What is Search Marketing?
Search engine marketing, which I personally now refer to as search marketing or SEM, is an online marketing channel that seeks to leverage the power and reach of search engines to drive online visibility. The use of search engines is a standard practice for most online users these days, and one of the top categories of information users are looking for is health-related information. Unlike some other online media channels that push your message in a way that may not be highly engaging, search is a “pull” marketing channel that leverages a direct action taken by the user. A user enters their query and they are displayed search results (both natural search results and paid, or “sponsored” listings). The concept of a search engine is that the information displayed on the results page will help users find what they need. With billions of searches each month, it’s common sense to want to capitalize on those queries. However, the issue arises that with so many billions of web pages competing for 10 first page results, the ability to automatically acquire those positions you want is difficult at best.
Over the years, search marketing has expanded beyond the simple process of leveraging search engine results pages (SERPS) to capture your most relevant users. With Google, Yahoo and Bing continuing to innovate new search technologies, and social media channels like Twitter and Facebook gaining more visiblity and integrating search into their core features, search marketing is now a combination of technology, marketing and statistician. These days, search marketing encompasses so much more than”what keywords should I use”. Its about finding what people are searching for and developing creative content that engages and informs users in a way that information dissemination is as easy as possible.
There are plenty of specific areas search marketers can focus on and carve a niche. Here’s a few examples.
- SEO
- PPC
- Mobile Search
- Video Search
- Image Search
- News Search
- Local Search
- Social Search
