Team Nijhuis is the Netherlands' leading online marketing agency (translated to Dutch: zoekmachine marketing bureau). From PPC campaigns to complete digital marketing packages, Team Nijhuis has the skills needed to bring any company the traffic they deserve. Search engine marketing is at the core of the Team Nijhuis business model; read on to learn what SEM is, how it works, and why Team Nijhuis is so great at it.
What Is Search Engine Marketing?
Search engine marketing, or SEM, is a type of online marketing that relies on paid search engine advertisements. Search engine marketing is often confused with search engine optimization, or SEO: the main difference is that while SEO practices rely on organic search results, SEM practices use paid results to draw in more traffic. A talented SEO specialist implements both marketing styles to get more visibility for their clients.
Pay-per-click advertising, also known as PPC, is a common form of search engine marketing. Regardless of the payment model used, SEM refers to any form of paid advertising that relies on search engine traffic.
How Does Search Engine Marketing Work?
Search engine marketing is a form of inbound marketing that seeks to connect already-interested customers with the correct product or service. Search engine ads are based on keywords; if someone searches for that keyword, they will be shown a relevant ad. The goal of an SEO specialist is to guess which keywords a potential customer might search for and then to write an ad that will grab their attention.
Many companies bid for the right to display their ads alongside popular search terms. Google (News - Alert) only displays a few ads at a time. To decide which ads are displayed and in what order, Google gives each ad a Quality Score. Both this score and the price that a company is willing to pay are used to determine the ad's rank and the likelihood that it will be displayed alongside search results.
SEM: Doing It Right
Even an extremely high-budget ad won't display if its quality score is too low. Try these tactics to create better ads with tangible results:
Research your keywords.
1. Research your keywords. SEM tactics are only effective if the right keywords are used to target the correct audience. Think about what a potential customer might search for and which keywords imply an interest in the product.
Write excellent copy.
2. Write excellent copy. Most PPC ads are limited to 140 characters: two 30 character headlines and one 80 character description. Use compelling and succinct copy to grab the reader's interest and get them to click on the link.
Have a landing page.
3. Have a landing page. Every link leads somewhere. After the potential customer has clicked the ad, they should land on a relevant and interesting page that convinces them to take action.
When ads are well-written and contain relevant keywords, Google rewards them with higher rankings and lower costs per click. The best way to get more impressions and clicks for a campaign is to craft great ads that searchers actually want to see. Team Nijhuis specializes in high-quality ads that earn clicks and drive tangible results.
Search Engine Marketing Trends in 2019
In 2019, the biggest news for search engine marketers is that Amazon currently outranks Google in product searches. Savvy SEM specialists should consider which platform will be the most effective for their campaign.
Another popular trend is to run SEM campaigns on social media platforms like Facebook (News - Alert) or Instagram. Social media users have clearly defined interests and search for extremely specific keywords, which makes it easy to target a campaign to the right audience.
Finally, as the world gets more visual than ever before, many digital marketers are including images in their ad campaigns. Great thumbnails drive clicks, and photo-heavy landing pages continue to draw user interest. Remember to tag (News - Alert) images correctly so that they show up in search results.
Effective search engine marketing requires great market research, extensive industry knowledge, and plenty of talent and skill. Your company deserves the best online marketing available; reach out to Team Nijhuis for all of your SEM needs.
