ch marketing: Why search marketing matters //

Search marketing is an important aspect of business.

Take into account: Google does not disclose exact numbers, but estimates range from 3.5 billion to an incredible 8.5 billion per day. It amounts to millions of searches every minute , every day. A large percentage of those users are searching for products to purchase, making decisions about whether or not to buy them, and looking at options from multiple sellers. Digital marketing and ecommerce are heavily reliant on search.

Google’s ubiquitousness, as well as other search engines such Microsoft Bing, means that marketers must have a solid search strategy in order to compete in the search engine market for clicks that turn into dollars.

This article will explain the basics of search engine optimization (SEM), which is the umbrella that search engine optimization (SEO), and pay-per-click (or PPC) are covered. We will discuss the challenges that marketers face and provide best practices for overcoming them.

Search is an important part of digital marketing. Marketers must be able to understand how search can work to their advantage.

Tables of Content

• 
  What’s search marketing?
  
• 
  PPC and SEO: The backbones to search
  
• 
  Search marketing trends & challenges: What’s next for
  
• 
  Resources to learn more about search marketing
  

Estimated Reading Time: Minutes

What is search marketing?

Search marketing, as it is commonly defined, refers to a digital marketing strategy that allows marketers to use search engines in order gain traffic and visibility for their online presence. Search marketing includes both SEO and Pay Per Click (more later). However, it encompasses any strategy that increases a website’s visibility through search engines.

Marketers using a search strategy have one goal: to improve their search engine results page ranking. This means that when someone searches for “best snowblowers” and “where can I buy teak patio sets near my house”, businesses jockey behind the scenes to get near the top of search engine results pages.

This highly sought-after real estate can result in more clicks. Statistics show that about 30% go to the top Google search result — and ultimately, more sales.

SEO and PPC are the backbones to search

PPC and SEO are two of the most common methods used in search marketing to increase visibility. SEO stands for search engine optimization and is an organic component to search marketing. Website owners use keywords and other strategies in order to get their website as high as possible in search engine results. SEO is all about understanding your target audience and creating content that addresses their search queries.

SEO is a key component of any search marketing strategy. Google and other search engines employ “crawlers” that sweep the web using the information found on pages to create an extensive index or library of webpages.

Next, search engines use algorithms to analyze pages and determine how they are presented. These rules are used to help them understand the content of the webpages.

Once you have keywords down, the next step in SEO is to create useful content about the topics you want to drive search results for. This will allow search engines to recognize relevancy and authority.

Google, Microsoft Bing, and other search engines do not accept payments for website rankings on search results pages. However, patience is essential. Experts say marketers should expect these strategies to start paying off within three to more months. It takes time and strategy to optimize search results.

The paid strategy is called pay-per-click marketing (PPC). To promote websites, advertisers use networks like Google Ads. PPC ads are displayed by search engines based on online auctions. This roughly means that advertisers or business owners pay a certain amount for each click on their ad.

Marketers need to find the sweet spot between getting the right amount of clicks and not spending too much. It is important to monitor performance with services like Google Analytics, and pay attention to which ads convert — and when. Pay-to-win is not an option with PPC. Your ads will not get more attention if you bid higher. It’s not about clicks, it’s also about Google’s Quality score.

How effective is SEO and PPC? Marketers should care. Consider this: The average person does multiple Google search per day. 59% of shoppers report that they use the search engine to find products that interest them.

According to the most current statistics published in November by Statista, 65% of all ecommerce sessions were initiated by search. 33% came from organic and 32% came from paid. It is clear that a strong search marketing strategy is essential in order to compete for position among the millions of websites on the internet.

Google organic search can drive 60% of all web traffic. The U.S. search advertising revenue increased 33% to $78 Billion last year. It was huge, we told you.

Trends and challenges in search marketing: What’s next for you?

When it comes to forecasting the future of digital marketing, artificial intelligence and harnessing data analytics are always a part of the conversation. There are some key points to be aware of.

It’s important to understand that Google is not the only search engine that dominates, but that there are still other options. Digital marketers need to understand the importance of paid advertising on Amazon, and the right keyword strategies when marketing to customers searching on the site.

Maintaining a current search algorithm is a constant challenge for marketers when it comes to organic search strategies. Google has made significant updates to its search algorithm a total of 10 times over the past two years. It also ran numerous undisclosed experiments, and made minor improvements. Digital marketers must be aware of these changes and respond appropriately to them, while also focusing on brand building.

Marketers must continue to pay attention to keywords for both SEO and PPC ( There are differences). Voice-enabled searches are becoming increasingly popular, especially for local businesses, restaurants and stores. It is becoming more popular and accurate. It is crucial to optimize mobile websites and keywords for voice search. This is because such searches are often structured in complete sentences.

Search marketing resources

The internet is filled with useful information about search marketing. You can find a lot of useful information on this website , or on our sister site Search Engine Land.

• Search Engine Land’s great primer on search marketing is available.
• You can find Google’s search tips here.

Why search marketing was first published on MarTech.