What is search marketing and how to put it into practice

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The digital universe is constantly evolving, and at the center of this dynamic ecosystem lies a crucial strategy for online success: search marketing (or SEM – Search Engine Marketing).

In this context, search engines play a central role, guiding companies and professionals in achieving visibility and relevance. In this article, we will delve into the nuances of search marketing, exploring what it is and how it can be effectively implemented.

What is search engine marketing?

The Search Engine Marketing (Search Marketing) is a set of strategies that aim to increase the visibility of a website in search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. It is divided into two main areas:

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – Organic optimization to improve the website's positioning in search results without direct payment to search engines. At this point, it includes:

   • Strategic keyword usage
   • Creating relevant content
   • Improved User Experience (UX)
   • Link building (building authority through links)

2. SEA (Search Engine Advertising) – Involves paid advertising on search engines, such as Google Ads, to appear in the first results through bids on keywords. Thus, it involves:

   • Sponsored links (Google Ads, Bing Ads)
   • Search campaigns (PPC – Pay Per Click)
   • Retargeting and remarketing

The importance of search marketing

Search engine marketing is more than just a strategy: it is a catalyst for online presence. Implementing search engine-focused strategies allows brands to leverage their visibility in search results, reaching a wider audience and boosting qualified traffic.

Why invest in search marketing?

• Greater visibility: This way, your business appears when the customer searches for solutions.
• Qualified traffic: Thus, it attracts users with high purchase intention.
• Cost-benefit: SEO generates continuous traffic, and SEM allows for quick returns.
• Improving digital authority: A well-positioned website is seen as a reference.

How to put search engine marketing into practice

At the heart of this strategy, two elements play crucial roles: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEA (Search Engine Advertising). Effectively implementing search engine marketing requires a deep understanding of these elements and how they intertwine to boost your online presence. Here are the steps:

1. Define your goals

Before you start, be clear about what you want to achieve:

• Increase website visits?
• Generate more leads?
• Improve sales of a specific product?
• Strengthen the brand digitally?

This will guide your choices between SEO (organic) e SEM (paid).

2. Search Intent

It is not enough to just choose keywords, it is essential to understand what the user really wants when searching. Thus, the types of intent include:

• Navigational: The user wants to find a specific website (e.g. “Apple website”).
• Informational: Search for information or learning (e.g. “how to do SEO”).
• Transactional: Ready to buy (e.g. “buy cheap Samsung cell phone”).
• Commercial: Evaluation before purchase (e.g. “best notebooks for work”).

Tip: Optimize content according to search intent, increasing conversion.

3. SEO Strategies (Organic Traffic)

A search engine optimization (SEO) is the backbone of the strategy. In this sense, by incorporating keywords specific to your business into your content, meta descriptions and URLs, companies increase their chances of achieving coveted positions in search results, generating trust and authority.

Like this, set up a blog on your website becomes an extremely important task to leverage your company's organic results.

To get good results without paying for ads, focus on optimizations:

On-Page

1. Search for relevant keywords: Use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest or Semrush to find the terms most searched by your audience.
2. Create quality content: Produce articles, videos and materials optimized with keywords.
3. Adjust titles and meta descriptions: Include keywords in titles, descriptions and headings (H1, H2, H3).
4. Improve User Experience (UX): Make sure the site is fast (use the Google PageSpeed Insights), responsive (mobile-friendly) and easy to navigate (easy-to-click buttons and menus), avoiding intrusive pop-ups.
5. More and more users are searching by voice on Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa. To optimize:
   1. Long and natural sentences (e.g. “What is the best email marketing tool?”).
   2. FAQ on the website to answer questions objectively.

Tip: The Core Web Vitals measures factors such as loading time, interactivity and visual stability.

Off-Page

1. Build authority with backlinks: Getting links from other relevant websites increases your credibility with Google.
2. Be present in directories and social networks: This strengthens your online presence and generates traffic.

Technique

1. Fix technical SEO errors: Check loading speed, friendly URLs, site structure and correct indexing on Google Search Console.
2. Implement Local SEO: If your business has a physical location, register on Google My Business (many voice searches are for nearby businesses, so use voice search SEO here as well).

Featured Snippets and Position Zero

You featured snippets appear above organic results on Google, providing quick answers.

• How to conquer?
  • Use lists, tables, and direct answers in your content.
  • Answer common questions (e.g. “What is digital marketing?”).
  • Format text correctly with clear headings and subheadings.

Tip: Use tools like AnswerThePublic to discover frequently asked questions.

4. SEM (Paid Traffic) Strategies

While SEO builds a solid presence in the long term and reduces costs, SEA campaigns offer immediate results. Investing in paid ads allows brands to quickly appear at the top of the results, capturing the instant attention of their target audience.

Create Ads on Google Ads

1. Define your campaign: Choose between search, display, YouTube, or shopping campaigns depending on your objective.
2. Choose strategic keywords: Use Google Keyword Planner to find terms with good search volume and balanced competition.
3. Create persuasive ads: Catchy titles, objective descriptions and a clear CTA (call to action) are essential.
4. Optimize your landing page: The website needs to be fast, responsive and relevant to the keyword.
5. Track and optimize results: Use the Google Analytics to monitor clicks, conversions, and adjust bids and targeting.

Use remarketing in Google Ads

If someone visited your website but didn't convert, you can show ads to that user again through remarketing:

• Increases conversions and reinforces the brand.
• It can be done on Google Display Network and YouTube.

Tip: Use exclusive offers to convince those who have already shown interest.

5. Monitor Results and Adjust Strategy

• Use Google Analytics e Google Search Console to analyze organic traffic.
• At the Google Ads, monitor CPC (cost per click), CTR (click-through rate) e conversions.
• A/B test different versions of ads and landing pages.

6. Analyze the Competition

To know what your competitors are doing well can help you adjust your strategy.

• Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Ubersuggest reveal your competitors' keywords, backlinks, and ads.
• Discover loopholes they haven't exploited yet.

Tip: Analyze their content and create something even better to surpass it.

7. A/B testing in SEO and SEM

• SEO: Test different titles, meta descriptions, and content formats to see which performs best.
• WITHOUT: Compare variations of ads, landing pages, and CTAs to reduce cost-per-click and increase conversions.

Tip: Small adjustments can generate big differences in ROI.

Emerging Trends in Search Marketing

Search marketing is constantly evolving, and it’s vital to stay up to date with emerging trends. So, stay on top of everything from voice search to changes in search engine algorithms. After all, adaptability is key.

So, always stay up to date with SEO best practices so that your strategy is always up to date.

In short…

In short, SEM is the compass that guides businesses in the vast digital ocean. So, by understanding its importance, key elements, SEO and SEA strategies, and staying on top of trends, brands can not only gain visibility but also make a significant impact. So, as you chart your course to online success, remember: search marketing is the anchor that solidifies your digital presence.

Image: Freepik