Refine your approach with these SEM Dos & Don’ts

Are you ready to boost your online presence and redirect more traffic to your website? Formulating an airtight search engine marketing strategy is what you need to focus on. To get you started thus, we will be walking you through a host of both best as well as frowned-upon practices that you must keep in mind before chalking out your SEM blueprints. Excited to find out what’s in store? Well, dive right in!

What is SEM – A quick intro

Think of SEM as a marketing superhero who saves the day by ensuring that your website appears at the top of the search engine results page when people look for keywords related to your business. SEM is all about creating and running online ads on the results page, and it is a great way to get your brand noticed by your prospects. It also includes optimization, such as improving the quality of your website’s content to make it relevant for the SERP, and increasing the number of links redirecting to your website from other reputable websites. Overall, SEM is a powerful tool for reaching your target audience more effectively.

The Dos of SEM

Do use relevant keywords

It is well-known that the foundation of any successful SEM campaign lies in using appropriate keywords. Hence, you need to research keywords that align with your product or service. Also, you need to ensure that you leverage the keywords in the ad copy, landing page, and website content. 

Using appropriate keywords increases the chances of your ads appearing in front of your target audience and can also improve your click-through rate (CTR). 

Do monitor your campaigns

Like any other marketing campaign, SEM campaigns also require continuous monitoring and optimization to ensure they perform as per your expectations. The key is monitoring your campaign regularly, reviewing the result, and making the necessary adjustments. 

Moreover, monitoring campaigns will help you find non-performing keywords in the ad copy, landing page, etc., allowing you to make the required changes to improve the campaign’s overall performance.

Do optimize your landing pages

A landing page is the first page a user sees after clicking on your ad, and optimizing it can improve the user experience and increase the likelihood of conversion. 

Most importantly, you must ensure the landing pages are relevant to the ad copy and provide a clear call to action. Moreover, you need to remember the main fundamentals of a good landing page – 

• Easy to navigate 
• Minimum loading time 
• Optimized for mobile devices

Do pay attention to your quality score

Quality score is a crucial metric leveraged by Google, Yahoo, Facebook & Bing to rate your ads’ quality and the keywords you have incorporated in them. 

The score is based mainly on three factors – 

• Relevance of your ad copy 
• Click-through rate (Expected) 
• Experience with landing page 

The score is measured on a scale of 1-10; if your quality score is between 8-10, it is considered a perfect rating. Additionally, a high-quality score can improve your ad position and lower your cost per click (CPC). Hence, you must improve your quality score by publishing high-quality ad copies and looking to deliver a positive user experience. 

Do use negative keywords

In simple terms, negative keywords are the opposite of regular ones used to trigger ads. They are words or phrases that you can leverage to prevent your ads from being shown to users who type in the specific keyword. 

Here’s an example – 

Suppose you are a luxury footwear brand and do not want your ads to garner attention from those looking for inexpensive footwear. In that case, you can add negative keywords like ‘inexpensive footwear’, ‘discount footwear’, etc. So, when a user searches for these keywords, your ad will not appear in the search result. 

Including negative keywords in your SEM campaigns, thus, will help you reduce unnecessary ad spending and ensure you reach the correct audience.

Do set realistic goals

And lastly, setting achievable goals is vital for any marketing campaign. You need to define your objectives, whether it is to generate leads, increase sales, drive traffic, gain popularity, etc., and set a budget that is in alignment with those goals. 

Doing so will help you track your progress and also help in measuring the success of the campaign. 

The Don’ts of SEM

Don’t ignore mobile optimization

Mobile devices account for most online searches, so you must ensure the campaigns are optimized and compatible with mobile devices. 

Not paying attention to mobile optimization will result in offering a poor user experience, reduced conversions, and low-quality scores.

Don’t ignore your competition

Competitor analysis is essential for staying at the top of your game. Like all other businesses, you need to keep an eye on your competition and monitor their campaigns closely.

Additionally, competitor analysis can help you identify gaps in your SEM strategy and enable you to make changes to improve your performance. 

Don’t focus only on clicks

Even though clicks are an essential metric for your SEM campaigns, you should not focus on clicks alone, as they do not always lead to conversions. A well-curated ad copy is essential and assists in getting more conversions. 

Don’t overcomplicate the campaign

‘Simplicity is key’- You may have heard this growing up! You must always try to implement this while designing your SEM campaigns. 

Avoid overcomplicating your campaign by targeting too many keywords or using too many ad formats. Instead, drive your attention to a few elements most likely capable of drawing conversions.

Don’t avoid testing your Ad copy

Your ad copy is a highly critical element since it is the first thing your potential customers notice about your ad. You must ensure your ad copy is compelling and relevant to your target audience. Carry out A/B testing so that you can determine the version of the copy that works best for your target audience. 

Over to you

There you have it! The top dos and don’ts for your search engine marketing strategies! 

They will help you stay on the right track while formulating a comprehensive search engine marketing strategy.  Apart from the mentioned tips, remember to keep your audience in mind while implementing your SEM campaign. Additionally, you need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and algorithms. 

With creativity and effort, you will surely be able to crack the search engine marketing success code with ease! Require assistance? Require assistance? Contact our team of experts without delay!