It Takes More Than SEO

In my years of doing contract work, I’ve had the privilege of working with companies in varying sizes and various industries. On many occasions, I’ve been hired to guide a client through creating a fully optimized and visually stunning website (either from scratch or a complete rebrand). My role is typically a blend of marketing strategist and project manager. I have noticed that clients get confused by the same ideas no matter what their background is. One of those concepts was what I call the “field of dreams phenomena.”  

Many people think you can merely build a responsive website and then put your feet up and watch the conversions flow. If only it were that easy! (Although it would make my job unbelievably boring!). Once you create a website, it is your job to drive qualified traffic to it. Your SEM strategy should be as thoughtful as your website optimizations.

Below are two SEM tactics that often work for most companies to get your wheels going. 

1) Paid Ads on Social Media

Before you throw all of your marketing dollars into your favorite channel, you must consider what channel your ideal customers spend their time on. If you’re not sure, check this link to start your research.

2) Retargeting Ads

Not sure what I’m talking about? Let me explain. Say you went to a website that sold sneakers and put a pair of gold sneakers into your shopping cart but didn’t purchase. Then, you leave that website and are scrolling on Facebook, and you see an ad for those same gold sneakers - that is a retargeting ad! These bad boys have served my clients and me well. They help remind the consumers, nudging them further down the funnel.

There a myriad of other SEM tactics to consider in developing a digital marketing plan. As you put together a comprehensive strategy, you’ll want to consider your customer journey and make sure SEM tactics support the consumer every step of the way. And remember,  in order to be successful, your website needs both SEO and SEM.