What is Search Engine Advertising (SEA)?
Search engine advertising is a form of paid marketing where businesses pay to display advertisements on search engine results pages (SERPs). It is also called paid advertising.
Search engine advertisements typically appear at the top of the search engine results page, even though they may be displayed at other locations. They are typically labeled “Ad” or “Sponsored.”
Search engine advertisements typically operate on a pay-per-click (PPC) model where advertisers only pay when someone clicks their ad. The ads themselves are usually configured to appear for visitors who enter specific keywords into the search engine.
For example, a visitor who enters a query like “locksmiths in California“ will be shown relevant ads for locksmiths in California. This is because the ads were set up to appear for keywords related to locksmiths in California.
Difference Between SEO, SEM, and SEA
SEA (Search Engine Advertising) refers to the paid marketing campaigns that bloggers and businesses use to drive traffic from search results pages. This typically involves running paid ads, for example, Google Ads, that appear at the top of the Google search search results.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the unpaid practices that bloggers and businesses use to improve their rankings and drive organic traffic from search results pages. This involves techniques like content creation, keyword optimization, and backlink building.
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is a combination of search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEA). Specifically, it refers to the paid (search engine marketing) and unpaid (search engine optimization) techniques that businesses and bloggers use to drive traffic to their site from search results pages.
The search engine advertising aspect drives quick results since it depends on how much the advertiser is willing to spend. However, those costs can add up, making it unsustainable for long-term growth.
The search engine optimization aspect is slower to deliver results. However, it is more sustainable in the long run, making it great for long-term growth.
That said, it is noteworthy to know that some bloggers and marketers use term “search engine marketing (SEM)” when actually referring to search engine advertising (SEA). So, some may actually mean paid advertising, instead of a combination of paid and unpaid marketing, when they talk of search engine marketing.
Importance of Search Engine Advertising (SEA)
Search engine advertising delivers immediate visibility on search results pages. It gets you in front of your target audience quickly without the hassle of creating content and optimizing it for search results pages.
Unlike SEO, which takes time to deliver results, paid search ads allow businesses to appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) instantly. This translates into faster lead generation and sales for businesses.
Overall, search engine advertising is particularly helpful for new and existing businesses that do not want to go through the hassle of content creation or cannot wait for their SEO efforts to bear results.
Some businesses may also use search engine advertising in specific instances. For example, they can use it during periods of low traffic or for the first few months or years before their search engine optimzed content begins to rank on search results pages.
Examples of Search Engine Advertising (SEA)
Search engine advertising (SEA) ads can appear at various locations on the search results page. However, considering Google dominates the search engine space, multiple ads created using Google Ads or displayed on Google’s platforms are considered search engine advertisements even when they do not explicitly display on the search results pages.
For example, ads displayed on third-party sites that use the Google Search Network are considered search engine advertisements.
Search engine advertisements can also display on Google-owned platforms like YouTube. These ads can display before a video plays or while it is playing. The ads may also display at prominent locations on YouTube.
Talking of the search results page, Google can also display ads at various locations other than the top of the search results page. For example, the image below shows ads in the Google local pack listing and in the map itself. (The ads in the map are represented by square icons.)
