How do you use data to power SEM?

1 Define your objectives and metrics

Before you launch any SEM campaign, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish and how you will measure your success. Depending on your business model, your objectives could be to generate leads, sales, sign-ups, downloads, or any other action that matters to you. Then, you need to define the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you track your progress and evaluate your return on investment (ROI). Some common KPIs for SEM are impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), conversions, conversion rate (CVR), cost per acquisition (CPA), and revenue.

2 Conduct keyword research and competitor analysis

The next step is to find out what keywords your target audience is using to search for your products or services, and what your competitors are doing to rank for those keywords. Keyword research and competitor analysis will help you identify the most relevant, profitable, and competitive keywords for your SEM campaigns, as well as the gaps and opportunities in the market. You can use various tools and platforms, such as Google Ads, Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, SEMrush, Moz, and Ahrefs, to conduct your research and analysis.

3 Create and optimize your landing pages

Once you have your keywords, you need to create and optimize your landing pages for each SEM campaign. A landing page is the web page that your visitors see after they click on your ad, and it should be designed to persuade them to take the desired action. To optimize your landing pages, you need to use data to test and improve different elements, such as the headline, copy, images, call to action (CTA), layout, and loading speed. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Optimize, Unbounce, and Crazy Egg to run experiments and analyze the results.

4 Set up and launch your ads

The next step is to set up and launch your ads on the search engine platforms of your choice, such as Google Ads, Bing Ads, or Yahoo Ads. You need to use data to create and optimize your ads for each keyword group, campaign, and ad group. Some of the factors that affect your ad performance are the ad copy, title, description, URL, extensions, bid, budget, targeting, and quality score. You can use tools like Google Ads Editor, Google Ads Keyword Planner, and Google Ads Performance Grader to manage and improve your ads.

5 Monitor and analyze your performance

The final step is to monitor and analyze your performance data regularly and make adjustments as needed. You need to use data to evaluate how well your SEM campaigns are meeting your objectives and metrics, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of your strategy. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Data Studio, and Google Search Console to collect and visualize your data, and tools like Google Ads Scripts, Google Ads Rules, and Google Ads Smart Bidding to automate and optimize your tasks.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?