12 Search Engine Marketing Best Practices For 2023

In today’s digital age, search engine marketing (SEM) has emerged as a pivotal strategy for businesses seeking to expand their online presence and connect with their target audience.

With the ever-increasing competition online, understanding and implementing search engine marketing best practices has become essential for success.

This article aims to guide you through the intricacies of SEM best practices and provide valuable insights into the strategies that can propel your online advertising efforts to new heights.

Why SEM Best Practices Matters?

In today’s highly competitive digital landscape, having a well-executed search engine marketing strategy is paramount for businesses. Here are a few reasons why implementing search engine marketing best practices matter:

1. Increased Visibility: By leveraging SEM best practices, businesses can ensure their website appears prominently on search engine results pages, increasing their visibility to potential customers actively searching for relevant products or services.

2. Targeted Reach: SEM best practices allow you to target specific keywords and demographics, ensuring your ads reach the right audience at the right time. This precision targeting increases the likelihood of conversions and a higher return on investment (ROI).

3. Immediate Results: Unlike other marketing strategies that may take time to yield results, search engine marketing can generate immediate visibility and traffic to your website, giving you a competitive edge in a shorter span of time.

4. Measurable Performance: SEM offers robust tracking and analytics tools that allow you to measure the performance of your campaigns accurately. You can analyze metrics like click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS), enabling data-driven decision-making and optimization.

Search Engine Marketing Best Practices

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a form of online marketing that uses paid advertising to drive traffic to websites. SEM campaigns can be used to reach a variety of goals, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or driving sales.

What are the best practices for SEM?

There are a number of search engine marketing best practices that businesses can follow to improve the effectiveness of their SEM campaigns. These SEM best practices include:

1. Do thorough keyword research

Keywords form the foundation of search engine marketing. The first step in any SEM campaign is to do keyword research.

Conducting comprehensive keyword research ensures you are targeting the right search terms that align with your business goals.

Keyword research involves identifying the words and phrases that people are using to search for information online. Once you have identified your target keywords, you can use them to create your SEM campaigns.

There are a number of tools that you can use to do keyword research. Utilize tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to identify relevant keywords with a high search volume and low competition.

One popular tool is Google AdWords Keyword Planner. Google AdWords Keyword Planner allows you to see how often people are searching for certain keywords, as well as the competition level for those keywords.

Remember to include long-tail keywords, which are more specific and often yield higher conversion rates.

2. Create effective and compelling ad copy

Crafting compelling ad copy is crucial for grabbing users’ attention and enticing them to click on your ads. Once you have identified your target keywords, you need to create effective ad copy.

Write concise and persuasive ad copies that highlight the unique value proposition of your products or services. Ad copy is the text that appears in your SEM ads. It is important to write ad copy that is clear, concise, and persuasive.

Your ad copy should also be relevant to your target keywords. This means using the exact keywords in your ad copy that people are using to search for information online. Incorporate the target keyword into the ad copy to improve relevancy and ad quality.

3. Set a budget

It is important to set a budget for your SEM campaigns. This will help you to control your spending and avoid overspending.

When setting your budget, you need to consider a number of factors, such as your target keywords, the competition level for those keywords, and your goals for the campaign.

4. Track your results

It is important to track the results of your SEM campaigns. This will help you to see what is working and what is not. You can use a variety of tools to track your results, such as Google Analytics.

By tracking your results, you can make adjustments to your campaigns as needed. This will help you to improve your results and get the most out of your SEM investment.

5. A/B Testing

To continuously improve your SEM campaigns, it is crucial to conduct A/B tests. Test different ad copies, landing page variations, and call-to-action buttons to identify the best-performing elements.

By analyzing the results of these tests, you can make data-driven decisions and optimize your campaigns for better performance and higher conversion rates.

6. Use negative keywords

Negative keywords are words and phrases that you do not want your ads to show up for. For example, if you sell shoes, you might want to add the negative keyword “free” to your campaign. This will prevent your ads from appearing when people search for “free shoes.”

Using negative keywords can help you to improve the relevance of your ads and prevent them from showing up for irrelevant searches.

7. Optimize your landing pages

Once a user clicks on your ad, it is essential to provide them with a seamless and relevant experience on your landing page.

Your landing pages are the pages that people land on after clicking on your SEM ads. It is important to optimize your landing pages for conversions. This means making sure that your landing pages are clear, concise, and persuasive.

Optimize your landing pages by ensuring fast loading times, clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons, and compelling content that aligns with the user’s search intent. Design a user-friendly and intuitive layout that guides visitors toward conversion.

Your landing pages should also be relevant to the keywords that people are searching for. This means using the exact keywords on your landing pages that people are using to search for information online.

8. Use ad extensions

Ad extensions are additional pieces of information that you can add to your SEM ads. Ad extensions can help you to make your ads more visible and informative.

There are a number of different ad extensions that you can use, such as location extensions, call extensions, and site links.

Utilize ad extensions like site links, call extensions, location extensions, and review extensions to make your ads more compelling and informative. Ad extensions not only occupy more space on the search results page but also improve the overall performance of your ads.

Remarketing is a technique that allows you to show your ads to people who have already visited your website. Remarketing can be a very effective way to reach people already interested in your products or services.

Implement remarketing campaigns to re-engage these users and remind them of your products or services. There are a number of different ways to use remarketing, such as remarketing lists for search (RLS) and remarketing lists for display (RLSA).

Create customized ads that speak to their specific needs or offer exclusive discounts to encourage them to return and complete a purchase.

10. Use social media

Social media can be a powerful tool for SEM. By using social media, you can reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your website.

There are a number of different search engine marketing practices for social media such as promoting your ads on social media, running social media contests, and using social media to generate leads.

11. Continuous Monitoring and Optimization

SEM is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and optimization. Regularly review the performance of your campaigns, analyze key metrics, and identify areas for improvement.

Make necessary adjustments to your keyword bidding, ad placements, and targeting parameters to optimize your campaigns for better results.

12. Use a professional SEM agency

If you are not familiar with SEM or do not have the time to manage your own campaigns, you can hire a professional SEM agency to manage your campaigns for you.

A professional SEM agency will have the experience and expertise to help you create and manage effective SEM campaigns.

Conclusion

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a dynamic and ever-evolving field that can significantly impact the success of your online advertising efforts. By following these best practices, you can unlock the full potential of SEM and drive targeted traffic, increase conversions, and ultimately grow your business.

Remember, thorough keyword research is the foundation of a successful SEM campaign. Identify the keywords that align with your business goals and target audience. Craft compelling ad copy that captures users’ attention and entices them to click on your ads. Ensure your landing pages are optimized for a seamless user experience and encourage visitors to take the desired action.

Don’t overlook the power of ad extensions, which can provide additional information and increase the visibility and effectiveness of your ads. Conduct A/B testing to identify the best-performing elements and continuously improve your campaigns. Implement remarketing campaigns to re-engage users who have shown interest in your products or services.

Lastly, SEM requires continuous monitoring and optimization. Regularly analyze the performance of your campaigns, adjust your strategies based on data-driven insights, and stay updated with the latest trends and innovations in the field.

By following these search engine marketing best practices, you can navigate the competitive online landscape with confidence and achieve remarkable results. Harness the power of SEM to unlock new opportunities, connect with your target audience, and propel your business toward success in the digital realm.

Investing in SEM is investing in the future of your business. Start implementing these search engine marketing best practices today and witness the transformative impact of SEM on your online advertising efforts.

I am Adeyemi Adetilewa, a media consultant, entrepreneur, husband, and father. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Ideas Plus Business Magazine, online business resources for entrepreneurs. I help brands share unique and impactful stories through the use of public relations, advertising, and online marketing. My work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Addicted2Success, Hackernoon, The Good Men Project, and other publications.