SEM – Paid Search

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the promotion of ad listings on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, or their partner sites, on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) basis. Paid search programs display ads next to organic search engine results. Although there are many factors that impact when SEM ads are displayed and how high they rank, the process is fundamentally based on a “quality score” system, which rewards advertisers for bidding the most money and having the most relevant ad for a particular search term.

Citrix.com SEM Strategy Highlights

The Citrix Demand Marketing SEM strategy focuses on the use of acutely targeted keywords, ad groups and offers to drive highly qualified web traffic to citrix.com and our global sites. Some of the campaigns and tactics implemented by our SEM team include:

  • The use of custom microsites designed to deliver specialized content, raise awareness and drive site conversions
  • The targeting of past visitors to citrix.com who exhibited a specific behavior, with offers which align to their perceived interests
  • The use of “compete” ads specifically designed to target contacts researching our major competitors in effort to increase interest and awareness for Citrix products and solutions
SEM – Campaign Basics

Payment and Bidding Structure

  • Cost-per-click (CPC): An SEM advertising model, in which advertisers pay only when their ad is clicked.
  • Cost-per-impression (CPM): An SEM advertising model, in which advertisers pay for the number of times an ad is shown regardless of whether it is clicked on or not

Ad Types

  • Search Network Ads: Text ads that are displayed on top of and to the side of organic search results.
  • Display Network Ads: Text or image ads that are displayed on search engine partner sites. These ads use the keywords your campaign is targeting and pair them with websites that are also using those keywords to render your ad within relevant websites.

Targeting

  • Contextual Targeting: Targeting that matches the content of your ads to website content, allowing you to show your ads in the right place, to the right people.
  • Placement Targeting: Targeting that allows you to decide which sites your ads will show on.
  • Remarketing: Targeting that allows you to display ads to people who have visited your site as they browse other websites on the display network.
     
Frequently Asked Questions

What is (PPC) pay-per-click advertising?

A method used on search engines and websites across the internet where an advertiser is charged only when their ad is clicked.

What is the difference between (PPC) pay-per-click and organic search engine results?

Pay-per-click promotions are paid ads located on the right, bottom or side of a search engine results page. Organic search engine results are natural or non-paid.

What is remarketing?

Remarketing is an online advertising method that allows marketers to reach individuals who have previously visited their website, by showing them relevant ads when they’re visiting sites on the Google Display Network or search engine partner sites. This SEM tactic can help improve the ROI of PPC campaigns by taking advantage of lost visitors and turning them into leads or customers.

What is the Google Display Network?

The Google Display Network is made up of thousands of websites ranging from the New York Times to small websites that exist only to display Google AdWords advertisements for collecting ad-sharing revenue from Google.

Why do I receive Citrix ads and offers when I’m searching on the web?

If you receive Citrix search or display offers when you browsing the web, its most likely because you recently visited a Citrix page or searched a specific term and are no longer within the Citrix network environment.

What should I do if I’m interested in executing an SEM program?

If you’re interest in executing an SEM program, please request search consultation for support. Please note, all internal SEM efforts should be coordinated with the Citrix Web Marketing team to optimize performance and avoid strategic overlap with ongoing internal programs.