SEM Glossary: Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing is a fundamental aspect of every digital marketing plan. The average conversion rate across all e-commerce sites hovers under 2%. Hence, having an accessible SEM glossary to help you further understand the terminologies and concepts around SEM is vital for enhancing your campaigns and increasing ROI. 

Our SEM glossary offers precise definitions and explanations of essential terms, helping you navigate the intricacies of search engine marketing confidently and accurately.

Advertising network

Ad networks are platforms where advertisements are purchased centrally from one company. Various websites that partner with the company show these ads. In exchange, the partners receive a portion of the ad revenue earned on their site.

Algorithm 

A search engine algorithm is the method a search engine employs to provide search results for a query. Search engines use multiple algorithms together to display a set of search results or targeted search ads based on keywords.

Anchor text

An anchor text is a clickable text in a hyperlink that informs visitors or search engines about the page it links to.

Clickthrough rate of a link or internet advertisement

The percentage of users that click on an advertisement is known as the click-through rate, or CTR. It is an essential indicator of how well online advertising strategies are doing.

Content network

A group of websites that consent to receive a share of the revenue from the adverts they display on their site from an advertising network. Use the Yahoo Publisher Network or Google AdSense as examples.

Contextual advertising

Advertising directed towards a webpage depending on the content, keywords, or category of the page. Content networks typically aim most advertisements at specific contexts.

Cost per action (CPA)

CPA is an ad payment method based on user actions like purchases, newsletter sign-ups, or follow-up requests. Publishers receive a set fee from advertisers for visitor actions, and affiliate programs often use CPA.

CPC (Cost per click)

In pay-per-click (PPC), sponsors pay a set amount each time someone clicks an ad. Text ads on search engines frequently employ PPC.

CPM (Cost per thousand)

In this form of advertising, companies pay for every 1,000 ad impressions that a user sees. This is typical for banner and display ads.

Geotargeting

Displays location-based ads for a more personalized and localized reach.

Googlebot

Google uses different user agents to crawl and index content on Google.com. The term “Googlebot” refers to all Google spiders.

Inbound link

An inbound link is a link from an external website to a specific web page, directing traffic to that page and influencing its popularity.

Invisible web

Search engines do not display the vast amount of material on the Internet, known as the “invisible web.” Dr. Jill Ellsworth first used this phrase in 1994.

Keyword

A keyword is input into a search engine to receive relevant search results. Websites display ads only when users use specific keywords, targeting advertising through keywords.

Link building 

Link building involves obtaining links from reputable websites to enhance search engine ranking. Strategies can include buying links, reciprocal linking, or barter arrangements.

Meta tags

Meta tags are details in a website’s HTML header that are not visible to web browsers. However, search engines can use them to some extent for page indexing. Title, description, and keyword tags are meta tags commonly used in search engine marketing.

Quality score

Search engines determine a score for ad placement based on the ad’s clickthrough rate, landing page relevance, and other factors that assess site quality, ultimately rewarding top-quality sites with better placement and lower bid requirements. Historical keyword performance, the quality of an ad’s landing page, and various undisclosed attributes are some of the factors that contribute to a quality score. Every major search engine currently incorporates a form of quality score into their search ad algorithm.

ROI

The revenue generated by advertisers from their ads in relation to the amount of money spent on advertising.

Search advertising

They are also known as Paid Search. An advertiser places a bid for their ad to be displayed when a user searches for a particular keyword. Text ads are commonly shown above or on the right side of algorithmic (organic) search results. Advertisers only make payment in most search advertising through the PPC method when a user clicks on a text link or ad.

SEM

SEM involves promoting a website to enhance its visibility on search engines. SEM consists of paid search, also referred to as search advertising, and search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO

SEO involves optimizing a website and its content to be highly relevant for search engines and users. This involves technical duties to help search engines locate and categorize a website with relevant keywords, along with marketing strategies to enhance user engagement on the site—effective search marketing results in a website achieving a leading position for appropriate keywords and phrases.

SERPs

The page that audiences view after typing their query in the search box displays various websites related to the user’s search, organized by relevance. Search engines are increasingly displaying blended search results, incorporating images, videos, and outcomes from specialty databases in their SERPs.

A type of website that relies on input and content created by users. This consists of platforms such as LinkedIn or Facebook for social networking, Del.icio.us for social bookmarking, Digg or Reddit for social news, and other sites focused on user engagement.

Spider

A search engine spider is software that browses the Internet, visiting websites to gather data to include in or refresh a search engine’s database. Each of the leading search engines online is equipped with a program commonly referred to as a “crawler” or a “bot.”

Title tag 

A meta tag in HTML that describes a particular webpage. Including strategic keywords in the title tag is essential for SEO, as search engines emphasize this text when ranking pages. The heading should be understandable for people because it is commonly the clickable text leading to the page shown in search engine findings.

Universal search

Universal search, also called blended or federated search results, gathers information from various databases for viewing on a single page. Outcomes may consist of photos, videos, and findings from specialized databases such as maps and local data, details about products, or news articles.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a term that describes a potential second wave of internet services. Typically, these tools consist of features that enable individuals to work together and exchange information on the internet, like social media platforms, wikis, messaging tools, and tagging systems.

Conclusion

Having a solid grasp of SEM terms is crucial for individuals aiming to excel in the realm of digital marketing. The SEM glossary not only defines them but also provides you with the tools to execute successful tactics. By gaining expertise in the basics of SEM, you will be on track to boost traffic, improve conversions, and reach your marketing objectives.

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