Calling Out The Most Common Mistakes In SEM For Cybersecurity

It’s no secret that search engine marketing (SEM) is one of the most effective ways for cybersecurity brands to boost awareness and expand their commercial reach.

Yeah, SEM is a pretty epic inbound marketing tool, to say the least. With Google processing a colossal 8.5 billion searches every single do (no, that’s not a typo), creating content for the most relevant key terms within your niche will accelerate your cybersecurity brand’s growth in a big way—if you do it right.

According to around 57% of the world’s leading B2B marketers, SEM strategies drive the most leads out of any other promotional discipline. But, hey—this may not be news to you.

You may be aware of the value SEM for cybersecurity can drive in an increasingly digital age. You may even be doing it for yourself. But do you know what not to do when it comes to cybersecurity SEM strategies?

Knowing what not to do will give you a clear path to success. And guess what? We’re going to give you a push in the right direction by looking at the most common mistakes to avoid when it comes to SEM and cybersecurity.

Oh, and there’s a quiz to try so you can test out your knowledge at the end (exciting, indeed).

1. Missing the mark with your keywords

First up—we have keywords. As an integral part of any solid cybersecurity SEM strategy, digging deep and finding relevant keywords for your content is essential. The thing is, so many cybersecurity brands get it wrong.

The problem? Going for really generic keywords with a high search competition or using key terms that don’t match the aim of your content. Oh, and stuffing as many keywords as you can into a piece of content and hoping it zooms to the top of the Google charts.

For instance, if you’re producing an informational landing page about the perils of phishing and what to look out for with the aim of driving awareness to your cyber protection solution, using the term phishing or phishing scam alone will not cut the mustard.

It’s too broad, too generic, and you’ll probably sink to the bottom of the search engine rankings. Instead, weaving key terms like what is phishing, anti-phishing tips, and anti-phishing solutions are far more likely to get you places.

So, dont…

• Be too vague with your key terms

• Go for keywords with too much traffic competition
• Stuff them into your content. Value and readability over keywords every darn time

2. Poor bid management tactics

Another common cybersecurity SEM blunder is messing up with your bid management efforts. And it’s a costly one—both in terms of time and budget.

Overspending and underspending when bidding for paid SEM advertising key terms are both budget sappers. 

Why? Well, because overbidding can drain your budget quicker than a busted pipe with little return. And underspending will often diminish your budget over time like a leaky tap because you’ll be spending money on bids that you just won’t win.

So, in addition to setting a clear-cut SEM bidding budget (and sticking to it), here are some insider tips to help you hit the sweet spot…

• Use bid adjustment parameters to tweak the size of your bids in line with ever-moving factors like location, target demographics, time of day, and device type
• Balance out your broad match keyword bids (for reaching a wider audience) and exact match keywords (for highly targeted content) to get the best return on investment (ROI). Basically, don’t put all of your keyword eggs in one digital basket
• Try trusted bid automation tools and software that align with your cybersecurity business’s size, scope, and SEM goals. Put in the right parameters, set your tools to work, and optimize your bidding efforts like a boss

3. Overlooking the negative (keywords)

Sometimes, you have to look at the negatives—cybersecurity for SEM is no exception. And in this context, we’re talking about negative keywords.

When it comes to paid SEM tactics, negative keywords are a direct way of excluding irrelevant search terms from your campaigns. In doing so, you’ll improve your rankings, keep your SEM budget flowing, and attract quality search traffic that may actually lead to conversions.

So many cybersecurity brands fail to clue themselves up on the power of negative keywords and don’t use them in their campaign copy. But not you. Not anymore.

For instance, you might build a list of negative keywords that looks like this:

• Forensics
• Computer software
• Social media
• Online shopping
• Streaming
• Gaming

These are just suggestions to help you get started. You can also add direct competitor names to your negative keyword list.

Do your research. Go nuts, and the results will follow.

4.  Not testing your cybersecurity SEM content

Content is the heart of any cybersecurity SEM campaign. If you fall short with your search-based content marketing activities, you may as well not have bothered.

Putting your best foot forward

SEM content that sings offers direct value to the target reader. It isn’t relentlessly stuffed with keywords, isn’t packed with niche cybersecurity industry jargon—and it isn’t a generic one-size-fits-all affair.

Whether it is a piece of social media copy, a paid search ad, a landing page, an email or a B2B marketing blog post, being specific, showcasing your knowledge, and matching your reader’s search intent (the reason they’ve visited your page in the first place) are SEM non-negotiables. Oh, and there’s another thing.

Testing for the best

So many cybersecurity brands overlook the importance of A/B testing. Using a dedicated tool, A/B testing is basically testing two versions of the same piece of content to see which elements perform best.

You distribute both versions to a specific segment of your target audience to see which messaging, layout, and design features work best.

Then, you create an optimized version based on your A/B testing results. The reason this is important is that SEM isn’t just about ranking for keywords. It’s about meeting peoples’ needs, making it easy for them to find a solution, and creating positive engagement.

Lead with value

Did we mention this already? All of your SEM campaign content has to offer real value. It should be well-formatted and optimized for the right keywords. 

But remember, a human being will read this, so it has better be easy to read and prompt your readers to take the right course of action. You know, sign up for your newsletter, join your online community group, commit to a subscription…you know the drill.

FYI (for your inspiration): Take this how to avoid phishing attacks-themed content from Lepide, for example. It’s easy to read, well-structured, offers actionable information, and the right keywords are woven into the content. That’s why it ranks high.

Read: Our library of Directive Success Stories to see how we help our tech clients thrive in an increasingly fast-paced digital landscape.

Take our quiz. Share your insights on cyber security and SEM.

We’ve covered what not to do for SEM success as a cybersecurity brand—now we’re shining the torch on you.

We’ve put together a quick-fire quiz on SEM for cybersecurity for you to try. And there’s a twist. This quiz is a chance to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject.

Once we’ve gathered all of the answers we need from industry go-getters like yourself, we’ll put them together and send the results straight to your inbox. Doing so will give us all a greater insight into SEM for cybersecurity brands so we can improve our efforts and thrive together.

So, take the quiz, share your valued opinions and play your part in pushing the SEM envelope forward. Over to you.