【SEM Cost & Pricing】
Singapore Search Engine Marketing Price Guide 2021
SEM is the abbreviation of Search Engine Marketing. It is a practice of generating and converting web traffic by boosting visibility of a site in Search Engine Result Pages (SERP) or leveraging content networks. Mainstream SEMs currently on the market include keyword click ads (PPC) such as Google Adwords and paid inclusion ads (PFI). Unlike traditional banner advertising which relies on forced exposure, SEM relies on targeting prospects through relevancy and interest, which explains why it is one of the most effective marketing methods currently available.
Since advertisers are charged on a per-click basis, advertisements need to well-targeted so as to maximize conversion of the right audience and reduce wastage of advertising dollars. This requires an optimal combination of the right keywords, delivery timing, target audience, content quality, and relevance. It requires considerable experience and resources to manage, so engaging professional SEM agencies are recommended for best results.
【SEM Cost, Rate Comparison】
| Simple | General | Challenging | |
| Channel | Google Adwords, Google Display Network | Google Adwords, Google Display Network | Google Adwords, Google Display Network |
| Monthly budget (custom) | From SGD 2,000 to SGD 4,000 per month | From SGD 5,000 to SGD 10,000 | SGD 10,000 or more |
| Copywriting | Included | Included | Included |
| Image | Generally included | Included | Included |
| Video | Additional charge | Additional charge | Generally additional charges |
| Result analysis, report | General analysis report | Detailed analysis report | Detailed analysis report |
| Project period | There are no restrictions, but we recommend trying 3-6 months first to see how effective it is. | There are no restrictions, but we recommend trying 3-6 months first to see how effective it is. | There are no restrictions, but we recommend trying 3-6 months first to see how effective it is. |
| Suitable for | Preliminary trial/Initial growth | Medium-sized business/Substantial growth | Medium to large enterprises/High growth |
*Substantial service details are subject to the signed contract
Why is 2Easy superior to other platforms?
1. Personalized recommendation
Several services matching platforms in the market adopt a first-come-first-served system, that means, clients receive bids from quick responding service provider, but not the right one. We believe that it's not an appropriate matching system when comes to SEM projects, as they are more complicated and do not meet clients' needs.
2. Only quality agencies exclude freelancers
Unlike other service matching platforms, they do not have quality control over their service providers. You can only find excellent quality search engine marketing companies on the 2Easy platform excluding Freelancer. All company portfolio and service quality are certified by the 2Easy strict quality assurance team.
What are the potential risks searching for search engine marketing agencies online?
In general, 7 out of 10 business clients are dissatisfied with the service providers they find. Different from other low-skilled services (such as appliance repair and cleaning), SEM is varied and complicated. Service providers claim that their services meet clients' need. In fact, customers do not understand service providers' skills, past clients, previous experience, etc. There are plenty of agencies in the market, and 2Easy is a third-party appraiser to verify their quality with a full grasp of the market information. We follow up with projects of different clients, allowing us to gain a wealth of experience and Insider information to handpick the most suitable agencies for our customers, thus greatly reduce the risk of project failure.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is a kind of online marketing that increases the visibility of your websites in search engine results pages (SERPs) primarily through paid advertising and other forms of web promotion.
Charges for Search Engine Marketing:
1. Management fees:
The management fees of marketing agencies generally range from 10% to 25% of total expenses, depending on the customer's budget and the quality of the marketing company. 2. Advertising charges by Search Engine Vendors:
The advertising fees charged by search engine vendors accounts for the majority of total expenses, depending on the keywords and delivery time. Keywords that are in demand will cost more to bid for. Based on past experience, the average monthly search engine advertising fee for SMEs to achieve positive results in Singapore averages SGD 2,500. The role of the search engine marketing agency is to maximize conversion rates for the allotted advertising budget.
The management fees of marketing agencies generally range from 10% to 25% of total expenses, depending on the customer's budget and the quality of the marketing company. 2. Advertising charges by Search Engine Vendors:
The advertising fees charged by search engine vendors accounts for the majority of total expenses, depending on the keywords and delivery time. Keywords that are in demand will cost more to bid for. Based on past experience, the average monthly search engine advertising fee for SMEs to achieve positive results in Singapore averages SGD 2,500. The role of the search engine marketing agency is to maximize conversion rates for the allotted advertising budget.
Features and Services of SEM:
As a manager who controls the advertising resources, the high-quality SEM service provider SEM marketing service will analyze the research keywords and calculate the value of the keyword to measure whether it is worth to be marketed, or whether to adjust keyword selection and delivery time. Especially in the research and testing of target customers, quality of writing, and relevance, all of which must be professional in order to accurately deliver advertisements that achieve the best cost-effectiveness.
In addition to SEM and PPC, 2Easy believes that the site should also be well-designed for SEO, ensuring that the site is logged into the major free search engines. See the SEO Search Engine Optimization Price Guide for details.
In addition to SEM and PPC, 2Easy believes that the site should also be well-designed for SEO, ensuring that the site is logged into the major free search engines. See the SEO Search Engine Optimization Price Guide for details.
Additional services for SEM:
PPC is just one of the many methods for online marketing. An integrated and optimized marketing strategy may need to include social media marketing and search engine optimization as well. If you need other service providers to help optimize your marketing strategy, additional charges may apply. Please see the Social Media Marketing Price Guide and the SEO Price Guide for details.
SEM Payment Schedule:
In general, SEM services are charged in stages.
1. Recommended by 2Easy
According to clients' needs, 2Easy will recommend 2-3 most suitable agencies for free. Client and agency have a preliminary discussion and understand their company background and project details. Then, the agency delivers a proposal and quotation.
2. Client makes a hiring decision and a deposit payment
Client selects the most desirable agency, signs the contract and makes a deposit payment. (2Easy also offers an optional Escrow payment service. The client makes the first payment to 2Easy, 2Easy only releases the payment after the agency has accomplished and delivered the work, and it is approved by the client.)
3. Complete the initial phase, the second payment schedule due
Upon completion of the initial phase, the client makes the second payment if it's been approved.
4. Service completed
If the client is satisfied with the service, a new contract can be signed to extend the service.
1. Recommended by 2Easy
According to clients' needs, 2Easy will recommend 2-3 most suitable agencies for free. Client and agency have a preliminary discussion and understand their company background and project details. Then, the agency delivers a proposal and quotation.
2. Client makes a hiring decision and a deposit payment
Client selects the most desirable agency, signs the contract and makes a deposit payment. (2Easy also offers an optional Escrow payment service. The client makes the first payment to 2Easy, 2Easy only releases the payment after the agency has accomplished and delivered the work, and it is approved by the client.)
3. Complete the initial phase, the second payment schedule due
Upon completion of the initial phase, the client makes the second payment if it's been approved.
4. Service completed
If the client is satisfied with the service, a new contract can be signed to extend the service.
Hire a SEM marketing company
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Client Reviews
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
QUESTION 1：How can 2Easy helps finding online marketing agencies?
There are three key reasons:
1. 2Easy accurately assesses the pros and cons of different agencies and reduces the risk of failures:
Many corporate customers end up with disappointing results when sourcing for SEM companies without expertise. The quality of most SEM agencies sourced online is highly inconsistent, and the typical client may not be able to accurately ascertain their capabilities. 2Easy ensures the quality of each agency by evaluating their prior works and portfolios. On top of this, we are also stringent in verifying their backgrounds, operational scale and strengths.
2. 2Easy can recommend the most suitable developers based on clear understanding of client needs:
Each developer has different strengths and areas of expertise, and a good match is critical to ensure successful project delivery. 2Easy also has an established network of independent developers with full knowledge of their capabilities and expertise. Armed with clear requirements from the client, 2Easy can carefully select and recommend the most competent and well-suited marketer for each task, greatly reducing time, cost and risk for the client.
3. Data-driven agencies appointments and 2Easy's expert advice:
On the 2Easy platform, clients can monitor their project status or view agency ratings and reviews to identify the best agency for them. We also collect data from all our companies and translate these into meaningful charts and diagrams. Along with our expert advice, you can quickly gain clarity and understanding of the market and be confident of appointing the SEM agencies we recommend.
1. 2Easy accurately assesses the pros and cons of different agencies and reduces the risk of failures:
Many corporate customers end up with disappointing results when sourcing for SEM companies without expertise. The quality of most SEM agencies sourced online is highly inconsistent, and the typical client may not be able to accurately ascertain their capabilities. 2Easy ensures the quality of each agency by evaluating their prior works and portfolios. On top of this, we are also stringent in verifying their backgrounds, operational scale and strengths.
2. 2Easy can recommend the most suitable developers based on clear understanding of client needs:
Each developer has different strengths and areas of expertise, and a good match is critical to ensure successful project delivery. 2Easy also has an established network of independent developers with full knowledge of their capabilities and expertise. Armed with clear requirements from the client, 2Easy can carefully select and recommend the most competent and well-suited marketer for each task, greatly reducing time, cost and risk for the client.
3. Data-driven agencies appointments and 2Easy's expert advice:
On the 2Easy platform, clients can monitor their project status or view agency ratings and reviews to identify the best agency for them. We also collect data from all our companies and translate these into meaningful charts and diagrams. Along with our expert advice, you can quickly gain clarity and understanding of the market and be confident of appointing the SEM agencies we recommend.
QUESTION 2：Which type of company is the 2Easy platform most suited for?
1. SMEs all the way to large multinational companies:
2Easy is a qualified and professional platform specializing in servicing corporations. If your project is quite small in scale (e.g.monthly budget less than SGD 700), we recommend sourcing for independent freelancers.
2. Customers who need multiple quotes at the same time:
Some companies require projects to go through a series of tendering procedures, including quotations and proposals from multiple agencies for comparison. 2Easy is perfect in this scenario. Simply tell us the requirements of your project and the number of quotations required, we will select the appropriate companies for submissions.
3. Companies sourcing for new SEM agencies:
It is a norm for companies to rotate through different SEM agencies on a regular basis. This practice increases the enterprise’s exposure to new technologies and trends. In our fast-paced business environment where consumers are ever-hungry for change, continuous evolution is a core driver for many businesses. 2Easy understands and can recommend innovative agencies who will help you push the boundaries.
2Easy is a qualified and professional platform specializing in servicing corporations. If your project is quite small in scale (e.g.monthly budget less than SGD 700), we recommend sourcing for independent freelancers.
2. Customers who need multiple quotes at the same time:
Some companies require projects to go through a series of tendering procedures, including quotations and proposals from multiple agencies for comparison. 2Easy is perfect in this scenario. Simply tell us the requirements of your project and the number of quotations required, we will select the appropriate companies for submissions.
3. Companies sourcing for new SEM agencies:
It is a norm for companies to rotate through different SEM agencies on a regular basis. This practice increases the enterprise’s exposure to new technologies and trends. In our fast-paced business environment where consumers are ever-hungry for change, continuous evolution is a core driver for many businesses. 2Easy understands and can recommend innovative agencies who will help you push the boundaries.
QUESTION 3：How much does SEM cost?
There are two associated fees: The advertising cost on Google and the management fee charged by the marketing company. Google makes the advertising costs, which accounts for 70% - 85% of the total bill. The client's budget decides the final amount of advertising costs. Marketing companies make 15-30% of the final bill, named management fee. In general, the experience and capability of a marketing agency determine their charges.
QUESTION 4：Do you still need SEM marketing when working on SEO?
SEO and SEM are entirely different, but they can be successful complementary strategies. Your marketing campaign can potentially achieve the best result if you improve the web contents through SEO, optimize the website structure and then run an aggressive promotion campaign through SEM. By doing so, whenever new products launched, they will gain the highest exposure.
QUESTION 5：What is the click-through rate of Google keyword ads?
According to survey results, the click-through rate of search engine keyword ads is somewhere between 3% and 10% but highly depends on the title and description of the ad, the products you offer, the perks that lure customers, and more.