Introducing Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
If you want to put your business on the top spot, search engine marketing (SEM) can make a big difference for any online or offline business. It offers a tremendous opportunity for those who are looking to take their income to the next level, or those who are just starting out.
Search engine marketing (SEM) can make a big difference for any online or offline business. It offers a tremendous opportunity for those who are looking to take their income to the next level,
or those who are just starting out. There are basically 2 forms of SEM. Here they are, along with a description of each:
#1) Search engine optimization (SEO)
This is where you get your site ranked in the top 10 of the search engines for your target keywords. Your site will show up on the left side of the search results. This is most marketers’ method of choice, because the traffic doesn’t cost a dime. All the visitors you get to your site are completely free.
So how do you get ranked?
It involves a combination of on-page and off-page strategies. One of the most important factors is getting backlinks to your site. The reason that links are important is that the search engines count them as “votes” for your site. The more sites that are voting for you, the higher you will rank.
However, it’s not only the quantity of the sites that link to you. The quality of the site is also very important. Many marketers simply try to get as many votes as possible without thinking about the quality of the vote.
#2) Pay per click (PPC)
This is where you pay to have your site show up in the paid search results for your target keywords. Your site will then show up on the right side of the search results. Then every time somebody clicks on your ad, you will pay a certain amount.
The main advantage of pay per click is that it is a much faster traffic generation strategy than SEO. You can literally appear in the search results within 15 minutes of turning on your PPC account. It often takes months or even years to get ranked in the search engines with SEO.
Of course, the downside is that the traffic isn’t free. Many PPC marketers have lost a lot of money, and it’s very easy to do if you aren’t careful.
Conclusion
Both the SEM strategies mentioned above are effective. Which you choose really depends on your level of patience and your budget. If you have some money to spend, then PPC can be a very profitable strategy. But if you have more time than money, then SEO would be the way to go.
