Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a digital marketing strategy that increases search traffic to a website. Companies pay to have their website listing pushed higher up in the results on search engines like Google. More people will see the listing thereby driving more organic search traffic towards their website. In simple terms, Search Engine Marketing aims to enhance a website’s presence on search engines primarily through paid advertising.

What Are Keywords?

Keywords are specific words or phrases that people use when searching for information on search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Keywords play an important role in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).  To learn more about the use of keywords in digital marketing please visit our Blog called What Are Keywords? 

How Do I Pay for Search Engine Marketing

The most common Search Engine Marketing campaign is called a Pay-Per-Click (PPC). In a PPC campaign, businesses bid on specific keywords that people use to search for their products. 

When a person searches for a particular keyword or phrase, the search engine runs an auction to determine which business listings “ads” will be displayed. The ads that win the auction are shown to users. The business pays a fee each time a person clicks on their listing, that’s why it’s called “pay-per-click. Each keyword or keyword phrase a business targets is called a campaign.

The cost of each keyword campaign can vary a lot depending on factors like industry, competition, location, and keyword demand. Some keywords cost $.70 per click and others $4.50 per click. Some insanely competitive keywords, can cost a whopping $30.00 – $60.00 per click. Let’s say a business gets 100 clicks on their listing per day and the campaign keyword cost per click is $4.00.  That advertiser will pay $400.00 per day unless they cap their spend at $50.00 per day = $1500.00/month or $10.00 per day = $300.00.

Measuring the Advertising Results

The goal of Search Engine Marketing is to help businesses increase their visibility and drive targeted traffic to their website. The benefits of SEM is the ability to measure the results. Business owners can track the number of click-throughs their listing has, and determine the cost per click. They can also find out their return on investment (ROI) if they can track the results of the sale, phone call, email, and/or form completed on their website!  SEM can tie a client’s action directly to a sale.

Digital Marketing strategists often recommend a using dual approach using both SEM and SEO strategies at the same time. For more about SEO Strategies please visit our Blog called

If you need help with your Search Engine Marketing or Search Engine Optimization strategies, our Calgary Digital Marketing Team is always available! Email Marcia our Marketing Director or connect with us through our Contact Page.