The SEM may consider the use of rich snippets.
SEM is the acronym for Search Engine Marketing , an expression that can be translated as Search Engine Marketing . The concept refers to the strategy carried out to improve the positioning and visibility of a website in the results pages of Internet search engines .
In this way, the SEM aims for a publication to appear in the first places on the pages that search engines show as a result of a search . Actions taken in this context may include payment for advertising.
What is SEM
To understand what SEM is, it is important to take into account several issues. The basic thing is to know that, to access information online, users usually go to a search engine such as Google , Bing or Yahoo! . Thus, people enter certain words or phrases into search engines, which are responsible for "scouring" the Web and presenting results according to the interest shown by Internet users in searches.
These results are content that is online, such as web pages, images, videos, etc. Statistics reveal that individuals generally enter publications that are shown at the top of the results pages: this reveals, therefore, the importance for any website to appear in those privileged positions. By not being part of that list, it is very difficult to get visits and generate traffic .
The SEM , in this framework, is the set of techniques and actions that aim to ensure that a site is found quickly by a search engine and presented in the first positions of its results when certain keywords are searched for. The purpose, ultimately, is to achieve the best possible indexing to be placed at the top of each SERP (search engine results page) that is considered important according to the sector, field or topic.
Google Analytics is a tool that provides useful data for SEM.
Differences with SEO
It is common for SEM to be confused with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) . However, it must be considered that SEM is broader and transcends SEO .
At this point we must distinguish between organic search and paid search . In the first case, the results displayed are organized naturally according to SEO criteria. The inclusion of keywords, backlinks (incoming links), text length and metatags are some of the elements that contribute to organic traffic.
A paid search, on the other hand, includes sponsored results : websites pay the search engine to appear in the results. Typically, there is a bid between advertisers and, based on the combination of that bid and the SEO of the destination site, the search engine shows certain results at the top of the SERP .
It can be said that SEM includes both interventions to promote paid traffic (buying ads) and others aimed at improving organic positioning (that is, SEO -oriented). According to specialists, this double dimension is the best way to obtain visibility on the Web.
Header tags are valuable in SEM.
EMS Resources
SEM frequently uses the PPC (Pay Per Click) method, which Google uses in AdWords (now Google Ads ). PPC means that the advertiser only pays when a user clicks on their ad.
To position a website, you can bet on PPC from Google Ads , Yahoo Search Ads or Bing Ads , for example. The advertiser chooses which keywords they want to bid on and establishes how much they are willing to pay for each click. Then, when an Internet user searches for one of those words and the advertiser wins the bid, their ad is shown at the top of the SERP .
Campaigns are generally developed with PPC ad groups. It is important to precisely define the ad text and the landing page , which is where the user will be sent once they click on the advertisement.
Social media marketing is also part of SEM . You can advertise with PPC or seek to derive traffic from networks such as Instagram or Facebook to an external website.
When investing in PPC or other paid tools as part of SEM , you need to know how to measure the results. Metrics such as click-through rate (CTR) , cost per click (CPC) and cost per impression (CPM) must be studied in order to know the effects of the actions and estimate the return on investment.
Regarding SEO , in addition to the strategies already mentioned, the use of a responsive web design (that automatically adapts to different screen formats) should be considered, taking care of the construction of incoming and outgoing links, establishing security protocols ( HTTPS ). and analyze the URL structure, among other actions.
It cannot be failed to mention that, both in SEM and SEO , carrying out keyword research is essential. That is the way to accurately reach the right user, which is the one who can visit our publication, buy our products or hire our services.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the advantages attributed to SEM , its contribution to the visibility of the brand and the possibility of establishing segmentation to reach the public of interest stand out. SEM , on the other hand, offers faster results than SEO .
As negative aspects, it must be taken into account that advertising constitutes an interruption in the user experience, who finds information that they did not directly request. It should also be considered that, regarding positioning via PPC , it only works when paying, unlike SEO .