Paid search is a type of search engine marketing where you bid for ads placement on search engine results page. Your ads are placed atop search results, so they are more visible to engaged audiences who are actively looking to purchase your products or targeted audiences whose search queries are related to your business. Paid search usually operates on a pay-per-click model, which means that you only pay the platform (Google or Bing) showing your ad every time your ad is clicked on. This is why paid search is synonymous to as pay-per-click advertising (PPC).

Immediate Results

Unlike SEO which takes years before your website scales up the rankings, SEM delivers immediate results. Paid ads on search pages generate site traffic and improve click-through rates faster than organic SEO.

Targeted audiences

SEM allows you to target the right audience who are likely to convert. Quality leads result in higher conversions.

Brand awareness

Google says paid search ads can increase brand awareness by 80%. Even when prospects don’t click through, they’re likely to read the ads appearing on search pages. This triggers brand recall even for those unacquainted with your brand.

Cost-effective

Running an SEM campaign on a minimal budget can still yield good ROI through strategic keyword bids. Costs will still depend on numerous factors, such as campaign scale and cost-per-clicks.

The difference between SEM and SMM is the platform used for ads placement. In SEM, paid ads are listed on search engines results pages like Google and Bing. In SMM or social media marketing, paid ads appear on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. SMM focuses on promoting your online presence on social media.

Do a background check on potential service providers. Choose a reputable SEM agency that adopts good SEM practices. Assess the team, their credibility and transparency. Inquire about past case studies, to know if the agency has successful campaigns which yielded tangible results. Verify the scope of work that’s included, and if it’s commensurate to the pricing model.

To maintain ethical business, we only cater to the first three (3) clients from the same niche.

All this information about SEM sounds good. But here is a caveat: even if the strategy sounds promising, but if it falls in the wrong hands, then the results can be far from being achieved.

In SEM, your competitors can outbid you for the same keywords in just one wink of an eye. This means, today, you are enjoying excellent traffic with your ad placements running like a well-oiled machine, but the next minute, your ad will not be found in the search.

Apart from this, many businesses have seen their marketing dollars being wasted on SEM that did not yield a single enquiry.

While the advertising platform appears fair and straightforward, setting up your website to be ready for SEM traffic, strategizing on keywords selection to use only keywords which attract the right target audience, and managing the SEM campaign on an ongoing basis requires the know-how and dedication of an expert team.

SEM can tremendously grow your business faster than any traditional advertising platform can, at the lowest cost.

SEM is also highly measurable in terms of the corresponding results per investment per amount of time. You can review reports on a frequent basis and monitor how your campaign is performing. As a business owner, measurable results reported regularly allows you to quickly and easily decide whether or not to continue with this advertising and marketing platform.