How to Create an SEM Marketing Strategy

How to create a SEM marketing strategy. Are you ready to put together a winning SEM strategy of your own?

Here’s a closer look at some expert tips and best practices to get you started.

1. Understand how your customers search

known and unknown to you many of your target audience and prospect are out there looking for information on the types of products and services you sell.

But a winning SEM strategy digs deeper than that.

For example, consumers who are still at the beginning of their buyer’s journey will likely be looking for basic information about a particular pain point or problem your product or service is designed to resolve.

And customers who have already purchased your product (or something similar) may need maintenance tips or information about compatible items.

Considering all the different ways your audience uses Google to search for information can help you put together a more comprehensive campaign that really gets results.

2. Determine your budget

Careful budgeting is crucial when it comes to any aspect of running your budget, and this is just as much the case when putting together an SEM strategy.

It’s easier than you think to overspend. Make sure your SEM marketing budget includes adequate resources for options like the following:

Creating high-quality landing pages
Writing both on-page and advertising copy
Thorough market and keyword research
Actual CPC (cost per click)
Management of live campaigns
Data and results analysis

3. Make your site user-friendly

It does not matter how robust your Google Ads budget is or how high your bids are if you’re not pointing people toward a site worth visiting.

Google is only interested in sending people to websites that are not only relevant but that offer a stellar user experience.

So before you invest in the paid ad portion of your SEM strategy, ensure everything’s as it should be with your website and landing pages.

For best results, your site should be:

Fast, preferably with page load times under two seconds.
Mobile-friendly and responsive.
Fully search engine optimized.
Organized and easy to navigate.
Frequently updated with high-quality content.
Clean, simple, and free of clutter.

Efficient, high-quality websites help send your Google quality score soaring and help your paid ads perform well even if you don’t always have the highest bid.

4 Choose highly relevant keywords

Ads that yield a high return on your original investment have certain qualities in common.

They include highly targeted keywords, are data-based, and feature snappy keyword-rich copy.

The more relevant and well-targeted your keywords, the more likely you are to win ad auctions for lower prices.

This is because relevancy drives your quality score way up and can help give you the competitive edge. For best results, do your homework on your keyword options.

Remember, good picks positively nail user intent. Always analyze your choices for factors like competitive density and search volume, as well.

5 Keep an eye on performance over time

Long-term SEM success isn’t about setting up a terrific ad once and then forgetting about it.

You need to keep an eye on its performance over time to ensure it remains relevant. This helps keep your quality score nice and high while your costs stay low.

Factors to consider include:

Keyword Relevance: Are people clicking on your ad when it appears in searches? If not, the ad may not be an ideal fit for that term.
Click-through Rate: How many of your ad’s impressions actually attract clicks?
Landing Page Quality: If people aren’t sticking around on your page once they get there or responding to your call to action, Google may question your page quality.
Performance History: How well is the ad performing over time?