Transparency Takes Center Stage in SEM
When SEM first began to gain support among online marketers, the term “black box” often found its way into the various descriptions of the practice, pointing to the lack of transparency.
While the results were there, it was a mystery as to what occurred on the inside. Furthermore, any additional probing or questions from the advertiser were often blocked by the ad server (the search engine). The lack of answers to simple questions left online advertisers tense and uncertain as to the campaign’s potential.
Now, it seems transparency has taken center stage not only in search engine marketing, but marketing as a whole. Drug manufacturers must be straightforward in regards to potential side effects, car dealers up front with actual prices and so on.
Nowadays, advertisers and online marketers have the ability to draw deeper conclusions and make well-informed decisions based on an array of campaign metrics. “How am I doing?” is no longer a simple one word answer. The need to engage customers and increase online revenues has been further encouraged by the ability to capture customer data implicitly, both accurately and divorced of bias, in real-time and from multiple mediums.
The world of e-marketing today begins with the monthly web analytics report. Serving as the foundation to various online initiatives, the results allow for greater campaign efficiency and the insight gained is often used when developing additional campaigns whether paid search, email, banner, video, etc.
Ultimately, a greater transparency now exists within the world of search engine marketing. There is a sense of context for the advertiser when those monthly performance numbers are received.
When a client asks “How are we doing?” I can be sure that there’s going to be fifteen consecutive “why’s?” to follow if my response is simply “good.”
Whether the beginner or the expert, Oneupweb offers a library full of search engine marketing resources, sharing thoughts, perspectives, solutions and strategies that all strive for providing a greater transparency.
