When shoppers embark on their journey to purchasing a vehicle, they regularly turn to a search engine to start their research. Out of the average 24 touchpoints on the road to a car purchase, 19 are digital — and more than half of those 19 touchpoints could go through a search engine.

Search engine marketing (SEM) can play an integral role in introducing your company or dealership to new leads. Dealerships can market on Google, Google Search Partners, YouTube, and the Google Display Network. These ads show up on hundreds of thousands of sites and can be targeted to both in-market shoppers and those just starting the car-buying process.

Showing up on search engines is more important than ever, and having a successful Google Ads campaign is what will drive traffic and sales to your business.

So — are you advertising with Google?

Read the 9 Clouds search engine marketing case study »

Top 2 Benefits of Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Marketing on Google is simple and has a profitable impact on your business. With real-time results and easy updating, Google Ads offer benefits that traditional marketing does not.

Here are two of the top advantages of SEM advertising.

1. Visibility

SEM allows you to run ads on a large network of websites that offer advertising from the Google platform. Google’s large network provides visibility that billboards, TV commercials, and print ads can’t offer to the people who need to see your ads the most.

Not only does SEM put you in front of potential new leads you weren’t expecting to find, it also allows you to remarket to those who have already viewed your website. Remarketing basically involves “following” an individual around on the web and then showing them a relevant ad, reminding them to stop back and see your site again.

You have the option to show up for those searching relevant keywords or topics, all the while reaching more people than traditional marketing. And as an added bonus, SEM ads are quick to create, freeing up your valuable time.

2. Cost

Along with reaching more people and taking less time, advertising on SEM sites also costs less than traditional marketing methods. The average cost per click (CPC) for a Google Ad is just $2.69 per click!

Since you can spend as much or as little money as you want — and update your budget on demand — SEM gives you a ton of flexibility with your marketing spend.

You also don’t pay for impressions on search ads unless someone actually clicks on your ad. With traditional marketing, you pay for placement but don’t know if you are actually showing your ads to the right people. Customers who recently purchased from you could be seeing your ads — that’s a waste of your marketing dollars!

Learn More in Our New SEM Case Study

Having a successful Google Ads campaign and website can lead to better visibility on Google and drop your CPC. This means you can reach more people with the same budget.

Our team excels at creating successful Google Ads campaigns, seeing CPC below $2.69 as well as click-through rates that are well above the national average. Check out our new search engine marketing case study to discover how 9 Clouds can help you achieve winning SEM campaigns!