The Importance of Employing SEO & SEM Strategies When Targeting Digital Audiences

Let’s be honest, the digital landscape is crowded. With countless options and endless players, it can be hard for marketers to determine which platforms will drive the highest return on investment and which ones are right for their key audiences.

Search (through platforms like Google and Bing) is frequently used for targeting niche audiences. Organic searches drive 53 percent of web traffic, on average, while paid traffic is responsible for 27 percent[1]. By combining paid and organic searches to target audiences and amplify messages, advertisers can cast a wider net while still reaching more targeted individuals and gather additional insights on the most effective messaging across these platforms.

Primary Search Engine Offerings: SEO and SEM

The two primary search engine offerings are Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEM captures active searchers around relevant keywords, getting advertisers in front of their target audience in their moment of interest. For example, SEM allows you to select specific keywords so your ad appears when users type these words into a search engine. Adding paid budget behind this tactic gives marketers some control over grabbing searcher attention at the top of the first search page.

SEO, an organic measure, captures a broader search audience by optimizing a website or webpage to increase visibility in the search results and drive improved traffic to the site. For example, if a pharmaceutical company is interested in promoting a particular eye medication, they can gain insight into whether users are more likely to search the term “pink eye” than “conjunctivitis”.[2]With 68 percent of online activity starting in search engines[3], both measures provide important understanding into user behavior.

SEO vs. SEM: Do I Need to Choose?

In an ideal world, the budget would always allow for the latest and greatest digital trends, but realistically, paid marketing budgets can be tight. That said, it is essential to reach users where they are engaged and actively seeking information.

An advantage to organic search is that often it is perceived as more trustworthy because the information is not directly targeted at or intended for specific users. When considering this in tandem with SEM, marketers can use more targeted insights about a group, and then serve them the content naturally within search content. This provides the opportunity to build trustworthiness and credibility on a topic or subject that may initially be hard to rank for.

Another benefit, is that SEO focuses on organic rankings, which are free. It does not cost the company any money for users to engage with their listings. The caveat is that it can be difficult to rank highly on the search results, especially for competitive or broad topics. When traffic cannot be driven to a site through organic listings, there is an opportunity to leverage paid search.

Paid search can be cost effective and allows for tracking metrics such as how many people viewed or clicked on your ad, where they were geographically, and which variation of creative performed best. Another advantage it presents is the ability to create specific keyword lists based on who you want to target. For example, if a healthcare brand is promoting a value-based care report, selecting specific keywords to target ensures the ad will appears when those words or phrases are searched by target users. Additionally, paid search makes your messaging visible, appearing at the top of the first search page.

The Value of Integrating Search

On average, users search on Google between three to four times per day[4]. With around 74 percent of these internet users active on search[5], marketers should be taking full advantage of these combined channel insights. To recap:FTI can analyze content, how users engage, what attracts them to which content, and what action they take once exposed via SEM. Furthermore, FTI can begin to optimize SEO to create a holistic journey for the searcher that reflects patterns seen in paid.

Capitalizing on being present in both channels and in front of individuals where they spend the most time leads to better insights, engagements, and returns. Learning from both offerings provides special value – total and successful search coverage.

References

[1] Gabby Regalbuto, “SEO vs. SEM: Combining the Two to Maximize SERP Real Estate,” BrightEdge (last visited 1/27/2022), https://www.brightedge.com/blog/seo-vs-sem-using-them-together.

[2] SEMrush Data, https://www.semrush.com/analytics/keywordoverview/bulk/?q=conjunctivitis&db=us&bulk=MYewdgVgrmwC4EsBuDEGcA%2BAHBYDWABAKYCeRQA

[3] Si Quan Ong, “63 SEO Statistics for 2021,” Ahrefs Pte Ltd. (June 30, 2020), https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-statistics/.

[4] Stacy Zolnikov, “20 SEM Statistics That Will Blow Your Mind,” Hearst Communications, Inc. (April 20, 2021), https://marketing.sfgate.com/blog/sem-statistics-that-will-blow-your-mind.

[5] “Importance of SEO & SEM,” Blue 16 Media (last visited 1/27/2022), https://blue16media.com/blog/2020/09/01/top-reasons-why-seo-sem-are-so-important/.