In today’s economic climate, it’s more critical than ever for marketers to evaluate their digital strategies and make the most of their resources. Search Engine Journal recently moderated a webinar with experts in SEO and SEM, who shared five ways to use both methods together to improve performance and drive growth.
Before diving into the five strategies, it’s important to differentiate between organic and paid searches. Organic search results, also known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), are earned rather than paid for, while paid search results, or Search Engine Marketing (SEM), are paid advertisements that appear on the search engine results page (SERP).
1. Use Organic Search Insights to Allocate Paid Search Spend
Keyword research can help you understand where you’re underperforming and where you should allocate your paid search budget. This will help you target your audience better and reduce unnecessary ad spend.
2. Use SEM Keyword Performance to Inform Your Content Strategy
Identify your most valuable paid terms and work with your content writers to include them in your organic content. This will improve the value of your content and increase your ROI.
3. Use Paid and Organic Insights to Perform Competitive Research
Analyze your competitors and categorize them according to their strengths and weaknesses. Cross-analyze this information with your own paid and organic research to better understand the market landscape.
4. Use SEO Best Practices When Creating Paid Campaigns
Ensure that your paid campaigns align with your organic targeting keywords to maintain the technical health of your website. Self-cannibalization can negatively impact your ROI.
5. Encourage Cross-Team Communication and Collaboration
Ensure your SEO and SEM teams work together and share insights to drive better results.