Search Engine Marketing

Although the two strategies are very closely related, they are not the same. SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in the non-paid section of search results. It’s a long-term play focused on authority and trust. SEM usually refers to Paid Search (like Google Ads). You bid on keywords, and when someone searches for them, your link appears at the very top labeled as "Sponsored." We recommend using SEM for quicker results, while also investing some time into SEO to improve your online marketing even more. 

Although video ads and online banners are never a part of search engine results, they can augment your SEM strategy by retargeting the users who land on your website or those who show interest in your products or services online. The two formats allow you to reach out to those customers who are not searching for your business at the moment, but did a related research recently or likely to start searching for it in the near future. 

The idea of paying for search traffic may seem expensive only if you are not familiar with all the tools and techniques that allow for precision targeting and super-efficient optimization of your advertising budget. When you pay $1,000 per month for a billboard or radio commercial you don't have a lot of control over the audience nor do you have much transparency regarding the outcomes. SEM, on the other hand, allows you to choose what, when, where and how you are going to communicate, and most importantly, to whom. With the right approach, every click on your ads will be from a potential customer with a high purchase intent. You will be able to real-time monitor your campaign performance and adjust the strategy to get better results at any moment. Ask us about an average cost per click in your industry and target market, we will be happy to share our insights with you and even suggest a starter media budget. 

There are five important questions to answer before you start building your SEM campaigns are:

1. Where are my customers located?
2. What terms do they use when they search for my products or services?
3. What is important for my customers when they make a decision to buy?
4. Is my website easy to access and navigate, and can users quickly see convincing reasons and convenient means to become my customers? 
5. What are the ultimate, most desirable ways of user interaction? Do I sell products online or will I get leads from the website?  

If you struggle to answer any of the questions above, do not feel shy to ask for our help. We will be happy to brainstorm with or for you.