The Three Pillars of Search Engine Marketing

It’s no secret that consumers in 2022 use search engines to discover and research products and services. That’s why search engine marketing is so critical to business success. But what does it mean to successfully market on Google and similar platforms? In our estimation, you’re not doing search engine marketing right unless you invest in three distinct services: pay-per-click ads, search engine optimization, and local search. Let’s look at what each entail.

Pay-Per-Click

Pay-per-click (PPC) ads are what springs to mind when you think of search engine marketing (SEM). PPC advertising is the strategy of bidding for prominent ad placements on Google and Bings search engine results pages (SERPs). These ads occupy the most visible portions of the SERP: directly below the query bar and above the organic results.

Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of updating and optimizing your website so that it appears prominently in organic (non-paid) search results. These results are determined based on Google’s ever-changing search algorithms, which makes SEO an ongoing service. As Google updates its best practices, your website must adapt.

Local Search

Every business should have a Google My Business (GMB) profile. When fully optimized, these profiles will be displayed in desktop and mobile search results, and on Google Maps, for queries that are relevant to your business. The profiles can include almost everything a consumer needs to know about your business: contact information, services provided, years in business, customer reviews, etc.

Why All Three?

Competition for visibility on Google is fierce because the companies that occupy the most real estate have the best chance at winning coveted customers. By investing in PPC, SEO, and local search, you have a chance at appearing three times for every search.

GrowthEngine Media has years of experience helping business of all sizes succeed through PPC, SEO, and local search. Contact us today to discuss how we can expand your search engine marketing strategy.

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