What is SEM? Definition, Advantages and How to Use It

Search Engine Marketing is also known by its abbreviation as SEM. Optimization, which is called search engine marketing in Indonesian, can mean a variety of different things, depending on who the question is asked.

Generally, SEM refers to paid search advertising campaigns such as Google Ads. However, SEM can also be used for all marketing actions that occur within  search engines  regardless of whether this technology is paid for or not.

Muda Lover, in this article, we will explain the meaning of SEM, its advantages and disadvantages. to the basic concept so you can start learning in the world of  search engine marketing.

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What is SEM?

Actually, defining SEM and its elements precisely can be complicated because of the many different definitions. Back again, depending on who muda lovers asks.

One of the definitions of SEM is related to a set of tools, techniques, and strategies that can help optimize the visibility of sites and web pages through search engines.

In short, SEM aims to get a better position in search engines like Google and other similar sites.

Results from Google Search Engine

In general, the search pages of Google and other sites show two types of results:

1. Organic results

Search engines use algorithms that tell us the best websites to respond to a particular query to know which results to show on the search results page.

Relevance (web content) and authority (links from other pages) underlie Google’s algorithm. In this case,  Search Engine Optimization  or  SEO  is known as a collection of techniques and tools used to position organic listings.

2. Paid results

Not the same as organic produce. the advertiser has to pay for each click in the paid results. Grameds has to use search engine advertising solutions to get  traffic  by buying ads on search engines like Google Ads. Such a system is also known as PPC or  pay-per-click  (pay per click) also CPC or  cost-per-click  (cost per click).

In SEM, SEO techniques and search engine advertising are covered. However, most  marketers  use SEM to directly refer to search engine ads, aka using paid results.

So, to avoid confusion, we will use SEM to refer to search engine advertising and paid advertising in the explanation in this article, Muda Lovers.

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The concept is SEM

SEM is a very broad topic and has many different “branches” for us to explore.

1. SEO and SEM

Both are very important in online marketing strategies, but they are also two abbreviations that cause a lot of confusion. If so, which strategy is best for our brand and how can we leverage both to increase  traffic  and conversions to purchases?

2. SEM Positioning

SEM  positioning  is a paid method used to quickly get top positions in search engines.

3. SEM  Campaign

Also known as an SEM campaign, this represents all advertising strategies that can generate ads on search engines, including Google. Campaigns  can include different ad groups and  keywords  to increase positioning.

4. SEM on Google

Google Ads has the most popular form of SEM. Ranging from the most common to the most accurate, creating an SEM campaign is done on Google and there are many different ways, options and ad structures to advertise there.

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Why Use SEM?

Our digital marketing strategy needs SEM for various reasons. Here are some of the benefits of using Search Engine Marketing for our brand.

Our page needs  quality traffic  that SEM can bring. One of the foundations of any digital marketing strategy is of course to attract the right users to your site. In this case, SEM is very effective at capturing user attention and generating clicks with the possibility of filtering based on the words they are looking for.

Thus, it is ensured that  our traffic  consists of people who are potentially interested in our brand.

SEM can also make our company or brand known, even throughout the world. The reason is, placing yourself in the top column of Google search results is a very good way to gain visibility for your brand. Users are also likely to associate our site with their needs if we are in the top column, even though they don’t always click on that page.

Google Ads also offers a variety of ways to measure conversions. Thus, we can be sure that our ads will be truly effective and can generate conversions.

With the smallest possible budget, advertising solutions on search engines can also be adjusted according to our budget needs at any time. This strategy is suitable for small and medium businesses because it does not require a large initial investment.

Lastly, not only will we be able to place ads on search engines, but SEM solutions in Google Ads can also be utilized regarding available data and parameters to place contextual ads on other websites! So, the possibility of personalization is very high.

For example, we can target users who have visited our website, are interested in product type A, are from a certain city, and so on. It can be a powerful tool for developing a brand when combined with an advertising campaign on search engines.

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Advantages of Using SEM

Following are some of the advantages of using SEM.

1. Highly scalable

Certain tools like Google Ads can provide us with very detailed reports on the evolution of our campaigns, so we can always know what’s going on with the ads we create. Not only that, we can also take advantage of integration with Google Analytics to control everything perfectly.

2. Real-time monitoring 

It’s possible to see what’s happening all the time with an analytic interface. We can also correct direction if we don’t get the expected result.

3. Pay-per-click

We will only pay if we get results with this method. So, we can control the maximum daily budget we have. We can be sure, our advertising campaign will be profitable in this way.

4. Speed

Search engine advertising allows us to achieve large-scale results relatively quickly, when compared to other techniques such as SEO or  content marketing .

5. Can be reached by everyone

This one-of-a-kind solution works well for both large companies and SMEs due to manageable budget investments. We all compete under the same conditions to reach the first position on the search results page.

6. Segmentation

The positive thing that we finally get from this tool is its amazing segmentation possibilities. We will reach the public who are interested in us actively by focusing on  keywords . Not only that, we can also filter them based on other factors, such as language, location, to behavior.

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Disadvantages of SEM

Following are some of the disadvantages of using SEM

1. Long-term costs are higher

SEM only works if we pay. Even if we can optimize our campaigns and reduce our cost per click, we still have to pay for every visit we get.

2. High level of competition

The popularity of SEM has made it in demand by many companies competing to position themselves on the  same keywords  . The existence of this competition can make costs increase and it is sometimes difficult for us to get  a good return on investment  or ROI.

3. Quite annoying

SEM takes user space and fills it with content they don’t really seek or need. This is different from other solutions. In fact, sometimes the users we target actually use ad blockers and may never see our ads.

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SEM Keyword  Research 

When planning an SEM campaign,  keyword  research should always  be one of the first steps We can say that  keywords  are like “bricks” from which entire SEM accounts, ads, and even landing pages are built.

To conduct  keyword  research for an SEM campaign, consider the following steps:

1. Product or Service Analysis

Keywords  must always be relevant to the product or service that Grameds offers. Therefore, the first step is to compile a list of between two and ten main ideas that summarize the services or products offered. In addition to studying our own offerings, we can also look at other competitor sites,  lo .

2. Keyword Research Tool 

There are many keyword  planning platforms  on the market, such as SemRush and Google Keyword Planner. If Grameds incorporates the basic ideas defined in the previous section, this tool will provide us with a list of  related keywords  . To filter results, Grameds can segment by location and language.

The great thing about these tools is that they can give us a lot of suggestions that we would never have thought of. Of course, there are times when they offer suggestions that don’t match the original search, and this brings us to the next step.

3. Filtering and Selecting  Keywords

Using  keywords  as a starting point, Grameds had to manually filter to remove irrelevant words, group together  related  keywords  , and select the keywords  that had the highest number of searches and lowest competition (i.e. not many advertisers bidding on the same words).

Just that! We now have a  definitive list of keywords  to optimize for SEM campaigns. To get the best results,  these keywords  must be present on the landing page and in our ads.

Steps to Develop a SEM Campaign

Strategy and planning are very important to guarantee the results of our SEM campaigns. Let’s see what it takes to launch a successful campaign!

1.  Keyword Research

Keywords  are the basic foundation on which all SEM strategies are built. To conduct a  complete keyword  study, Grameds must pay special attention to:

  • Products and services offered
  • How competitors are performing and how we are positioned relative to it
  • Buyer personality
  • Search for  generic keywords  using specialized tools
  • “Combing” and cleaning the  keyword list

2. Campaign Creation

The time has come to put our entire SEM strategy in place. These are some of the key aspects to define in order to launch a campaign in Google Ads or other tools:

  • Budget and maximum bid.
  • Ad groups, unless Grameds sells a very specific product or service, Grameds will have a  different group of related keywords  . The idea is to structure  the keywords  within a specific ad group to achieve the best results.
  • Designing and optimizing landing pages: Ideally, we should have a landing page for every product or service and for every target.
  • Advertising creation. When setting up your campaign, it’s a good idea to have different creatives ready so that Grameds can compare their results with one another.

3. Measurement and Optimization

Work doesn’t end after launching a campaign. The reason is, SEM is based on continuous optimization. Therefore, we must monitor campaign results regularly to be able to change  keywords , creatives, and other aspects of the campaign.

To make sure Grameds doesn’t miss anything, we can set up alerts for important aspects of the account and schedule specific reviews.

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Most Popular SEM Engine

When we think of search engines, usually the first thing that comes to mind is Google. However, the fact is that there are other SEM platforms that can also give us good results. These are the three main solutions for search engine advertising.

1. Google Ads

Google Ads is one of the major search engines. Here are some tips for using it:

  • KeywordKeyword  is a group of terms entered by a user in a search engine. This can be a single word, several words, or even a whole phrase, for example: “buy dumbbells to work out at home”. Keywords  let Google know which ads are relevant to certain users at certain times.
  • Match type: The match type determines the degree to which the terms entered by the user in a search engine match the  keyword . In Google Ads, from broadest to strictest, we’ll find: broad match, phrase match, and exact match. Grameds can also set negative matches (searches for which we DON’T want our ad to show).
  • Ads: Ads displayed on the Google search engine are primarily based on text ads consisting of a title, a visible URL, a description and an extension.
  • CPC: The price we’ll pay for each click on an ad, which ultimately depends on the quality level and bid that’s set.

2. Microsoft Advertising or Bing Ads

Bing Ads (or Microsoft Advertising) is a very solid alternative to Google Ads, as it reaches a potentially relevant audience (almost 10 percent of the market share) and has excellent targeting and configuration options.

In general, this is a very similar tool to Google Ads, but there are a few differences that Grameds should be aware of:

  • Negative keyword  matching  is more stringent (we can only place  negative keywords  with phrase match).
  • Bing sets a minimum amount for the maximum bid.
  • Bing’s location options let us define a radius within a city or zip code.
  • We can schedule ads to appear in 15-minute increments throughout the day, or only appear at certain times.
  • Bing has both image-only and stock-only extensions.
  • We can set different time zones in one campaign.
  • Filter reports by search and discard partners that Grameds is not interested in.

3. Yahoo

Yahoo Advertising or Yahoo Ads is Yahoo’s advertising solution, which enables us to reach users who perform searches on this search engine.

  • Search Ads: The most classic SEM format, which displays ads on search engines when users enter  keywords
  • Display Ads: These ads are placed at the top, bottom, side of websites or in the middle of content and can be used for remarketing.
  • Sponsored Ads in various formats: Image, carousel and native video ads.
  • Mail Ads: These ads are integrated in the inbox and via banners.

That is an explanation regarding the meaning of SEM, its advantages and disadvantages, steps to use, to the most popular SEM engines. Hopefully all the discussion above is useful as well as add to your insight.