Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is about utilizing online paid advertising to generate traffic and sales. Typically, this is done by utilizing a combination of Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, paid directory listings and/or paid text links. The advantage of utilizing a SEM strategy is that results can be generated and tested very quickly.

AllMerchants provides Search Engine Marketing Services to help you promote your website.

To get started, simply call (800) 878-2072 or email .

• Keyword Research
  Similar to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the first step of any Search Engine Marketing campaign is to identify the words and phrases that someone might type into a search engine in order to find your site. These words and phrases are commonly known as keywords. The goal of keyword research is to produce an extensive list of words and phrases that will generate targeted traffic for your site.
   
  
• Pay Per Click Campaign Management
  With a Pay Per Click Campaign, you can place a text ad on search sites such as Google, Yahoo, and/or MSN, such that you only pay for the actual clicks on your ad, regardless of how many times it is displayed. The placement of your text ad is usually determined by how much you bid and/or how often your ad gets clicked on. In order to place a bid, you must select the keyword phrases that you want to bid on.
  
  Managing a proper pay per click campaign involves selecting and bidding on keyword phrases so as to generate targeted traffic and minimize cost, creating and monitoring the performance of each text ad, and optimizing the landing pages of the ads in order to maximize conversions.
   
• Landing Pages
  In order to maximize the results of any Search Engine Marketing campaign, special built pages, called landing pages, are typically used for each ad and/or targeted keyword phrase. Because we know exactly what the visitor was searching for when they clicked on your ad, we want to make sure that the first page they see on your site is exactly what they were looking for. Typically, a well performing landing page will have few navigation options, a strong offer, and a single call to action, such as filling out a form, signing up for a newsletter, or adding a product to the shopping cart.
   
  
• Capture Leads
  Often times, depending on what type of product and/or service you are promoting, the primary purpose of the landing page is to capture lead information. After all, you just paid for that visitor to come to your site, you don’t want them to simply click away without at least letting you know who they are.
   
• Ad Tracking and Conversion Tracking
  In order to improve conversion ratios, it is critically important to track what is and what is not working. The trick is to be able to track the performance of each keyword phrase, ad, and landing page from click all the way through conversion and Return On Investment (ROI). Ad tracking is such a vital ingredient to the overall success of your campaign, we have built our own ad tracking tool in order to make sure that you have access to the information you need.
   
  
• Conversion Optimization and A/B Split Testing
  Once you have the ability to track your ads, the only true way to maximize your conversion ratio is to test each element of your campaign. That’s what A/B Split Testing is about. The idea is to test the initial idea, the “A” test, make one change, call it the “B” test, and compare results. Which ever test produced the best results stays and then we repeat the process with another change. Changing just one element of a campaign, such as a headline, can produce significant results.
   
• Paid Text Link and/or Directory Listing Placment
  In addition to pay per click campaigns, another strategy is to purchase paid text links or directory listings. The purpose of a paid text link or a directory listing is to generate traffic and/or improve the ranking of your site. Search engines, such as Google, count external links to your site as if they are votes. The more votes for your site, the higher you rank. By strategically buying paid links, you can increase the ranking of your site.