Search Engine Marketing Trends 2021 – Mid-Year Report (Infographic)

Traditional marketing strategies have long been used to propel a business's product or service to reach a wider audience and generate more revenue. This tactic uses conventional forms of media like print, radio, and television to convey the brand's message to prospective buyers. This type of marketing disseminates information far and wide in the hopes of reaching customers who might be interested in what the company offers.

However, with the advent of all things digital, there was a tremendous shift in this sector, prompting marketers to implement campaigns more aligned to an internet-based approach. The advancement of technology over the years has made online access easier and more convenient, paving the way for modern marketing trends and practices.

Previously, people needed to use large computers and wired connections before they could browse the internet. The process was slow and often required complicated systems. Moreover, not everyone has the means to acquire these resources.

Fast forward to the digital age; technological innovation has made it possible for people to use a digital device that fits in the palm of their hands. These modern tools also do not require additional hardware, complex programs, or wired connections to operate. As such, online users can simply use a mobile device like a smartphone or a tablet to access various websites and applications. These compact devices also use a wireless internet connection.

The ubiquity of these modern digital tools and the accessibility of the internet precipitated a surge in mobile and online users. Consequently, it caused massive changes in consumer behavior, influencing them to patronize remote means of acquiring goods and services increasingly.

Today, more and more individuals rely on online searches to get answers to their queries. If they need to find a specific product, they can just type its description into the search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing and wait for the site to return results. Afterward, they will browse the listings and choose the website that best suits what they look for. This means that consumers are willing to explore and get to know a brand – even if they do not know it – as long as it is seen on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Since these online users already know what they want, businesses capitalize on this new consumer behavior. Instead of blasting ads on various channels to convince prospects to buy their offers, companies use modern digital marketing tactics to get their messages to an audience that already wants the products and services they have.

For example, many invest in strategies like search engine marketing or SEM, a digital marketing campaign that uses techniques that harness search engines. One of its methods is search advertising. This model is mainly driven by paid advertisements in contrast to its counterpart, search engine optimization or SEO, which primarily depends on organic traffic made possible by optimizing a website and its content to make them more attractive for search engines.

In search advertising, the paid ads are placed in prominent locations in SERPs to ensure that the enterprise's goods or services are visible to online visitors. Upon entering a specific keyword into the search bar, SEM allows the business's website to return as an answer for that particular online query.

Apart from this, marketers also implement a pay-per-click (PPC) online advertising strategy. It is important to note that besides search engines, PPC is also used in other platforms like social media and mobile apps. From the name itself, PPC means that the advertiser pays a fee each time a visitor clicks on their ad. With pay-per-click, marketers can publicize a targeted advertisement at the exact moment an online user searches a certain keyword.

These SEM practices have created waves in the marketing industry. Additionally, they are expected to gain more traction toward the end of 2021 and beyond. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed significantly to the emergence of many new SEM trends.

Accordingly, it is projected that other forms of advertising are also set to rise, like video ads and mobile internet ads. In platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Quora, and many more, PPC is also anticipated to grow in the coming years. Furthermore, with additional automation features available in digital models, a higher number of individuals are now leveraging functions like voice search in their endeavors.

Based on recent statistics, about half of online searches conducted in 2020 were performed using voice search in smartphones or other mobile devices. This data shows that mobile internet is closely related to voice search. Projections reveal that about 50% of consumers are expected to use voice search to make a purchase by the following year.

Given these statistics, it emphasizes the need for SEM marketers to create targeted ads using relevant keywords and key phrases attuned to consumers' informal and conversational language in voice search.

The numerous changes in the marketing world tell businesses that they need to get on board with these trends and ensure their SEM campaigns are executed effectively to remain competitive. To enjoy the benefits of modern marketing techniques, companies may opt to hire a reputable SEM or SEO service provider Philippines to handle the job.

Although larger enterprises typically have the means to create an internal team, it is not always the case with other business types. Those that have a limited budget and time cannot afford to run an SEM campaign all by themselves. In these cases, it is more practical to outsource digital marketing agency instead.

By working with a reputable SEM service provider, enterprises will gain access to an arsenal of digital marketing tools and expertise that can greatly help meet their business objectives. Outsourcing SEM eliminates the guesswork in researching, planning, and executing a successful online marketing tactic. It allows businesses to leverage SEM without expending too much time and money.

For more information, check this infographic created by Digital Marketing Philippines that highlights its mid-year report on the various search engine marketing trends that made radical waves in the industry in 2021.