SEM Earns Respect for Driving ROI

As a cost-effective, ROI-driven marketing initiative, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is finally getting the respect it deserves. In the midst of the economic downturn, companies are looking to proven strategies like paid search to generate sales while spreading brand awareness.

From small businesses to global brands, companies are looking to streamline marketing initiatives and save costs. More and more are turning to proven Internet marketing strategies like paid search to generate sales, advertise promotions, increase web traffic, and raise brand awareness.

There's little doubt that the marketing landscape is shifting as fears about the economy grow. Marketing budgets are shrinking and investment is being reallocated from hard-to-quantify mediums like traditional advertising to proven strategies like SEM that show a clear ROI.

This shift bodes well for the long-term outlook for paid search and other SEM strategies - while the dollars invested in print and traditional advertising is declining, U.S. spending on search engine marketing will nearly double from $12.2 billion in 2008 to $23.4 billion in 2013.

Search engine marketing will continue to grow because it offers a complete package of benefits, at a time when most mediums are struggling to prove their value. Some of these advantages over traditional marketing strategies include direct ROI measurability, the use of goal-based metrics, clear analytics capabilities, and complete transparency.

Beyond direct sales and other conversions, a comprehensive search engine marketing strategy can help with customer acquisition, online reputation management, branding awareness, and value promotion. In both good times and bad, paid search can generate immediate results while strengthening your brand in order to produce ongoing, long-term benefits.