What is SEM and how do you create a successful SEM campaign?

Developing a successful search engine marketing (SEM) campaign requires planning, precision and continuous improvement. By carrying out keyword research, creating persuasive ad text and using effective targeting, you can turn clicks into conversions and promote sustainable growth

Our guide provides a detailed, step-by-step process for developing a successful SEM advertising campaign.

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What is SEM (Search Engine Marketing)?

Search engine marketing campaigns attract specific visitors to your site and increase conversions through the use of paid adverts. In contrast to search engine optimisation (SEO), which generates organic traffic, SEM involves paying for ads to be displayed at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs).

When customers search for certain keywords associated with your company, a successful SEM campaign ensures that your adverts appear first. You can focus on users who are actively looking for related products or services and direct them to a landing page where you can try to turn them into paying customers.

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How to implement an SEM strategy?

The successful execution of an SEM strategy requires a well-defined method to ensure that your campaigns attract relevant traffic and increase conversions.

Carry out a keyword analysis

Identify specific keywords and expressions that your target audience is using. Start by compiling a list of keywords that are closely associated with your brand's products and services and use resources such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs or Semrush to gather information on search frequency, level of competition and cost per click (CPC).

Focus on key terms that align with search intentions:

Informative: Users are looking for information, rather than wanting to buy something. Compelling blog articles and tutorials can attract interest and build trust in the brand.

Commercial: Buyers are researching online before they buy and search for terms such as ‘best tablet for students in 2025’. Your SEM adverts can highlight product reviews and comparisons.

Transactional: Users want to buy and are looking for specific products or services with phrases like ‘buy tablet online’. You can attract these customers using SEM adverts that focus on conversion.

Browsing: Users are looking for a particular site or brand, such as ‘Apple Store iPad’. Brand keywords ensure that users arrive at the site they want to find.

Defining a bidding strategy

Google Ads is the leading platform for SEM campaigns and provides multiple bidding strategies to assist you in reaching diverse objectives and targeting various audience segments. The optimal strategy enhances your budget and return on investment (ROI).

Select one of the following smart bidding methods in Google Ads:

Target CPA (cost per acquisition): By using historical data and contextual suggestions, the algorithm determines the best bid for your advert every time it is shown. So if you set your target CPA at 15 dollars, the system will try to get as many conversions as possible at that price level;

Target ROAS (return on ad spend): Google Ads estimates the chances of conversions and modifies your bids to increase your return per conversion. The platform will suggest a target ROAS value after evaluating previous campaigns;

Optimise conversions: The algorithm responds to search habits, modifies bids and uses your daily budget to get the maximum number of conversions;

Optimise conversion value: Google Ads adjusts the bids to obtain the most valuable conversions for your campaign. This approach places higher bids for auctions that generate a higher conversion value;

You can choose manual CPC bidding and set separate bids for each keyword. This allows you to optimally manage your expenses, but requires ongoing supervision and modifications. It's perfect for companies with limited budgets or initiatives where you need to adjust bids according to results.

Targeting the right audience

Target audience segmentation is a vital component of an effective SEM strategy, as it ensures that your adverts reach the right individuals at the ideal time to incite a conversion. By delivering personalised ads and highly relevant content to viewers, you increase the chances of capturing interest and promoting interaction.

By using precise targeting, you can utilise your budget more efficiently. Efficient targeting minimises unnecessary impressions and clicks, resulting in better allocation of your advertising budget and an increase in ROI.

Services such as Google Ads allow you to focus on specific demographics (age, gender, income), regions (country, state, city, distance radius), devices (computer, mobile phone, tablet), times of day, interests, behaviours and additional criteria. Develop a comprehensive buyer persona to inform your ad targeting approach.

Creating attractive adverts

Skilfully designed adverts capture clicks, increase conversions and improve engagement. Compelling and relevant headlines increase the likelihood that the advert will be clicked on. For example, when focusing on the keyword phrase ‘buy running trainers at affordable prices’, an attractive ad title could be ‘The best trainers 2025: Free shipping available on all orders’.

The description of your ad should emphasise the advantages your product or service offers the user and then guide them to the next steps, such as ‘Buy now’, ‘Get a free quote’ or ‘Register today’.

Developing several versions of your adverts allows you to A/B test various components (headline, CTA, ad text) and identify which iterations produce the best results. Run them at the same time and monitor the results to determine the most effective message.

Optimise landing pages

The landing page serves as the arrival point for users who click on your advert. Improving these pages can considerably increase your conversion rates and turn clicks into leads or sales.

Align the text of the advert: The promotion referred to in the advert should be clearly presented on the related landing page. This alignment motivates users to continue and take advantage of the offer that led them to click on the advert.

Ensure fast loading times: Visitors tend to abandon a page if it doesn't load quickly. Reduce the size of image files without sacrificing quality and eliminate excess code to increase page efficiency.

Create for mobile adaptability: More than 50 per cent of Internet traffic comes from mobile devices, so your landing page needs to adapt effortlessly to various screen sizes. Use compact designs and buttons that are easy to press on mobile devices.

Improve the user experience: Minimise obstacles and increase conversion rates with an organised and structured page, free from distractions. If your landing page includes a form, make it concise and only ask for the necessary details.

Add trust signals: Customer reviews, success stories, certifications and money-back guarantees increase brand credibility and minimise doubts along the conversion journey.

Monitoring performance

Google Analytics and Google Ads Conversion Tracking provide important information on user actions and conversions resulting from your SEM initiatives. Examine metrics such as click-through rate, conversion rate, quality score, CPC, CPA and ROAS and then refine your advertising strategies to improve results.

Stop bidding on underperforming keywords and redirect your budget to successful adverts and target groups. Regularly experiment with different ad texts, landing pages and bidding strategies to identify the most successful combinations.

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SEM vs SEO: What's the difference between them?

SEM and SEO share similarities in that they are digital marketing tactics aimed at increasing visibility on search engines. However, they also vary in several respects:

In many cases, the integration of SEM and SEO can form a strong, synergistic digital marketing approach that increases visibility and promotes short- and long-term results. The ideal strategy is to capitalise on the immediate results generated by SEM while focusing on the long-term growth provided by SEO.

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FAQ

What makes SEM crucial for today's companies?

SEM is the current component of any contemporary company. Society as a whole prefers instant understanding over delayed gratification. Google, along with SEM, provides that ‘instant’ resource prevalent in today's culture.

Smartphones drive consumer behaviour. Studies indicate that if you can't deliver quality content to consumers in three seconds or less, you're losing them.
A goldfish has an attention span of 8 seconds, while humans currently last only 6 seconds - or possibly even less - and I believe this is caused by smartphones. Users are always scrolling through their Facebook feeds and searching online for the latest and greatest information.

What characteristics guarantee a prosperous SEM campaign?

Relevance comes first, then speed and, finally, intent. Intent plays an important role in the success of SEM campaigns. We often say that ‘every cent spent has a purpose’.
Capitalising on intent is what sets Google apart from the rest.
Remaining meaningful after the click is another important part of the puzzle. Effective SEM ad campaigns depend less on your ability to create eye-catching ad text and more on directing your target audience to the information they expect.

For example, think of a buyer who wants to evaluate a BMW against an Audi. You may be selling an Audi, but he's trying to understand the differences. Instead of directing him to a landing page promoting the Audi, guide him to content that explains the distinctions between the two products.

Are there specific sectors or types of companies that benefit most from SEM?

Generally, the sectors that benefit most from SEM are those that have a dynamic inventory that they want to sell quickly.

For example, car dealers usually prefer to sell their cars within 60 days. They therefore need immediate visibility and want to reach the individual who is ready to buy the car today.

How does SEM contribute to revenue growth?

Fundamentally, revenue can be increased through SEM, since a return on investment must be anticipated.

However, this doesn't automatically imply a reduction in total advertising spend - it only increases the efficiency of advertising spend.

For example, if last month our average advertising spend per sale was 500 euros and we manage to reduce it to 475 euros or 450 euros per unit, we are making progress, as this allows us to sell more products at a favourable price.

We can increase ROI by making sure that each advert remains relevant. We can provide relevant adverts that resonate with the target audience, increasing their effectiveness from Google's perspective.

It's the perfect solution for consumers, retailers and agencies.

What are the next anticipated advances in search engine marketing?

There are currently two significant changes taking place in search. One is voice search, with Alexa and Google Home. What we say is going to be as essential - or almost as essential - as what we search for. Facebook has revealed that it is also entering this field.

An additional advance for us is the ability to monitor in-store conversions. Since people take their smartphones with them almost everywhere, we can now know whether they saw our advert, whether they clicked on it and whether they subsequently visited the shop.

This practical application is also what everyone has been looking for. In today's business, it is undoubtedly persuasive.

Which platforms could be most successful in increasing in-store conversions?

Google and Facebook are the top companies. They have the best data and we've known this for some time.

The geographical aspect of consumer data has been accessible since the late 1990s, when Nokia mobile phones were prevalent. Towers sent pings to mobile phones to transmit the signal. Lately, we're recognising the influence of creating models that take geography and search histories into account on how consumers differentiate purchase and acquisition choices.

Having this access to information allows us to convey the right message to the right individuals at the perfect time. Some may choose to avoid it, while others may wish to have such messages sent to them.

What other types of marketing complement SEM effectively for best results?

As the ideal landing page is crucial for conversion, Studio.351 offers personalised content and videos that provide the precise information users expect.

This is very effective on Facebook and YouTube. We analyse the necessary data to support customers at a later stage in the sales process. We are committed to the results that follow the click. This is extremely important.

Are there other digital marketing strategies that SEM is moving into?

We are also exploring ways to move our industries towards digital sales, asking questions such as: how will automotive retailers carry out online transactions?

The concept is inspired by companies like Amazon, which deliver goods directly to people's homes. These subtleties will affect the evolution of important industries such as automobiles.

What are some surprising best practices from search engines that can help companies improve in-store conversions?

Google's default settings may not suit your business, so companies and retailers should look to reduce advertising waste by ensuring that their ad spend is not targeted at foreign nations or regions that have no potential value.

Even if limiting your localisation criteria reduces your reach from 100 to 50 or even 15, you should continue, as those 50 or 15 individuals will be valuable potential customers who are considerably more inclined to buy.

Are there any key tactics that can improve local search engine marketing initiatives?

Bidding for share of impressions is increasingly important, as it sets the benchmark for customers. For example, it's essential to understand how prominently a company appears in a specific area when people search for its name.

If you don't understand and focus on this crucial metric, you risk being exposed to rivals who can easily take away a sale in your territory.

SEM has a similar flow to breathing - it expands and shrinks, and sales and advertising budgets must adjust in response. For example, when demand increases, we tend to spend more money. We then supervise the campaign according to demand. The era of ‘set it and forget it’ is now a distant memory.

What does SEM cost?

SEM expenses can vary from 500 euros to over 50,000 euros a month, influenced by the type of business, target market, competition and specific campaign objectives. Cost-effective packages consist of essential services such as basic keyword research, ad development, campaign start-up, bid management and monthly reports.

Why is it important for companies to invest in SEM?

Companies should allocate resources to SEM, as it offers instant exposure on search engine results pages, helping them to connect with potential customers who are actively looking for products or services. SEM provides adaptability with precise budget management, instant performance monitoring and the ability to quickly improve campaigns.

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Summary

An effective SEM campaign needs a carefully designed strategy that integrates targeted keyword research, attractive ad text, optimised bidding and continuous performance monitoring. By emphasising audience intent and consistently optimising ads and landing pages, you can increase visibility, generate traffic and improve conversions.

Studio.351 specialises in SEM and can help your company grow quickly.

Want to master SEO? Discover everything you need to know to optimise your website, increase your traffic and reach the top of Google with foolproof strategies!

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