The search engine marketing (SEM) industry is growing rapidly every year, and it’s now an essential part of any business or marketing strategy.

If you’re looking to get started in SEM, or maybe you’re already doing it and want to know how to increase your success rates, then this post is for you.

The Basics Of Search Engine Marketing

As the name suggests, search engine marketing is all about marketing your products or services using keywords or phrases found on search engines (such as Google or Yahoo!).

When a user enters a search term into the search bar of a search engine, the search engine will display a list of websites that match the user’s search term. Essentially, the objective of SEM is to have your website or business appear on the first page (usually the “organic” or “natural” results) of a Google search for your chosen keywords or phrases.

SEM is, therefore, a form of marketing that can be done remotely (from the comfort of your desk). And since you’re not actually touching the product, you don’t need to worry about being physically able to sell it.

Why Is Search Engine Marketing Important?

Even if your product is extremely unique and valuable, it won’t matter if nobody knows about it.

After all, Google doesn’t just rank websites according to the number of keywords they contain; it also takes into account the quality and content of the site itself.

So, if you want your product to stand a chance of being found by someone, you need to consider SEM as a necessary evil.

How Do I Do Search Engine Marketing?

The first step to getting started with search engine marketing is to pick a niche.

This is something that will affect the entire course of your efforts. If you choose a niche that is already popular, then you’ll have a better chance of being able to leverage the power of search engines to drive traffic to your site.

Also, make sure to choose a niche that you can actually become an expert in. Trying to target the general public with your marketing messages will certainly increase your chances of being found, but perhaps not by the kind of customers you’re looking for.

When choosing the keywords for your niche, make sure that they are relevant to your industry and that they’re not too generic or commonplace. Using overly popular keywords will also cause your site to be banned by the search engines – not a good idea if you want your site to continue to appear in the search results.

How Do I Determine The Keywords For My Niche?

The second step is to conduct a keyword analysis. This can be done using free tools like Google Keyword Planner, which is available to anyone with a Google account.

From there, you can use the tool to enter up to five search terms and get a breakdown of the search volume for each term. You can enter multiple terms (separated by a comma) and get a combined search volume for the entire list.

This tool will give you an indication of the popularity of your chosen keywords and help you find the right balance between having numerous keywords and keeping them relevant to your niche.

What Is The Right Keyword Phraseology For My Niche?

The next step is to create the phraseology for your ad campaign. If you can’t phrase it correctly, you won’t get the right results and may end up wasting a lot of money.

So, before you begin your ad campaign, make sure to run a check on the keyword you’ve chosen for your niche. This will help you ensure that the ad copy you write will be relevant to the keywords and that your chosen keyword will bring in the right kind of customers – meaning that your marketing effort will actually be worth it.

How Do I Write The Ads For My Niche?

Once you’ve determined your target audience and the right phraseology for your ad, you’re ready to draft your ad copy.

This is something that needs to be concise yet comprehensive enough to make a lasting impression on your target audience. Try to keep your ads similar in style to the rest of your website (if you have one) – this will make copy easier to read and understand.

Aside from the ad copy, you should also consider using the H1, H2, and H3 tags to create headlines that grab the reader’s attention. And don’t forget to use the appropriate keywords throughout the copy in order to keep everything consistent.

If you’re someone who loves to write long articles, you may want to consider creating an e-book on the subject matter using a tool like Leanpub to publish your work. Not only will this allow you to reach a wider audience but you’ll also be able to build a stronger connection with the readers by giving them additional value through additional content.

How Do I Measure The Results Of My Ad Campaign?

The final step is to track the results of your ad campaign.

This can be done using a variety of tools, but one of the most popular ones is Google Analytics.

Within Google Analytics, you can select the ads you’re interested in tracking and then go to the Behaviour section to view the results of your ad campaign.

You can select the “Medium” and “Source” to find out the source of your traffic (such as social media, search engine, or referral), and the “Campaign” and “Program” to find out which ad campaign (if any) is responsible for driving the traffic.

From there, you can use the data entry fields to enter the name of the ad (or ads), the date the ad (or ads) ran, and how much it cost to run. Then, track the results of your ad campaign over time to find the ROI (return on investment) of your efforts.

SEM For Dummies

If you’re reading this and you’re not yet familiar with search engine marketing, then welcome to the club.

The truth is that even though it can seem pretty complicated, it’s actually not that difficult to do. With just a little bit of research and a lot of trial and error, you’ll be able to create a successful SEM plan and start driving traffic to your site.

Here, we’ve gone through the basics of SEM so you can get started on the right foot. Whether you’re a veteran in the industry or you’re just getting started, hopefully, this post will help improve your game.