Harness the power of intent with search engine marketing
Search engine marketing is all about connecting with people who are actively looking for what you offer - there’s nothing quite like seeing your ad appear at the precise moment that people are expressing their intent. Sure, SEO is fantastic for improving your website and laying the foundation for long-term success, but when it comes to capturing user intent in real-time, nothing beats good old search ads.
However, when SEM isn't done well, it can feel like throwing money into a black hole. Without careful planning and expertise, you may end up wasting your budget on irrelevant clicks, low-quality traffic and ineffective ad campaigns. That's why it's crucial to partner with experienced professionals like us at Rocket Agency. We'll navigate the complexities, mitigate the risks, and ensure your SEM campaigns are set up for success, maximising your ROI and driving meaningful results.
Why would you consider Rocket as the best search agency for you? Well, all our clients and awards from local and international authorities can’t be wrong.
We work with businesses just like you!
We’re trusted by Australian companies across industries including retail, finance, IT, government, technology, real estate, aged care, hospitality and more.
How does Rocket Agency deliver excellence in paid search?
In-depth research, strategic planning, customised campaigns and a client-centric approach, all predicated on the following steps. When you partner with Rocket Agency, you can trust that we go above and beyond.
Keyword research
By analysing search data to identify the terms that your target audience is using to find products or services like yours, we can create campaigns that target the right audience and drive conversions. The respective price of different keywords makes them more or less attractive for bidding on.
Ad copy creation
With compelling and relevant copy, we aim to capture attention, communicate value, and entice users to click on our ads. Ongoing testing and optimisation of ads means we can drive higher click-through rates and maximise the effectiveness of our search campaigns.
Budget management
Budgets need to be carefully monitored to ensure we don’t overspend, and that we send the majority of your media spend to campaigns that perform. Limiting wasted spend on irrelevant keywords or locations is important in ensuring our clients get bang for their buck.
Campaign structure
A well-structured campaign allows for better control over budget allocation, targeting, and performance tracking. The first thing we do with new SEM clients is review their setup and recommend improvements that deliver more relevant ads. The resulting improved campaign structure means improved metrics across the board - a higher quality score, lower cost per click, higher click-through rates, and importantly, higher ROI.
Bid management
These days there are so many ways to bid. Manually setting bids has been replaced in most cases by automated bidding strategies, from bidding on clicks and conversions, to targeting CPA and ROAS (return on ad spend). Our SEM experts understand the pros and cons of each strategy and how to choose the ideal blend of bidding strategies for your campaigns to ensure your ads are competitively positioned.
A/B testing
By identifying which elements of an ad are most effective, we can create winning campaigns that drive traffic, leads, and sales for our clients. A/B testing allows us to pit two different versions against each other to see which comes out on top. It's an effective way to improve the performance of your campaigns, and the best part is that the data doesn't lie!
Industry-recognised digital agency
Why choose Rocket for search engine marketing?
We’re an SEM agency of 50+ digital specialists with a proven record of building award- winning campaigns across Google and Bing.
Award history unmatched by other agencies
Our history of winning SEM awards reflects our expertise in this field. With multiple Google Premier Partner Awards, SEMrush Awards, and B&T Awards, our commitment to excellence showcases our ability to deliver top-notch results for our clients.
Dedicated and certified team of experts
Our team consists of highly-skilled and certified professionals with years of experience in managing SEM campaigns. We're committed to staying on top of industry trends and implementing the latest techniques to maximise the performance of your ad campaigns.
Partnerships with leading search engines
Rocket is a Google Premier Partner, a title awarded to only 3% of all agencies in Australia. We were Australia's first Bing Select Partner, pioneering advertising on this platform. Furthermore, we're recognised for our commitment to clients at the Google Premier Partner Awards.
Data-driven approach
At Rocket Agency, we have a proven track record of developing effective SEM strategies and optimising accounts for maximum performance. We continually refine and optimise campaigns to ensure our clients receive the best possible results.
Search campaigns that increase leads and customers for…
Shopping campaigns are important for the majority of online stores, but at Rocket we will often recommend complementing these with search campaigns. Search allows you to expand your reach, as many searchers prefer to begin their research by gathering information through a search query.
As well as targeting users with different intent, search ads also allow advertisers to use a wider range of ad formats. At Rocket Agency, experience in running ad campaigns for online retail has taught us that using search and shopping in combination allows us to create a cohesive marketing strategy that covers different touchpoints in a customer’s journey.
As part of a successful strategy for local businesses like restaurants, salons and gyms, we will often use search campaigns to reach customers in their vicinity.
By optimising for location-specific keywords, Rocket can get you to appear in local search results and provide essential information like operating hours and contact details to potential customers.
Throw in location targeting, local and call extensions, and GMB integrations - we know all the tips and tricks to drive foot traffic to your store or appointment bookings.
SaaS companies will often seek to educate potential customers about their products through informational content. Top-of-funnel search campaigns promoting white papers, ebooks and blog content can attract potential customers and collect valuable contact information for follow-up through other channels.
At Rocket, we’ve been successful in helping clients create high-quality and beautifully-designed content of this nature and promoting it through search marketing.
At Rocket, we know how important it is to generate high quality leads and clients for your business. With in-depth local SEO implementation, we will help you reach customers who are actively searching for your products and services in your local area.
These higher intent, geographically localised searches ultimately increase the quality of leads and clients interacting with your business!
Considered one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies, SEO can expand brand awareness among locals by optimising a business's online presence for local search terms.
Implementing a thorough local SEO strategy will allow you to reach audiences you could otherwise miss with a more generic website or Google My Business profile.
Partner with the best SEM agency in Sydney
Let’s talk
Speak to one of our Senior Consultants to clarify your marketing objectives.
Launch campaigns
Our SEM experts will develop a bespoke strategy and work with designers and copywriters to launch your ad campaigns in-market.
Drive leads and sales
Watch your return on investment grow as our team minimises your cost per click and maximises conversions from your search ads.
Rocket has been featured in:
Latest Google Reviews
Visit Our Office
Our Sydney office is located in the creative heart of Surry Hills, just a 3-minute walk from Central Station. You'll find Rocket's second home in QV Melbourne, right near the State Library. If you're nearby, we'd love to catch up over a coffee.
We’d love to help you get the most from your search campaigns.
Drop us a line.
Search Engine Marketing FAQs
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) works by utilising various techniques to increase a website's visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract targeted traffic.
Here's a general overview of how SEM works:
The process begins with keyword research. It involves identifying the keywords and phrases that are relevant to a business, products, or services. These keywords are used to optimise the website's content and to create targeted ads.
Based on keyword research, campaigns are set up in which advertisers choose to bid on specific keywords or phrases, and their ads are displayed on the search engine results pages when users search for those keywords. Advertisers only pay when someone clicks on their ad.
In terms of ads, the aim is to create compelling copy to appear in the search results, attract users' attention and entice them to click. Ad extensions, such as site links, call buttons, or location information, can enhance the ad's visibility and provide additional relevant information to users.
Search engines, such as Google Ads, use an auction system to determine which ads appear on the SERPs. The auction takes into account factors like the bid amount, ad quality, and relevance to determine the ad's position and visibility.
When a user clicks on an ad, they are directed to a specific landing page on the advertiser's website. Optimising landing pages for conversions and user experience is important for maximising the effectiveness of SEM campaigns. The landing page should be relevant to the ad and provide clear calls-to-action to encourage users to take desired actions, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.
SEM requires ongoing monitoring and optimisation to improve performance. Analysing key metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS) allows advertisers to gauge the effectiveness of their campaigns.
SEM used to cover a broader range of strategies that encompass both paid and organic methods to promote a website through search engines, but these days is used more often than not to refer to paid advertising on search engines. SEO specifically refers to the optimisation techniques used to improve a website's visibility and organic (unpaid) rankings on SERPs (search engine results pages).
PPC is a specific advertising model that falls under the SEM umbrella. It refers to a form of online advertising in which advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. Essentially, advertisers bid on keywords relevant to their target audience, and their ads are displayed on search engine results pages or other websites. When a user clicks on the ad, the advertiser is charged for that click.
This is not the only pricing model within SEM. It is possible to pay per ad impression (CPM), per goal completion (CPA) or in some cases flat rates are possible.
Likewise, PPC does not only relate to search engine marketing. Pricing strategies within social media platforms also allow payment per click, per impression and so on.
- SEM enables precise audience targeting. Advertisers can define their target audience based on various factors such as location, demographics, interests, and search intent. This ensures that ads are displayed to users who are more likely to be interested in their products or services, maximising the chances of generating relevant traffic and potential leads.
- Unlike organic search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts, which may take time to yield results, SEM can provide almost instant visibility and traffic. Ad campaigns can be set up quickly, and once approved, ads are displayed immediately to the target audience. This makes SEM an effective option for businesses seeking immediate online exposure and results.
- SEM campaigns offer robust tracking and analytics capabilities. Advertisers can monitor various metrics, such as impressions, clicks, click-through rates (CTR), conversions, and return on investment (ROI). This data provides valuable insights into the performance of campaigns, allowing for ongoing optimisation and refinement.
- SEM provides control over advertising costs. Advertisers can set daily or campaign-level budgets and bid amounts for keywords, ensuring they spend within their budget limits. Additionally, since advertisers pay per click (CPC) in most cases, they only pay when someone clicks on their ad, which helps manage costs and ensure they are paying for actual engagement.
- SEM offers flexibility and customisation options. Advertisers can create tailored ad campaigns, ad copy, and landing pages to align with their marketing objectives and target audience. They can also make adjustments to campaigns in real-time, modify bids, test different ad variations, and experiment with different targeting options.
- SEM enables businesses to compete effectively in the online market. Even if competitors have stronger organic rankings, SEM allows businesses to appear prominently in search results, potentially outranking competitors and capturing the attention of users searching for related products or services.
Determining the appropriate budget for SEM can depend on various factors, including business goals, industry competitiveness, target audience, and available resources.
By being clear of your objectives, researching keyword costs in your industry, being realistic in terms of budget, and then testing and optimising once you go live, you should get a good idea of what you might need to spend.
Do be aware that the more data the ads platforms can gather, the better the results they will generally get for you, so small budgets which limit the number of clicks you can acquire tend not to lead to great performance.
Speak to our team at Rocket Agency about running an audit on your ads account to advise on an approximate SEM budget for your campaigns.
