Marketing Using Search Engines

Search Engine Marketing (SEM): What It Is & How to Do It Right

Search engine marketing, or SEM, is one of the most effective ways to grow your business in an increasingly competitive marketplace. With millions of businesses out there all vying for the same eyeballs, it’s never been more important to advertise online, and search engine marketing is the one of the most effective ways to promote your products and grow your business.

In this guide, you’ll learn an overview of search engine marketing basics as well as some tips and strategies for doing search engine marketing right.

What Is Search Engine Marketing?

Search engine marketing is a method of using paid advertisements that appear on search engine results pages (or SERPs). An SEM strategy involves bidding on keywords that users of search engines like Google and Bing might enter when looking for certain products or services. This gives the advertiser a higher placement in the results for those search queries.

These ads, often known by the term pay-per-click ads, come in a variety of formats. Some are small, text-based ads, whereas others, such as product listing ads or Shopping ads, are more visual, product-based search advertisements that allow consumers to see important information at-a-glance, such as price and reviews.

Search engine marketing’s greatest strength is that it offers advertisers the opportunity to put their ads in front of motivated customers who are ready to buy at the precise moment they’re ready to make a purchase. No other advertising medium can do this, which is why search engine marketing is so effective and such an amazingly powerful way to grow your business.