Convert customers with SEM
April 22, 2024
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is an invaluable tool for businesses like yours looking to convert customers online. By leveraging paid search ads, keywords and strategic optimization techniques, your business can attract more traffic to your websites and ultimately increase conversions.
Understanding SEM
SEM is a form of internet marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) like Google or Bing through paid advertising. It includes components such as paid search ads, keyword targeting and optimizing landing pages for increased conversions. The primary goal of SEM is to drive relevant traffic to websites and ultimately convert visitors into customers.
An SEM strategy involves bidding on keywords people are searching when looking for certain products or services. These ads, often known as pay-per-click, come in a variety of formats. These formats range from text-based ones to product listing ads or shopping ads. The latter showcase details like price and reviews, providing your customers with quick and easy access to important information.
Researching keywords
Strategic and thorough keyword research plays a strong role in the success of your SEM campaign.
Keyword research helps you answer questions like:
What are people searching for?
How many people are searching for it?
How do they want that information?
Chances are, you already know specific keywords, such as your products, services or the main topics covered on your website. These keywords serve as a solid foundation for your research, so begin by using a keyword research tool like Google Ads Keyword Planner. This shows you the average monthly search volume for those keywords and identifies related keywords. By identifying the right keywords your customers are searching for, you can tailor your ads and content to attract qualified leads.
Writing compelling ads
Writing compelling ads captures the attention of your potential customers. Focus on eye-catching headlines and clear call-to-actions to drive clicks to your website. When writing copy for your ads, think about what your customer wants to hear. What problems do they need to solve? How does your business help them? Make sure your copy is clear and easy to understand. Prioritize highlighting the benefits of your product or service over simply explaining its features. Your call-to-action should be clear and direct such as “Shop Now,” “Learn more,” “Subscribe now” or “Call today.” You’ll stand out from your competitors when you have the right ad copy and ensure your message is in front of your audience.
Optimizing landing pages
A landing page is where your customer “lands” when they click on an ad. Featuring compelling visuals, clear messaging and strong calls-to-action gives the best experience and increases conversion rates. Your landing page should also help your prospective customers achieve their end goal as quickly as possible.
Here are some proven strategies for your landing page:
Choose an appropriate design: The layout and design of your landing page helps visitors quickly understand your product or service and how it benefits them.
Make it simple and visually appealing: The landing page should be uncomplicated, meaning it is easy to follow and calls-to-action are easy to find. Visual imagery provides balance and creates an emotional connection.
Use clear headlines and copy: Headlines help drive immediate action and the supporting copy dives deeper into the benefits of your products and services.
Include contact information: To help your customer get more information or have their questions answered, include a phone number, email or chat option.
Tracking and analyzing performance
Clicks and impressions are important metrics that provide insights into the effectiveness of your SEM campaign. Clicks indicate the number of times someone interacts with your ad by clicking on it, while impressions represent the number of times your ad is displayed on a SERP. These metrics help you gauge the relevance of your ad copy and keywords. With these metrics, you can calculate your click-through rate (CTR), which measures the percentage of impressions that result in clicks. A high CTR suggests your ads are working and fulfilling your customer’s search intentions.
Conversions are the number of people who complete an action after clicking on your ads, such as making a purchase, phone calls from your website, filling out a form or subscribing to a newsletter. And revenue represents the amount of money generated from these conversions. These metrics evaluate the performance and effectiveness of your campaign, as well as measuring customer satisfaction and value.
Traffic and engagement are also valuable metrics of how your customers interact with your landing page after clicking on your ads. Traffic indicates the number of visitors you attract to your page, while engagement provides insights into their behavior, including the length of time on the page, what they view and how frequently they “bounce” meaning the percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page. With these metrics, you can measure your bounce rate and the average session duration and pages per session, which indicate the amount of time and interest visitors invest in exploring your website.
Remarketing and retargeting
Remarketing and retargeting focuses on reconnecting with potential customers who have already shown interest in your brand through your SEM campaign. These strategies involve displaying personalized ads to individuals who have previously visited your landing page or engaged with your content, aiming to keep your brand top-of-mind and ultimately encourage them to complete an action, such as making a purchase or submitting their contact information. Given the cost and competitiveness of SEM, you don’t want to waste your budget on consumers who only visit once and never return. Remarketing and retargeting improves your chances of converting them into valuable leads, customers or even repeat buyers while maximizing your SEM campaign return on investment.
SEM is a powerful tool for converting your customers online. By understanding the basics of SEM, conducting thorough keyword research, writing compelling ads, optimizing landing pages, tracking performance and implementing retargeting strategies, your business will attract more customers and drive conversions effectively.
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