Search Engine Marketing for Small Businesses
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is about generating clicks, traffic, leads, and conversions through digital media advertising. SEM campaigns primarily run on Google Search to position your website at the top of search results above organic results. Google Search campaigns rely on a defined budget and can include start & end dates to help generate clicks to bring traffic to the website. These ads can also contain forms or phone numbers to allow potential customers to interact with the business directly from the ads. Otherwise, lead-generation pages are utilized on the website for site visitors to easily convert upon arrival whether it be via phone call, email, form fill, or products to add for purchase.
Outside of Google Search, Harv Communications can also create ads for your small business on Facebook, Instagram, and through Display advertising as well! These types of ads can help reach a wider audience, grow your page following, or generate clicks to your website from Social channels. Whether you have one location in Hamilton, multiple locations across the GTA, or strictly eCommerce, SEM is a great way to generate new business leads and help increase awareness of your business.
What is the Difference Between SEO & SEM?
While Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is considered to be a “marathon” due to the time it takes to yield results but the long-term benefits, SEM is considered to be a sprint. This is based on the fact SEM campaigns can produce immediate results and have a finite lifespan. This is one topic further explored in a recent Blog post as well!
SEM campaigns literally pay platforms like Google or Facebook to feature advertisements in which placements are directly linked to the overall budget. Once the budget has been spent or the goal is achieved, the ads stop running.
SEO campaigns, however, are ongoing and require constant attention in order to improve and maintain Organic Search visibility. There is no way to “pay Google” for better ranking. Once strong Organic visibility is accomplished for primary keywords, the tactics may change to focus on secondary terms or to help maintain their overall rankings.
This can take a while to achieve, but the difference is in the sustainability of the results rather than needing to worry about outbidding the competition for search terms
Google, Facebook, Instagram, and More!
Google Search Ads are what usually come to mind when you think of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising online. However, this is not the only option available – and may not even be the right option for your small business! Regardless of platform, advertising is a great way to generate new business or get new eyes on your small business.
Growing the following of your brand through Social Media campaigns, generating Leads through platforms like Instagram or YouTube, and showcasing your products through Display are just some of the other options available. Determining your target audience, finding the right message to convey on the right platform, and utilizing the right budget are just some of the starting points for any campaign regardless of the platform
Harv Communications can utilize your existing ad structure and apply optimizations to improve performance or create a new campaign from scratch across the major online channels to expand your brand’s reach. If you are a small business in Hamilton looking to get started with SEM, contact us today!
