For any start-up company, it can be difficult to get the word out about what you have to offer. For gaming companies in particular, having a strong web presence is very important, as the majority of your potential customers will likely spend a lot of time online. Whether your start-up is focused on streaming, virtual reality or even online casino games, SEM (search engine marketing) can be a great way to increase traffic to your website and gradually improve the popularity of your brand.
Gaming (and hence, gaming start-ups) has experienced a surge in popularity recently, as people around the world have stayed indoors to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. If your start-up is struggling to gain a foothold in the market, then check out the tips below on how to optimise your paid search campaigns and gain more followers than ever before.
What is SEM and How Does it Work?
Search Engine Marketing is an online advertising strategy, by which companies can pay for their websites to appear when certain keywords are used in a search engine. Also known as paid search or pay-per-click (PPC), the site will appear as a sponsored ad, positioned in prominent locations, either at the top or the side of the search engine results page.
One of the reasons SEM is so effective is because potential customers see your ads at exactly the right time: when they are looking for a product/service that you can offer. Unlike the majority of advertising channels, SEM is non-intrusive, and targets consumers when they are open to new information.
Create a Text-Based Advertisement and Pay to Have it Displayed
On the front page of a search engine, you tend not to see flashy, graphic ads. Hence, you will need to create a short text-based piece to draw in customers. For a gaming start-up, this could simply be an introduction to the benefits of your product or service, including attractive buzzwords which people in the gaming community will look out for.
Select Good Keywords
Keyword research is imperative in helping you pick a set of words or phrases related to your brand. At first, it’s best to have a broad selection so you can determine what works best.
You should also choose an appropriate geographic location – it would be useless to find a potential customer halfway around the world who you can’t deliver a product to. For gaming services, on the other hand, this may be irrelevant.
Monitor Your Goals and Performance
Defining your goals is very important. For a gaming start-up, you’re probably looking for new subscribers or customers to purchase a product. You can then track the CPA (cost per acquisition) of your ads. If you’re unhappy with how much you’ve paid to attract new people, you can re-allocate your SEM budget to the best performing keywords to maximize their volume.
If you’re thinking about utilizing SEM, it’s important to do your research beforehand. For gaming start-ups in particular, this online marketing tool could be a great way to reach your target customers and kick-start your business.
By: Steve Jones
