But don’t worry; we’re not asking you to commit to us right now. We believe in transparency. So, we’ll ensure you know exactly what you’ll get for your advertising dollars when you partner with us— BEFORE you sign up.
“We’ve used Digital Spotlight for over 15 years for all our SEO, remarketing adwords, analytics, and much, much more!
Our business has grown at an incredible rate thanks to [Digital Spotlight]. We will never use anyone else, highly recommend [them!]”
Diana Norris | Dural Irrigation
Continue reading to learn more about how we redefine the SEM game and how our approach can help elevate your Sydney-based business’ online presence and get tangible results.
Our SEM Sydney Services
While you might be eager to know what search engine marketing (SEM) services we offer to Sydney businesses like yours and how they’re distinct from other advertising agencies’ offerings, you must first understand what SEM is.
How Does SEM Work?
Let’s get one thing straight. Yes, we offer SEM and social media marketing (SMM) services. While both can help expand your brand’s reach and attract potential customers, they aren’t the same.
SMM focuses on advertising on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. On the other hand, our SEM services involve boosting your business’ online presence through search engines.
We accomplish the latter using paid search advertisements and organic means like search engine optimisation (SEO). To explain, imagine your business is a performer, such as John Bell AO, and your stage is the search engine results page (SERP).
Without a spotlight, your performance may go unnoticed by the crowd or your target audience. SEM acts as that spotlight. Raising your website’s visibility on search engines ensures prospective customers find you when they search for products or services like yours.
Pay-per-Click
When we say “paid advertising,” we’re referring to pay-per-click (PPC) marketing. With that out of the way, what is PPC? You may not realise it, but you probably see PPC in action all the time.
You know, those websites that pop up in the results that are marked as “Sponsored” or “Ads” when you’re looking for something on a search engine like Google.
Fortunately, understanding why those web pages appear in SERPs is straightforward. At its core, PPC advertising is a digital marketing strategy where you pay a publisher to display your ads on its platform.
As the name of this SEM technique implies, you’re only charged whenever someone clicks on or views your marketing materials— hence, pay-per-click.
Do understand, however, that paid search advertising can also involve other payment models besides PPC, including the following:
- CPM (cost-per-impression): Also known as cost-per-mille (thousand), this model charges you every one thousand advertisement impressions on your ad or the number of views or user engagements it receives.
- PPConv (pay-per-conversion): A model wherein you only pay whenever someone converts on your website, such as when a user fills out a form, clicks a specific button, or purchases your goods or services.
Nonetheless, PPC is an effective option if you want to get your business on people’s radar, especially considering that this SEM approach allows for precise audience targeting that can give you immediate visibility— quicker than organic marketing techniques.
While the concept of PPC isn’t too complicated to understand, we did oversimplify it. After all, working with us is a collaborative experience. We won’t try to confuse you with complex jargon.
However, PPC advertising can be intricate once you look under the bonnet. One of these complexities is the bidding stage or the ad auction, which determines whether your ads are shown and where on the platform they’ll appear.
On Google, for example, you bid on a keyword or a phrase for which you want your advertisement to show. Whenever a user does a search using that keyword, Google gives your ad a rank, and it enters a competitive auction against others who are likewise bidding for that keyword.
Google’s first page results will have between 7 and 11 spots. You and other auction participants will fight for those ad placements. If your ad places in the top seven, it’ll be one of the first-page results.
Our job as an SEM agency is to ensure you win those ad spots. We accomplish this task by optimising your bid amount and ensuring marketing materials follow the platform’s guidelines, such as their relevance and usefulness to those who click them.
Google Ads
You can’t talk about search engine marketing without Google. After all, it’s the premier search engine— accounting for 93% of the Australian search market.
So, it makes sense that one of our primary SEM services is managing Google Ads campaigns, formerly Google AdWords and Google AdWords Express.
But why should you choose this SEM service? Simple: you can get your products or services to a staggering number of people quickly through Google’s vast advertising network, which includes YouTube, mobile apps, and partner websites like nytimes.com (The New York Times).
If you partner with us, we’ll optimise your marketing budget by finding where to place your ads on Google’s four core products: Search, Display, Remarketing, and Shopping.
The best part? We won’t manage your campaign using our Google Ads account. We’ll do all our work where you can see them— on yours. This way, you’ll see where your hard-earned dollars are going.
Local Service Ads
Running a Google Ads campaign is one of the most cost-effective SEM strategies to reach potential customers and drive conversions. But did you know that Google offers a way to make advertising on its platform even better?
Enter Google Local Service Ads (LSA). This Google feature allows you to market your business’ offerings to potential customers in your immediate area. What makes LSA worth considering is that your marketing content appears first— above traditional Google Ads.
Your advertisements will also come with a “Google Guaranteed” badge, enhancing your credibility with internet searchers. After all, when Google thinks you’re the authority on a subject, users can’t help but share the same sentiment.
Bing Ads Management
While it’s less popular with searchers than Google is, you shouldn’t count Bing out. Yes, it handles only 5.04% of Australian searches— a meagre number.
However, with the introduction of Bing’s appropriately named AI, Sydney, Bing is poised to take market share away from Google. So, why not take advantage?
Fortunately, we’re ahead of the curve, offering Bing Ads Management services. But unlike so-called “marketing experts,” we understand that Bing is unique from Google.
Hence, our SEM strategies don’t treat Bing Ads as Google Ads clones. Instead, we use advanced statistical analysis, segmentation, and modelling to optimise your campaigns so that you get 5% to 10% more leads at a significantly lower cost.
How SEM Works at Digital Spotlight
Most online advertising companies’ strategies involve casting a wide net by flooding platforms with as many ads as possible. While this approach may seem like a good idea, it’s not.
Two-thirds of consumers feel that they’re drowning in ads. In short, more ads don’t always equal more traffic. Fortunately, our SEM brand focuses on the fundamental— targeting the right audience, the individuals already interested in what you offer.
We don’t offer cookie-cutter campaigns. We’re committed to understanding your business, what it’s trying to achieve, and most importantly, who it wants to provide value for.
Yes, your ad structure or the message you’re conveying is essential in marketing. However, it isn’t as critical when you know your market. Think about it: you won’t catch any fish in a lake with no fish, even if you have the best bait.
What Do You Need From an SEM Agency? ROI
How do you measure the success of a marketing campaign? You look at the numbers. One of these is the return on investment (ROI), which you can calculate using formulas like:
(Revenue from conversions – SEM campaign cost) / SEM campaign cost * 100% |
(Website traffic increase % – SEM campaign cost % ) / SEM campaign cost * 100% |
Monitoring your SEM ROI can help you gauge how effective your ad campaigns are. Do understand, however, that you must also go beyond the numbers.
After all, having more website traffic won’t mean much if your Sydney business isn’t getting the leads and sales it needs for growth.
Additionally, a campaign’s success can’t be measured using a single number. ROI can also involve non-tangible metrics like brand awareness or new business opportunities.
For this reason, our in-house SEM team ensures we track and share the signals that matter to your business.
Climb Google’s Search Results and Get Better Traffic to Your Site
75% of internet users don’t look past Google’s first page. This shocking statistic shows that your target audience is unlikely to see your business’ web pages and content if they don’t place highly on SERPs.
Unfortunately, Google’s algorithm constantly changes. Your business’ industry, target audiences’ preferences, and competitors’ strategies also evolve. That’s why our approach involves continuous optimization.
We never consider a campaign “set.” Our SEM team is continuously checking for growth opportunities. Doing so allows us to ensure your marketing dollars are always invested in the avenues that give your business the quality traffic it needs to grow and dominate the Sydney market.
Search Engine Marketing From a Professional Agency
Entrusting your hard-earned money with a digital marketing agency offering SEM services can be challenging if you’ve been let down before. So, why partner with one? How do you know you’re talking to a firm that can give your Sydney-based business the necessary visibility?
Here are reasons to work with a professional SEM agency and the green flags signalling that it’s the perfect one for the job:
SEM Is More Than Just Google
As they say, “Never put your eggs in one basket.” Diversification is critical in any investment, including SEM. If your SEM agency solely focuses on Google, consider someone else.
We understand that Google takes up a significant portion of the search engine market at around 93%. However, you might miss out on potential opportunities if you’re wearing Google blinders.
For this reason, we offer other growth avenues, such as Bing Ads management and SEO. Our paid advertising process also provides alternatives for PPC, including CPM and PPConv.
Growth Hack
Traditional marketing strategies like email marketing and cold calling work by broadcasting your message to a broad audience, hoping it will reach those interested.
The beauty of SEM is that it’s highly targetable. In other words, you can advertise your business’ offerings to a specific group of people. Unfortunately, not all SEM agencies know how to target— at least not efficiently.
It’s not enough to be visible to your chosen audience. Your offerings must also be relevant to them, especially if you want to expedite your business’ growth.
That’s why we ensure our SEM efforts, including keyword selection, focus on finding and aiming for the right individuals— those interested in your products and services and those ready to buy.
Data-Driven SEM Management
Search engine marketing techniques like Google Ads campaigns are a great way to get your offerings in front of potential customers. However, many SEM agencies will pick a few keywords, launch the project, and wait for results to happen magically.
Unfortunately, SEM is more nuanced than that. It takes constant tweaking to ensure you’re targeting traffic sources that offer the most leads and conversions. Using data modelling, advanced statistical analytics, and multi-variant testing, our SEM team can minimise irrelevant spending.
Online Marketing Efforts
With over 25.31 million internet users in Australia at the beginning of 2023, it’s clear that having an online presence is essential, especially for eCommerce businesses.
Yes, displaying ads to your target audience via SEM can increase your business’ digital presence. However, it isn’t your only option, despite what some digital marketing agencies will say.
The perfect firm to partner with offers other ways to make your business stand out in the digital space, industry, and competition. These alternatives include content marketing, an appealing web design, or a user-friendly mobile app.
That’s why our first job is to listen. We want to understand your business, its challenges, and what it’s trying to accomplish. And if SEM isn’t the appropriate step for you, we’ll tell you instead of wasting your money trying to prove otherwise.
For a comprehensive list of our marketing services, call us at 1300-891-181 to talk to one of our SEM specialists or email us at [email protected].
Why SEM?
We mentioned how investing in SEM can increase your online visibility in search engines and your target audience. However, that statement doesn’t justify how potent SEM can be as a digital marketing strategy.
So, let’s change that. Here are some of the most significant advantages of search engine marketing:
Better CTR
Click-through rate (CTR) is the metric that tracks the rate of internet users who view and click on your marketing content. The higher the CTR, the better the chances of conversions.
For example, let’s take one of our Sydney clients, PropertyMe, a cloud-based real estate software provider. When the client started working with us in January 2019, it had a CTR of 0.12%, resulting in an average of one conversion monthly.
As of February 2023, its CTR ballooned to 25.24%— a 20,405.02% improvement. This growth now sees the company getting an average of 220 conversions monthly. The client also reduced its cost-per-conversion from $956.18 to $34.27.
“We have been working with the team at Digital Spotlight for over five years now. Their expertise, timeliness, and attention to detail have been instrumental to the success of our digital marketing.
It has been an absolute pleasure to work with the Digital Spotlight team over the years, and I would highly recommend their digital services.”
Iris Lever | Property Me Pty Ltd
Potential for Quick Results
You don’t need paid search campaigns to get first-page visibility. However, organic means like SEO demands time and effort. In fact, it usually takes four months to a year of using SEO to see organic results.
If you want immediate visibility, then SEM might be the online advertising solution you’re looking for. After all, you only need to win the ad auction for your ads to appear, which happens whenever someone does a search.
Brand Awareness
How do you expect people to buy your products or services if they don’t even know your business exists? Yes, being on the front page of SERPs doesn’t necessarily translate to leads and sales. However, it does increase your exposure to potential customers.
Shortcuts to Product Pages
As mentioned, Google has a vast advertisement network. One of the most significant benefits of SEM is that you can pick where to place your marketing content on this network.
If you’re an eCommerce business owner, you have Google Shopping. Through this platform, you give your potential customers a direct line to your products and services. The best part? It nearly always provides the most significant ROI in Google’s marketing catalogue.
Promotion for Local Services
Google has been around since 1998. At some point, it realised that internet users prefer results from their local area. An SEM campaign like Google’s Local Service Ads allows you to establish brand recognition within your locale, in this case, Sydney, and direct your offerings to its people.
SEM and SEO, It’s a Love-Love Relationship
Yes, when we mention SEM, we generally refer to PPC. However, as mentioned, SEM isn’t solely a paid search approach. That’s because an SEM strategy can also incorporate SEO techniques.
SEO stands for search engine optimisation. Like SEM, it aims to increase your online visibility. But instead of working to rank your web pages or content in paid results, SEO targets placement in organic results.
Unfortunately, many digital marketing companies believe you should only use one or the other. However, that’s not true at all. After all, SEM and SEO can work in tandem.
To explain, let’s go back to our stage performer analogy. With SEM, you’re paying to have the spotlight on you. On the other hand, SEO is the spotlight as a reward for an incredible performance.
Combining the two online marketing approaches ensures your business is visible to its target audience and stands out from the other performers on the stage.
Understanding the SEO Process
The search engine optimisation process is straightforward: it’s all about improving elements in your website that Google and other search engines use as factors, such as technical, on-site, off-page, and content, in their ranking algorithms.
How Can SEO Help My Business?
SEO offers many of the same advantages as SEM, including better search engine visibility, traffic, and brand awareness. However, there are upsides unique to the former.
Here are some ways SEO can help your business:
- SEO is technically free: Although you can launch SEM campaigns without the assistance of a marketing agency, you must still pay the publisher for ad space.
With SEO, on the other hand, you don’t need to invest money for SERP positions. That’s because when you improve essential elements of your website, search engines will organically rank you higher.
- SEO is cost-effective: Don’t get us wrong, SEM is cost-effective, especially if you partner with an experienced digital advertising company like us. An excellent agency like Digital Spotlight can help you find the right campaign mix, budget, and structure to get your desired outcomes.
Unfortunately, the most significant downside to SEM strategies like PPC advertising is that the results stop when your investment does. SEO doesn’t have this problem.
- SEO gives more traffic: Running a PPC campaign can get you immediate visibility. This increased online presence can translate to more traffic. However, that’s not always the case.
Searchers prefer organic results. In fact, our data suggests that an SEM approach like Google Ads only picks up 30% of searchers— leaving 70% of potential customers clicking on pages and content that earned their placement.
Transform Your Business With Digital Spotlight — The Creative SEO Experts in Sydney
SEO works— it’s as simple as that. For this reason, many digital marketing companies think they can get away with offering unrealistic promises and running off as soon as they get paid.
However, the truth is that there are no “guarantees” in SEO. Every business is unique, even those in Sydney that are like yours and that provide the same products or services you do.
Fortunately, none of our SEO services are off-the-shelf. From choosing the keywords that bring in high-quality leads to creating content that resonates with your target demographic, we tailor our approach to your business and it alone.
“In an industry where many take your money and do very little for it, [Digital Spotlight] is a breath of fresh air for small businesses like mine.”
Philip Bonser | Goulburn Offroad Carts
Call us at 1300-891-181 or email us at [email protected] to schedule a no-pitch consultation with one of our SEO experts. What are you waiting for? Tell us your challenges and goals, and we’ll craft a strategy to advance your Sydney business.
Join Us for A True SEM-inar
Search engine ranking algorithms continually evolve. That means your SEM approach should, too. Fortunately, our search engine marketing services utilise strategies that allow your campaigns to deliver leads and sales consistently.
Be the Trend-Setter
Identifying and capitalising on emerging trends, such as what your target audience is currently searching for, can give you excellent returns for your SEM investment. Fortunately, we can provide information on those trends straight from search engines like Google.
Til Day Do Us Part
As mentioned, SEM is highly targetable. But our efforts don’t end with aligning your campaigns to your target audience and their behaviours. We also adjust our approach based on time— when your potential customers are likelier to see and engage with your ads.
Using data analysis, we can also target internet users who have previously visited your web pages and content and attract those who have added products or services to their online shopping cart but didn’t purchase with discounts.
Be Free From Frauds
There will be people with malicious intent who will try to waste your PPC budget by purposefully clicking on your ads, also known as click fraud. But don’t worry; our SEM team uses advanced monitoring tools like ClickCease to detect and stop suspicious activities.
Our Google partnership isn’t just for show, either. We work closely with Google’s support team to analyse, investigate, and resolve invalid clicks, ensuring your marketing dollars are used appropriately— improving your online presence.