Daniel explains -
SEA basics
After focusing intensively on search engine optimization (SEO), web tracking and KPIs in the "Tobi explains" blog series, we now turn our attention to another key aspect of digital marketing: SEA, or search engine advertising.
In 711media's new knowledge format "Daniel explains", Daniel Bausch will explain everything you need to know about SEA.
In the first article, we explain why SEA is so important for companies, how SEA works in detail and what advantages it offers.
You can find the video to accompany the blog post here:
What is SEA?
SEA refers to the placement of ads on the results pages of search engines. These pages are also known as SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages).
Most internet users are certainly familiar with Google, the world's dominant search engine. With an impressive market share of over 83% and around 14 million daily search queries in Germany alone, Google dominates the search engine market.
For this reason, we focus here mainly on Google and its advertising platform Google Ads, but the information described here is also relevant for platforms such as Bing or Yahoo.
Formerly known as Google AdWords, Google Ads allows you to place ads in Google search results, on partner sites and on YouTube.
How does SEA work?
A simple example can help to better understand the concept of SEA:
Suppose a company sells e-bikes online: Using Google Ads, the company can run ads that focus on keywords such as "buy e-bike". When a potential customer types this term into Google's search bar, the company's ad will appear above the organic search results.
Organic search results are the results obtained through search engine optimization (SEO). You can read more about this in our blog series "Tobi explains SEO" can be read.
A key aspect of SEA is that companies only pay when their ads are clicked, i.e. when users are redirected to their website. This cost per click, known as CPC, varies depending on the competition, ad quality and the quality of the landing page.
For campaigns to run optimally, ad texts, landing pages and the selected keywords should be coordinated.
What are the other advantages of SEA?
- Immediate visibility: While search engine optimization (SEO) can often take months to achieve visible results, SEA campaigns offer an almost immediate presence in search results.
- Time flexibility: Unlike other advertising methods, SEA campaigns can be adjusted and optimized around the clock. This allows companies to react immediately to market changes, seasonal trends or competitive actions. During special sales promotions or events, it is possible to temporarily increase the budget in order to generate more impressions and potential conversions for the duration of the event and then reduce it again afterwards.
- Granular targeting: With SEA, ads can be targeted to specific demographics, device types or even times of day. This enables a particularly precise approach to the desired target group. For example, a company selling a new smartphone accessory could target its ads specifically to users who have recently searched for smartphones.
- Budget-friendliness: With SEA, companies have control over their daily budget or monthly budget and can determine the maximum amount they want to spend per click. This ensures that marketing spend is always within budget.
- Measurable results: With the right tools and analytics, companies can track in detail which ads generate the most clicks and conversions, how much each conversion costs and more. This data and metrics are essential to assess the effectiveness of campaigns and make informed decisions for future marketing strategies.
In summary, it can be said that the strategic use of SEA offers companies an effective way of drawing attention to themselves and promoting their products or services in a targeted manner. It allows precise targeting, fast results and transparent measurement of marketing success.
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All articles in the "Tobi explains" knowledge format on the topics of SEO and web tracking can be found here:
- Tobi explains - SEO basics
- Tobi explains - OnPage and OffPage SEO
- Tobi explains - Technical SEO
- Tobi explains - Webtracking to measure success
- Tobi explains - KPIs