Website Builders.com

  • Home
  • Builder Reviews
        • Our team have carefully reviewed a selection of premium website building platform, making it easier for you to choose the right one.

          While most website builders are compatible for generic  website building, including online stores, blogs and generic websites, some are better than others depending on what your website type.

        • Website Builder Reviews

          GoDaddy

          IM Creator

          Jimdo

          Squarespace

          Voog

          Weebly

          Wix

          WordPress

        • Store Builder Reviews

          BigCommerce

          GoDaddy Store

          Shopify

          Weebly

          Wix

          Yola

        • Comparisons

          Wix vs. Weebly

          Shopify vs. BigCommerce

  • Start A Blog
  • How To Guides
        • With over 500 pages of detailed tutorials and guides, our guides cover a large chunk of online topics.

          Learn crafty tips and tricks to make your time online smooth. Our directory is useful for internet newbies, as well as aspiring website builders.

          Check out the full directory.

        • Building a Website

          How To Build a Website

          Name Your Website – Domain

          Picking a Web Hosting Service

          Content and User Experience

          More

        • Searching and Research

          Searching the Web

          Doing Research Online

          The World of Wiki

          Finding Videos Online

          More

        • E-mails – Basics and Advanced

          Getting Started

          Sending an E-mail Message

          Opening Attachments

          Sending Attachments

          More

        • Social Media & Communication

          Instant Messaging

          Online Networking

          Facebook

          LinkedIn

          More

        • Files, Downloads, Software & Installs

          File Formats and Extensions

          Install Plug-Ins

          How to Download Files

          Downloading Software

          More

        • Making Money Online

          Making Money with Facebook

          Affiliate Marketing

          Virtual Assistant

          Writing Articles

          More

        • Online Shopping

          10 Tips for Smart and Safe Shopping

          Smart Shopping

          Protecting Personal Information

          Looking for Discounts

          More

  • Website Builder Tools Your Business Can’t Do Without (+ Links To Useful Resources)
    • HTML Character Codes
    • Advertiser Tracking Cookies: There ARE Ways To Opt Out – Here’s How
    • Website Glossary
  • Our Blog
        • Recent Posts

          When you have awesome writers, it is easy to spread wisdom. Take a look at some of our recent posts on various internet and website related topics.

          Have any suggestions on topics? Don’t hold back, send us your ideas:

          [email protected]

        • 12 Simple Rules on How to Use E-mail Politely

          Live Chat Software: Is it Worth It? Facebook Says Yes.

          Algorithmic Warfare: Is it the Beginning or the End?

          How to Promote Your Pet Business Online

          DIY Marketing: 7 Steps for any Business Owner

        • 20 Ideas to Generate Your First Online Sale

          Complete Guide to Content Marketing

          8 Best Free Photo Editors for Product Photosraphy

          Press Kits: DIY to Free Media Hype

          Why Backlinks are Essential for SEO – How To Build Them

  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ
    • How Did You Make This Site?
    • How the Website Is Funded
    • Our Team
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and how do I start?

What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and how do I start?

October 2, 2015 By Katie Horne

Disclosure: Your support helps keep the site running! We earn a referral fee for some of the services we recommend on this page. Learn more

facebook icontwitter icongoogle iconpinterest iconWhat is Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and how do I start? What’s true of all users using a search engine? Well, they’re searching for something. Search Engine Marketing (SEM), or advertising on search engines, is a unique form of marketing because that potential customer is already looking for something, so ads often don’t feel like ads. SEM is the paid version of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and usually, has a higher rate of online store conversion than many other types of advertising. Most SEM ads are Pay Per Click. In case you didn’t catch on from the name, in this form of advertising, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, not when someone sees it. So not only does SEM have a high conversion rate, you also pay based on clicks and not just the number of impressions. Okay, so that makes sense—but how do I get started? Buying ads on search engines is less complicated than it sounds, but to get started, there are a few basics to understand first. You can advertise on many different search engines, and the exact steps to get started will vary based on what search engine you select. The most popular options are Google, Bing, and Yahoo. But even across the different platforms, there are a few universal basics: keywords, location, bidding and ad content.

Choosing a keyword

SEM is keyword based. If you want your product to show up when someone searches for “cool t-shirt designs,” then your keyword would be “cool t-shirt designs.” You can choose just one or several. On Google, you can use the Google AdWords Keyword Planner to see how many times that keyword is searched for monthly. The “competition” column also indicates how many other websites are using that keyword. facebook icontwitter icongoogle iconpinterest iconGoogle AdWords Keyword Planner When advertising instead of just developing an organic search engine optimization plan, pay attention to the suggested bid column as you choose a keyword to find the best value. For example, “cool t-shirt designs” actually costs a little more than just “t-shirts,” and t-shirts has a lot more monthly searches. facebook icontwitter icongoogle iconpinterest iconGoogle search results

Narrowing it down with location

If you’re a local business though, you don’t want to pay to advertise to someone who is halfway across the world and will never set a foot inside your store. You can choose areas—such as a single zip code or an entire country—to help get your ads to the right audience.

Bidding on a keyword

Once you choose a keyword, you’ll choose a price range—that’s how much you are willing to pay per click. Generally speaking, the more you bid, the more often your ad will be at the top instead of someone else’s ad—it’s like an auction for ad placement. Google’s Keyword Planner includes a suggested bid to help out. The suggested bid is based on how many people search for that keyword and how many other advertisers use that keyword.

Writing an ad

Search engine ads are short and sweet—Google limits ads to two 35 character lines and a 25 character headline. It’s a good idea to use the keyword in the headline since research shows that increases the chances of a click. Use the limited space to describe a benefit or feature, remembering you have a very short space to grab the reader’s attention. For additional information view this handy video which walks through how the AdWords Auction system works: [youtube id=”PjOHTFRaBWA?rel=0″ width=”678″ height=”350″ autoplay=”no” api_params=”” class=””]   Now that you know a few SEM basics, you can head to your favorite search engine’s advertising platform, whether it is Google or Bing/Yahoo and get started!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About Katie Horne

Katie Horne is a writer with a strong technical background. She started as a C# developer, but her love of the serial comma and other aspects of the written word turned her toward a career as a writer. She is a lifelong bookworm and general nerd.

Latest Posts

Hosting

Black Friday 2020: Website Builder & Web Hosting Deals For Webmasters [Updated]

Uncategorized

Why WebsiteBuilders.com Got Hacked (Yes, You Can Blame Social Warfare)

E-mail Internet

E-Mail Etiquette: 12 Basic Rules For Politely Using E-Mail

Marketing social networking

Live Chat Software: Should You Invest In It? (It’s Easier Than You Think)

Computer Science

Never Heard Of Algorithmic Warfare? Then You’d Better Read This

Marketing

How To Successfully Promote Your Pet Business Online With Minimum Effort

Most Popular Reviews

  • Website Builder Reviews
  • Wix
  • Weebly
  • Squarespace
  • GoDaddy Website Builder
  • Shopify

Recent Posts

  • Black Friday 2020: Website Builder & Web Hosting Deals For Webmasters [Updated] November 5, 2019
  • Why WebsiteBuilders.com Got Hacked (Yes, You Can Blame Social Warfare) March 23, 2019
  • E-Mail Etiquette: 12 Basic Rules For Politely Using E-Mail November 15, 2017

About WebsiteBuilders.com

Everything you need to know about the WebsiteBuilders.com team.

About Us

Our Team

How The Website Is Funded

Privacy Policy

© 2017-2022 Website Builders.com | Sitemap