Tech » Digital Marketing

10 Things Your Competitors Are Doing Right in SEM

Donna R. Thomas | Updated On January 23, 2024

Ranks are pretty much the key in this online world.

There are millions of websites online and they are all competing for the top spot.

The only goal here is to get the most number of traffic to your site.

This is why understanding the benefits of search engine marketing (SEM) is important if you want to stay ahead of the competition.

But, What Exactly is Search Engine Marketing?

Basically, it is the practice that many website owners and developers use to get their sites to rank on the first page of search engines.

This can be done by social media, videos, or paid ads, it can even be done with SEO.

SEM can help your business reach new customers, increase your sales, and build your brand identity.

But if you want to stay in the game, you need to see what the competition is doing to make their sites more successful than yours.

DID YOU KNOW?
96% of marketers use search engine marketing to provide content to their prospects.

Here are the 10 things that your competitors might be doing right in search engine marketing, learn from their strategies and get a boost on your website’s search rankings.

Keywords are like the waystones that tell the search engines what your site or blog post is all about.

They can also help in attracting visitors to your site.

And this can also be one of the few reasons why your competitors are ahead of you in search results.

Know just how important finding the right keyword can be for a successful marketing campaign.

This means that they are probably focusing more on niche-specific keywords that will bring in a more targeted audience.

The basics of a good ad is to be interruptive.

It needs to make you stop whatever you’ve been doing long enough to read or hear what the ad is selling.

Plus they also need to make an impression on you that will last and be memorable.

This one is another place where your competitors have you beat.

They know that creating compelling and engaging ads is what can grab a viewer’s attention and drive clicks. 

A good ad is one that not only grabs your attention but it is also one that can give the audience a solution to their problems.

You can do just this by creating an ad copy that can speak directly to your audience and offer them something of real value.

You also need to understand that timing is key to everything online.

Just imagine what would happen if Google took more than a couple of seconds to load up a search result…

It probably won’t be as big as it is today. 

This is the same for any website too.

The attention span of an average internet user is low and if your website takes time to load, then they are more than likely to go to your competitors instead.

Landing pages are also the face of your website. They are the pages you land on after clicking on an ad.

So, make sure that these pages on your site are lightweight and fast to load as well as easy to navigate too.

Plus also make sure that they match the context of your ads message.

This will not only improve the user experience but also get some potential conversions with this method too.

Ad extensions are the little extra pieces of information that appear on the search results. 

For example, site links, product prices, phone numbers, Google customer reviews, etc are all ad extensions.

They can make your ad look more informative and engaging and this can also improve your click-through rates too.

A/B testing all ad campaigns is something all the SEM pros do pretty diligently.

Like then you also need to analyze and adjust your ad campaigns based on performance and insights.

This means that you need to fix up your ads, change the targeting settings, or experiment with different keywords and see which ones are giving the best results for your campaigns.

Well, it’s 2024, and pretty much everyone has access to a mobile or a smartphone these days.

It’s more than likely that the majority of the audience on your site will be mobile phone users.

So, you need to make sure that all your ads and landing pages are optimized and created on a mobile-first basis.

Remarketing is another thing that many new website owners suck at.

So, if you want to get a beat on your competition, then you need to put more thought into your remarketing efforts.

This means that you need to get the people who have previously clicked through to your website or ads to come back again.

This can help you keep your brand in front of the people who are interested in the things you’re selling or talking about.

Plus it’s easier to get more conversions this way.

Well, local SEM helps a business to get its services in front of a more targeted and local audience.

So if you have a business element that also serves the local populace then you need to concentrate on your Local SEM efforts more.

And be aware that your competitors might be doing the same too.

They use location-based keywords to localize their advertisement content and appeal to the people living in specific areas.

This can help you get more customers that are around you.

Local SEm is a pretty powerful tool if you have a business that serves a specific area or locality.

User experience is pretty much the most important in making a website more successful.

Check out some of your competition sites and see the difference.

They will have fast-loading sites, their sites will have minimal design bright colors, and easy-to-navigate sites.

All of these little things combine to give the audience a good user experience.

And if you want to do the same then think about creating a user experience that is unique to you, this can also help you in building a memorable brand that your audience is more than likely to come back to. 

For example, you can have a fast-loading website, easy navigation, and clear calls to action. 

The world of digital marketing changes every time you look at it.

Keeping up on all the search engine algorithm updates, checking up on the latest tech and tools, etc.

Keeping tabs on all of this is a part of making sure that all your SEM efforts stay effective and up to date.

This also means that your campaigning efforts will always help you stay effective and competitive.

Different Types of Search Engine Marketing

Conclusion

If you want to grow your business with SEM, online marketing is a way that can help you stay one step ahead of your competition.

With the above strategies, you can get the beat on your competitors and level up your marketing game.

Plus, you need to keep in mind that the key to a successful SEM is not just about following trends but also understanding your audience and delivering quality content to your audience consistently.