Can You Define Search Engine Marketing?
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is NOT Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) - we feel that it is extremely important to point this out before we start.
Search Engine Optimisation is about try trying to get your website in SERP’s (search Engine Result Pages), the free or 'organic' listings that we all see on search engines when we search for something.
Search Engine Marketing is viewed in a number of ways depending on who you discuss this with. It can be a combination of SEO, Paid Inclusion, Contextual Advertising and Paid Placement. Others would suggest that Search Engine Marketing is just about paid clicks.
We would suggest that we look at SEM as obtaining highly targeted traffic to your website through paid clicks. SEO is different and should not be confused with SEM. However, SEM can used as a tool to help with SEO.
Paid Inclusion, Contextual Advertising and Paid Placement
1. Paid Inclusion – is a process where fees are charged for inclusion into a specific website. This can be related to Pay Per Click (PPC), although we prefer to keep these separate, also to specialist websites, directories and search engines that provide a paid service for obtaining listings on their site.
2. Contextual Advertising – a targeted advertising medium that allows advertisers to appear on very specific/targeted websites or pages of websites and other medium including mobile browsers. This type of advertising is very good at serving adverts to people who are already carrying out searches related to your business. The adverts may be served directly on a web page or as a pop up advert.
3. Paid Placement – is Pay Per Click. Paying to have an advert placed on any search engine that offers PPC provides you with the opportunity to short cut the SEO process and achieve page one results but at a price. Although effective it can be very costly in the medium to long term. Used as part of a full SEO project or for special offers Paid Placement can really drive traffic and if executed correctly, business to your web site. Typically we would use one, or a combination of the following;
- Google AdWords
- Microsoft adCenter
- Yahoo! Search Marketing
Use with Caution
Search Engine Marketing in the right hands is a very powerful tool to promote any website. In the wrong hands however this could be very dangerous to your marketing budget. Finding just the right market to place your optimised adverts takes time and experience in knowing what works and what doesn’t. Don’t take a chance with your marketing budget, talk to Little Black Box today to see how we can help you make the ost of Search Engine Marketing for your business.
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If you would like to work with a specialist company that doesn't promise the earth but does deliver results and speaks in plain English then why not give us a call in order to establish whether we can help you with your online marketing objectives. Or if you prefer why not send us an e-mail - either way, we're always very pleased to hear from you.
T: 01748 900 470 | E: hello@littleblackbox.eu
