Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) vs. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The basic difference between SEO and SEM is this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
SEO is a group of strategies designed to help your website rank higher and get more organic <\/strong>traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n SEM is the use of paid strategies, like ads and boosted social posts, to help your site get more paid<\/strong> traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These two online marketing tactics<\/a> work together in that improving your SEO will allow you to get better results from your SEM. So, in a sense, SEO can be thought of as part of a larger SEM strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words: if you have an ad that\u2019s getting tons of clicks, but when people land on your site, they can\u2019t find what they\u2019re looking for or don\u2019t understand what your site is about, that ad won\u2019t actually convert many new customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Related read: 10 Ways to Leverage SEO for PR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that that explanation is out of the way, let\u2019s dive into search engine marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s answer this question first: Why do you need search engine marketing? Isn\u2019t organic reach enough? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason you need search engine marketing, even if you\u2019re a household name brand like Nike or Toyota, is that there is simply too much on the internet for any one brand to get a foothold on organic alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, those household names spend way more on paid advertising than many of their competitors\u2014that\u2019s how they\u2019ve risen to the top and stayed at the top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, the obvious caveat here is that advertising won\u2019t fix a bad product. Your company and product have to be ready for the masses in order to reap the benefits of paid advertising, but once they are, you\u2019ve got to get on that SEM bandwagon. That\u2019s the only real way to compete with the thousands of other brands in your industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to data from Pardot, 78% of B2B buyers<\/a> begin their purchasing process by searching on Google. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not LinkedIn. Not their personal IRL networks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why it\u2019s so important for your brand to show up near the top of Google\u2019s search results when prospects search a keyword related to your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve improved your site\u2019s SEO by adding metatags and site descriptions, posting blog posts and other content, and including any important keywords naturally within your copy, it\u2019s time to create some Google ads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The key here is to focus on a single conversion action that you want people to take. Ads work well when they\u2019re tightly defined and lead precisely where the user would expect to go\u2014so if your ad says, \u201cSign up for our webinar,\u201d the user who clicks the button should be taken directly to a webinar landing page where they can sign up, not to your full site (even if you have a webinar sign-up button somewhere on the homepage). <\/p>\n\n\n\n By choosing specific actions you want people to take, you can create groups of ads that help you reach each of those goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s an example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s say we want people to sign up for a demo of our new product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step would be to create a landing page for the demo sign-up. The landing page is where we\u2019ll direct users when they click on our ad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This one from SharpSpring is a great example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s got a clear call to action, a simple form that\u2019s easy to fill out, video prospects can watch if they want to, plus the three most important elements of their value proposition listed at the bottom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro tip: <\/em><\/strong>If you really want to maximize your results (and who doesn\u2019t?) you can A\/B test your landing page design. Set up two versions of the same landing page, and send users to one or the other with your ad. Then you compare the conversion rates for each landing page to see which one performed better, and use what you learned to inform future design choices. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your landing page is designed and live, it\u2019s time to focus on your paid ad strategy<\/a>. We\u2019re going to start by laying out the goal and creating three different ads that will help us reach it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Goal: Get demo sign-ups. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: This goal is your brand\u2019s goal, not to be confused with the \u201cGoals\u201d that you\u2019ll choose through Google Ads. Those goals help Google determine where to place your ads and how to display them to maximize performance. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The first thing we need to do is identify the keywords that we\u2019re going to target. Use a tool like SEMRush or Google Keywords to help with this\u2014you\u2019re looking for keywords that are highly relevant, yet also mid-range in volume. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Why? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the higher the volume for a keyword (like \u201cB2B SAAS demos\u201d), the more it will cost you per click. But in addition, higher-volume keywords can become so general that they don\u2019t move the needle, or so expensive that it doesn\u2019t make sense to spend the budget, considering how intense your competition for those clicks will be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, instead of choosing \u201cB2B SAAS demos,\u201d you could choose \u201cbest B2B SAAS demo for mid-size companies,\u201d or \u201caffordable B2B SAAS demo,\u201d or some other variation that fits your product and matches what your audience is searching for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve got the keywords down, you\u2019ll need to enter an ad auction. Ad auctions (at least for Google Ads<\/a>) involve putting in the keywords you want to bid on, along with how much you\u2019re willing to spend per click, or your maximum bid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two factors that Google considers when determining whether your ad gets approved (or \u201cwins\u201d the bidding process): the first is your maximum bid, and the second is your ad\u2019s Quality Score<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Quality Score is a number 1-10 that Google determines by looking at the quality of your ad, your keywords, and your landing page. In this case, \u201cquality\u201d basically means relevance\u2014Google wants to see that your ad is highly relevant to your audience, that they\u2019re likely to click on your ad, and that once they do, they\u2019ll have an easy experience on your landing page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how Google explains it: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This Quality Score can be found in your keywords\u2019 \u201cStatus\u201d column once you log into your Google Ads account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing effective ad copy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A pay-per-click ad has a few components: the title, the display URL, and the description. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The title here is \u201cMedicare Cost Reports Due \u2013 Only 4 days 14 hours left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This title works because it\u2019s not only clear, but it displays a countdown timer, conveying a sense of urgency. If you were creating an ad for your demo, you could incorporate a countdown by offering a free add-on\u2014an additional consultation, download, etc.\u2014if users sign up within a specific amount of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The display URL is where users will end up once they click. This should be short and descriptive\u2014in this ad, as you can see, it\u2019s \u201cppsassistant.com\/costreports.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a look at the description: \u201cWe prepare Medicare cost reports.\u201d It\u2019s harder to get much more concise than that! This kind of brevity won\u2019t work for every brand, but the clarity should. You want people to know exactly what you do and why they should click. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then you can see their links, so users can navigate directly to the area of the site they want to visit, should they decide to click on the site links rather than the ad link itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a rule, Google Ads that show numbers perform better than those that don\u2019t, so if there\u2019s a statistic or data point that you can include, go for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, you\u2019ll create a few different ads for one goal, both so that you can see which digital campaign<\/a> works best, and so you can maximize your reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Contactless Payment Provider for Restaurants | Free Demo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n www.onedine.com\/schedule-demo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n On-premise and off-premise solutions, mobile-optimized, contactless payment, menu browsing, and ordering. Schedule your demo today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Contactless E-commerce Solution for Restaurants | Sign Up for a Free Demo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n www.onedine.com\/schedule-demo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Reduce labor costs and increase table turns with OneDine\u2019s contactless payment, ordering, and menu browsing solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Create a Contactless Dining Experience for Customers | Get Your Free Demo Today<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n www.onedine.com\/schedule-demo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mobile-optimized, no app required, comprehensive contactless payment, ordering, and menu browsing. Sign up to see how it works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have those ads running, whether simultaneously or one at a time, you\u2019ll be able to see which is performing best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Want some help getting started? We\u2019re here when you need us. Give us a call today<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe basics of paid advertising online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Download The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Search Engine Marketing Strategy<\/h3><\/div>
How to get started with search engine marketing (SEM)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/zenmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-23-at-11.49.12-AM.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/zenmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-23-at-12.50.24-PM.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/zenmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-23-at-1.05.56-PM.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nExample copy for Ad #1: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Example copy for Ad #2: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Example copy for Ad #3:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n