SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

SEM puts an offer in front of someone at the moment they type a question. That makes it the fastest way to test whether real demand exists, because a campaign can run within a day. The catch is that visibility stops when the budget stops, and prices rise as more competitors bid on the same terms.

• Start with a handful of terms that show buying intent, not curiosity. Read Search intent first.
• Use exact and phrase match types to limit the wording that triggers an ad, and add negative keywords for searches that should never trigger it.
• Send each ad group to a landing page that repeats the promise in the ad.
• Track cost per conversion, not just Cost per click (CPC). A cheap click that never converts is expensive.
• Check the search terms report weekly. It shows what people actually typed and often reveals wasted spend.

When someone searches on Google or Bing, the results page shows a few paid ads before the ordinary listings. SEM is the work of getting a business into those slots. The advertiser picks the search terms it wants to appear for, writes the ad, sets a bid and a daily budget, and pays only when someone clicks. This is why SEM is often called pay-per-click advertising.

The word is slippery. Some marketers use SEM to mean paid search only, others use it for paid and organic search together, with SEO as one half. Settle the meaning at the start of any meeting.