One of the most powerful ways for businesses to increase traffic and leads is to tap into the power of Search Engine Marketing (SEM). But in a rapidly evolving tech world and with competition on the rise, staying ahead means being innovative. Throw a wrench into the works with AI. With the inclusion of AI and machine learning technologies, SEM agencies are reshaping the way companies do keyword research, ad copy curation, bid management and audience targeting.
Whether you are new to SEM or seeking to enhance your existing strategies, the following blog will delve into detail how AI is impacting the future of SEM and why partnering with an SEM agency that utilizes AI can ramp up your campaigns.
AI-Powered Keyword Research
Advanced keyword extraction and analysis
Keyword research is a foundational step of any SEM campaign. In the past, marketers had tools like Google Keyword Planner or they have had to manually analyze competitors the old school way, but AI has super-charged this process.
AI-driven tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs can crunch big data and tell us about our keyword trends, search intent and even the local dialect. An AI tool, for instance, might unearth long-tail keywords such as “affordable eco-friendly sneakers in Chicago,” whereas manual attempts may reveal only more generic terms like “eco-friendly sneakers.”
Advantages of AI in keyword research:
-
Contextual relevance: AI weighs user intent that underpins searches, providing more exact keyword matches.
-
Trend forecasts: Forecasts the popularity of a keyword based on market trends or seasonal variations.
-
Competitive intelligence: AI software has the ability to scrape competitor websites to find hidden keyword gems.
By combining these AI superpowers, SEM agencies will be able to produce laser-beamed keyword strategies that cut through the clutter with maximum visibility and engagement.
AI-Generated Ad Copy Optimization
Making more intelligent, attention-getting ads
It is difficult to write ad copy that really speaks to an audience and gets them clicking. The use of AI in that process makes this process faster and more effective. Tools such as OpenAI’s GPT or Jasper AI write ad variants to suit a specific tone, target demographic, campaign aim.
According to Benaich and Socher, AI looks for patterns in past ad performance, like in the forms of headline structure, call-to-actions etc. that cause people to engage. For example, an AI tool may find that headlines including ‘Limited Time Offer’ work better in your industry than across-the-board promotional blandishments.
Key benefits of AI for ad copy optimization:
-
Dynamic personalization: Ads that adjust based on a user’s preferences can feel more relevant and timely.
-
A/B testing at scale: AI optimizes testing so you can discover the strongest performing copy sooner.
-
Consistency: You want your brand voice to be consistent throughout all of your high-volume SEM campaigns.
These automations both increase the performance of ad quality and free more time for SEM agencies to spend on high-level strategy.
AI in Bid Management
Implementing a bid strategy to bring some automation to your campaign management (You can do this on a keyword level but I wouldn’t for a small account risking needing to pause or change bids drag on your stats if you lose a key term.)
Bid management is integral to search campaigns, but can be time-consuming. Artificial intelligence has disrupted this role, allowing bid adjustments in real-time (and on autopilot), based on campaign performance or external market conditions.
Google Ads’ Smart Bidding, for instance, relies on machine learning to predict the ad auctions you may win and at what price. The AI can determine the optimal bid for every keyword or campaign objective, decreasing inefficient spend and increasing ROI.
The Advantages of AI Bid Management:
-
Savings: AI helps you avoid overbidding and make all your bids count.
-
Speed: AI processes campaign performance as soon as the campaign is checked into and no manual effort could possibly match that.
-
Goal-oriented: From clicks, conversions, and impressions, AI optimizes bidding strategies based on your goals.
Through AI, SEM agencies are able to automate this intricate task and vastly improve their campaign results.
AI for Audience Targeting
Improved sequence of refining segmentation
Understanding your audience is crucial to the success of SEM and AI ensures that the angle is sharper than ever. AI technology offers fine-grained audience segmentation to better match advertisements to specific categories, browsing behaviors and purchase intentions.
Sophisticated software makes connections by analyzing data like past purchases, search history and social media activity. Someone who searches often for “luxury travel,” for instance, can be placed by the AI into a luxury-focused audience segment to receive targeted advertising.
Why AI is so good at targeting audiences:
-
Greater precision: Categorizes users across a wider range of data points than common alternatives.
-
Behavioral forecasting: Predicts what users will do so offers can reach users earlier in the buyer’s journey.
-
Personalization: Serves up super personalized ads with personal audience messaging.
SEM agencies that are capable of targeting the audience using AI can easily bring the business in front of the right customers at the right time and therefore can increase the conversions.
Escalate Your PPC Advertising & Search Engine Marketing Efforts With the Help of AI
A look at the Selling Tool, the Ultimate SEM Game Changer
Needing to dominate your competitors for higher web traffic and organic search traffic to your site?
Example 1 – CPA 35% lower for e-commerce business
An e-commerce website collaborated with an SEM agency equipped with AI bid management. AI discovered poor-performing keywords, and reassigned the ad spend to high-converting ones and slushed their cost-per-acquisition (CPA) substantially without sacrificing leads.
Example 2 – SaaS drives 50% increase in CTR
One SaaS company utilized AI copy optimization to tweak their ad messaging. By continually A/B testing combinations in real time, AI found the most attention-grabbing matches, and CTR doubled.
These examples show the clear benefits of integrating AI with SEM initiatives and help explain why AI-powered SEM agencies are so popular.
The Future of AI in SEM
Breakneck progress in AI is still changing SEM in ways that could massively improve efficiency and performance. Below are some of the forthcoming trends that SEM agencies and companies should get ready for:
-
Voice search optimization: AI technology will surface keywords and tactics for voice commands so you can better optimize for voice-activated devices, such as Alexa and Google Assistant.
-
AI-powered visuals: Platforms might even begin to include AI-generated visuals in display ads to make for an even more personalized experience.
-
More Analytics Integration: IT integration of AI and solutions like Google Analytics can help even further analyze consumer activity.
Getting ahead of these changes will be key to remaining competitive in the SEM industry.
Get More Out of Your Campaigns With an AI SEM Agency
The tendency of AI in the search engine marketing is not just a fad; it is a turning point in the way businesses conduct digital advertising. Be it smarter keywords and bid strategies to AI, SEM agencies are empowered to deliver reliable performance.
Working with an agency that uses AI will guarantee that your campaigns are efficient, cost-efficient and future-proofed. Do not your business deserve the best? Begin using AI for your SEM campaigns now.
Boost Seasonal Sales with Data-Driven SEM Tactics
Mastering SEM for Black Friday, Christmas & Other Seasonal Campaigns
How to Create SEM Ads That Truly Convert
What Is the Difference Between SEO, SEM, and SMM?