The Elements of Successful Search Marketing
Are you aware of any of the elements of successful search marketing? A lot of businesses are aware of the importance of search engine optimization – or SEO – and invest a significant amount of their money into trying to rank highly for specific search terms and keywords.
It’s an important aspect of any online business, of course, but it’s also vital to understand that SEO, along with SEM – or search engine marketing – are just components of what is known as search marketing.
In today’s guide, I’m going to shine a light on the world of search marketing, and ensure that anyone out there who is new to the game understands where the land lies. Let’s take a closer look at the vital elements of search marketing.
The Elements of Successful Search Marketing: SEO
Search engine optimization – or SEO – is something most businesses owners with an online presence know about. It’s the act of earning traffic organically and involves sending signals to the search engines – such as Google and Bing – that tell them you are relevant to particular search terms. While SEO is organic – and, therefore, free – it is a lengthy process that involves a lot of continuous work.
The Elements of Successful Search Marketing: SEM
Search engine marketing – or SEM – is the act of paying for search listings, using techniques such as PPC advertising. You create ads, and they appear as listing in a particular medium. On Google, for example, you will notice the ads appearing at the top of the page whenever you search for various keywords.
The Elements of Successful Search Marketing: Mixing SEO and SEM
Integrating SEO and SEM can give you a greater return on your business. Yes, SEO can be a great way to ensure your business ranks highly for particular keywords, but the truth is there are no guarantees, and you have no real control over your results. SEM gives you that control and helps you in a variety of ways. You have control over the ad copy you use, and you can make tweaks to it to ensure it is converting. You have a much bigger say in the keywords you are targeting, too, and you don’t have to rely on the search engine’s algorithm to secure success.
The Elements of Successful Search Marketing: Keyword research
Success in both SEO and SEM is largely based on first class keyword research – which is an ongoing process, as you will find people adopt different search terms all the time. It’s important for SEO because it tells you the search terms you need to rank your business, and it’s vital for SEM, too. You need to place bids on relevant keywords and finding the ideal mix of high volume search numbers, and low bidding costs can be a profitable route to success.
The Elements of Successful Search Marketing: Targeting other channels
Don’t forget that search marketing isn’t just about getting down with Google. You should also be utilizing Bing Ads, Google Remarketing, Facebook Ads and LinkedIn. Twitter and Instagram might be relevant to your business, too. Given that many companies focus on Google only, it’s easy to see how exploring other search avenues can bring you exceptional results.
I hope this gives you a little primer on the essential elements of search marketing. Feel free to explore my blog for some more in-depth information on each of the topics above!
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