Search engine marketing services (SEM) are an increasingly popular and vital subset of Internet marketing. Search engine marketing services focus on the marketing of products or services over the Internet, and include such activities as search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and local search. Because EVERYONE uses search engines to find the products & services they're looking for, it's no wonder that search engine marketing services are absolutely necessary for a successful online business.
The focus of Search Engine Marketing, or SEM, is in generating sales and/or capturing leads from potential customers who are surfing the Internet. Traditionally, this has meant trying to get your website into Google (and others) search engine rankings so that it shows up when a potential customer of yours types in a “keyword phrase”. This practice is known as Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. Over the years, however, the need to rank high on search engines has become so vital that other forms of search engine marketing services have evolved.
Types of Search Engine Marketing Services
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Optimizing your website to get noticed, indexed and ranked by the search engines, otherwise known as SEO, was the original form of SEM. Back in the early days (ie. the 90's), it didn't take a whole lot to get your website ranked. In fact, it was pretty easy to perform SEO and reap the results fairly quickly.
Over the years, however, the Internet landscape has changed dynamically. Everyone has websites, online business has soared, and competition is fierce. And the tactics for SEO has changed as well, due to changes in the rules and functionality of the search engines, and mostly influenced by Google.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is still a much practiced form of marketing on the net, even if it has become a lot more sophisticated and challenging to get your website ranked high on the search page results. Not impossible though ... learn more about SEO. - Pay Per Click (PPC)
- Pay Per Click advertising, or PPC, most likely evolved from the fact that SEO has become so challenging in getting your site, or pages, ranked high in the search engines, and that SEO does take time to see results. While SEO tends to be seen as "free" traffic, PPC offered a form of paid advertising that was highly targeted, tied to Google (and others) search results and offered almost immediate results.
If you look at a Google search results page, you'll notice a column of textual ads on the right side. It may say something like "sponsored links". Sometimes there are one to three more ads at the top of the page. Those are all PPC ads. On Google's search platform, these ads are known as Google Adwords.
PPC allows you to create an ad that is linked to specific keywords, so when someone searches on that keyword, your PPC ad should appear. If the person clicks on your ad, they're taken to your website, and Google charges you for that click. The beauty of PPC is that you ONLY pay when someone clicks on your ad ... learn more about PPC. - Local Search
- Did you ever notice when you're searching for a local business, say a florist, and you enter "florist" in Google search, that two things happen? First, search results (and sponsored ads) are shown for businesses in your local area, and second, a Google Map appears at the top of the first page showing locations of up to 10 businesses in your local area.
This is Local Search, an incredibly potent offshoot of SEO that is geared specifically for local businesses and local business listings. Whether it's getting on the first page or placement in the outstanding "10 Box", done correctly, Local Search will generate tons of local traffic and qualified leads! Isn't that what you need? ... learn more about Local Search.
