How to Create a Powerful SEM Ecommerce Strategy
It seems that SEO gets most of the attention when it comes to marketing, but we can’t forget about SEM! Now… What is SEM?
First, let’s go over the basics: SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s an unpaid effort that focuses on optimizing your website and its content for words and phrases that people would type into a search engine.
For example, if your eCommerce site sells supplements in Canada, you might use a combination of words and phrases including:
• canada online supplement store
• protein shakes for athletes
• probiotics for women canada
• beetroot extract
As you build trust with Google by providing users with original, high-quality content, hopefully you’ll start to naturally rank higher for the keywords you’ve chosen.
Google uses an algorithm to determine which website or page can best answer a user’s query (there are other factors too, like the speed of your site and how long people stay on a page instead of bouncing after a few seconds). ).
If you do SEO correctly, you will be rewarded with unpaid or organic traffic, which means people type your keywords into the search engine and see your website or web page in the results.
Excellent! However, SEO takes time.
And, if you’re targeting high-traffic, high-competition keywords, you may never make it to the coveted #1 spot on Google.
That’s where SEM eCommerce comes in.
What is SEM?
SEM stands for search engine marketing, also known as paid search. The most used paid search tool is Google Ads, so I’ll focus on that.
By using SEM for your online store, you are speeding your way to the top of search results.
The process of using paid search ads (also called PPC, which stands for Pay Per Click) as part of your SEM eCommerce strategy includes:
• Orientation to geographic areas
• Create advertising campaigns aimed at that group
• Write relevant ad text that will attract and compel your target audience to click on the ad
• Continuous monitoring of clicks, impressions and conversions
You’ll be able to see the cost per click (CPC) for the keywords you want to target in Google Ads.
The cost of your eCommerce SEM depends on how popular a keyword is and where you want your ad to appear in the paid results.
For example, targeting a keyword like “women’s red heels” for your ecommerce shoe store will cost you less than “women’s shoes.”
When using SEM for your online store, you can set a budget per day, per campaign, and per keyword so you don’t end up with any surprises.
Google Ads lets you target the audience you want, from time zone to language preference.
You can have your ad appear at certain times, choose which keywords you don’t want your ad to show for, adjust your bids for each keyword, and more.
The success of your SEM online store strategy depends on a number of factors, not just how much you’re willing to pay per click.
As I mentioned earlier, crafting compelling ad copy that entices visitors to click on your ad and monitoring the results is a big part of the process.
If you don’t have valuable content or a clear call to action on your website when a visitor arrives, they won’t get very far.
Also, if you’re not constantly adjusting campaigns and analyzing data, you’re wasting your eCommerce SEM budget on unqualified clicks.
Your online store’s SEM package will be tailored specifically to your product or service to give you the best possible results. Learn more about what we offer.
Are you a service-based business? Read my blog on SEO Vs SEM: What Should Service-Based Businesses Focus On?
It is not a battle between SEO and SEM
Search engine marketing is not an either/or game. SEO is still important when you’re focusing on an SEM eCommerce strategy, and vice versa.
An effective SEO/SEM campaign will mean lower costs and higher visibility on Google. If you don’t spend time on SEO and your site takes forever to load, you’ll be wasting money on eCommerce SEM.
People will click on your ad, but they won’t be left waiting for a website to load slowly. If people click your ad and quickly leave your site, Google will lower your Quality Score and increase your CPC.
SEO is a long-term strategy that can help you increase leads and sales. Using SEM can help you get results fast, but remember that you are paying for that traffic. If you can appear in more searches organically, you can reduce your SEM efforts or focus on new paid keywords to drive other areas of your business.