The Ultimate Dictionary of SEM/PPC Concepts

[mostakimvip06]

After the huge success of the SEO Dictionary we launched, we were left with a bittersweet taste in our mouths, like when you have the feeling that you have worked hard, that the result is great, but that you can still do more. As a SEM agency , we have years of experience designing and managing Google Ads campaigns (not in vain we are one of the few Google Partner Premier agencies ), but also other SEM platforms such as Linkedin Ads, Twitter Ads or Facebook Ads among others. All of them with differentiating characteristics, but with many elements in common. So we have decided to prepare this glossary of concepts that are normally used in the development and evaluation of SEM campaigns essentially, although first allow us a little clarification on the SEM and PPC concepts, and the scope of this content.


But is this a SEM or PPC dictionary?
A bit of everything. To begin with, there is a lot of confusion about what each thing is and where its limits are. SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing, marketing to optimize our presence in search engines. And PPC stands for Pay Per Click, meaning that we launch advertising campaigns in which we pay for each click we get. These concepts have become somewhat obsolete over time, because for example if we do a campaign with Google Ads Display , are we no longer doing SEM because my ads are not going to be seen in search engines? And on the other hand, if I am doing a campaign in which my spending is measured by views or malaysia telegram data impressions, for example, am I no longer doing PPC? Finally: Social Ads campaigns, by not appearing in search engines, are no longer SEM?

Like practically everything in the world of the Internet, the evolution has been so fast and disorganized that it has surpassed the concepts that explain it. In my opinion, the thing could go in three ways:

SEM and PPC are synonyms, and refer to all paid advertising campaigns with digital platforms.
PPC refers to all paid advertising campaigns, of which there are two main branches: SEM for search engine ads, and Social Ads for ads on social networks. Here we would have a hard time fitting Display or paid campaigns into portals that are not search engines.
A more complex scheme in which SEM, like everything else that encompasses search engine marketing, includes SEO and CPC campaigns. In this strict case, Display Ads and Social Ads, among others, would also be excluded from SEM.
It has been an intellectually stimulating exercise, but since almost everyone now mixes and puts SEM and PPC on the same level, we present this glossary with a bit of everything.


Is this a glossary about Google Ads?
No. The vast majority of concepts you will find are commonly used and applied in Google Ads, but also in other SEM platforms. We have tried to make an abstraction, with concepts that can be applied to several platforms, and we have therefore avoided concepts that are exclusive to Google Ads, for which we have other content on our blog about SEM .


Who is this content for?
For anyone interested. The concepts are discussed in a light and understandable way for everyone, and have been written based on our knowledge and experience, without the need to consult sources and other definitions. This makes this glossary a useful read for anyone studying digital marketing, those who are setting up their first advertising campaigns, but it can also be very interesting for business owners and online stores, to learn how to read the data from their campaigns and understand the analyses and proposals made by the SEM agency or the internal department that manages it. Finally, and of course, it is also available to veterans in the sector, as a consultation tool, refresher or to send to a client.

Ads: each of the creatives that users will see on the platforms, and whose main function is to attract the attention and clicks of the desired users. It is always advisable to upload several different models in an ad group, to measure which ones have the best impact.

Audience: group of people to whom we are going to direct our ads. It is necessary to do a good analysis of who might be interested in our proposal. Digital marketing offers a great opportunity to create small audiences with such specific segmentations, which give us a very good return, in contrast to traditional advertising and major media.