Search Engine Marketing

In advertising or e-commerce marketing, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) assists in securing better positioning on search engines such as Google, helping the right consumers find your e-commerce brand. It uses several tools, techniques, and strategies to improve your online store's visibility.

SEM most commonly refers to search engine advertising, or paid results, which are paid for by the advertiser. In practice, this means buying ads in search engines or utilizing search engine advertising solutions such as Google Ads. Paid results are also known as PPC (pay per click) or CPC (cost per click).

In contrast, organic results come from SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It’s the practice of manipulating algorithms based on relevance and authority to position organic listings high up on people’s search bars.

oday, SEM is a necessity for any e-commerce marketer. It’s the most direct path to target the right customer personas with intent and, effectively, generate greater chances of success for your brand. To understand what makes SEM stand out in comparison to other marketing avenues, we need to consider its unique advantages:

• Analytics: It allows for real-time monitoring, providing instant insights into your online performance and allowing you to change strategies if needed.
• Reports: You will be able to understand your marketing campaign as a whole with detailed reports available, e.g., on Google Ads, to provide optimal control and navigation through the process.
• Speed: Results are fast and far-reaching, if done right.
• Reach: Depending on your individual budget, the campaigns are highly scalable and can, therefore, be used by small e-commerce start-ups or large online corporations.
• Segmentation: To reach the right audience, you have customizable tools at your disposal, allowing you to filter by location, language, or customer behavior.
• Pay as you go: It’s easy to work within a set budget and retain control since you can define the maximum daily budget and the maximum cost per click you are willing to pay.

For e-commerce businesses of any size, SEM is a vital digital marketing tool that drives long-term campaign success. Boosting your e-commerce business’ digital marketing strategy with SEM comes down to:

1. The ability to direct highly-qualified traffic onto your online store. By targeting the “right” users who have greater potential to engage with your brand, your outreach immediately makes more sense. How does it work? SEM lets online users filter based on specific keywords, which, ideally, leads them to your online store.
2. Creating effective ads and conversations around your brand. Through Google Ads, you can measure conversions and take control of what is said about your e-commerce brand online.Working within a budget. As we’ve seen in the benefits section, SEM offers a uniquely scalable solution that allows your investment into digital advertising to grow or contract, according to your budget or the needs of your e-commerce company.
3. Aiming for regional or global exposure. SEM outpaces traditional advertising solutions because it can put your online store in front of users, not just in your city but well beyond, as long as they are frequenting digital search platforms.
4. Making personalized ads that target your ideal customer profile. With the right parameters and filters, e.g., targeting people who are interested in a specific type of product or come from a particular city, it is up to you to individualize your marketing campaign. As long as you are effective at speaking to your target demographic, SEM gives you the push to connect with them.

Voke Design specializes in the application of complex SEM tools for e-commerce businesses. Every e-commerce business we work with receives a detailed and personalized digital marketing plan, starting with our analysis of their goals, objectives, audiences, and current outreach efforts.

With years of experience in the business, we take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation. Our team is well-versed in selecting the right keywords and platforms to target your desired customer segments online, whether you are aiming for a short- or long-term campaign.

Once we’ve defined your parameters and the creative concepts, Voke Design remains at hand to monitor the campaign success, including on-the-go adjustments based on real-time data. What results is a targeted digital ad campaign that works to achieve the highest number of quality clicks at the best cost for your e-commerce business.