The paid search or SEA (Search Engine Advertising) is a digital marketing technique of the most coveted and most effective. This strategy consists of paying search engines such as Google or Bing to appear at the top of search results on the SERP (Search Engine Result Page).
Being referenced on the first page of search results is an extremely important issue to receive traffic on your website. Indeed, the majority of Internet users, around 91%, do not go further than the first page of results.
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| Paid referencing or SEA |
To appear on this first page of results, two solutions exist: natural referencing (or SEO) and paid to reference (or SEA). Although the main objective remains the appearance of the SERP (search engine results page), the advantages of SEA differ from those of natural referencing. This is what we will discover in the following lines.
- What is SEA?
- The advantages of paid referencing
- The limits of paid referencing
What is SEA?
Before going into the details, you have to understand what paid search is. This method involves placing bids on specific keywords to generate traffic quickly. This marketing strategy is very useful for promoting a product or service to a targeted and qualified audience. Simply put, paid search is essential for a conversion marketing goal.
The most used platform for SEA is Google Ads (previously Google Adwords), followed by Bing, Microsoft's search engine.
The advantages of paid referencing
The paid search offers benefits size that we shall quote below.
A good immediate positioning
Thanks to SEA, your site is directly highlighted on search engines. The results are therefore immediate, even if you have not yet worked on the optimization of the content. The paid search is ideal for a commercial. This is actually the reason why many companies adopt this method. However, as you will understand, you can also use it to launch a new website and quickly generate qualified traffic.
This method is the most advantageous because of its simplicity and speed. Indeed, you will not have to wait for the first results for several months as is the case with natural referencing.
In addition, you can take time to improve the content of your pages, as it will not impact your SEO. However, an in-depth study is necessary before launching a SEA campaign. It will allow you to define the most relevant keywords, ad texts, distribution, and bidding strategies.
- An excellent complement to natural referencing
Many website administrators combine natural referencing and paid to reference. Since SEO is a time-consuming process, paid search is ideal for launching a campaign in a hurry. So you will see higher and faster conversion rates with SEA. At the same time, you have a better chance of quickly measuring your return on investment (ROI).
You can run SEA campaigns periodically to support your SEO strategy.
- Keep control in real-time
Your paid referencing campaigns are controllable in real-time. You can analyze your results daily or weekly and improve your ad copy, keyword, bidding, and delivery strategies accordingly.
The limits of paid referencing
The advantages of SEA are certainly multiple, but it also has some flaws. We have seen that paid search is very effective for targeted campaigns. This means that the conversion can be limited, especially if there is a loophole in your keyword strategy. For example, by omitting certain keywords, you may miss out on qualified visitors.
On the other hand, its effects are immediate but limited. This is because once your SEA budget is spent, the optimization no longer takes effect. If you haven't worked on optimizing your content in the meantime, you risk seeing your positioning drop sharply, and obviously your visibility rate. This is why the SEA cannot avoid natural referencing or SEO.
With the success of the online business, the number of websites steadily increasing, and an increasing interest in paid search by businesses, the cost of leads can increase and double in just a few weeks. Variations in the acquisition cost can negatively impact your forecast and your budget. This is why you must constantly monitor and optimize your ads and SEA campaigns to avoid unpleasant surprises.
To conclude
The listing fee is essential to support your SEO. As you will have understood, these two optimization methods are complementary. It is difficult to have a successful campaign and/or optimize a site by opting only for one or the other. The SEA can reach a specific target, but in a limited time, while the SEO provides continuous visibility, even once the SEA campaign ended.
MyLeads Agency is a web marketing agency specializing in paid referencing.
Our agency supports you in defining and setting up your web marketing projects. Passionate about digital and digital marketing experts, we will be happy to discuss your strategy and objectives with you.