What is SEM and Why Should I Care? Live Webinar & Q&A

We learned so much about SEM – Search Engine Marketing – (and why we should care) in this live webinar with Jim Cooper of Embassy Desk SEO! This specific event was focused on talking about advertising on Google.

SEM or Search Engine Marketing is often used (inaccurately) to refer to PAID search marketing, which is what we covered in this webinar.

In fact, “SEM” encompasses both PAID and UNPAID search (or ‘organic’ search aka SEO) but I left it as is.

Why?

There has never been a closer relationship between paid search and unpaid search (SEO).

Why should you care?

Because leads that come to your website via search will convert into customers at rates dramatically higher vs. traditional channels, like email, newsletters, TV, radio, etc.

Post-pandemic, as the entire world has been forced to go digital, those numbers are only going to increase.

What we covered:

What is SEM (and why should I care?)

SEM vs PPC – What’s the Difference?
Awash in Acronyms – Key SEM terms
What Is “Organic” vs “Paid” Search?
PPC and SEO – “Peas and Carrots”
PPC KPIs

Where Do I Start?

“The Secret’s in the Sauce” – Campaign Configuration & Setup
Keyword and Competitor Research
Ad Copy and Extensions
Performance Assessments

PPC Landing Pages

“Do’s” and “Don’ts”
Search Keyword Types

What Did We Learn?

Recap
Say What?! SEM Glossary

The takeaways in this session were HUGE!

I was keeping a list but decided to share member Elizabeth Craig’s list of Pro Tips she was popping into the chat throughout:

Highly focused localized campaigns are extremely effective!!! This is low-hanging fruit.
Set campaigns to normal when setting them up.
Completely fill out your Google Business information/description.
Do key word research! Ex: Running shoes Instead use: women’s running shoes near me. Long tail keywords for your target market work best.
Assign one targeted keyword per ad group. Start with exact match keywords. For example: [iPhone case] Thank you for providing the HubSpot link to learn more!
Do competitor research: Identify who your top competitor is.
When advertising, be crystal clear about what you are offering.
Keep ads simple: no exclamation points, all caps, or other extraneous characters. Stick to short sentences and periods or Google will reject the ad copy.
Use at least one extension in every campaign.
Ads that link to dedicated PPC landing pages convert 65% higher than ads to link to generic site pages (i.e. the homepage).
Do include trust elements in your landing pages such as badges, testimonials, etc.

Plus a few others picked up or shared:

Read the HubSpot blog. – member Rabbi Karpov
Exclude “free” when I advertise my books. – shared by member Jeannine Bennett
Always include a call to action at the end of your ad! – Laura
Importance of amplification campaigns on social media in the first 24 hours of a Google ad.

When you watch the webinar (see below) it will all become clear!

NOTE: It’s a very good idea to watch the first three webinar recordings in this series to gain a foundation – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 101, SEO Campaign Roadmap, and SEO Content Strategy.

Below you will find:

Full 82-min webinar video.
PDF slide deck. (Lots of great links).
Special offer for CDI members (in presentation).

About Jim:

CDI was first introduced to Jim Cooper in 2015 by the former COO of Ali Brown International, who was consulting with us. As Jim was SEO/SEM magic behind the 7-figure Ali Brown business coaching brand, it was easy for us to get excited. We’ve been lucky to do business with Jim, and refer several member career pros his way, ever since.

Jim runs Embassy Desk SEO. As Station Chief he has been working in SEO since 2001, before “SEO” was a buzzword. Truly his love with tech goes back as far as 1997 with his graduate studies in technology and new media at California Institute of the Arts.

He has worked across a variety of industries, including executive compensation consulting, nonprofit associations, higher education + university sites, enterprise-level eCommerce, high-end retail, career services, and much more. He is highly adept with B2B and B2C clients.

Additionally, he has assembled a crack squad of operatives for Embassy Desk which includes world-class designers, vetted expert content creators, junior SEO/SEM specialists, data analysts, and web developers to assist companies in their missions.

Jim says, “SEO is not a magic bullet and will not solve all of your problems. But with enough time + watering and nurturing, it can become the backbone of your company’s lead generation, with a terrific ROI.”