SEO & SEM: Join Forces to Dominate
Many digital marketing tools operate in complementary ways, but arguably no two work better together than Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Made clear by their titles, these two online tools relate to search engine strategy - but more than that, they support and fill in the gaps for each other in key areas. Especially when used together, these two tools help consumers make decisions that directly affect your dealership’s bottom line.
SEO is what puts your dealership website at the top of the organic (non-paid) listings on a search engine results page. Top rankings are earned through high-quality, keyword-rich content on your site that matches the search query made by a prospective customer. In addition, SEO involves earning the “trust” of search engines like Google that your website will be an informative and reliable resource to provide for search engine users. When a prospect sees your website in a highly ranked position on a search engine, it signals to them that you likely have the trailer units, parts, or service they are looking for and you are a trustworthy dealership to do business with.
SEM places advertisements for your dealership in the top-most position on a search engine results page, above the organic results. These paid ad spots provide high visibility for your dealership and are very likely to capture the attention of prospects searching for trailer inventory like yours. Dynamic Remarketing through SEM allows you to serve ads for units that search engine users have previously viewed, and SEM strategy driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) gives you the opportunity to test-drive headlines and description text on ads for the best possible response. Both of these features of SEM (and more) help to maximize the visibility of your dealership online, driving the highest chance of clicks to your site. When a prospect sees ads for your dealership at the top of search engine results, they are more likely to recognize and remember your business later.
What’s the most effective strategy to dominate search engine results? Appearing in the highest positions possible in both the paid ads section and the organic listings section of the search engine results page. This shows search engine users that you’ve put in the work and effort that it takes to earn a high organic ranking, and you also care enough about the success and reputation of your business to invest in paid advertisements. When a search engine user sees that your dealership has a high ranking, they feel more confident clicking on an ad for it. Similarly, when a search engine user has seen multiple ads for your dealership, they are more likely to recognize it and choose to click on it within organic listings.
Search engine strategy offers a great opportunity for your business to reach likely prospects, and that opportunity is maximized with SEO and SEM working in conjunction. While SEO drives increased clicks to your dealership website, SEM drives higher-quality traffic and leads that are more likely to convert to sales. Using both tools brings the best results and the highest return on investment.