However, if you've never used Google or Bing Ads before, while powerful, they can also be overwhelming . If you walk into this jungle with no questions asked, you can easily get lost and never bring home the audience that is out there waiting for you. ConversionXL's Peep Laja says, If you're not using PPC, you're making a conscious decision not to use every channel available to you. But is there really a strong case to be made for SEM, especially PPC, in 2016? There were certainly some headlines on the subject in 2016: Google's local 3-pack now includes paid ads Google removes ads from the right sidebar Bing says 25% of all searches are voice searches.
As I briefly mentioned in our article on local , is one of the most effective marketing channels if the right kind of strategy is in place. The same goes for SEM across the board in 2016. Plus, more industry experts are posting their hair masking service predictions for PPC in 2016. Here are some of his startling findings from when interviewing 10 different thought leaders: [pullquote] Consumers want — and respond to — ads tailored to their interests, says Lisa Raehsler. Advertisers that move toward strategies like in-market audiences, retargeting, and demographic targeting will see positive performance results. [Pullquote] As strategies continue to change, be the change as they say, how do we analyze the effects of our SEM decisions? [pullquote] Greg Sterling says that in terms of ad sales, data will be used more broadly and effectively to improve efficiency and reduce churn, in part by identifying and segmenting prospects based on their needs or individual challenges.
This is all great, but where should I spend my advertising budget? [pullquote] Mona Elesseily points out that Bing Ads has also integrated search functionality into various Microsoft products such as Xbox, Microsoft Office and Cortana, and tries to understand the searchuser behavior of different platforms, different types of devices, etc. [pullquote] With a large majority of PPC analysts having similar sentiments, it's safe to say that SEM has the potential to be just as effective as SEO for many businesses – it just lies in the strategy created and the adjustments needed. This brings us to our next question: what exactly should you include in the SEM Targeted PPC Strategy for 2016? What do SEM and PPC teams need to do to thrive? Accept the changes Many benefits lie in growing your PPC and SEO into one holistic SEM strategy.