Search Engine Marketing

Also called SEM

Search engine marketing: buying visibility on search results through paid ads, most commonly Google Ads, so you appear for chosen keywords. The paid counterpart to SEO.

Why it matters

SEM buys high-intent traffic instantly, people searching for exactly what you offer, which makes it powerful but only as good as your economics. It works when the value of a customer clearly exceeds the cost per click.

For example

A legal-tech startup bids on 'company registration online' in Google Ads, so it appears the moment someone searches with clear intent.

Related terms

Search Engine Optimization Cost Per Click Paid Acquisition

Go deeper

See how founders actually handle this on Growing and marketing, part of the Starting Up hub.

eChai Partner Brands