How to Create a Powerful SEM Ecommerce Strategy

It seems that SEO gets most of the attention when it comes to marketing, but we can’t forget about SEM! Now… What is SEM?

First, let’s go over the basics: SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s an unpaid endeavor that focuses on optimizing your website and its content with words and phrases that people would type into a search engine.

For example, if your e-commerce site sells supplements in Canada, you might use a combination of words and phrases including:

• canada online supplement store

• protein shakes for athletes

• probiotics for women canada

• beetroot extract

As you build trust in Google by providing users with high-quality and original content, hopefully you’ll naturally start to rank higher for the keywords you’ve chosen.

Google uses an algorithm to determine which website or page can best answer a user’s query (there are other factors as well, like the speed of your site and how long people stay on a page instead of bouncing after a few seconds). ).

If you do SEO correctly, you will be rewarded with unpaid or organic traffic, which means that people type your keywords into the search engine and see your website or web page in the results.

Excellent! However, SEO takes time.

And, if you’re targeting high-traffic, high-competition keywords, you may never make it to the coveted #1 spot on Google.

That’s where eCommerce SEM comes into play.

What is SEM?

SEM stands for search engine marketing, also known as paid search. The most widely used paid search tool is Google Ads, so I’ll focus on that.

By using SEM for your online store, you are speeding your way to the top of the search results.

The process of using paid search ads (also called PPC, which stands for pay per click) as part of your SEM ecommerce strategy includes:

• Orientation to geographic areas

• Create advertising campaigns aimed at that group

• Write relevant ad copy that will attract and compel your target audience to click on the ad

• Continuous monitoring of clicks, impressions and conversions

You’ll be able to see the cost per click (CPC) of the keywords you want to target in Google Ads.

The cost of your eCommerce SEM depends on how popular a keyword is and where you want your ad to appear in paid results.

For example, targeting a keyword like “red women’s heels” for your eCommerce shoe store will cost you less than “women’s shoes.”

When using SEM for your online store, you can set a budget per day, per campaign, and per keyword so you don’t end up with surprises.

Google Ads lets you target the audience you want, from time zone to language preference.

You can make your ad appear at certain times, choose the keywords you don’t want your ad to show for, adjust your bids for each keyword, and more.

The success of your online store SEM strategy depends on a number of factors, not just how much you are willing to pay per click.

As I mentioned earlier, crafting compelling ad copy that entices visitors to click your ad and monitoring the results is a big part of the process.

If you don’t have valuable content or a clear call-to-action on your website when a visitor arrives, you won’t get very far.

Also, if you’re not constantly adjusting campaigns and analyzing data, you’re wasting your ecommerce SEM budget on unqualified clicks.

Your online store’s SEM package will be specifically tailored to your product or service to give you the best possible results. Learn more about what we offer.

Are you a service based business? Read my blog on SEO Vs SEM: What Should Service-Based Businesses Focus On?

It is not a battle between SEO and SEM

Search engine marketing is not a game of either. SEO is still important when you focus on an ecommerce SEM strategy, and vice versa.

An effective SEO/SEM campaign will mean lower costs and higher visibility on Google. If you don’t spend time on SEO and your site takes forever to load, you’ll be wasting money on eCommerce SEM.

People will click on your ad, but they won’t be left waiting for a website to load slowly. If people click on your ad and quickly leave your site, Google will lower your Quality Score and increase your CPC.

SEO is a long-term strategy that can help you increase leads and sales. Using SEM can help you get results quickly, but remember that you are paying for that traffic. If you can appear in more searches organically, you can scale back your SEM efforts or focus on new paid keywords to boost other areas of your business.