Search Engine Marketing – The Basics

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Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is still often found in the murky waters that surround SEO techniques. Because so much of effective SEM involves trialby error learning and constant tweaking to get the desired results, not being able to find the “perfect formula” often becomes very frustrating.

Even further confusion lies in the broad definition that SEM can encompass. Marketing gurus often find themselves divided on whether SEM is an umbrella term that encompasses a broadspectrum of techniques like paid inclusions, paid search, SEO and contextual advertisements or whether it stands separately from SEO.

Definitions notwithstanding, marketers need to ask themselves how they can simplify their websites and still gain the most effective results with page rankings and ROI’s.

Getting “There”
Experts recommend dedicating at least two hours a day testing and tweaking a list of keywords pertaining to your website to increase optimization. For the novice marketer, charting this course can be overwhelming, so we’ve tried to distill the basics of SEM into three bite-sized steps.
1. First things first. The most important component to effective Search Engine Marketing is familiarizing yourself with SEO techniques; at the very least, gaining a basic understanding of SEO is essential.
Take a quick gander at SEO tutorials online to get some help in charting the waters.
2. If you’re using CMS platforms like WordPress, Drupal or Joomla, take advantage of the SEM optimized plug-ins that are readily available to users.
3. PPC or Pay Per Click advertising is also an essential component of an SEM strategy. Paid placements on search engines can help drive traffic to your website. Once you’ve drawn your audience in, track your numbers with any number of analytic tools to keep a check on your landing page strategies.
Test and tweak your keywords with help from Google Analytics to see whether your customers stay or leave right away after getting to your page.