What is SEM?

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) refers to the various initiatives that a website owner can take in order to increase the online visibility of his or her website in search engine results. SEM campaigns are designed to direct as much relevant and profitable traffic to a website as possible through the use of enhanced and measurable marketing techniques.

SEM campaigns are paid advertising methods used in search engines. Google AdWords and Bing Ads are examples of such methods. These campaigns are extremely flexible and, when managed by a Google Certified Partner or a Bing Accredited Professional, very profitable. By using Google AdWords or Bing Ads, we can create and implement a variety of advertisements in order to target specific markets, locations, and demographics.

Sounds great, but why should my business use it?

At this point, you may be wondering why you would need to use SEM when your website will, to an extent, rank organically in search engines like Google and Bing. While you are correct that Google indexes every website, regardless of SEM, the issue here is one of rank quality and placement. It takes a lot of work to ensure that your website achieves prominent rank in Google. This work, also known as SEO or Search Engine Optimization, includes time-consuming processes such as copywriting, keyword loading, and link building. Futhermore, if your website domain is fairly new, it can take more than 6 months to gain any sort of traction in search engine results, regardless of SEO.

SEM provides you with instant results, regardless of your organic ranking, by placing your website right at the top of Google. Increasing your website traffic and customer awareness has never been easier.

When using SEM campaigns, you are provided with a measurable ROI (Return On Investment). We use Google Analytics to track every aspect of your campaign to see exactly what is working and what is not. Your SEM campaigns can also be tailored to focus on specific services, clients, markets, and locations at specific times of the year.

I like the sound of SEM for my business. What should I do now?

You should contact Virtual Image and establish your Search Engine Marketing campaign today! If you would like to learn more about how Virtual Image uses SEM to increase your website’s ROI, you can check out our Search Engine Marketing page.