right reference. Happy reading!
Get to know SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is assuming that SEO is the same strategy as SEM, and they both mean the same thing as content marketing. Even though these three things (SEO, SEM, and content marketing) are very different and have their respective roles in the success of business campaigns.
So what exactly is SEM? How is it different from SEO? And what is its important role in business? Come on, keep following this article to find all the answers to the questions above!
What is SEM and how it works??
Search Engine Marketing is a paid promotion strategy that is used to increase a website's ranking in search results. The target of SEM is to increase the number of users who enter the website so that brand awareness and sales conversions can be brilliant.
In the Search Engine Marketing example carried out by Erzedka above, it can be seen that the distinctive feature of a website that implements SEM is that it has an "Ad" or "advertisement" label next to the website name.
Usually Search Engine Marketing works based on the keywords advertisers want to optimize. The keywords you want to optimize for are often relevant to the advertiser's business or product. So that if there are internet visitors who enter these keywords, they will find the advertiser's website at the top of the SERP.
When internet visitors view the advertiser's website on the SERP page, there is still no fee to be paid by the advertiser. Because the SEM stage is still in the "getting an impression" phase.
However, when internet visitors click on the advertiser's website and enter on the homepage or other page, the Pay Per Click (PPC) payment method can already be applied to SEM. Where advertisers must pay SEM service providers according to the number of clicks made by internet visitors to their website.
Actually Search Engine Marketing is not only applied to Google. Various search engines such as Amazon, eBay, Bing, Ask, to DuckDuckGo can implement SEM. However, the most frequently used platform is Google because it controls internet market share of up to 92.5%.
Digital marketers most often use SEM to advertise on two platforms, namely Google (using Google Ads) and Bing (owned by Microsoft using Bing Ads).
What are the essential components of SEM?
The following presents some of the most important components of Search Engine Marketing for Erzedka Friends to know.
1. Platforms Used
Before deciding to implement Search Engine Marketing in business, Erzedka Friends must first pay attention to the type of platform that will be used.
There are several popular platforms that are often used for SEM, namely Semrush, Google Ads, Wordstream, Optmyzr, Supermetrics, Keywrodtool.io, and Spyfu. Of the seven platforms, Semrush and Google Ads dominate the top sequence.
2. Semrush
Semrush is here as one of the right choices for businesses that need online advertising, social media promos, SEO, and also SEM. The fee groups available at Semrush are divided into three types, namely Pro (costs start from $ 99 per month), Guru (costs start from $ 199 per month), and Business (costs start from $ 399 per month).
3. Google Ads
Google Ads is the most popular type of platform for SEM today. This is due to Google Ads' expertise in increasing website visibility in SERP search results. Apart from that, the cost of Google Ads is also very pocket-friendly. Starting from $ 2 you can use Google Ads to increase Leads on the website.
Apart from Google Ads, there is actually another type of digital marketing that is very popular, namely Facebook Ads. The basic difference between Google Ads vs Facebook Ads lies in the target users they have. Google Ads is superior because it has a more varied and productive number of users.
4. Keyword Types in SEM
If Erzedka Friends wants the Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategy to run smoothly, then one of the things that must be addressed and taken into account is the use of keywords. SEM itself groups keywords into four types, namely Broad Match Keywords, Phrase Match Keywords, Exact Match Keywords, and Negative Keywords.
a. Broad Match Keywords
The distinctive feature of Broad Match Keywords is that the keywords used are very general. The advantage of this keyword is that it can capture a very large audience at once, resulting in high traffic. However, the weakness of Broad Match Keywords is that it often makes ads appear on inappropriate themes. So that it will reduce the integrity of the business website that you are running.
For example, Erzedka uses the keyword “marketing psychology” as its SEM strategy to attract an audience interested in marketing. So, because the keyword "marketing psychology" is still very general in nature, your website will also appear on the SERP when an audience types in the keywords "marketing psychology tips" or "marketing psychology application".
b. Phrase Match Keywords
Phrase Match Keywords are keyword ideas with a more focused scope than Broad Match Keywords. So that Phrase Match Keyword will bring in an audience with a lower specification level. Likewise, the traffic generated is narrower.
Usually Phrase Match Keyword is used by adding one or two additional words in front of or behind the main keyword. For example, when Erzedka used the keyword "marketing psychology", then two words were added at the end so that it became "marketing psychology for business".
c. Exact Match Keyword
Basically, Exact Match Keywords are the opposite of Broad Match Keywords. Exact Match Keyword consists of very focused and specific keywords. The advantage of using Exact Match Keywords is that it can capture a very specific audience and match the target of the specified market share.
d. Negative Keywords
In essence, Negative Keywords are keywords that should be avoided when running SEM. Because these keywords are very irrelevant to the business or company that you are running.
Negative keywords can help save costs because ads will not appear on avoided words. Keywords of this type can also make ads more targeted and on target. Therefore, make sure to add some Negative Keywords when running campaigns using SEM.
e. Define Target Audience
Creating audience segmentation is very important in determining the success of the promotional strategy being implemented. Because if the promotion is run on an inappropriate target audience, it will not generate leads and sales conversions.
The target audience is determined by considering the following factors, such as location (location range of the target audience), time (peak hour, the best time to run a campaign), audience demographics (age, gender, occupation, income, and device used), and audience behavior (user flows).
f. Copywriting in Running SEM Ads
In running advertisements using Search Engine Marketing, you must also pay attention to copywriting so that it can attract and persuade potential audiences.
Copywriting in SEM has several sections, such as URL, Headline, Description, and Site Extension. In the following, an example will be presented so that Erzedka Friends understands it better.
What is an example of Search Engine Marketing?
Not only in the form of text in copywriting, it turns out that Search Engine Marketing is also present in other formats such as product displays and PLAs (Product Listing Ads) in the form of prices and reviews that can visually attract potential customers.
The following shows several examples of SEM in various formats so that Erzedka Friends can get a clearer picture of examples of using SEM.
What is the difference between SEO and SEM?
Is Erzedka Friends still confused about the difference between SEO and SEM? No need to worry because we will present the answer in the discussion below.
1. Target Users
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has more general and non-specific target users. At the start of deployment, you can't measure or segment your target audience. You need to do SEO optimization first on the website content, then monitor through the installed Google UTM and assess whether the SEO strategy implemented is able to cover the desired target users.
Whereas in SEM, since the beginning of the optimization, it has been able to set the desired segmentation of users specifically, starting from the age category, gender, to location. In essence, SEM is more able to reach target users in a specific and measurable manner so that the content on the website is able to maximize sales conversions.
2. Optimization Speed
The difference between SEO and SEM is then measured based on the speed of optimizing the website so that it appears on the top page of the SERP. In terms of optimization speed, SEM is superior to SEO. This is because SEM has user segmentation and target audiences that are more measurable and specific than SEO.
3. Cost
From a cost standpoint, SEO is superior to SEM. SEO optimization can be done independently without costing a penny. While website optimization through SEM (Search Engine Marketing) of course requires certain costs which are calculated based on the PPC (Pay Per Click) method.
What are the benefits of SEM for business?
So, we have arrived at the core discussion of this article, namely the benefits and role of SEM in business. Already curious? Come on, just look at the explanation below!
1. Increase Lead Generation
For Erzedka Friends who are still wondering what Leads are, here's a brief explanation. Leads are a potential audience that is most likely to be interested in the content, products or services offered by our digital business.
Why are Leads important? Because the more Lead Generation is generated, the customer will increase, this is linear with an increasing profit as well.
Through Search Engine Marketing which has a more specific target audience, the targeted audience is more targeted so it's easier to get Leads to lead to sales conversions.
2. Increase Conversion Rate
Call to Action (CTA) which leads to websites through advertisements installed on Google SERPs, can increase the conversion rate of product sales. We can see that the conversion rate is calculated based on the number of impressions (how many times the product we are selling is seen by potential customers) and the number of clicks (how many times the product is clicked and ultimately checked out by the customer).
So indirectly, the conversion rate has a close relationship with CTR (Click Through Rate). Then what is the relationship between CTR and SEM? Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is able to make a website in the top position of search results by targeting relevant keywords that are most used by Google users.
So, if the website is at the top of the search results, more people will click on the ad. This is evidenced by data compiled by Accurast, that ads that are at the top generate a CTR of up to 7.11%.
3. Increase Brand Awareness
With more and more internet users visiting the company's website through the SEM strategy, the company will be increasingly recognized and remembered by the public. In addition to brand awareness, SEM strategies can also build brand personality in potential customers.
Because when they click on our website through SEM ads and then see the products or services we offer, then the initial perception (first impression) will be formed. This is very useful for building long-term relationships with potential customers.
4. Has Relatively Fast Results
Do you often hear the saying "Time is Money"? Well, in business, this advice is very justified. Every second feels precious and will waste the budget if the promotion strategy that is carried out cannot produce sales conversions immediately.
Because the longer it takes to acquire a potential customer, the greater the possibility of it being seized by competitors. That is why SEM is the best strategy for acquiring customers and increasing sales. Because SEM has a faster process than SEO.
SEM works by targeting specific keywords that lead to the right target audience. Where did these keywords come from? You can monitor the performance of keywords that are trending and have high search volume through Google Trends.
5. Adaptable to Company Budget
Because the payment method for SEM is Pay Per Click (PPC), advertising companies can adjust their budgets according to their budget limitations. If a company has a high budget, it can install general keywords to get a more diverse and large audience.
However, if a company has a minimal and limited budget, then keywords are more specifically targeted, so that the costs incurred are not in vain to reach an audience that is not our target.
Are You Ready to Implement Search Engine Marketing?
We are at the end of this article. So, of course Erzedka Friends already understand what Search Engine Marketing is and its supporting components, examples, and the benefits for business. Search Engine Marketing is a paid digital promotion strategy that is useful for increasing website ranking in search results.
The prominent difference between SEM and SEO lies in the cost aspect. SEO can be done for free. Whereas SEM as a paid digital marketing strategy requires budget planning in advance so that the money spent on advertising is not wasted.
But of course, the costs incurred for SEM will pay off with amazing performance. SEM is proven to be able to increase website visibility, conversion rate, brand awareness, brand personality, to Lead Generation.
Well, that's enough discussion this time regarding Search Engine Marketing guidelines. Hopefully this will be useful for Erzedka Friends, OK!