Search Engine
Marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing (SEM) is an umbrella term that refers to paid marketing on a search engine like Google, Bing or Yahoo. Brands will pay the platform to generate visibility on the search engine results pages (SERP) in order to increase clicks to their website and in turn, revenue. Commonly named pay-per-click (PPC) marketing, a business or brand will pay what is called a ‘bid’ for a click on their ads on the SERP pages based on the keywords searched into the search engine. A holistic SEM strategy is one that combines a series of PPC strategies specifically targeting where your audience is and where they are likely to convert. These PPC strategies can include; Google Search Being where your audience asks questions means your ads will be shown to people with buying intent. Pair that with a perfectly targeted and curated ad will lead to that ROI you are searching for! Google Display Advertising with Google Display means reaching your audience whilst they’re browsing the websites they visit everyday. There are over 200 million websites on the Google Display Network (GDN, i.e. the platform that connects websites with companies wishing to target their ads on their website). Targeted display ads mean you can reach the right customers at the right time with engaging and dynamic graphics. Even better, retargeting with Google Display ads allows your previous site or app visitors to see your ads whilst browsing different websites so they can stay connected with your brand even after they’ve left your site. YouTube Ads As the second largest search engine YouTube should not be forgotten. YouTube Ads provide a great opportunity for top of funnel advertising in the awareness stage allowing you to reach new potential customers through the power of video. Increase your brand awareness and capture audiences through engaging video in-stream content. Bing & Yahoo At Sydney Digital Marketing, we are all about meeting your audience where they are so Bing and Yahoo advertising can be great PPC options for businesses with older demographics as their target audience. Running on the same model as Google, these platforms provide the opportunity to reach an even wider audience. SEM can apply to most businesses, it compliments both SEO and content marketing to drive web traffic and more importantly, conversions. SEM can bring you more qualified leads that are more likely to drive your ROI because you are meeting your customers where they are. Your competitors most likely already know how to use search engine marketing, so winning the bid is the goal (cost-effectively of course) and at SDM we know how to navigate the complexities ranging from auctions to keywords. You’re in safe hands here.

Google Search ads are essentially a direct response to a user’s query or search. These ads on the Google Search Network are based around an urgent need for a product or service from direct, for example, you’re looking for someone to fix your Google Ads campaign, you search ‘how to fix my Google Ads’’, what will appear is a range of search ads specifically targeted towards that search query. You’ll see ‘digital agency sydney’, ‘ppc agency sydney’, ‘fix your Google Ads with us’. These brands know what problem they fix or answer and are waiting for you to make the search and there they will be. While Search ads show up to potential customers the moment that they start looking on Google for what you offer, Display ads show up while people are visiting sites across the Google Display Network. When running Display ads, you might not reach those who are actively searching for what you offer. That said, you’re still introducing your business to a specific target audience who is likely to be interested in your products or services. This may help you to reach a larger or completely new audience than simply through search. Google Display ads also offer the option to retarget customers or opportunities who have already visited your website. This means, you can show your ads to these people on the sites they already visit with your brand answering to their problem

With over 40,000 Google Searches made per month in any given industry, plus an additional 3 million websites on the Google Display Network, your ads can not only increase your brand awareness by 80%, but can also be a way to increase brand sales and revenue. You’re targeting consumers who are ready to buy. The good thing with Google Ads pay-per-click (PPC) model, it means you only pay to advertise to users who actually click on your ad. It’s also worth noting that people who click on ads are 50% more likely to make a purchase so it’s an enormous opportunity to generate some serious leads and sales.

Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about Bing. Bing Ads are search ads on the Microsoft Advertising pay-per-click platform. They’re essentially the equivalent to Google Ads search ads. You create a campaign targeting a group of keywords, and when users search for those specific phrases, your ad bids on a chance to show up in one of the top sponsored placements for maximum visibility. Bing Ads are valuable because, like Google, they’re able to capture users who are actively researching or considering a purchase.

Youtube has more than 2 billion monthly active users and should not be overlooked as a successful, ROI driven advertising strategy. Youtube Ads run through Google Ads and our SDM experts are determining how to best leverage the huge potential of Youtube for your business. Youtube Ads come in the following formats: TrueView In-Stream Ads (Skippable & Non-Skippable) These ads play before or during a video (a.k.a. “pre-roll” or “mid-roll”). Viewers can choose to skip them after the first 5 seconds and you only pay when a person has watched the first 30 seconds, or the whole thing, or if they interact with your ad by clicking: whichever comes first. TrueView Discovery Ads Discovery ads show up alongside organic search results. So if your video looks more relevant than the organic results, people can choose to watch it, instead. When interested people click on the ad, they’re sent through to your video page or YouTube channel.

At SDM we love a strong online presence, the benefits of search engine marketing include the following: Traffic & Conversions The emphasis placed on more traffic, accounts for nothing if that traffic isn’t high quality, i.e. likely to convert or purchase. This is why we emphasise conversions alongside engagement levels of your site – to generate cost-effective leads. Brand Exposure & Awareness Accurately target a market that has an existing intent to buy. These customers seek answers to the queries or questions they enter into the search bar – if you answer these questions you will convert customers through the sales funnel. Cost-Effective Advertising Only relevant users are shown your ads, and only when your ad is clicked are you charged. This dramatically improves your ROI, as you’re only charged per inquiry. Analysis and ROI Measuring your ROI can be difficult when tracking which marketing platform your audience has been engaged from. The number of impressions, cost-per-click and amount of conversions are readily accessible on Sydney Digital Marketing’s transparent campaign dashboard, Agency Analytics. Immediate Results Cultivating an SEO campaign is a long-term approach that can grant you success. PPC rewards your investment with immediate returns that are instantly visible to the user.

PPC, pay per click, is a form of advertising where an advertiser, you, pays a publisher every time an ad is clicked on. This means businesses can pay to get traffic to their website by placing an ad on search engine results pages or on other websites. This model is beneficial because a PPC expert running a well designed PPC campaign will ensure the value of each click is greater than the cost per click thus it can be an efficient form of advertising. PPC ads are subject to an Ad Auction where each advertiser makes a bid and an automated auction runs every time a visitor enters the keywords that trigger the ad. What is important to note is the winner is not the advertiser with the highest bid but with the highest overall rank meaning the quality, relevance and validity of your ad have just as high a weight as the money you are offering to pay.

SEO and PPC are different strategies that deliver different results. Neither is a one size fits all option for a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, rather efforts should be taken towards optimising both avenues. Nevertheless, one strategy may require more focus for your business than the other and this depends on your business growth strategy. SEO is not a quick-win strategy; if you want a quick increase in traffic to your website, then SEO is not going to give you the results you want. SEO traffic is organic traffic that builds up steadily over time. In contrast, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is the strategy for you if time is of the essence. PPC is the second most popular marketing channel. It works by businesses paying to get traffic to their website by placing an ad on search engine results pages or on other websites. Organic traffic is hard to build up and requires patience, but in time SEO will guarantee stable and permanent traffic to your website – all without having to spend PPC. On the other hand, PPC ads can give you more traffic instantly, but you are paying for that traffic. And PPC campaigns can only be set up by a PPC expert. At SDM we have SEO and PPC professionals who can work with you to decide which strategy will deliver the right results for your business.