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Also known as: SEM, paid search

Search Engine Marketing

ConceptualMarketing

Definition

Search Engine Marketing: Search Engine Marketing is the practice of marketing a business using paid advertisements that appear on search engine results pages. Unlike SEO, which focuses on organic rankings, SEM involves bidding on keywords to display ads when users search for specific terms. It's particularly effective for capturing high-intent users actively looking for solutions.

Example Usage

“Our SEM campaigns targeting 'project management software' keywords converted at 8%, driving $200K in annual recurring revenue.”

Common Misconceptions

SEM and SEO are the same thing. SEM is paid ads; SEO is organic optimization.
Higher bids always win. Quality Score, relevance, and landing page experience also determine ad placement.
SEM works for every business. High CPCs in competitive markets can make SEM unprofitable for low-margin products.

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