The competition for online visibility is getting more and more intense, pushing businesses to step up their game and be more strategic and holistic about their digital marketing approach.
One of the most common digital marketing buzzwords is SEO (Search Engine Optimization), but there’s actually a bigger umbrella that businesses also have to embrace: SEM (Search Engine Marketing).
What is Search Engine Marketing?
Search Engine Marketing is the umbrella term for both SEO and PPC. The ultimate goal of SEM is to increase a website’s visibility, whether through organic or paid search marketing.
When SEO and PPC are done effectively and simultaneously, the approach becomes more all-inclusive and the results, exponential.
Why Is SEM Important?
Again, the goal of SEM is visibility; that is, to appear at the top of the SERPs and attract more eyeballs and attention. The higher the brand’s website or ads appear on search engines, the higher the chances of clicks and conversions. Besides brand awareness and consideration, high rankability also correlates to trust for brands. Even if conversions start low, being consistently visible can lay the foundation for long-term audience familiarity and brand recognition. This will ultimately translate to sustained growth for your business.
How Does SEM Work?
While SEO is a part of SEM, Search Engine Marketing mainly uses paid advertising to ensure that the brand’s products and services are discoverable in the SERPs. When a user inputs a search term, SEM helps you appear for such queries. In return, advertisers pay for impressions and clicks that can help bring more traffic to their website, landing page, products, and even social media channels. Simply put, you’re paying or bidding for the top real estate in the search engine results pages on a certain keyword. Keyword research is then central to this approach.
Besides using paid search and organic search rankings to increase website visibility, SEM may also involve using contextual advertising, which involves automatic ad placement on other web pages whose content is closely related to your products and services.
Another nuanced approach to SEM is local SEO, which aims to get your business listing in Google Map results. This is another organic and powerful way of optimizing your website for online queries fired by the local audience.
SEM Best Practices
You need an efficient SEM toolset to really generate the best outcomes for your campaign. Some of the core areas of an SEM campaign include competitive research, keyword research, ad copy, landing page, and reporting. Once these are covered effectively, ROI is guaranteed.
Here are the key SEM strategies to consider:
- Set KPIs and OKRs– Setting KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) can help you set a clear vision for your campaign. What do you want customers to do when they reach your site? Are you aiming for a signup, purchase, or appointment? Defining your goals upfront can help you streamline your strategy and make it easier to measure success.
- See what others are doing– Before finalizing bids, check the competition and assess the actual paid search landscape in your niche. What ads are ranking highly for the keywords you’re targeting? Getting insights into what’s working can help you come up with a more informed SEM strategy.
- Set a budget– If not managed right, SEM can get really expensive. Before spending, make sure to set your advertising budgets and refine your SEM budgeting strategies regularly.
- Get creative– Don’t be afraid to go extra creative and even a little unconventional. Unique and compelling ads always attract audiences. The copy and creative you’re using should be spot on and able to make your ad really stand out.
- Keep testing and innovating– Success doesn’t happen overnight in search engine marketing. Even if paid ads do generate faster results than SEO, there always are better ways to step up your game. Make sure to test your SEM approach and refine your strategy to see what sticks.
- Research relevant keywords– Keyword research is foundational in both your PPC and SEO strategy. You need to target keywords that are relevant and likely to capture high-intent users. Targeting low-tail keywords could help drive your click-through rates and conversions, but do remember that keyword research is not a one-time activity. It’s an ongoing process which requires thoughtful and continuous optimization.
Also Read:
How to Find Competitor Keywords
How to Do Keyword Research Using Keywords Everywhere
The 3 Best Keyword Tools in 2025
Conclusion
SEM is a powerful marketing channel on its own. When done right, it can definitely generate better click-through rates and conversions than other passive marketing methods. The goal is to reach relevant audiences and maximize the right tools to dominate search engine visibility.
Looking to enhance your keyword research and SEM efforts? Explore Keywords Everywhere for value-packed features that can keep you ahead of the curve.