Before we get into the 5 best SEM tools, let’s discuss SEM. When it comes to establishing your digital presence, setting up your website is only the first step of the process. Driving traffic to your website and increasing your brand awareness don’t happen naturally. Relying on search engine optimization (SEO) alone to boost your traffic will not provide the desired results. 

Many businesses are investing in search engine marketing (SEM) to increase their brand awareness and drive up their website’s traffic. More than 68% of marketers state that SEM is crucial to their overall marketing strategy. It’s high time you think about adding SEM to your marketing arsenal as well.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 best SEM tools that everyone should be using to get the most out of it. But first, let’s go over some basics.

What is search engine marketing?

SEM is a digital marketing strategy that is used to increase your business’ visibility on google and other search engines. SEM promotes your business on search engine results pages (SERPs) through paid advertisements. 

Your business appears on SERPs when people search for the keywords you bid on. If two or more businesses are looking to secure the same keyword, an auction ensues and the highest bidder wins. This process is referred to as real-time bidding (RTB). 

RTB is an automated process. It unfolds on the basis of a predetermined budget you set up for the cost per 1000 impressions (CPM) or cost per click (CPC). This is why SEM is often used interchangeably with pay per click (PPC) advertising.

CPC and CPM are relative metrics

Many businesses tend to focus on the price they have to pay for ads, to gauge whether they are required or not. Generally speaking, the more popular keywords are usually more expensive as well. Businesses tend to see this as a bane and don’t believe they’ll achieve the desired return on investment (ROI).

However CPC and CPM are not very reliable metrics when it comes to calculating your ROI. So don’t give up on SEM just because the keywords you want may seem too expensive. Instead, think about how much money you would make by bidding on those keywords regardless of their cost price. 

CPC and CPM should be thought of as relative measures. If you will be making more money off of conversions than it will cost you to run ads, then the benefits of your SEM campaign are evident. 

Which is better: SEO or SEM?

SEO and SEM aim to improve your business’ visibility and drive more traffic to your website. Although they share a common purpose, one fundamental difference exists between the two. SEO focuses on driving up your website’s traffic organically, while SEM relies on paid promotion to do this. 

Does this mean that one is better than the other? No. Both SEO and SEM have their own strengths and limitations when it comes to making your business more visible on SERPs. Most often, you see the best results when the two strategies are used in conjunction. In that, close to 70% your website’s inbound traffic primarily emerges from the combination of SEO and SEM best practices.

5 Best SEM tools you should be using

SEM tools help you optimize your online marketing campaigns. They come with a multitude of uses that can improve the effectiveness of your SEM strategy. These include a range of features from  keyword research to identifying strategies that draw in more leads and maximise conversions. SEM softwares make your marketing efforts more efficient.

With that in mind, here are 5 SEM tools that you should be using when it comes to expanding your digital presence. 

1. SEMrush

SEMrush offers one of the most competent tools to optimize your SEO, SEM and social media marketing (SMM). Its comprehensive software allows you to analyze competitors’ websites, conversion rates and attend to your SEO needs as well. SEMrush comes in three different price packages which cater to businesses of all sizes. All versions come loaded with features that streamline your search for the keywords most relevant to your business.

2. Moat

Moat is a software that helps you keep tabs on your competitors ads. In a few simple steps, you’re provided with all the information you need about other brands’ ad campaigns. This can help you learn from their mistakes and learn about emerging trends efficiently. The free version of Moat lets you browse ads and paid subscription include several other features. 

3. Keyword Tool

Keyword Tool is extremely nifty when it comes to keyword research on Google, Bing and several other platforms. It is the go to tool for identifying themes and generating the most relevant keywords for your brand. The free version of Keyword Tool allows you to generate over 750 long term keywords. It also has three different price packages that provide more functionality. 

4. OptyMyzer

OptyMyzer is the perfect tool for managing your digital marketing campaigns across different search engines. The software is designed to enable collaboration on SEM projects. It is the most ideal SEM tool for team based environments. While OptyMyzer is moderately expensive to purchase, its analytical capabilities and other functionality prove its worth. 

5. Supermetrics

Supermetrics makes gathering data to inform your SEM ventures a piece of cake. Apart from SEM it enhances your analytics for your website, SEO and SMM across multiple platforms. Supermetrics integrates well with all other applications and automates the transfer of data. The software comes with dynamic pricing, based on your integration needs. 

Takeaway

SEM is an effective strategy to expand your digital presence and improve your visibility on SERPs. SEM tools provide you with insight that makes executing PPC ad campaigns efficient. Choose the right tools for your business, and create a strong SEM campaign which can complement your other digital marketing strategies. 
Meta: SEM is an integral part of your digital marketing strategy. These are 5 tools that everyone taking up SEM should be using.