Just “Google” It – 3 Things to Know About SEM
Have you ever wondered how consumers come across your site? Well, 68% of website traffic comes from a combination of organic and paid search efforts (SMA Marketing, 2021). SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) go hand-in-hand, so making sure your on-site content is current and accurate, while also paying for search terms is pertinent to securing your site’s listing toward the top of the Google results page.
“If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
Paying for SEM doesn’t just mean paying for search words in hopes that your ad appears somewhere on the search page. It means consistently bidding to ensure your site will be near the top of page, if not the first of page. By bidding, you are competing against similar service providers who will most likely be paying for similar search terms. The average consumer won’t scroll down past the top 5 ads on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page), so you want to be at the top of the result! Google frequently changes the way the SERP is organized and depending on the search query, your organic page may be pushed down to up to 4 paid ads. To ensure that your site is top of page, bidding and winning against competitors is key to being seen first in the paid search results.
Is it expensive?
Outbidding your competitors does not always have to be expensive. Words can range from a few cents to a few dollars, but some of the most common words may cost more than others. With a good mix of most common searched words and some unique search words specific to your organization, you will be able to balance your budget appropriately and win top placements. All campaign budgets are unique to our clients, their unique business goals, and the saturation of competition in market(s) they serve. Continued success is achieved through on-going and frequent market research and search term bidding.
Ok, but does it work?
Yes! One of our recent clinical clients saw an uplift of over 248% to their website traffic once implementing SEM to their media mix – just within the first quarter of our partnership. Driving people to your site is the best way to encourage your audience to take an action and drive them down the funnel of engagement with your organization. Not only are the ads driving people to your site, but we are ensuring that we are targeting the right audience who want and need to see your content. Curating specific keyword lists and ads that are unique to your organizations offerings will allow you to get that much closer to your desired goals.
Contact us for a complimentary overview of your business’ most prominent SEM opportunities at Julie.Benton@and-well.com. You will receive an overview of the competitive market analysis for search, feedback on your keyword strategy if applicable, and campaign recommendations for implementations.