You're starting a new career in SEM. What skills should you prioritize to succeed?

1 Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of any SEM campaign. It involves finding and analyzing the words and phrases that your target audience uses to search for your products, services, or information online. Keyword research helps you understand the intent, demand, and competition of different queries, and allows you to choose the most relevant and profitable keywords for your ads. You can use various tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Moz, to conduct keyword research and generate ideas.

3 Landing Page Optimization

Landing page optimization is the process of improving the design, content, and functionality of your web pages that your ads lead to. Your landing pages should provide a seamless and satisfying user experience, match the expectations and needs of your visitors, and encourage them to convert into leads or customers. You should also use clear and concise headlines, subheadings, images, videos, and call-to-action buttons to guide your visitors through your landing page. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Optimize, or Unbounce to measure and improve your landing page performance.

4 Bid Management

Bid management is the technique of setting and adjusting the amount of money you're willing to pay for each click on your ads. Your bid affects your ad rank, which determines how often and where your ads appear on the search engine results pages. You should aim to balance your bid with your budget, goals, and return on investment. You can use manual or automated bid strategies, depending on your level of control and flexibility. You can also use tools like Google Ads Editor, Microsoft Advertising Editor, or WordStream to manage your bids more efficiently.

5 Campaign Analysis

Campaign analysis is the skill of measuring and evaluating the effectiveness and performance of your SEM campaigns. You should use various metrics, such as impressions, clicks, click-through rate, conversions, conversion rate, cost per click, cost per conversion, and return on ad spend, to track and analyze your campaign results. You should also use tools like Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, or Google Data Studio to create and visualize reports and dashboards. Campaign analysis helps you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your campaigns, and make data-driven decisions to optimize and improve them.

6 Communication Skills

Communication skills are essential for any SEM professional, as you need to communicate clearly and convincingly with different stakeholders, such as clients, managers, team members, and vendors. You should be able to explain your SEM strategies, goals, and results in a simple and understandable way, using relevant data and examples. You should also be able to listen actively, ask questions, give and receive feedback, and collaborate effectively with others. Communication skills help you build trust, rapport, and credibility with your audience, and achieve your desired outcomes.