Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a digital marketing strategy used to increase a website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) — primarily through paid advertisements.

In simple terms, SEM means paying search engines like Google or Bing to show your ads when people search for certain keywords related to your business.

For example, when you search for “buy shoes online” on Google, you’ll often see ads at the top of the results with a small “Ad” label — that’s SEM in action.

1. Keyword Research
   Businesses find out which keywords their potential customers are searching for.
   Example: A bakery might target “birthday cake near me” or “best chocolate cake online.”

2. Creating Ads
   Marketers create short, engaging text ads that will appear when people search those keywords.
   Example:
   “Order Delicious Chocolate Cakes Online – Freshly Baked & Delivered Fast!”

3. Bidding on Keywords
   SEM works on an auction system. You set a bid (maximum amount you’re willing to pay) for each keyword.

4. Ad Auction & Quality Score
   Google decides which ads to show based on two main factors:

   • Bid Amount – How much you’re willing to pay.

   • Quality Score – How relevant and useful your ad and landing page are.

   Even if you bid less, your ad can still win if your ad quality is high.

5. User Clicks the Ad (PPC)
   When someone clicks your ad, you pay a small fee — this is called Pay-Per-Click (PPC).

6. Landing Page Experience
   The person is taken to your website or a landing page, where they can buy, sign up, or learn more.