SEM is the same as Google Ads and We already have an article series where you can learn everything about Google ads but all the same I still have to write on SEM for people that enquire search engines with that keyword.
What you will learn
When a person types in a word or phrase on a search engine, a list of results appears with links to web pages and other content related to the search. This results page is organized into different sections; in this post, You’ll learn:
• Basic about advertising on search engines
• Why advertising on search engines is so effective
• How advertisers compete for advert space on the search results page (SERP).
Are you ready to learn a bit about advertising on search engines? Ok
Let’s make use of this analogy so you can understand it better
Imagine you live in Nigeria, you have a son studying in Europe, and are desperate to send him money for his Academic fees and upkeep. You pull out your mobile and search for ‘How to send money to Europe from Nigeria’.
Now you’ve got a page filled with options to contemplate. Every section on the page —the map, the ads, and also the search results — presents options.
Some of these results are selected by the search engine’s organic formula. These pages are considered the most relevant web pages the search engine can find for this search. The other sections are ads and every ad is related to how to send money abroad.
You don’t see ads for unrelated things, and interestingly enough, the adverts seem quite similar to the organic results.
This is by design, and it’s what makes paid search advertising so effective. A search engine’s most important job is to show people the results they are looking for, and this extends to the ads. The ads you see complement the search results page, with the ultimate goal of helping a searcher find what they’re looking for.
So how exactly does search engine advertising work?
There are several models. Let’s take a look at one popular option, the text ads you see on search engine results pages.
Every time someone searches advertisers competes for the opportunity to display ads. It happens in milliseconds and the searcher won’t see the details, only the winners: the ads that appear on the page.
So, how do search engines decide who wins? The primary components are the bid and the quality. To know more about bidding check out our Google Ad Ranking post
Bid
The bid is the maximum amount an advertiser is willing to pay for a click on an ad. If someone clicks the ad, the advertiser is charged an amount equal to—or sometimes less than—the bid.
So, if an advertiser bids £2 for a keyword, that’s the most they would pay for a single ad click. If an ad shows on the page but no one clicks, it doesn’t cost the advertiser anything at all.
Ideally, bids correspond to the value of the keywords to the business but the amount is up to each advertiser. Some advertisers may be willing to bid $50 for a keyword; others may be willing to bid $10.
Bid averages vary industry-by-industry and keyword-by-keyword. Bids are important, but so is quality.
Relevance
Winning the auction doesn’t always hinge on having the highest bid. Search engines reward ads and keywords with strong relevance to the search. In fact, it’s possible that relevant ads can “win” higher spots on the search results page, even with lower bids. In some cases, no matter how high a bid, a search engine will not display the ad if it’s irrelevant.
To summarise, paid ads offer another way to promote your products and services on search engine results pages.
With a well-constructed search advertising campaign you can reach customers at the very moment they’re looking for what you offer.
Want to learn more about SEM? Check out the Google ad post below.