What is SEM?

SEM or Search Engine Marketing is an online marketing concept which covers all those marketing actions that can be performed at the level of search engines, whether they are free or not. However, this concept is usually identified with paid online advertising, and especially that which we can do through Google Adwords. 

SEM offers you a range of tools that help us improve the visibility of our online store and the accessibility to it by third parties. 

The main tool is online advertising, which is usually offered by the same search engines, such as Google, Yahoo or Bing. These three search engines have specific advertising programs tailored to the characteristics of the search engine itself. 

The cost of these ads for the advertiser is usually related to the clicks on the ad,which is known as CPC/PPC or Pay Per Click/Cost Per Click. 

The main advantage of the SEM is the immediate notoriety that gives our brand or our message. With SEM we can to quickly make known a an offer,a release or news that we want to spread, and get also a wide-ranging. 

Another advantage offered by SEM is that it allows us to perform highly targeted ads that, if they are well optimized,they can suppose to get a more than interesting return on investment. But, for this purpose it is recommended that you put at the hands of specialists who know how to optimize and properly segment your SEM campaigns. 

Among its disadvantages, the main one is its high price. To operate through a system of bids, the highest bidder wins the best keywords and better visibility. And the highest bidder is usually that who can pay for it. 

Thus, even though in theory SEM and online advertising allow you to get at the same level as other much bigger competitors much , in practice if not you can match its ability to investment in SEM, you will be then destined to have less visibility and clicks than them. 

Another disadvantage is that SEM campaigns require a range of knowledge to optimize them and get them work. It is not something that you can learn easily, and therefore, an investment in SEM usually means an additional expense on qualified professionals.