The Beginner’s Guide on Search Engine Marketing in 2019

Have you recently entered into the dynamics of the virtual world? Or do you have an existing business and want to gain a monopoly in the market? Well, you’re in for a treat as I’ve pulled together some useful information. So, fasten your seatbelts and get ready to enter into the world of search engine marketing right now.  

Every business owner wants to make the business stand out in the crowd of competitors. Entrepreneurs do different things and apply various techniques to increase their website traffic and revenue. Among all, search engine marketing is a very effective way to promote and grow an online business. It gives you faster results than any other marketing technique.

Search engine marketing or SEM is the process of generating traffic (visitors) to a website through paid advertisements. It includes paid marketing efforts to increase traffic and get higher rankings on the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages).

SEO and SEM: What is the Difference?

Since the advent of the internet, entrepreneurs are increasingly searching for surefire ways to rank their websites number one on Google. In the past decades, SEO and SEM were two terms that were used interchangeably. However, in the online world, changes happen at a breakneck speed. Now, SEO and SEM are two different processes.  

SEO or search engine optimization refers to increasing the site’s visibility in the organic search results. It is classified into two main categories – On-page optimization, and Off-page optimization.

On-Page optimization involves all the techniques that are used to optimize WebPages to rank higher and drive traffic. There are different technical aspects to it such as Meta Tags, headlines, URL structure, internal linking, responsiveness, alt text for images, and speed of the website. 

Off-page Optimization refers to all the efforts put together to improve the position of a website. The activities involved in off-page SEO are Social media marketing, social bookmarking, classified Ads, Blog commenting, Guest Posts, local listing, article directories, and discussions on Q & A sites.

On the other hand, Search engine marketing is the practice of getting traffic through paid search listings. It is often called as pay-per-click advertising (PPC) (or cost-per-click (CPC)). Unlike SEO, businesses pay Google for every click and traffic in SEM. It means that you get traffic as long as you pay for them. 

The field of SEM is changing and expanding at a breakneck speed. So, to gain an edge over others, it is imperative to know the right techniques. 

Let’s dive right in and discuss the tips for effective Search Engine Marketing

Find the Right Keyword for Your Campaign

Keywords are an indispensable part of search engine marketing. Keywords are the words that searchers type in the search engine pages to get information for their queries. Once a searcher types a keyword and clicks the enter button, several websites appear within a fraction of second. Therefore, to run effective SEM, you need to do some groundwork to target the right audience.

You can use the Google Keyword Planner tool to find out the keywords that speak to your customers’ persona. Besides, you will get to know about the average monthly searches, competition, and price per click. Once you start your campaign, your website Ad automatically pops up on the top of the search engine page. 

Power of Words

Why will people choose your site over a myriad of websites? What will make them buy products or services from your site only? Well, the answer can be found by analyzing the conversion funnel. Awareness, interest, desire, and action are four steps involved in the conversion funnel. It is best to focus on providing awareness to increase your conversion rate.

Therefore, you need to make sure your website contains useful information with relevant keywords. Content on your website will keep the users engaged, and adding call-to-action buttons will guide them to the buy now page. Make sure to write attractive and engaging content to generate excitement among users. Website structure, speed, and design are some other essential factors to consider while optimizing a website. 

Track the Performance of Our Campaign

Keeping track of the success of your SEM campaign is one of the essential tips to keep in mind. It will help you know what is working and what is bringing relevant traffic to your website. Also, you can quickly identify the strategies to increase your profits in the future.

You need to keep an eye on your web analytics to monitor your progress. Web analytics is a tool designed to help the business owners to gauge things like the number of impressions, Clicks, Impressions, CPC, CPR, Bounce rate, return on investment, and a lot more. Monitor your rankings in the search results to increase the volume of the visitors. 

How to choose the Best Search Engine Marketing Company

Since running an effective campaign requires expertise and knowledge, it is best to hire a company that can help you in achieving your desired results. However, there is a bewildering and monumental array of choices to make in terms of finding the best company for the service. Here are the points to look for before hiring a company. 

Check their Websites

Either you are looking for an SEO company or SEM, making a list is an essential part. Start with evaluating the websites of the companies. Use free tools to check site speed, mobile friendliness, and rate of traffic.

Experience and Volume of Personnel

Stability plays an essential role while hiring a company. You can make a list of companies by having a look at their years of experience. Besides, it is imperative to check the number of employees working in that organization. Usually, the number of employees continues to grow with the growth of the organization.    

Look For the Other Services

Having a vision towards the future is one of the core qualities of an entrepreneur. To enhance your brand awareness and increase your website traffic, you may require SEO services, web designing, web development, or content marketing services in the future. Therefore, shortlist companies that provide other services as well. It will help you save your overall cost and time. 

Feedback and Reviews

If the internet is best for anything, it is for getting information from the comfort of the places. Know the goodwill of the companies by reading online reviews and feedbacks of the clients. All those who are battling in the ground of the search engine must do this groundwork before making the decision.  

The Endnote

The biggest challenge in promoting business today is to get it noticed. Search engine marketing is an easy and effective method to yield ranking on the first page of search engines. So, make the balance of both SEO and SEM to reap the maximum benefits.