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Search Engine Marketing – The Basics on Getting Started Today

Search Engine MarketingThere are many ways to drive traffic to your website, ranging from free methods, like social media, to very expensive approaches, like buying banner advertising.  Somewhere in the middle is Search Engine Marketing (SEM).  While this method is never free, you can decide how much you’ll spend, and that number can literally go as high as you’d like.  If your marketing budget isn’t unlimited (is anyone’s?), can SEM be an effective way to get traffic to your site?  The answer is almost certainly, yes – if it’s done right.

What exactly is SEM?

Search Engine Marketing is buying search terms and keywords from a search engine.  This means that when someone searches for these terms, they see your ad.  Obviously there’s more to it than that, but that’s basically the general idea.

What Makes SEM Effective?

Whatever form of marketing you use, you goal is obviously to get your target market (those who most want your products and services) to see that marketing.  The more laser-focused your marketing is, the less your per-customer acquisition costs are, because you’re not wasting marketing dollars getting your name in front of people who don’t care.

SEM, more so than just about any other marketing vehicle, allows you to advertise to a potential customer in a highly-targeted manner.  When you think about it, when done right, SEM is effectively showing your ads only to people who just told you that your product is what they’re looking for.  It doesn’t get much more targeted than that!

How should you go about starting an SEM campaign?

As with any other marketing or general business initiative, your first step is planning.  You don’t have to put together an elaborate marketing plan, but there are some things you need to decide.  First, figure out which search terms and keywords you want to target.  This should be easy in the beginning, as you’ll simply pick the terms that most relate to your business.  As you get further into the process, you’ll evaluate other possible terms, using tools like Google’s keyword tool.  Next, you want to set a budget for your campaign.  This of course is an individual decision that only you can determine.  Suffice to say that in general the more you spend, the faster you can expect results.  Once you’ve decided on your keywords and budget, you’ll want to figure out exactly what will display when people see your ad.  There are volumes of information online about how to write compelling SEM copy, and it’s a great idea to review some of it.  Don’t try to reinvent the wheel on this one.  Last, but certainly not least, you’ll need to decide which page on your site people will land on when clicking on your ad.  While at first it might seem like your homepage makes sense, there are a lot of reasons to customize your landing pages based on specific SEM purchases.  Again, there is a lot written about landing pages, and you should research this thoroughly.

Ready, Set, Go!

There are three primary search engines, and most agree that your efforts are best spent with them than with any of the smaller sites.  Here are the three, with links to their SEM programs:

Google: AdWords

Googls adwords

Yahoo: Yahoo Advertising

Bing: Microsoft adCenter

Bing - Microsoft Advertising

Each of the above programs offers solutions for the smallest of budgets, and each provides a wide range of tools and training to help you realize success in your SEM efforts.  This post is just an introduction to SEM.  If you’re considering your own SEM campaign, be sure to research your options and educate yourself on the ins and outs of this advertising medium.  And if you have experience to share, please don’t hesitate to do so in the comments!

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