“Search Engine Marketing” (SEM) refers to a digital marketing strategy that aims to increase a website’s visibility and traffic through paid advertising on search engines. It involves the process of creating and managing online advertisements that appear in search engine results pages (SERPs).
SEM primarily involves two key components:
1. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: This involves advertisers bidding on specific keywords or phrases relevant to their product or service. When users search for those keywords, the ads appear at the top or bottom of the search results. Advertisers only pay when a user clicks on their ad, hence the term “pay-per-click.”
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Although SEM is often associated with paid advertising, it also incorporates SEO strategies. SEO aims to improve a website’s organic search rankings, leading to increased visibility and traffic from search engine results. Optimizing website content, building quality backlinks, and improving user experience are all essential elements of SEO.
Overall, SEM is a powerful tool for businesses and marketers to promote their products or services on search engines, boost website traffic, and reach their target audience effectively. It combines paid advertising and search engine optimization methods to maximize online visibility and drive relevant traffic to websites.