Often, Sem's actions are presented as the result of the equation:
SEM = SEO + PPC, SEO Search Engine Optimization), i.e. page positioning, and PPC. Pay Per Click) paid clicks in the link to the page.
This equation clearly shows that SEM actions are not only PPC paid actions, we can limit ourselves to SEO activities that are based on website optimization. SEM is a whole process that we can carry out in order to increase traffic on our website. We can only do this through SEO actions, by buying paid ads on search engines, or combining these two actions. . What usually (but not always) gives the optimal result. Very it is important to adapt actions to the specific needs of a given site.
SEM actions have one goal, to ensure that Internet users can find our website as soon as possible by searching for specific information, products or services after entering a phrase into the search engine. Ultimately, it does not matter whether the user clicked on the results of the search paid or not. These actions, although in other ways, will lead to an increase in page views, and this is the overarching objective of SEM activities.
Advantages of SEO actions
In order to position your page in search engines, we usually focus on SEO actions. Sometimes we get discouraged quite quickly, because it is a long-term venture. The results are not visible immediately. It takes a lot of time and commitment.
The SEO activities are divided into these: on-site and off-site. On-site activities are all activities related to the preparation of the website in such a way that it is visible and understandable to the robot search engine. Care should be taken to ensure the architecture of the site, so that its structure, content and key phrases are optimised accordingly. This allows you to achieve the best results of your search. On-site activities are based on: organizing content on the site, improving navigation within the site, analysing content for keywords, selecting the words on which the service is to be positioned. Also very important are the content involved and the website's alignment to UX standards. Let us also remember to adjust the site to operate on mobile devices.
SEO off-site activities are actions to strengthen the strength of the service and list of keywords. This is done by applying appropriate action outside our website. So it's nothing more than posting links on other websites.
SEO actions are intended to build website visibility in free search results, in so-called organic results. It is natural that the higher the position of a given site in the search engine, the more users decide to enter it, generating traffic on a page that translates into profits from the site.
How to measure the effectiveness of SEO?
In order not to be discouraged when conducting SEO, it is worth to measure their results on an ongoing basis. It is important to define key performance indicators (KPIs) for this purpose. Then the analysis will be based primarily on those factors that are actually relevant to our actions. The NIP will enable us to measure the effectiveness of the action, in line with the strategic objectives. Relatively quickly, we will be able to control whether our actions are consistent with our objectives. It is worth doing so to draw correct conclusions; not investing in activities that do not produce results. Depending on the purpose of running the site, we can observe: increase in awareness of the recipients about our site, measured e.g. in increased traffic on the site. Moreover, KPI may indicate: increased engagement, number of rejections, increase in visiting time, or improvement in conversion, i.e. increase in number of queries, and increase in orders if we are dealing with a sales party.
Advantages of PPC actions
Using Pay Per Click's actions, We can count on quick results. . Sponsored links appear at the head of the search results, making the average user click on them most often. This type of solution is certainly worth putting emphasis on if we do not have much time to achieve satisfactory results or if we are conducting a short-term product campaign (e.g. we have November and we want to sell as much ski as possible).
A huge advantage of using PPC is the ability to target advertising.
Well optimized advertising gives possibility of reaching the ideal target group at a given moment. . This greatly increases the likelihood that the customer will buy the product or use the service. Targeting means that advertising will be displayed to the people potentially most interested in the solution, as it takes into account: age, place of residence, or the interests of potential customers.
Keywords
Of course, the main drawback of PPC solutions is their cost. Remember, the most popular phrases can cost money, and yet we are not sure that the campaign will work. It is very important to select the appropriate keywords, after searching for which user in the results will be displayed our website. Words must relate to our activity. They have to reflect our profile. Otherwise, Despite the high clickability, users will reject the site. . Using general words when configuring a campaign misses the goal. It is highly likely that the user will find that he has not been able to answer the question and will reject our website. It is often advised to set up several campaigns, with various less popular but giving away the content of our website, key words. This will allow to assess which are most effective. We can also find tools to evaluate individual words. They will suggest how often the words are clicked and whether this often ends with the use of the given offer.
It is worth carefully examining the keywords that we want to use and choose those that reflect 100% of what we want to present. The more popular words are more expensive, so it is good to focus on the more niche ones, but fully presenting our offer. It is important that we can plan the budget in advance. So if we're not happy with the campaign, we just keep it. We can then redirect resources to, for example, another campaign. This leads to the conclusion that we can actually carry out the analysis of the results continuously, monitoring its progress. What is the cost of clicking depends largely on what industry we operate in, the more popular the industry (e.g. insurance, finance) the higher the cost will be.
Also important is the content of the advertisement that we configure. Although these are not content or graphic advertising, the user is able to determine its attractiveness at first glance. Such advertising is 30-40 characters in a single line. It is worth placing keywords in the header and arranging a sentence from them so that they become attractive. The message should be concise but attractive, reaching the target group.
There is one more risk with PPC. Despite the correct and frequent display of them users may simply not notice them. . Users are becoming more and more sensitive to all kinds of advertising, which simply makes them untrust them and often instinctively scroll the site until natural results appear.
Remarketing – second chance to keep the customer
In the context of paid advertising, it is also worth mentioning remarketing, which is an increasingly popular procedure. It is intended to restore the customer to the purchase path. If, for example, we were looking at a website, and even in our shopping cart, several products have already appeared, but we discontinued the session, remarketing will allow the owner of the site to reach this customer. It is estimated that they are effective enough to user likes what he already knows. . So if you see an ad from the portal that you have already visited, it is very likely that you will click and use its resources. Remarketing is usually treated as a complement to earlier advertising activities. It is ultimately intended to encourage the user to respond.
Analysis of actions as a key to success
As we have already pointed out, the PPC's actions do not give certainty that the advertising will be effective. We cannot assume that the actions (buying advertising) will bring us profit. It may turn out that the resources we spend will outweigh the profit. What happens in such a situation? The simplest method is to test such actions. The allocation of a given budget to the campaign and then to check its effects. In the case of the PPC model, the determination of campaign spending is relatively simple. We're paying to click the ad. Assuming a budget for a given period, it is easy to check what expenditure has been incurred and whether this translates into sales.
It is also worth to define the target group in detail. If we are not able to determine what our target is at first, we can direct advertising to a wider audience, e.g. by choosing a gender category or a place of residence. However, if we are directing our products to a narrow group (e.g. people interested in fishing), our advertising may reach fewer people, but it is more likely that they will be interested in our product.
Is there a SEM without a PPC?
Since SEM is the sum of two separate activities – SEO and PPC, there is obviously SEM without PPC. But will SEO itself be sufficient for our website? This depends on how careful the actions will be, and how much time do we have to promote? Are we going to do in-house activities, or are we going to send them to specialists? Also important is the target group, and even the product we want to promote. All aspects must be considered, analysed. For example, we should assess whether the PPC's actions are necessary in our case. Let us also remember that often paying for advertising alone will not benefit us simply, unless we take care of SEO action, because, although the user clicks the sponsored link, it can quickly leave the site if it does not find anything interesting on it. The website must be well optimized so that the user wants to stay on it. So he knows he's getting added value.
Let us remember that the SEO actions have an effect that will persist. The effect of PPC advertising ends when we stop investing in them. Any kind of SEO action, such as taking care of the good structure of the website, or valuable content, will be visible at all times. In addition, they can be constantly improved.
For many, PPC's superiority manifests itself at the speed of the effects achieved. In the case of SEO, actions must be carried out in the long term. However, this does not mean that in the end it will always be more advantageous to run only the PPC campaign without SEO. Therefore, let us focus on the current analysis of actions so that we can adapt the solutions to our website and at optimal effort and costs get maximum results.
