Search Engine Advertising (SEA) is the term used to describe all paid online advertising. A SEA strategy consists of campaigns that are deployed on search engines (such as Google Ads, Bing Ads …) or social networks (Facebook Ads, Linkedin Ads, sponsored ads Instagram etc..) distributed in the news feed of Internet users.
What is Search Engine Advertising?
Paid search allows companies to advertise their products and services online. By opting for a SEA strategy, the company responds to the Internet user’s request or to a question he asks himself.
SEA with Google Ads, why and how?
The display of the ads is done :
- in search engine results pages (text search)
- directly on websites, applications like Gmail or via remarketing (Display)
- ads on social networks: ads loaded before a YouTube video for example
For companies, referencing their website at the top of search results is a crucial issue when you know that 65% of sales are made after a click on a paid ad. Source Falia.co.
The characteristics of Adwords search engine advertising
Unlike the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) which can be implemented directly on its website, the SEA requires the use of dedicated web tools.
What is the difference between SEO and SEA?
SEO is an inexpensive strategy overall. This strategy allows to obtain results on the long term, but requires patience and the results can take time to be implemented. SEO recommendations are implemented directly on the company’s website (On-Site optimization), but require technical knowledge and regular monitoring of the site’s positions on its keywords.
As for SEA, it can be extremely expensive, especially if the competition occupies good positions. Unlike SEO, paid search requires few technical skills and the results are quickly visible. It will be necessary to follow the results punctually and the implementation of the strategy is done via the use of dedicated web services.
Why do search engine advertising when you can do it for free?
First of all, it would be wrong to believe that SEO does not represent any cost compared to SEA. Depending on the level of competition on the queries, but also on your internal resources, SEO can generate additional costs, in particular by recruiting an internal SEO expert, by freelancing or by using a specialized agency.
Moreover, a SEA strategy requires less technical skills than SEO and its results are visible in the short term. It is therefore the ideal solution for companies that need to quickly make their products or services visible to present their offers and stand out from the competition. With SEA, you have total control over your expenses: you define your budget to spend per day and the maximum amount not to exceed.
By generating qualified traffic on the targeted web page, SEA allows you to effectively convert your prospects, while the Internet user whose visit is generated by SEO may not be interested in the page displayed and leave the site without making a purchase.
Reasons to do search engine advertising (SEA)
Quickly gaining notoriety
A search engine advertising strategy responds to a rapid, even urgent, need for notoriety. Impactful ads and commercials allow to display immediately – that is to say as soon as the campaign is activated – its brand, its products and its services. By working on targeted keywords for a defined audience, search engine advertising allows to reach a maximum of Internet users at the time of their research.
However, in order for a paid ad to be effective, it must link to an optimized landing page to convert the click into a purchase.
Drive qualified traffic to your site
Before writing and targeting your ads, you had to perform an audit to know your market, your audience and the keywords on which you want to position your website. An effective SEA strategy relies on a good knowledge of its audience: if you know that your target is sensitive to paid ads and sponsored links on social networks, doing search engine advertising is highly strategic.
Dealing with a drop in SEO on your positions
Today the trend of SEA is on the rise: Google values its Google Ads service to businesses. We could notice the evolution of the display of results in the SERPs. While previously, 10 natural results (not paid) were displayed on a page, today 8 natural results are displayed. Google ads are taking more and more space in the SERPs with three results at the top of the page and three results at the bottom.
This evolution in the display of SERPs has an impact on SEO: sites that were displayed in positions 9 and 10 on the first page are now relegated to the second page, where only 3.8% of clicks are made (source Abondance)
Relying on a SEA strategy to make your business visible seems more than necessary. We advise you to combine the two strategies SEA and SEO to increase the chances of being visible on a query.
Optimize performance and ROI
An SEA strategy requires no minimum amount and allows total control over its expenses. In fact, you decide how much money you want to spend on each campaign and how much you don’t want to spend per day. Google does not require a minimum amount to launch a campaign, which allows all companies, even the smallest, to launch campaigns.
A well executed SEA strategy relies on a thorough analysis of the performance of each campaign to maximize its ROI. To analyze your campaigns, you can rely on 4 parameters:
- Click Through Rate: Analyze the ratio between clicks and impressions of an ad. The higher the percentage, the more effective the campaign is.
- Cost Per Click: you only spend your budget if the user clicks on the link of the ad and the amount is defined beforehand.
- Cost Per Acquisition: analyze the amount spent for each conversion following a click on an ad.
- Conversion Rate: the percentage of visitors who become customers thanks to the website
To optimize the analysis of your results, you must associate Google Ads and Google Analytics. The association of the two tools allows you to have a clear vision on some KPI.
Optimize your referencing in all flexibility
Once you have launched your campaigns, you keep control throughout its life and you can modify it to optimize it. You have control over all campaign parameters: the amount set per ad, the keywords, the landing page used for the ad, the extensions, etc.
If a keyword proves too expensive for your campaign and in relation to the rate of engagement of your customers on your site, you can lower the bid or simply remove the keyword. By opting for a paid search strategy, you have the opportunity to focus only on keywords that bring you traffic.
Conclusion
Opting for a search engine advertising strategy for your website allows you to meet the highly strategic needs of your brand or company: to quickly gain notoriety, to stand out from your competitors, to generate new leads and to convert while keeping an agile management of your advertising budget on the Internet.
Articles connexes
- Comment gagner de l’argent avec Google Ads ?
- Comment faire du référencement payant
- Google Shopping, un indispensable des e-commerces
- Combien coûte le référencement payant ?
Sources
Rédactrice Web et Consultante Freelance en référencement, je rédige et j’optimise les contenus éditoriaux pour le web. 💻✅ J’aime écrire sur les sujets digitaux et le freelancing afin d’accompagner les entreprises et les indépendants à atteindre leurs objectifs. 🥇