Transparent Growth Measurement (NPS)

SEM Rules to Follow to become an Expert

Contributors: Amol Ghemud
Published: August 14, 2018

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Search Engine Marketing, or Search Marketing as we call it, is about buying traffic for your website. It is about getting into search listing of most used search engines.

Pay-per- click (PPC) or cost-per- click (CPC) will keep coming to you now and then, when you mention SEM even in a whisper.

Let me tell you an open secret – SEM is not only about CPCs and PPCs. It is further and deeper than that.

Another important point that is often missed is the connection of SEO & SEM. Though they are well connected and one can’t survive without the other, SEO is more about earning traffic than buying it.

For More Info Read: The Fundamental SEO Guide

SEM is not an easily chewable candy. It is, in fact, the process that goes in for making that candy and selling it, too!
When it is about SEM, ROI can be reframed as ROAS (return on advertising spend), a marketing metric that calculates if you are really earning from advertising or not and the necessary steps that follow.

While you are spending on SEM in great volumes, you need to be aware of these SEM game rules of the present and future to make sure your ROAS is delightful.

Ask yourself the questions regarding the points we are discussing here.

Do you utilize the power of Google?

1. Adwords

Google is a sure shot winner of the online business game. Adwords is an amazing platform to get your ads published, seen & valued via Google. It is based on the outcomes, so you pay only after you get results. Like every other product/service from Google, this too, comes with guidelines and tutorials.

  • Keyword Planner Tool

You get historical statistics of your search; can choose competitive bids & budgets and a lot more by searching for keywords and search ideas.

  •  Keyword Insertion

It helps you with getting related and relevant searches for your ad. It helps you update automatically. Related keywords get the user to your ad and you don’t need to worry about someone not inserting the exact expected keywords (which is anyway not completely possible).

  • Ad Delivery

You may use a standard delivery option that spans for the whole day or if you can have a larger budget, accelerated delivery can help to handle the pace of your campaign.

  • Smart Goals

This is how Google explains Smart Goals – It uses machine learning to examine dozens of signals about your website visits to determine which of those are most likely to result in a conversion.

Each visit is assigned a score, with the ‘best’ visits being translated into Smart Goals.

  • Third Party reviews

Adding third party reviews to your ads appeals customers and creates interest in them to click on your ad. A positive review, accolade or award can create magic for you.

  • Enhanced CPC

This strategy raises your bids in saleable situations and reduces in less selling ones. It combines manual bidding with smart one. It helps maximize conversions for your CPC.

  • Adwords reporting

You can customize your statistics table from your Adwords account. The reports can be run at specific intervals and scheduled to be mailed to your account. The reports carry specific performance data for your Adwords campaign.

2. Adsense

This helps you put the right ads on your website. Adsense, too, comes with a complete guide to help you make the best use of it. It is simple to use and is free. Google has obviously taken care of latest trends of the Digital Marketing World.

3. AMP

Google’s contribution to this project is worthwhile. Know more about Accelerated Mobile Pages Project and how they are useful for the future of your SEM and SEO.

Do you underestimate Bing? Don’t!

Bing has a huge network and millions of dedicated users. So, your SEM has to go beyond Google and cover more areas for a wider spread. Bing is gaining importance and setting up new standards to survive and ace the Digital Marketing game. Bing, as it claims, is mobile, global and local.

Are you making proper use of the resource called SERPs?

SERPs is providing you with the necessary resources that help you find if your SEM strategies are working fine or not. Their real life case studies, blog articles and help desk become a guide to your SEM.

Are you updated with the current trends that will rule SEM in the near future? Most of them are already happening. SEM is no more limited to just the conventional search marketing strategies. It is now more about staying up with the recent trends in the Digital Marketing world.

  • Experience based marketing

SEM strategies are growing based on marketing based on previous search behaviors of customers, their preferred searches, buying patterns, time spent on the data, etc. This will help choose the right tools and strategies for SEM.

  • App advertising

App based advertising is taking on the buzz. Amazon started it a long ago, others are following suit. You
can focus your Ads to work on mobile devices.

  • Social Media Marketing

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, you can use every platform to reach out to people.

  • Browser in apps

Be it Facebook or Pinterest, user doesn’t need to open the browser on his/her mobile device, they simply can stay on the app by and read from the app’s own browser. This is time saving and the user remembers you for the time & efforts saved along with your quality content.

  • Video Streams

Live stream videos related to your product. You may host a specialized cooking plan for weight management. This will create an interest among people and you may get conversions.

  • Visual Communication

Users jump from one site to another just because the latter didn’t ask them to read a long technical article? For example, Infographics are simplifying knowledge and technically complex things. They are attractive, informative and not boring at all!

  • Interactive Ads

No need to go to myntra’s app/website to know what is Deepika’s All About You featuring this week. Or the user can just let the deodorant commercial play on the page he/she is reading an article on. The magic of interactive advertising! No  one will forget what he/she saw and heard and keep coming back.

  • Local Search

Customers are getting more engaged in searching for local eateries, movie theaters, bookstores or even shopping malls. Local is becoming the new global.

SEM isn’t something to be rushed into. It is a process to be carried out with utmost patience and dedication. Once you get into the flow of search marketing, your ROAS and ROI will make you happier day by day.
Don’t forget to keep track on your performance every now and then.

About the Author

amol ghemud
Optimizer in Chief

Amol has helped catalyse business growth with his strategic & data-driven methodologies. With a decade of experience in the field of marketing, he has donned multiple hats, from channel optimization, data analytics and creative brand positioning to growth engineering and sales.

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