Tips for selecting right SEM company

Setting target keywords isn’t enough to get on top of the SERPs. Capitalising on those targeted keyword searches is also necessary to increase visibility in search engine results pages. In short, hiring an SEM company is as important as seeking the services of an SEO agency.

Search engine marketing and search engine optimisation share a common goal—drive website traffic. While stronger together, the former is quicker to yield results. It leverages the power of search engines and targets an audience that’s actively searching for a product, information, or service.

Read on to learn more about SEM and how to find the right company for your business.

What Is SEM & Why Is It Worth the Investment?

Short for SEM, search engine marketing is a technique used to boost brand visibility using paid advertisements or by attracting organic traffic through search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing.

SEM efforts focused on pay-per-click (PPC) can drive conversions at the bottom of the funnel. Not only do SEM campaigns lead prospects to the end of their buying journey, but they also help your business in the following:

1. bring targeted traffic
2. turn visibility into sales
3. increase qualified leads
4. generate quick revenues
5. appear at the tops of SERPs

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Search Engine Marketing Agency

Company Website

It’s crucial to familiarise yourself with your probable SEM partner provider. And, the easiest way to do this is by looking around their website.

Your potential SEM service provider should practice what they preach. Since search engine marketing involves SEO and content strategies, their efforts must be visible on their own website.

For example, their website must have cohesive, fresh content and a mobile-responsive web design. It must also rank high on the search results page and have optimised content and metadata.

By checking their website, you may also find relevant information, such as certifications and awards, case studies or portfolios, reviews and testimonials, company culture, range of services, pricing, and more.

Industry Experience

When choosing an SEM agency, you must also look at the company’s track record. Industry experience is one of the essential things to consider to ensure your business is in good hands.

So, how do you examine a company’s expertise? While doing your research (i.e., reading client reviews and testimonials) is one way, asking questions directly to your prospective SEM company is also a good approach.

The first question to ask is, “What kinds of clients do you work with?” This question lets you know whether the agency you’re eyeing has worked with companies similar to yours. It also gives you an idea of the agency’s capacity to address your concerns and needs.

Asking the question “Will you customise a strategy for my business?” can also help you inspect the agency’s expertise. Businesses have different goals and needs. This reason alone suggests that SEM companies that create customised strategies for their clients are a great catch.

Analytics & Reporting

The best SEM companies are those who treat your goals as theirs. They make sure your goals are met, analyse what’s working and not, and suggest recommendations to obtain better results.

To put it simply, you should partner with an SEM agency that has a set of well-defined metrics for measuring performance. Here are a few metrics used to track and measure the success of SEM campaigns:

• Clicks – refers to the number of people who clicked on your advertisement.
• CPC (cost-per-click) – is the amount you pay when someone clicks on your ad.
• CTR (click-through-rate) – is the ratio of users who click on your ad after seeing your ad.
• Conversion – refers to the number of interactions with your paid ad or free product listing.
• Average position – describes where your ads are appearing in the search engine.
• Impressions – represents the number of digital views or engagements of your advertisement.

Client Communication

Client communication may sometimes feel like a tiring, disconnected task. The agency must understand the clients’ needs and immerse themselves in their industries, communicate their strategies effectively, and update the client on the project’s status or progress.

When hiring an SEM company, be sure to look at how it communicates with its clients. How will you know this if you haven’t talked to them? Simple, give them a call or send them an email, then check how they will respond.

To help you analyse their potential to yield healthy agency-client relationships, we listed three essential pillars of client communication.

• Transparency. Your prospective agency should let you see what they’re seeing—be they inconsistencies, results, opportunities, and more.
• Reliability – You should count on them to deliver the information or task in a timely manner.
• Empathy – The SEM agency should engage with you professionally and understand your perspectives.
• Clarity – The information (i.e., strategy, approach, etc.) must be simple and delivered with great clarity.

Summing It Up

Making SEM a part of your digital marketing strategy increases your chances of gaining a competitive online advantage. To ensure that happens, you must partner with an agency that will move the needle and propel you in the right direction.