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Top 5 “Do It Yourself” SEM Tips

Since the search engines make the purchase and design process of a Search Engine Marketing (SEM / PPC) campaign relatively simple, many business owners opt to take on the task internally rather than outsourcing.  There are, however, important things to consider in order to drive maximum results for your campaign.  When building an SEM campaign, consider the following tips to best optimize your campaign, and stretch your budget dollars:

Tip # 1:  Keyword Research & Selection

When researching keywords for your campaign, ideally you want to build a campaign around keywords (and phrases) that deliver a high volume of traffic with low to moderate levels of competition.  Google, for example, provides an internal keyword selection tool so you can easily compare traffic levels and competition levels from one word to the next.  Remember to include multiple keyword variations per word (and negative terms when applicable) because you never really know how one person to the next searches for what they need online.  For example, typing “supermarkets in Manhattan” into a search query will yield different search results than “Manhattan super markets.”

Tip # 2:  Ad Content

Create marketing copy that is compelling and interesting.  Think about your potential customer, and “what’s in it for them.”  If you, yourself, were viewing the ad online for your store, what would make you click and navigate to your website?  Craft a message for your ads which delivers a message that is hard to resist.  For each campaign, plan to craft at least a few unique ads so you can gauge response rates, and clicks from one to the next.  In most search engines, you can update your settings so the more popular ad will show more frequently.

Tip # 3:  Budget

Start with a small budget.  Depending on the size of your business, this could be anywhere from $100 – $1000 a month or more.  Also, take into account the industry of your business.  Remember that the more competitive the online presence for your industry, the higher per-click cost you will be paying on your campaign.  It’s not uncommon to see competitive keywords costing $5-10 and upwards per click.  If you are in the early stages of building your campaign, experiment with inexpensive keywords to get a feel for how the search engine marketing system works.  Watch your campaign closely, and set a maximum daily spend so expenses do not escalate out of control.

Tip # 4:  Landing Page Content

Make sure the content on your landing page closely matches the content and keywords used on your campaign.  With a Google AdWords campaign, this action helps ensure a high quality score.  The higher your quality score, the higher your ad will rank on the search engine results page (SERP).  It also sends a message of trust.  If a potential customer clicks on your ad and quickly sees that you are in fact selling what your ad promotes, he or she will more likely spend time your site and make a purchase.  Do not use any verbiage on your landing page that is not inline with what you have promoted within your ads.

Tip # 5:  Diversify

Keep in mind that not all search engines are created equal.  Many businesses opt for inclusion in multiple search engines initially, because cost-per-click prices may be less expensive with one search engine vs. another.  Realistically, you shouldn’t care so much where a click originates, just as long as it didn’t cost too much, and it sends an interested buyer to your website. Monitor the results for each search engine, and tailor budgets according to which search engine is producing the best results.

It takes substantial effort and time to become an expert in the SEM / PPC campaign design, development, and management process.  Even with the best intentions and due diligence, you may not have all the answers.  If you ever have questions about an SEM campaign, or need guidance with the process, please feel free to contact us.