October

What are the advantages of search engine advertising and how does it work?

The field of search engine marketing (SEM) also includes search engine advertising (SEA). While the goal of search engine optimisation (SEO) is to increase accessibility through the use of keywords, SEA involves inserting paid advertisements directly into search engine results and on partner websites.

The term "search engine advertising" is often used as a synonym for "keyword advertising", which also led to the emergence of the term PPC (pay-per-click) to describe the way advertisers are paid. Due to its market dominance, Google has spread its advertising system, Google Ads, so widely that it is often used synonymously with search engine marketing.

Regardless of the different forms, however, the basic idea remains the same: the ad is positioned above, below or next to the search results. Since advertisers pay for their placement below the organic search results, the search engines profit considerably from this type of marketing.

What is search engine advertising?

Online marketing includes a subcategory called search engine advertising (SEA). Google and Bing, as well as other search engines, allow users to publish ads in the form of text or images. These ads are then placed prominently in the search results. For search engine operators, this method is the primary source of revenue.

As companies and products become better known through good placement in search results, search engine advertising is a practical strategy for promoting companies and brands.

Who offers search engine ads?

Most search engine operators offer platforms where advertisers can place ads in the search results (Google does this via AdWords, Bing via Bing Ads, etc.). This is a logical approach for search engine operators to take advantage of their large user base and user intent.

Although Google dominates the search advertising market, a comprehensive search marketing strategy should also consider search ads on search engines such as Bing and Yahoo. In addition, some markets show a preference for certain search providers. For example, Baidu is one of the leading internet companies in China, although it is unknown to most people in Europe and the US. Similarly to Google, Yandex is currently the leading search engine in Russia, where it holds an impressive 65% market share. This value cannot be ignored when creating a global search advertising strategy.

Although Google currently holds (and continues to grow) an overwhelming 77% share of the global search market, the audiences attracted by some of the other search engine runner-ups should not be neglected:

Goals of SEA (search engine advertising)

As a rule, a marketing or branding strategy also includes search engine advertising. Since ads on a website can quickly lead to a higher number of clicks, one of the main goals of SEA is to increase the click rate. Since this ultimately influences the amount of advertising spend and thus also the ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), the conversion rate is also extremely important for SEA.

By using page impressions from display ads, search engine advertising can also be used to build advertising pressure. Customers in the e-commerce sector usually use advertising because SEA is designed to persuade the user to buy. Therefore, one of the main goals is to increase conversions in the form of sales. However, search engine optimisation can also be used to manipulate leads, downloads, reviews and newsletter subscriptions. Thus, the range of SEA metrics is always influenced by the amount of advertising spend as well as the actual volume of research search terms.

How does SEA work?

The basic idea behind search engine marketing is very simple. The first step in using Google, Bing or Yahoo to promote a business is to identify the relevant keywords for that particular business. Determining the main search terms that will be used to find similar websites, deals and offers is crucial. Once you have this list of keywords, you can start writing copy for your ad. The next step is to decide how much you are willing to spend to get someone to click on your ads. Placing your ad in search results can also give you an advantage over your competitors, but this is just one of many elements to consider in a good SEA campaign. An SEA expert will spend a lot of time on each stage of creating, running and maintaining internet marketing campaigns, as there are many factors to consider during the advertising process. Budgets and local constraints should be considered early on. The landing pages to which your ad leads must then be optimised. Once the ad has been activated, performance data can be examined and marketing strategies adjusted. It is common for advertisers to have to revise their copy several times before they can create engaging text with seamlessly integrated keywords to ensure an ad has the desired impact.

Goals of an SEA campaign

Website owners have the opportunity to place ads in search engine results exactly where potential customers are looking for the products and services they want to buy. In this way, SEA (search engine advertising) responds to user queries instead of flooding them with irrelevant information. The likelihood of search engines interpreting an ad as spam decreases when the ad text and landing page are closely aligned with the user's intentions. Most search engine users readily accept search engine advertising because the top ranked ads are very relevant to their search. Therefore, SEA is a useful tool to increase website traffic, promote businesses and encourage conversions. Companies usually use SEA (search engine advertising) to achieve the following goals:

Increase traffic: The main goal of search engine marketing is to send a steady stream of visitors to a website. SEA therefore positions itself as a source of traffic for new websites. The ads are ranked according to quality and relevance in the competition for the best place, but their position on the first page of results can also be guaranteed by a high bid.

Increase brand awareness: Search engine marketing is an effective tool to increase the visibility of a company in the competitive environment. Therefore, one of the goals of an SEA campaign should be to fill relevant keywords with ads for one's own product or service lines.

Converting visitors into customers: Above all, search engine advertising is successful when it leads to the generation of leads or the increase of sales of goods and services. The frequency with which search engine advertising leads to conversions - i.e. when a potential customer becomes a customer - can be precisely determined by website owners with the help of advertising programmes such as Google Ads.

Important aspects of SEA

When using SEA web marketing, there are some important factors you need to consider, including:

● Keywords The value of keywords has a great impact on search engine advertising. Once you have gathered information about your previous website visitors, you can focus on more than just specific keywords. You can also target specific areas, devices and languages. You can track and find out which keywords are most effective for your business and optimise them.

● Bid value You only have to pay when someone clicks on your ad. Also known as CPC (cost-per-click). The advertiser determines how much they are willing to pay for each click after considering their budget. If you have enough money, you have a better chance of getting the top spot in the search engine.

● Ad relevance As mentioned earlier, CPC cannot do all your jobs. Your ad needs to be relevant and engaging. If your ad is interesting and engaging, users are likely to click on it. When creating your initial copy text, consider your title, URL, description text and ad extensions.

● Expected click-through rate The number of impressions your ad receives (how often it is displayed) and the number of clicks it receives from users are used to calculate the expected click-through rate. If there is a high click-through rate, your ad will receive a better rating and be considered very relevant.

● Landing Page User Experience Your landing page must be flawless, just as your ads must be relevant. After the user clicks on your ad, you want them to stay. You also want the visitor to be interested enough to browse your entire website and possibly even make a purchase.

● Quality score To avoid expensive, low-quality ads, Google has created a quality score. A well-planned SEA marketing effort, valuable content and an engaging ad will all help you rank very well in terms of quality. CPC and your budget are not the only things to consider. When running a successful SEA marketing campaign, all five of the additional factors mentioned above need to be considered.

In summary, paid search advertising is a successful strategy for reaching potential customers exactly when they need your service or product. It offers outstanding results for certain industries where it can be more efficient than using old traditional forms of advertising.

by Ajdin Meskic