Performance Marketing with Google™ Analytics: Practical Strategies for Maximizing Online ROI

Chapter 9. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Search Engine Marketing Basics

• Planning for Success with SEM

• Preparing to Measure SEM with Google Analytics

• Analyzing and Optimizing SEM Campaigns

There are two ways to increase your organization's visibility in search engines. You can use search engine optimization (SEO) to raise your ranking in organic (unpaid) results, or you can bid against other advertisers to secure paid (sponsored) listings on keywords relevant to your product or service. This chapter explores the latter method, showing you how you can use Google Analytics to track and optimize your search advertising campaigns on Google AdWords, Microsoft AdCenter (for Bing), Yahoo Search Marketing, and other sponsored search providers.

Search Engine Marketing Basics

The Web has given consumers access to an amazing breadth and depth of information online, provided they can find what they're looking for. Each time users enter a keyword into a search box, they offer a clue to their intent. Taken together, these billions of search queries have created a tremendous opportunity for advertisers, who can finally target their message based on people's stated intentions instead of the demographics or other poor predictors of purchasing behavior they've been forced to use for decades. Even better, each time a searcher clicks one of these ads and makes a purchase, advertisers can track the result, making search engine marketing (SEM) the most measurable and targeted form of advertising ...