Today’s blog post looks at Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and how it can be leveraged to enhance your .au online presence. We look at the differences between Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and SEM as well as the aspect of competition when it comes to getting your product or services noticed online.

What is SEM?

SEM = Search Engine Marketing.

As explained by marketing specialists at Hubspot, SEM refers to paid marketing strategies that are applied through search engines to advertise your product or services.  

How is SEM different to SEO?

The key difference between SEM and SEO is that SEM is paid, while SEO is organic. 

Growth Marketing expert, Greg Moskovitch explains the main difference between SEO and SEM is the rate at which you are likely to notice a change in traffic. 

"With SEM, you can usually expect a more immediate return. Depending on your individual market, the more money you spend, the more customers you will funnel to your site."

With the amount of time Australian’s are spending online, setting up an SEM campaign is almost a no brainer.

How do I set up SEM to leverage my business?

Greg explains that “SEM fast forwards a website to the top of the search results. It is super targeted but can be expensive so is limited by budget.”

If you want to find out more about how to apply SEM, Hubspot offers a comprehensive guide to get you started. They touch on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), and how getting your site ranked highly on these pages is the ultimate goal. It covers the best rated SEM tools and goes into how an ad auction typically works.

Remember, the Google algorithm is complex and it changes every day. If you require assistance setting up SEM, many .au registrars offer SEM services including Netregistry, who will work with you to drive more leads to your website.

We're all familiar with the phrase ‘a little competition is healthy’, and competition is what makes SEM work so well. It is a tool that so many businesses use, and when used as part of an overall marketing plan, it can provide a competitive advantage for your .au website and its services.

Do you have some feedback, a question or an idea for a future blog post? Email us at blog@afilias.com.au