Search Engine Marketing
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)), promotes a website using "pay-per-click" advertising. It can work quite quickly to create site traffic.
The most popular SEM method is called “Pay Per Click”. This uses an online advertising strategy where you must pay each time a person clicks on your ad. Your web designer will submit your website to one or more of the SEM programs, such as Google, Yahoo or MSN. The ad can be targeted to a certain geographical area, close to your business location, nationwide or worldwide.
You begin by establishing an account for your site with each search engine. You and your webmaster then write an ad for your company/product/service, and choose a range of keywords that relate best to your business based upon popular search activity. When those keywords and keyword combinations are searched, your ad will begin to show up highly ranked on the search results page, either at the top or right side of the page. The best visibility results from the appropriate choice of keywords for your site.
When a customer searches for a keyword in a search engine and clicks on your ad, your account will be charged. This is called “Cost per Click.” Each keyword has an established dollar amount determined by the SEM program, and based on the popularity of that keyword or phrase. You and your web designer will establish a daily budget cost for your account.
When your account has reached its’ maximum daily budget cost, your ad will disappear from the paid search results pages. The next day your ad will again be visible in a high ranked position until you have reached your daily budget limit.
Your Webmaster will analyze your click through rate and the performance of your competitors' ads. If your keywords are incurring higher costs than desired, the Webmaster will search for keywords that have lower cost per click without sacrificing popularity, and will optimize your website.
The ultimate goal is to achieve Organic Ratings (see Search Engine Optimization) at or near the top of the page without having to pay a cost per click. This takes time. The more popular your website becomes; i.e., the more visitors over time, can create higher Organic Ratings and place your website listing at a high rank on the left side of the search engines results page with no click through cost to you.
