SEM specialist – a key figure in 21st century marketing?
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is a field of marketing that focuses on promoting services and products in search engines. For the Polish market, we can assume this primarily applies to Google (and YouTube), which is the clear leader in our market. An SEM specialist is a key player if you're looking to improve your online visibility.
An SEM campaign is the first and strategic step in your efforts. This is especially important because search engines are the first place we look for product information, recommendations from other users, and common ways to do things (from recipes to changing tires). This creates numerous anchor points for your search engine marketing, and an experienced SEM specialist will advise you on which areas will be most beneficial, taking into account the specifics of your business.
SEM campaign and its two pillars
SEM essentially consists of two main areas: paid advertising, which we manage in the Google AdWords system , and SEO – all activities that optimize our website to rank higher in search results for a given word or phrase.
We've outlined the advantages of both solutions in this post. The actions you choose depend primarily on your resources and your short- and long-term goals. So, we encourage you to read on!
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SEM specialist – who should he be?
An SEM specialist or SEM agency should first explain the differences and strategy between the two axes of an SEM campaign. It should be tailored to your business and your expectations. Ideally, this person or SEM agency should be comfortable working in both environments. Of course, it's rare for one person to combine both. We much more often encounter SEO specialists or Google AdWords specialists , and it's safe to assume that each will be advocating for their areas of expertise. And it may turn out that—at least in some respects—they'll both be right! 🙂
It's definitely easier to verify the skills of those responsible for Google AdWords. This is due to Google's certification system, which ensures the knowledge of those responsible for SEM advertising campaigns in their field. Of course, anyone can run Google AdWords, but not everyone can boast Google certifications in this field. This applies to both freelancers and entire agencies. We describe the certification system in more detail in this post.
Of course, an SEM specialist's experience in Google AdWords is equally important . We can learn about this by verifying client recommendations that the agency or individual boasts, as well as by checking reviews on Google, Facebook, and industry forums and groups.
What about SEO?
Choosing an SEO specialist, however, is much more difficult. This is due to the specific nature of their work, which is usually hidden "behind the scenes." An SEM specialist in SEO isn't always willing to share their know-how, and the results of their work usually take longer than they're expected to be seen. Therefore, we recommend entrusting SEM campaigns, especially in the SEO context, to agencies that include SEO and optimization services in their portfolio . It's much easier for a company to "prove" its SEO success. SEO teams also possess accumulated knowledge across this very broad range of topics.
At Verseo, we have a department responsible for both Google AdWords and website positioning . This allows us to analyze client needs and industry specifics, providing a comprehensive approach to each case, selecting the right tools for business development, and designing SEM campaign paths accordingly.
Given the dynamic changes in consumer behavior and search trends, we believe that an SEM specialist is a key player in the development of your business. Therefore, before choosing one, carefully review the profile of the individual or agency you intend to entrust with this area of responsibility.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- the importance of SEM in marketing strategy,
- benefits of working with an SEM specialist,
- division of SEM into paid campaigns and SEO activities,
- selection of an SEM specialist and his skills in positioning and paid campaigns,
- the specificity of SEO activities and the role of the agency in effectively conducting SEM campaigns.
