SEO
OMG Article Directory Google Slapdown!!!
July and August were terrific months traffic wise, the best we have ever had over here at ArticleSnatch.com. It was a nice test of scale for the platform that we are running on. At the end of August we noticed something that other sites have seen – the dread Google Slap!
Google Slap
Toward the [...]
Ten Top Stories from SES London 2009
Last week, I attended SES London 2009. For those of you who couldn’t attend this must-attend event, here are the ten top stories from the conference and expo held at the Business Design Centre in Islington:
1. The top story was the opening keynote by Matt Mason, author of The Pirate’s Dilemna: How Youth Culture Reinvented Capitalism. Chloe Temple of Tamar covered the keynote in her post, “SES London 2009 – Day 1 summary.” She wrote, “SES London 2009 kicked off to a flying start, with an interesting choice in keynote speaker, Matt Mason, who gave us a summary of his book The Pirate’s Dilemma. Not specifically targeted to an SEM audience, Matt presented his idea that businesses should embrace piracy rather than going to war with it.”
Byron Gordon of SEO-PR interviewed Mason after his keynote about the history of piracy as well as its pros and cons. Mason reiterated why it is important for companies today to embrace piracy by competing with it. Mason also talked about the future of piracy and how he would like to see copyright laws changed to reflect the new information economy.
Matt Mason – Author: The Pirate’s Dilemma, speaks on piracy at SES London
2. The second top story of SES London 2009 was the Orion Panel on SEO — Where to Next? Paul Madden, an SEO Consultant in the UK also known as SEOidiot, covered the session for Search Marketing Gurus in a post entitled, “SES London – Orion Panel – SEO Where to Next?“
3. The third top story of SES London 2009 was the Orion Panel on Measuring Success in a 2.0 World. David Wilding of the Epiphany Search Marketing Blog captured the news in his roundup of “Search Engine Strategies London 2009 – Day One.” He observed, “One point that may surprise many that don’t work day to day in the world of SEO is the view of Google Analytics that came across in this question and answer session.” It was called, a “jack of all trades” and a “one size fits all solution.”
I interviewed John Marshall, the CTO of Market Motive, who was one of the panelists in this session. Marshall said Google analytics is a limited tool. John indicated that in a 2.0 world, there are details on your website that don’t actually live on the website, such as YouTube videos, and Google analytics doesn’t analyze this data. Marshall advocated a more realistic approach to measuring data and is a big believer in using competitive analysis. John also cited particular competitive analysis vendors that he likes.
John Marshall, CTO, Market Motive, on measuring success in a Web 2.0 world
4. The next top story was written by Mel Carson, Microsoft’s adCenter Community Manager for Europe. He wrote a post for the Microsoft adCenter Blog and Forum Community entitled, “IAB Search Engine Marketing Best Practice Session – SES London.” In his post, Carson said, “Islington’s Business Design Centre is a hive of search marketing activity, with sessions on SEO, PPC and Social Media all contributing to a vibrant learning pot.”
5. Another top story was by Magne Uppman of Uppman.net, which was entitled, “The Twitter Wave At SES London.” According to Uppman, a Norwegian online marketer, “Since the last time I attended a major conference, Twitter has really grown big. In fact, you can now get a pretty good glimpse of the news and tips presented only by following the conference on Twitter.”
6. The next top story was Rand Fishkin’s post on the SEOmoz blog, “Some Interesting Tips and Tidbits from SES London Day 1.” According to Fishkin, the CEO of SEOmoz.org, “For the first time in a good while, I managed to spend a few hours sitting in sessions here in London, re-absorbing some information and even picking up a few new bits here and there. Short post, but I figured if it’s new/interesting to me, it might also be enjoyable to others (hopefully).”
7. Another top story was written by Philippe Schaillée of SearchCowboys, entitled, “Social Media Optimization – SES London 2009.” The Dutch blogger wrote, “Everyone’s on the Social networks. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and MySpace have become household names.”
8. The next top story was written by Zac of the Apple Pie & Custard blog. It is entitled, “The foundations of Video SEO.” According to the UK blogger, “Yesterday at the SES Conference in London Amanda Watlington and Joseph Morin discussed the best practices for optimising your video content.”
9. Another top story, which appeared in the Efficient Frontier Blog, was entitled simply, “SES London.” It said, “London this week saw the spectacle that is Search Engine Strategies. As the first big search conference gracing the 2009 London Calendar, industry analysts observed it with a keen eye as the benchmark for confidence in the sector. Delegate numbers certainly looked healthy on both advertiser and agency side.”
10. Last, but not least, was the blog post by Andrew Girdwood entitled, “PRWeb UK launches during SES London.” According to Birdwood, “Search Engine Strategies was a good event to launch at. PRWeb now have a UK offering.”
These were just the ten top stories from SES London 2009. For a comprehensive list, go to the Search Engine Strategies Blog. And these are just the initial video interviews to be posted to SESConferenceExpo’s Channel on Youtube. If you want to be alerted when new videos are uploaded, just subscribe.
Mobile Search Training Workshop at SES London 2009
In addition to more than 40 conference sessions at Search Engine Strategies London on Feb. 17-19, 2009, there will also be four SEM and SEO training workshops at SES London on Friday, Feb. 20, 2009.
These four-hour workshops provide the in-depth training you need to become (and remain!) a top performer in your field. The small class setting also ensures that your instructor is accessible for informal one-on-one or small group discussions.
One of the training workshops should be of particular interest to UK and European marketers – because it is in a field of search that is more advanced in Great Britain and on the Continent than its is back on my side of the pond. It’s the field of mobile search and the training workshop is entitled, “Mobile Marketing 101.”
The session will focus on mobile SEO, but will also touch on driving traffic and conversions with mobile applications, text messaging and mobile email. You will learn what you need to know to develop, launch and track a mobile marketing strategy.
After attending this workshop, you will be able to:
• Understand how mobile marketing fits into the traditional and online marketing mix
• Determine what mobile marketing strategy is most appropriate for your target market
• Update your existing site to be found and used on a variety of mobile devices
• Choose a mobile site architecture that will work for your site and your customers
• Direct mobile meta crawlers and mobile users to mobile content
• Author meta data that ranks well in mobile search and is compelling for mobile searchers
• Leverage local and universal search results in mobile search engines
• Provide a good mobile user experience for all mobile devices
• Test mobile websites to ensure they render correctly across different devices
• Track and evaluate your mobile success
• Anticipate future opportunities in mobile marketing.
The instructor is Cindy Krum, the Founder and CEO of Rank-Mobile, LLC. She will also be speaking at SES London 2009 during the “Mobile Search Update – The Next Generation,” which will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009.
Cindy writes for industry publications, and has been published in Website Magazine, Advertising & Marketing Review, Search Engine Land, and ODG Intelligence. She also currently serves as the co-chair of the SEMPO Emerging Technologies Mobile Web Task Force.
Byron Gordon of SEO-PR interviewed her at SES Chicago 2008 about both the Mobile Search Update – The Next Generation conference session as well as her Mobile Marketing 101 training workshop at SES London 2009.
Cindy Krum, Rank-Mobile, previews SES London 2009!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG-eOWzSmNE
If you watch the video interview, Cindy says the training workshop is being held on her birthday and she’ll be bringing a cake. Let’s see if the instructors for the other three SEM and SEO training workshops try to top that.
Why Retailers Should Be Day Trippers to SES Chicago
Okay, so I’m an old Beatles fan. But there are lots of very current reasons why retailers should consider becoming day trippers to Search Engine Strategies Chicago next week.
Hidden in plain sight on the rates & registration details page is this nifty option: “One-Day Package” for SES conference sessions is $895. I’m not making this up. Check it out for yourself.
And which day might a retailer consider being a day tripper? Check out the SES Chicago Agenda Overview and retailers will see two options.
The first is Tuesday, Dec. 9. You can start with the morning keynote presentation by Bill Tancer, General Manager of Global Research at Hitwise and author of “Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters.”
Bill is going to talk primarily about what search term data can tell us about the economy and consumer sentiment. He’ll also spend some time on finding insights on the effect of an economic downturn on search. You could get an ROI on your day trip just by attending the keynote.
But wait! There’s more!
Tuesday features a Retailer Track. There are three sessions focused on:
Squeeze More Sales Out of Your Existing Online Campaigns
Given the economic downturn, learn how companies are using the latest tools, like Google Website Optimizer and others, to maximize online sales without increasing their ad spend. Three internet retailing companies will discuss how they are increasing the ROI of their ad campaigns in these tight budgetary times.
• Moderator: Kayden Kelly, CEO, Blast Advanced Media
• Speakers:
Chris Benson, CTO, AudioEditions.com
Todd Curry, VP of Marketing, ifbyphone
Sandra Niehaus, VP, User Experience and Creative Director, Closed Loop Marketing
Google Site Search: Fast, Relevant, Customized Search Results for Your Website
Over the past decade, website search has increased in importance from a technical feature to a core marketing and sales asset. End-users are increasingly losing patience with multiple navigation options on websites and are looking to search as the answer. To this end, Google’s Nitin Mangtani will be discussing how customers are using Google Site Search to grow their businesses and how you can do the same for yours in this sponsored session.
A Case Study From American Greetings: Rethinking Optimization
What happens when you combine thousands of keywords across 2 engines with 3 products and a single, optimized landing page? Nothing much really. In this session, attendees will learn how American Greetings became post-click marketing mavens by discovering the inherent value of AdGroup-level testing and iteration for increased lift. American Greetings and ion interactive will explain how and why they moved from a single optimized landing page to testing over 40 landing pages tightly matched to each individual search AdGroup–enabling them to deliver the right content to the right people in the most compelling format. Attendees will hear real American Greetings examples — what worked and what didn’t — that achieved increased engagement, increased conversions and increased behavioral data that impacted their bottom line. Session takeaways include best practices for running simple, high-impact A/B tests that any front-line marketer can easily implement and understand.
• Moderator: Rebecca Lieb, Contributing Editor, ClickZ
• Speakers:
Tessa Fraser, Marketing Manager, Online Media, American Greetings
Anna Talerico, Executive Vice President, ion interactive
Now, if retailers have a conflict on Tuesday, then they should check out what’s being offered on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
The morning starts with a keynote by Josh James, President and Chief Executive Officer of Omniture. The title of his presentation is “Avoiding the Chasm of ‘Anticipointment’” To drive to the next level of conversion and optimization, Josh thinks it’s time for online marketers to consider the entire marketing value chain and bridge the gap between ads and a personalized, relevant online experience for each visitor.
Then there is a Vertical and Retail Track that features sessions on:
Advanced B2B
Forget consumers. You want leads! Leads that become opportunities that convert into booked business! Join our seasoned panel of B2B marketing professionals as they share the latest tips and trends in using search to find those niche decision-makers that drive your business.
• Moderator: Aaron Kahlow, Chairman & Founder, Online Marketing Summit
• Speakers:
Karen Breen Vogel, President and CEO, ClearGauge
Patricia Hursh, President & Founder, SmartSearch Marketing
Adam S. Goldberg, Chief Innovation Officer, Clearsaleing
Getting Vertical Search Right
The need for specialized search capabilities has never been more prevalent than it is today. Established leaders and experts in vertical search application and execution will discuss the state of the industry, positive and negative experiences, and best practices for answering needs of today’s demanding searchers.
• Moderator: Elisabeth Osmeloski, Founder, AdventuresinSearch.com
• Speakers:
Paul Forster, CEO, Indeed
John Ellis, Senior Online Marketing Manager, ResortQuest
Jeff Tinsley, CEO, Reunion.com
Shopping Search Tactics
Learn how content from your e-commerce or merchant site can – and should! – be included in shopping search engines.
• Moderator: Brian A. Smith, Analyst, ComparisonEngines
• Speakers:
Greg Hintz, General Manager, Yahoo! Shopping
Jonathan Ashton, VP of SEO & Web Analytics, Agency.com
Dave Moran, Sr. Manager Search Marketing, Performics
Aaron Shear, Partner, Boost Search Marketing
In House: Lessons Learned & Victories Won
As Search Engine Marketing (SEM) grows in popularity, many companies are attempting to handle the SEM function in-house despite the inherent complexity and challenges. Join us for a spirited discussion and get a chance to meet some of these intrepid do-it-yourselfers behind the in-house movement, as we debate the pros and cons of developing and training a dedicated in-house team. Laying the foundation for in-house SEO success, long-term cost savings, gaining project support at the executive level, leveraging innate knowledge and creating accountability are just some of the topics to be discussed.
• Moderator: William Flaiz, VP, Search Engine Optimization & Web Analytics, Razorfish
• Speakers:
Olivier Lemaignen, Group Manager, Global Search Marketing, Intuit
Jessica Bowman, SEO Strategist & in-house SEO Expert, SEMinhouse.com
Maura Ginty, Senior Web Manager, Web Content Team, Autodesk, Inc.
Mark Ruzomberka, Traffic.com
Oh, and the exhibit hall also happen to be open Tuesday and Wednesday, so retailers can what’s new on the show floor.
I think these are some pretty compelling reasons why retailers should consider becoming day trippers to SES Chicago next week. Of course, I’ve got a ticket to ride for the entire week. So, I also think there are some pretty compelling reasons for attending the entire conference and expo.
Get smart at universal search SEO training class in Seattle
Greg Jarboe: Search Engine Strategies (SES) is asking us to teach a full-day SEO training class about “Optimizing for Universal Search” on Thursday, July 17, 2008, at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel, 515 Madison Street, Seattle, WA 98104?
Amanda Watlington: I don’t believe you.
Greg: Would you believe SES is sending us to teach a Google universal search engine optimization training workshop in Microsoft’s backyard?
Amanda: No.
Greg: How about going to Seattle to get a proper cup of coffee?
Amanda: I demand the Cone of Silence!
Greg: Okay, if you insist. I’ll download the Cone of Silence blog widget. So, now that our conversation is enshrouded in a transparent sound-proof shield, what’s the problem?
Amanda: Who in Seattle wants to learn search engine optimization strategies from a couple of SEO experts from Boston?
Greg: Well, our “Optimizing for Universal Search” workshops at SES London and SES New York were well attended. And if British Red Coats and New York Yankees didn’t mind that their SEO classes were taught by a couple of search engine optimization experts from Boston, why should Seattle companies?
Amanda: True, we haven’t dumped their tea in our harbor or faced them in the ALCS. But, give me a couple of specific examples of companies in Seattle that would benefit from sending their search engine optimization specialists, public relations professionals, and corporate video producers to a full-day SEO workshop on universal search taught by a couple of SEO experts from out of town.
Greg: Good idea Amanda – although a comprehensive list would include every member of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. But, conduct a web search using Google for the term, Steve Ballmer, and you’ll see an example of a company in Redmond, Washington, that needs help optimizing for universal search.
Amanda: I see YouTube videos and websites integrated into a single set of results. So, who is responsible for managing this special blend?
Greg: No one is which means anyone could be. I’d hate to be on the receiving end at Waggener Edstrom when one of their largest PR clients calls to ask, “What do you know about blended search?” But, they are not alone. Google the term, Seattle Mariners, and you’ll see that there are a lot of media companies in the Seattle area that have dropped the ball, too.
Amanda: I see news results blended in with the web listings above the fold. But the news sources displayed in the universal search results are from The Associated Press, SportingNews.com, and The Canadian Press, not the Seattle Times, Seattle Post Intelligencer, KING5.com, KOMO, or KIROtv.com.
Greg: Right, and according to Steve Lohr of The New York Times, search engines are “delivering 30 percent or more of the traffic on some newspaper, magazine or television news Web sites. And traffic means readers and advertisers, at a time when the mainstream media is desperately trying to make a living on the Web.”
Amanda: So, we’ve seen YouTube videos and news results blended into universal search results. What about images?
Greg: Ah, the old leading question trick. That’s the second time I’ve fallen for that this week. Well, Google the term, Starbucks logo.
Amanda: I see three images at the top of the search engine results page. Don’t tell me that clicking on any one of the Starbucks logos doesn’t take you to a page in the Starbucks Coffee Company press room.
Greg: Clicking on any one of the Starbucks logos doesn’t take you to a page in the Starbucks Coffee Company press room
Amanda: I asked you not to tell me that. You realize you’ll be facing every kind of danger imaginable if you show this example to Starbucks coffee drinkers?
Greg: And loving it! But wait! There’s more! Use Google to search for the term, Seattle hotels downtown.
Amanda: I see two pushpins on Google Maps. Hold on, the Renaissance Seattle Hotel is missing! Greg, the location of our SEO training class about “Optimizing for Universal Search” isn’t on the map!
Greg: It’s a shame that they didn’t use local SEO instead of web SEO.
Amanda: Okay, you can invert the Cone of Silence. I’m ready to use it as a loudspeaker.
Greg: This is the Search Engine Watch Blog. We don’t “loudspeaker” here.
Amanda: Never mind. I’ll use YouTube. Their slogan is “Broadcast Yourself.” So, where’s the video interview that we conducted about our upcoming SEO training class?
Greg: Missed it by that much!
Amanda: Then, how are we supposed to provide more information about our universal search engine optimization training workshop? Oh, this is utter KAOS!
Greg: Sorry about that Chief! We could try image optimization.
Amanda: That just might work. I hope I wasn’t out of line with that crack about utter KAOS.
Greg: I don’t mind, 99. Let’s just hope that business professionals in Seattle “get smart” and attend our universal search SEO training class.
Greg Jarboe of SEO-PR and Amanda Watlington of Searching
for Profit will teach “Optimizing for Universal Search” in
Seattle on July 17, 2008.
Google Updates SEO Recommendations Article
Google has updated its article entitled, “What’s an SEO? Does Google recommend working with companies that offer to make my site Google-friendly?” Included in the update are the benefits of SEO as well as guidelines when choosing an SEO company or consultant.
The benefits mentioned in the article are:
- Reviewing and providing recommendations on your site content or structure
- Technical advice on website development: for example, hosting, redirects, error pages, use of JavaScript
- Content development
- Managing online business development campaigns
- Keyword research
- SEO training
Google also offers up 6 questions to ask a potential SEO vendor, but back in March, our own Marty Weintraub posted 48 questions you should consider when signing up for search marketing services. And earlier today, Aaron Shear discussed upsells agencies use to keep clients on board.
When hiring an SEO agency, it’s always important to know enough SEO to make sure your vendor is pursuing the best practices. Google’s article is a good place to start and of course, stay tuned to Search Engine Watch for news and tips in the SEO industry.
Search Headlines & Links: April 11, 2008
Want a snapshot of the day’s search marketing news? Here we’ve collected today’s top news stories posted to the Search Engine Watch Blog, along with search-related headlines from around the Web:
From the SEW Blog:
- We May Not Want Standards But FTC May Give Us Some
The standards debate may be in full swing in our industry – but the decisions may be soon taken out of our hands if the FTC continues to define allowable advertising practices. - Yahoo Execs Bad Mouthing AOL!
Guess Yahoo does not want to partner with anyone these days… well apart from their biggest competitor Google. - AdWords Launches New Conversion Tracking Tool
A new update to AdWords tracking has been reported by the guys over at AccuraCast. Seems they have improved the conversion tracking allowing users to separate different things to track to conversion. - As Wifi expands, local and mobile search continue to emerge
Lately, there have been a swarm of announcements regarding Wifi coming to some previously unconnected spots. So what does this mean for Search Engine Marketers? - Microsoft Updates Live Maps and Virtual Earth 3D
Microsoft has announced 11 major updates to their Live Maps and Virtual Earth 3D. - Trellian Acquires Addme.com
Trellian, the company behind SEO Toolkit and Keyword Discovery, has announced its acquisition of SEO tools provider Addme.com. - SEW Experts: Standards? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Standards!
We don’t need SEO standards to define our operation for us; we simply need to hold ourselves to a higher standard of business. - SEW Experts: SEM Tools of the Experts
There are a variety of SEM tools available to search marketers. You should be able to find something to fit every need, and every style. - SEW Experts: Think Universal, Act Local
Much of the discussion around Universal search, or blended search, focuses on video and images. But local search may be a more important factor; one that has the greatest impact in blended search results.
Microsoft to Fight Search Spam by Analyzing Email
Here’s a story I missed when it broke. On March 25, Microsoft was awarded a patent it applied for nearly 4 years ago, to fight search spam based on external elements, like “electronic documents,” or email. The prevailing theory is that similar indicators will show up in spammy emails and spammy blog comments and other SEO spam.
Given the resurgence of spam from SEO companies, Microsoft may also want to use the spam filters built into Outlook to highlight potential SEO spammers, working on the theory that spammers are spammers, in any and all fields. No question that this approach may be susceptible to some level of abuse, but given the amount of people using Office, it’s unlikely that subscribing your competitor’s newsletter and then tagging it as spam will really affect them. SeoByTheSea wants to take it even further, and suggests that the URLs in spam emails get tagged as SEO spam as well.
But before we get all that excited about what direction Microsoft (or MicroHoo) can take this innovation, we need to remember how poorly Microsoft has used this to deal with SEO spam in the past 4 years. A Google or MSN group with any keyword in the title will still rise, almost automatically, to the top of Live.com SERPs, regardless of its relevance. Let Microsoft fix that loophole first, and then go after email/SEO spam convergence.
SEMPO Selects Officers for New Board of Directors
SEMPO has announced officers for its recently elected Board of Directors. The association also revealed a change in the amount of time board members serve. While previous boards served for 1 year, the new board will serve for 2 years. Officers will still serve 1 year terms and next year’s officers will be chosen from this broader gang of 13.
Dana Todd replaced Gord Hotchkiss as Chairperson, while Jeffrey Pruitt continues in his position as President. Dave Fall moved from Treasurer to VP while Ron Jones moves into the role of Treasurer. Chris Boggs is staying put as Secretary.
The 2008 officers are:
Dana Todd, Newsforce – Chairperson
Jeffrey Pruitt, President, iCrossing – President
Dave Fall, DoubleClick, Inc. – Vice President
Ron Jones, Symetri Internet Marketing – Treasurer
Chris Boggs, eMergent Marketing – Secretary
The 2008-2009 Board Members:
Jessica Bowman, In-house SEO Consultant
Massimo Burgio, Global Search Interactive
Bruce Clay, Bruce Clay, Inc.
Duane Forrester, Microsoft
Sara Holoubek, Free Agent Consultant
Gord Hotchkiss, Enquiro Search Solutions, Inc.
Bill Hunt, Global Strategies International
Kevin Lee, Didit
Yicrosoft Directory – Let the Games Begin
I just found out about this contest to promote the word “Yicrosoft Directory” – Sponsored by SEONoob.com.
My friend had called me up last night to discuss it and get some advice. So I thought it was ironic that I found out about it just by reading some of the great blogs I read every [...]
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