Glossary of Internet Marketing Terms: SEM
Search Engine Marketing or SEM – Managing Cost Per Click (CPC) or Pay Per Click (PPC) accounts for website owners.
CPC and PPC are two terms that are interchangeable for the same thing. It is important that companies who hire a company to manage their CPC account know how much of their fee is going to the search engine and how much they are paying directly to the company managing their account. If the SEM provider will not disclose this information, it is advisable to move on to anther company that will.
Cost per management can vary but the standard is usually 10 to 25 percent of the ad spend. Twenty-five percent would be considered on the high side but again it depends on the level of service and what this service includes. Additional services that should be included with this management are:
- Phone tracking
- Lead reporting
- Bid management
- Monthly or weekly conference calls to discuss progress
It is considered ethical and acceptable to develop “microsites” or websites to lead visitors from CPC marketing as long as you do not have multiple sites buying the same keywords for the same product, service or company to monopolize the CPC listings. Any search engine would deem this unacceptable and ban sites for doing this.
For example, a counseling facility that treats eating disorders, PTSD and depression may create a microsite for each of these topics to help customize the landing page to what the visitor is looking for. Though this marketing program can be expensive, it does work. However, as with any form of internet marketing, this tactic may not be ideal for every product, service or company, which is why seeking the help of an experienced SEM consultant is so important.
