Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

It’s an umbrella term that refers to the process of driving traffic and gaining visibility from search engines through paid ads (SEM) and free, organic listings (SEO). The paid SEM efforts usually take shape of PPC (pay-per-click) and CPC (cost-per-click) ads.

The Most Popular Search Engines

Google

The world’s biggest search engine with 77.82% of the global market share, Google is a marketer’s primary choice for both paid and organic reach. Google has 1.6 billion estimated unique monthly visitors worldwide.

Bing

Bing has 400 million estimated unique monthly visitors and 7.96% of the global market share. Bing often generates twice as many autocomplete suggestions as Google and has a great video search, therefore Bing Ads are also a popular advertising option among marketers.

Yahoo

With 300 million estimated unique monthly visitors, Yahoo has 6.58% of the global market share and mainly competes with Bing. It’s worth noting though that Verizon has purchased Yahoo for $4.8 billion dollars and is planning to merge it with AOL, which has 125 million estimated unique monthly visitors and 0.13% of the global market share.

Baidu

Baidu is the most popular search engine in China with over 80% of the Chinese market share and 6.37% of the global market share.?

Yandex

With 1.27% market share, Yandex is the leading search engine in Russia and other Russian-speaking countries (Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan) with about 60% market share.

Paid Advertisements Encompass

·?????? Search ads (Ads, Bing Ads)

·?????? Product Listing Ads or Shopping Ads

·?????? Display & Banner Ads

·?????? Mobile Ads

·?????? Social Media Ads (Facebook, LinkedIn ads, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest)

·?????? Retargeting & Remarketing

·?????? In-App Ads

Main Search Types

Informational

It has very low commercial intent, the user is looking for more information on a given topic, for example, common tips to maintain home garden.

Navigational

The user is trying to locate a website whose URL they can no longer remember or a similar navigational objective, for example Microsoft Login.

Transactional

It has high commercial intent; user is looking to make a purchase. Transactional SERPs are typically the ones that feature paid ads, for example buying Nike Air Max Shoes.

Organic Search

It is extremely important for online retailers, as many studies suggest it drives around 50% of website traffic. When it comes to Search Engine Optimization for eCommerce, marketers get obsessive about testing all methods available to them to try and achieve higher rankings.

The logic is very simple: higher positions on Search Engines automatically result in higher impressions and a significantly better click-through rate. More people visiting your store should ultimately translate into better conversions and higher revenues.

Inorganic Search or Paid Search Advertising

It focuses on investing in the right types of ads to achieve prominent positions on search engine results pages and drive traffic to the site. Well-optimized search ads can sometimes achieve higher positions than organic search results, while others might be displayed on the right side of the browser page.

The success of paid search campaign rests on targeting the right keywords and selecting optimal advertising channels.

Devising The Most Effective SEM Strategy

There are many search engine marketing tools that can help you optimize both paid and organic search campaigns. The most common tools are Google Analytics, Google’s Search Console and Google’s Keyword Planner.

Lucrative Dividends With Meager Investment

Immediate Visibility

SEM provides instant exposure on search engines, allowing businesses to reach potential customers quickly.

Highly Targeted Advertising

SEM allows precise targeting based on keywords, location, demographics, and other factors, ensuring ads reach the most relevant audience.

Measurable Results

SEM offers detailed analytics and performance metrics, enabling businesses to track ROI and optimize campaigns effectively.