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Conference Agenda 5-9 Floor Plan 11-13 Sponsors 15-25
October 2010
Listening to the social web
42
PLUS Why merchandising must get social 46 Top 3 SEO initiatives 48 Yahoo-Bing integration checklist 53 Digital sales in a mobile app world 54
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contents
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features
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Listening to the social web Monitoring the social web for mentions of your product or service and then doing something based on that information is now table stakes for anyone seriously interested in building a strong brand. Here are four examples of companies that listened to their customers and ones that didn’t — and how that affected the relationship. §
41
Facebook ad network: Is it coming?
44
Asking the right questions
46
Why merchandising must get social
47
Quantity vs. quality: What gets you ahead in social media?
AROUND THE TOWN: Chicago Looking for things to do around the Windy City this week? Need a bank or drugstore near the conference venue? Look no further — we’ve compiled a brief city guide for you. §
GLOSSARY Terms and acronyms every online marketer should know. §
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Check your addendum!
conference information
5-9 11-13 15-25
October 2010
Floor plan
Discover the offerings of companies and organizations at SES Chicago.
27-39
Sessions
61-78
Speaker bios
Determine which sessions and workshops will help you accomplish your goals.
Learn more about the speakers and session moderators.
Having 40,000 followers, fans, or friends doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot. But when you combine different metrics together, a clearer picture begins to form, and you can further hone the success of your social media strategy. §
50
A picture’s worth a thousand links
53
Yahoo-Bing integration: The transition checklist
54
Digital sales in a mobile app world
55
Are you ready for behavioral marketing?
56
Chicago-based Groupon: A profitable lead-gen tool
Find the locations of exhibitor booths, session rooms, and other attractions.
Sponsors & exhibitors
Today’s shoppers don’t go to a store to determine which TV they want — they already know which product they want when they arrive. §
Top 3 SEO initiatives before year-end site development freeze
AGENDA Use this schedule and overview to outline your week at SES Chicago.
If clients are asking search questions that are too narrow, educate them so that you shift the focus of the conversation in the right direction. §
48
The one-sheeter includes late speaker, session, and exhibitor additions to the conference.
58
Facebook could conceivably build a new ad network layered over the social graph that’s already installed on millions of sites. §
Management and stakeholders have asked you to prioritize SEO items for Q4. Which ones do you choose, and which ones do you eliminate? What are the low-hanging fruits?. §
Infographics can help you increase traffic, links, conversion rates, and revenue. Here are five tips on how to create them effectively and efficiently. §
The paid search transition of Yahoo to Microsoft’s adCenter is expected to be complete by the end of October. Here’s what you need to know. §
Five significant challenges that developers face today as they attempt to sell their apps more effectively through online stores. §
Shifting from mass-market messaging to customized, diversified messaging enables marketers to narrow their focus to high-value conversion points. §
What started as simple promotion codes for e-retailing has morphed into a popular breed of e-couponing that is changing the sales promotion game. §
A
Staff Matt McGowan MD, North America
Mike Grehan VP, Global Content
Magazine Managing Editor Drew Eastmead Contributors Sam Decker, Ryan DeShazer, Bryan Eisenberg, Noran El-Shinnawy, Dave Evans, Liana Evans, Andrea Fishman, Harry Gold, Kevin Lee, Joshua Palau, Gregg Stewart, Bob Tripathi
welcome
lineup. Whether you’re new to the industry or an expert, we have created an educational and networking environment for you that is unparalleled in its magnitude of offerings. Please do not hesitate to approach us this week, as your suggestions and input are always welcome. We hope you find this conference to be a truly valuable experience in your professional development, and that you leave here inspired with new ideas that are relevant to you and everyone on your team. When you get back to the office next week, we encourage you to stay sharp by reading SearchEngineWatch.com. At SES, our online content, webcasts, magazines, training events, and conferences are all geared toward our yearround mission of helping you achieve your search marketing goals.
Welcome to Search Engine Strategies and SES Magazine, your official guidebook for the week. As a search marketer, you know that the interactive industry is constantly evolving — and so are we. Thanks in part to your feedback, we’ve given SES Chicago a makeover this year, with shorter sessions, more case studies, and a refreshed speaker
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Mike Grehan SES Advisory Board Chair Global VP Content, Incisive Media
VP, Content Development Stewart Quealy Senior Program Director Marilyn Crafts Conference Program Manager Jackie Ortez
OPERATIONS Director, Operations Michele McDermott Operations Manager Dan Hoskins Operations Manager Tamsin Parkin
Clickz & SEarch engine watch Executive Editor, ClickZ Director, SEW Managing Editor, News Senior Editor, News Staff Writer Staff Writer Copy Editor Asia Desk Editor
Anna Maria Virzi Jonathan Allen Zach Rodgers Kate Kaye Christopher Heine Jack Marshall Caitlin Rossman Adaline Lau
Matt McGowan Managing Director, North America Incisive Media
Comprised of both industry thought leaders and real-world practitioners, the Search Engine Strategies advisory board brings together top players in the field of interactive media and search. The team works to deliver continually cutting-edge search techniques, more integrated and relevant content, and professional development resources to SES attendees.
SALES & MARKETING
CORPORATE Chief Executive Tim Weller Group Managing Director James Hanbury
Mike Grehan, Chair Global VP Content Incisive Media
Bryan Eisenberg Bestselling author bryaneisenberg.com
Lee Odden CEO TopRank Online Marketing
Matthew Bailey President SiteLogic
Andrew Goodman President Page Zero Media
Jackie Ortez Conf. Program & Training Mgr. SES Conference & Expo
Thomas Bindl Founder & CEO Refined Labs GmbH
Bill Hunt President Back Azimuth Consulting
Stewart Quealy VP, Content Development SES Conference & Expo
Mikel Chertudi VP, Demand & Online Marketing Omniture
Anne Kennedy International Search Strategist Beyond Ink USA
Erica Schmidt Global Search Director Isobar
Eddie Choi Managing Director Frontiers Digital
John Marshall CTO Market Motive
Crispin Sheridan Sr. Director of Search Marketing SAP
Marilyn Crafts Senior Program Director SES Conference & Expo
Jon Myers Head of Search/Assoc. Director Mediavest
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social 46 g must get Why merchandisina thousand links 50 worth A picture’s checklist 53 integration 54 Yahoo-Bing app world in a mobile Digital sales
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SES Advisory Board
Sales Directors Andrew Katz Elaine Mershon Elaine Romeo Peter Westerholm Account Executives Elizabeth Huston Katie O’Hea Director, Client Services JoAnn Simonelli Marketing Director Angela Man Marketing Manager Christian Georgeou Web Designer Rebecca Holz Online Operations Manager Louise Laberge Online Operations Assoc. Aleksey Gershin
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to our sponsors
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Advertiser Page 7Search.com..............................................................52 Acquisio......................................................................14 Agendize....................................................................40 American Express OPEN.............................................C4 Brafton CustomNews....................................................4 ClearSaleing...............................................................67 eMarketer...................................................................60 iContact......................................................................10 iProspect......................................................................3 LinkWorth...................................................................21
NVI.............................................................................49 OMS...........................................................................C3 Oneupweb..................................................................36 Open Text...................................................................26 PRWeb........................................................................65 The Search Monitor....................................................77 topseos.com...............................................................31 TweetPromoBuilder.com.............................................25 VeriSign Authentication Services.................................C2 WebmasterRadio.FM...................................................75 Website Magazine......................................................71 Wiley Publishing.........................................................19 Wpromote Inc.............................................................23
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Custom News Marketing
IENT L C EST S @ U Q E R PLE mples EXAM om/exa
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Agenda
Agenda
What: SES Chicago sessions When: Oct. 19-21, 2010 Where: Chicago Hilton (720 S. Michigan Ave.)
What: Search Engine Optimization Training by Bruce Clay When: Monday, Oct. 18 (8:30a-5:30p) Where: Hilton, 8th floor (Lake Ontario)
For session details, see pages 27-39 or visit www.SESchicago.com
8a-6:15p
Registration
8:30-9:30a
Morning Coffee
9:30-10:45a
Conference Welcome & Opening Keynote — Grand Ballroom, 2nd Floor
10:45-11:30a
Grand Opening of the Expo Hall (open 10a-6:30p)
Avinash Kaushik, Author, Blogger,
Track 1 — Northwest 1
Track 2 — Northwest 2
Track 3 — Northwest 3
11:30a-12:30p
Introduction to Search Engine Marketing
Sponsored Session
Introduction to Analytics
12:30-1:30p
Networking Lunch — Expo Hall
1:30-2:30p
Update on Real-Time Search: I Want it Now!
Key Points in Launching a Global Website
Meaningful SEO Metrics: Going Beyond the Numbers
2:30-3p
Afternoon Break — Expo Hall
3-4p
Link Building Basics
Brand, Trademark & Reputation Management
Deep Dive Into Analytics
4-4:15p
Session Interval
4:15-5:15p
Developing Great Content
Is Search Retargeting Right for You?
Digital Marketing on the Political Edge
5:15-6:30p
Networking Cocktail Reception — Expo Hall
Chicago Social Media Club: Special Meetup on Tuesday Check out the Chicago Social Media Club at the SES Chicago expo hall floor (theater presentation area) on Tuesday, Oct. 19, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Look for content as well as networking with many of the SES speakers.
8:30a-6p
Registration
8:30-9:30a
Morning Coffee
9:30-10:30a
Morning Keynote — Grand Ballroom, 2nd Floor
10:30-11a
Coffee Break in the Expo Hall (open 10a-3p)
Jeffrey Hayzlett Celebrity CMO, Bestselling author &
Track 1 — Northwest 1
Track 2 — Northwest 2
Track 3 — Northwest 3
11a-12p
SEO 101
News Search Optimization
Bringing SEO In-House: The Pros & Cons
12-1p
Networking Lunch — Expo Hall
1-2p
Search & Packaged Goods
Search, PR & the Social Butterfly
Conversion Ninja Toolbox
2-2:30p
Afternoon Break — Expo Hall
2:30-3:30p
The Other Googles
Speaking Geek: How Marketers Can Work with Web Developers
Stretching Your Marketing Dollars: The Upside of Search
3:30-3:45p
Session Interval
3:45-4:45p
How to Become a Link Magnet
How to Transform Your Approach to Video
B2B Search Marketing Tips
4:45-5p
Session Interval
5-6p
Paid Search 101
SEO is Dead: Long live SEO!
B2B Lead Generation Management & CRM Integration
6-7p
6
Open Mic: SEW Black Hat, White Hat Unconferenced
SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Analytics Evangelist, Google Track 4 — Northwest 4
OMS Track — Northwest 5
Search: Where to Next?
Remaining Agile Amidst Shifts in the Social Media Landscape
Introduction to Information Retrieval on the Web
Social Integration: Creating Interactive Conversations Across Channels
Sponsored Session: A Powerful New Choice in Search The Secret Formula To Boost Response
Beyond Listening-Establishing & Hitting Metrics with Social Media
Optimizing the Socialized UX
Time
Theater Presentations — Expo Hall
11:30-11:50a
Blogsvertise: Blog Advertising Strategies
12-12:20p
NVI: From Brick to Bytes — Taking a Luxury Jewelry Chain Online
12:30-12:50p
VeriSign Authentication Services: Traffic Doctor — 5 Sites That Got More Traffic & More Sales By Building Trust
1-1:20p
iContact: What is List Segmentation & Why Should I Care?
1:30-1:50p
Agendize: What is “Engagement” & Why it Matters to Search Marketers
2-2:20p
Brafton CustomNews: Fuelling SEO, Twitter & Facebook Conversations Using Custom News Content — Case Studies
2:30-2:50p
Wpromote Inc.: 6 Things to Supercharge Your SEM Campaigns
3-3:20p
Website Magazine: Web Trends for 2011
4-4:20p
Acquisio: The End of Search Marketing (as we know it!)
Time
Express Site Clinics — Booth 514
11a-12p
Quick Social Media Wins Liana Evans, Director of Social Media, Serengeti Communications
12:30-1:30p
Power PPC Advertising Clinic David Szetela, CEO, Clix Marketing
2-3p
Express Search Usability Clinic Shari Thurow, Founder & SEO Director, Omni Marketing Interactive
Wednesday, Oct. 20 Time
Theater Presentations — Expo Hall
10:30a-12:30p
See addendum for details.
Time
Express Site Clinics — Booth 514
11a-12p
Your Baby Is Ugly: Landing Page Mini-Critiques Tim Ash, CEO, SiteTuners.com
1-2p
User Friendly Sites That Monetize Well Jennifer Slegg, CEO, JenSense.com
Former Kodak CMO Track 4 — Northwest 4
Track 5 — Northwest 5
Local 2.0: The Evolution of Local Search
Video Search Optimization
Getting Mobilized! Mobile Marketing Strategies
Competitive Research
Holiday Shopping Tactics
Killer Facebook Marketing Tactics
Twitter Nation & Automation
Content Marketing Optimization
Crossing the Digital Divide: The Leap From Search to Display
E-Commerce Site Clinic
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
7
Agenda
Tuesday, Oct. 19
Agenda
What: SES Chicago sessions When: Oct. 19-21, 2010 Where: Chicago Hilton (720 S. Michigan Ave.) For session details, see pages 27-39 or visit www.SESchicago.com
8:30a-5p
Registration
8:30-9:30a
Morning Coffee
9:30-10:30a
Morning Keynote — Grand Ballroom, 2nd Floor
10:30-10:45a
Session Interval
SES is the leading search and social marketing event. Sessions cover PPC management, keyword research, SEO, social media, local, mobile, link building, duplicate content, multiple site issues, video optimization, site optimization, and usability. Plus keynotes, an expo floor, networking events, parties, and more!
Maile Ohye, Senior Developer Programs Engineer, Google
Track 1 — Northwest 1
Track 2 — Northwest 2
Track 3 — Northwest 3
10:45-11:45a
Digital Asset Optimization
PPC or SEO? The Ultimate Search Marketing Battle
Website Usability, Testing, & SEO
11:45a-12p
Session Interval (Note: Expo Hall is closed)
12-1p
Social Media 101
1-2p
Networking Lunch
2-3p
Get Googley: How to Apply Lessons from SEM to Other Marketing Channels
3-3:15p
Session Interval
3:15-4:15p
Successful Information Architecture
4:15-4:45p
Afternoon Break
4:45-5:45p
The Business Value of Social Media
5:45-6:15p
Wrap-Up Session
Channel Surfing: Measuring Profit & ROI Across Channels
Duplicate Content & Multiple Site Issues
Shoes, Cupcakes & Social Media: Building an Army of Brand Ambassadors
Ads in a Quality Score World
The Trouble With Content Management Systems is...
Enterprise-Level SEO
Digital Marketing & Sports
Advanced Paid Search Tactics
See the new face of ClickZ 8
SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
A
For more details on the sessions and their speakers, see the descriptions beginning on
page 28
Track 4 — Northwest 4
Track 5 — Northwest 5
Advanced Keyword Research
Marketing in the Content Networks Clinic
Social Goes Local
Social Media Clinic
SEO Through Blogs & Feeds
Ad Copy Continuity Clinic
Local Search Ranking Factors
Beyond the Click: What Shoppers Need Now
Selling Search to the C-Suite
SEO Site Clinic
What: Keynotes When: Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday Where: Grand Ballroom (2nd floor)
Kaushik
Hayzlett
Ohye
Friday, Oct. 22 Time
Training Workshop
Training Workshop
7:30-8a
Continental Breakfast
8a-12p
Getting Your In-House Search Program Up & Running
12-1p
Lunch Break
1-5p
Advanced Keyword Research
How to Architect a Search-Engine Friendly Website
Google Analytics Workshop
Getting Your In-House Search Program Up & Running Advanced Keyword Research To thrive in this digital economy, companies both large and small have found that it’s essential to build internal search marketing practices and not rely solely on agency partners. Here, we’ll cover technical and “search soft skills” needed to create a successful in-house search program. Instructor § Bob Tripathi, Customer Marketing Manager, Sears Holdings
How to Architect a Search-Engine Friendly Website
In this four-hour training session, attendees will explore the tools available for identifying, researching, and zeroing in on the right keywords for your SEO, PPC, and even social media campaigns. We will walk through the process in theory first and then work on a real-world example that leverages the latest tools available. Instructor § Ron Jones, President/CEO, Symetri Internet Marketing
A search-engine friendly website is a user-friendly, search-friendly, and persuasive site that converts visitors into buyers. For a site to be search engine-friendly, it must meet the needs of crawler-based search engines and your site’s visitors. Ultimately, the site must be profitable for the website owner. Can a single site satisfy all of these groups?
Google Analytics Workshop
Instructor § Shari Thurow, Founder & SEO Director, Omni Marketing Interactive
Instructor § Feras Alhlou, President, E-Nor, Inc.
Many organizations struggle to go beyond basic web metrics. Smart organizations use data to optimize current campaigns and plan for new ones. To reach this stage, you need to plan your web analytics strategy, understand your reports, and define what constitutes success.
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
9
Agenda
Thursday, Oct. 21
Floor Plan
Chicago Hilton: Lower Level (Sessions)
Northwest 5
Northwest 3
Lunch (Thursday only)
Northwest Hall: Session Rooms
Northwest 2
Registration
Floor Plan
Northwest 4
Northwest 1
Looking to meet a new business partner or find a specific service in the Expo Hall to the right, but aren’t sure where to start? Check out the
Product & Service Guide on page 17.
Expo Hall See enlarged map on following page Lunch (Tuesday & Wednesday)
Session Rooms
12
Keynotes
g Northwest Hall: Rooms 1-5 on the lower
Note: The three keynotes will take place on
level. For more information, see the agenda
the second floor of the Chicago Hilton (not
(p. 5-9) or session descriptions (p. 27-39).
pictured here), in the Grand Ballroom.
SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Lunches Tuesday & Wednesday: Southeast Hall Thursday: Northeast Hall
Chicago Hilton: Lower Level (Expo Hall)
SEATING AREA
316
317
416
417
314
315
414
415
312
313
412
310
311
410
SEATING AREA
6' TABLE
6' TABLE
Theater Presentations & Social Media Seating for 50 Club meetup (Tuesday)
205
304
Floor Plan
BUFFET
514 512
411
307
406
305
404
405
510
Sales Office
505
605 OFFICE
Entrance
Expo Hall Hours A
For more information on SES Chicago’s exhibitors, see pages 15-25.
§ Tuesday, Oct. 19
10a-6:30p (networking reception, 5:15-6:30p)
§ Wednesday, Oct. 20
10a-3p
Exhibitor List: Booth Numbers Company
Booth
Company
Booth
Company
Booth
7Search.com.................................................... 411
Express Site Clinics.......................................... 514
Rosetta............................................................. 410
Acquisio............................................................ 510
iContact............................................................ 307
Semantic Marketing Systems........................... 316
Agendize.......................................................... 512
iCrossing.......................................................... 414
topseos.com..................................................... 305
American Express OPEN................................... 304
iProspect.......................................................... 404
VeriSign Authentication Services....................... 405
Blogsvertise...................................................... 415
LinkWorth......................................................... 310
Visibility Magazine............................................ 315
Brafton CustomNews........................................ 412
LocalSplash.com.............................................. 416
WebmasterRadio.FM......................................... 505
ClearSaleing Inc................................................ 311
NVI................................................................... 313
Website Magazine............................................ 406
ClickZ/SEW....................................................... 314
Online Marketing Institute................................. 312
Wpromote Inc................................................... 205
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
13
Do you have what it takes?
Call us to find out 1.877.408.1112
Like most agencies, you run multi-channel advertisements across Search, Social and Display networks. You have no shortage in the amount of data you collect, but data means nothing if you don't turn it into action. With Acquisio, you get one integrated platform to purchase, track, manage and optimize all your marketing efforts. Learn how different channels affect one another through cross-channel tracking and attribution so you could make better purchasing and managing decisions. In this new world, data is how you will differentiate yourself as an agency. Data is the new creativeTM.
14
SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Sponsors & Exhibitors SearchEngineStrategies.com ยง SES
15
Expo Hall Hours A
For more information on how to find the following exhibitors, see the Floor Plan on pages 12-13.
§ Tuesday, Oct. 19
10a-6:30p (networking reception, 5:15-6:30p)
§ Wednesday, Oct. 20
Platinum Sponsor
Exhibitors
American Express OPEN
7Search.com
Booth 304
Booth 411
www.searchmanager.com
www.7search.com
American Express OPEN is dedicated to helping our customers find new ways to do more business. That’s why we’re introducing SearchManager, the new online solution that helps simplify search marketing, an increasingly important way to find new customers and drive sales. And that’s how we’re helping businesses boom.
Gold Sponsor Sponsors & Exhibitors
10a-3p
VeriSign Authentication Services Booth 405 www.verisign.com
VeriSign Authentication Services, now part of Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC), provides solutions that allow companies and consumers to engage in communications and commerce online with confidence. With more than one million web servers using our SSL certificates, an infrastructure that processes more than two billion certificate checks daily, and a logo that is seen up to 250 million times a day, the VeriSign seal is the most recognized symbol of trust on the Internet.
7Search.com is a high-performing, low-cost advertising pay-perclick search engine network. We deliver traffic from hundreds of niche web properties, search engines, and portals with a better ROI than any other PPC network. 7search offers no minimum monthly spend, low cost-per-click, industry-leading and patented fraud detection, responsive and expert PPC customer support, and innovative advertiser tools and services. iPhone 4 giveaway and tradeshow promotion at the booth.
Acquisio Booth 510
www.acquisio.com
The world’s leading developer of performance marketing solutions for agencies, Acquisio helps marketers buy, track, optimize, and report on media across all major search, social, and display networks. With more than $500 million in ad spend under its management, Acquisio is the multi-channel ad management solution preferred by advertising and marketing agencies. Acquisio’s suite of solutions empowers over 300 interactive agencies around the world — including Bruce Clay, Yellow Pages Group, SEO Inc., aimClear, Page Zero, Find Me Faster, Leverage Marketing, and SEER Interactive — helping them increase productivity, efficiency, and ROI.
Agendize Booth 512
Silver Sponsor iProspect Booth 404 www.iprospect.com
iProspect is the Original® Search Engine Marketing Firm. The company helps many of the world’s most successful brands maximize their online marketing ROI through natural search engine optimization, pay per click advertising management, online display advertising management, shopping feed management, search leveraged public relations, and numerous other related services. By dramatically increasing business results for clients, iProspect helps to create search marketing heroes every day. With U.S. offices in Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Dallas-Ft. Worth, as well as global search engine marketing offices, iProspect can be contacted at 1-800-522-1152, interest@iprospect.com, or by visiting www.iprospect.com. R
16
SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
www.agendize.com
Agendize helps interactive marketers make any digital content and campaigns actionable by deploying white-label customer engagement tools directly on advertiser websites to generate more leads and better ROI. Generate up to 36 percent more calls with tools like Click-To-Call, Click-To-Chat, Click-to-Schedule an Appointment, Click-to-Save, and Click-To-Share with Others, and increase the opportunities to be remembered and recommended by up to 20 times. Agendize’s Engagement Platform automates the production of customized client-ready reports, saving agencies reporting time and making it easier to prove results and demonstrate higher ROI to clients. Agendize already empowers 30 of the world’s leading local advertising publishers, and an increasing number of interactive marketing agencies, providing engagement features to businesses in 25 countries.
Blogsvertise Booth 415
www.blogsvertise.com
Blogsvertise is an exciting way for advertisers to begin advertising on blogs and reach the blogging community. Benefits for Internet advertisers are enormous. By advertising on blogs, advertisers
Product & Service Guide Interactive Marketing Agencies
7Search.com..............................................................411 Blogsvertise................................................................415 LinkWorth...................................................................310
iCrossing....................................................................414 NVI .............................................................................313 Rosetta.......................................................................410
Affiliate & Performance-Based Marketing Solutions
Interactive Business Publication
Agendize....................................................................512 VeriSign Authentication Services.................................405
Blog Advertising Blogsvertise................................................................415 LinkWorth...................................................................310 Online Marketing Institute...........................................312
Click Fraud Prevention & Website Security VeriSign Authentication Services.................................405
Content & News Feed Providers Brafton CustomNews Marketing..................................412 Online Marketing Institute...........................................312 Website Magazine......................................................406
Display Advertising iProspect....................................................................404
E-Mail Marketing Solutions iContact......................................................................307
General Search Engines 7Search.com..............................................................411
Website Magazine......................................................406
Pay-Per-Click Networks & Management Services
Interactive Marketing Associations & Publications
7Search.com..............................................................411 Blogsvertise................................................................415 Wpromote...................................................................205
topseos.com...............................................................305 Visibility Magazine......................................................315 Website Magazine......................................................406
Search Marketing Agencies
Agendize....................................................................512 LocalSplash.com........................................................416
iCrossing....................................................................414 iProspect....................................................................404 LocalSplash.com........................................................416 NVI .............................................................................313 Rosetta.......................................................................410 Wpromote...................................................................205
Marketing Optimization Solutions
Search Marketing Software
Acquisio......................................................................510 Agendize....................................................................512 American Express OPEN.............................................304 ClearSaleing...............................................................311 Semantic Marketing Systems.....................................316 topseos.com...............................................................305
Training Courses & Certification in Search Marketing
Local Search Marketing Services & Directories
Organic Search Marketing Brafton CustomNews Marketing..................................412 iProspect....................................................................404 LinkWorth...................................................................310 LocalSplash.com........................................................416 NVI .............................................................................313
generate buzz, build publicity, and promote their websites. With the Blogsvertise system, advertisers are in full control of the advertising process deciding which blogs they wish to advertise on before starting their ad campaign. We are one of the oldest and largest blog advertising networks online. Bloggers also benefit through the blogsvertise ad network by registering their blog in the system and earning extra income and revenue by placing advertisements on their blogs. Don’t just advertise, Blogsvertise!
Brafton CustomNews Booth 412 www.brafton.com
Brafton CustomNews is the news agency specializing in providing tailored news feeds for websites. Newsroom journalists write news feed articles to an editorial brief and keyword strategy that is controlled by you. All articles are unique, search engine-friendly, and archived on your website. What are the key benefits? Keep your website fresh and updated with breaking news; increase organic listings with search engine-optimized articles; inspire confidence and portray your brand as a leading sector voice; drive revenue by directing traffic to revenue pages from articles; and increase dwell time and repeat visits with archived and related articles.
ClearSaleing Inc. Booth 311 www.clearsaleing.com
Rosetta.......................................................................410 Semantic Marketing Systems.....................................316 topseos.com...............................................................305 Wpromote...................................................................205
Founded in 2006, ClearSaleing, Inc. provides advertising portfolio management technology that helps marketers identify ways to more effectively and profitably allocate ad spend across a complex mix of online advertising investments. ClearSaleing’s platform enables
Acquisio......................................................................510 Brafton CustomNews Marketing..................................412 ClearSaleing...............................................................311
Online Marketing Institute...........................................312
Web Analytics Acquisio......................................................................510 ClearSaleing...............................................................311 iCrossing....................................................................414 Semantic Marketing Systems.....................................316
true attribution management through our patent-pending Purchase Path technology. Purchase Path accurately attributes profit and ROI across the multiple marketing touch points that contribute to and influence a sale. ClearSaleing is also a thought leader in the growing field of attribution management and founder of the Attribution Management Forum, the profession’s e-community for interactive marketers. ClearSaleing’s ability to give marketers telescopic insight into their online ad investment is attracting major brand customers, such as American Greetings and Nationwide Insurance.
iContact Booth 307 www.icontact.com
iContact empowers you to engage, educate, and retain your targeted customers and prospects with efficient email communications — and ultimately maximize your marketing and retention efforts. iContact leads the industry with a 98-99 percent deliverability rate (Pivotal Veracity), so you can trust that your messages reach the customer-inbox. With plans starting at just $9.95 per month, iContact makes it easy for over 600,000 users worldwide to create and send email marketing campaigns. Capitalize on the revenuegenerating power of email marketing and chose iContact for trusted email marketing made simple. Take a free trial, sign up, or learn more today at www.iContact.com.
iCrossing Booth 414 www.icrossing.com
iCrossing is a global digital marketing agency that combines talent and technology to help world-class brands find and connect with SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
17
Sponsors & Exhibitors
Advertising Networks
*Booth #s on right
their customers. The company blends best-in-class digital marketing services — including paid search, search engine optimization, web development, social media, mobile, research, and analytics — to create integrated digital marketing programs that engage consumers and drive ROI. iCrossing’s client base includes such recognized brands as Epson America, Toyota, Travelocity, and 40 Fortune 500 companies, including The Coca-Cola Company and Office Depot. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., the company has 600 employees in 12 offices in the U.S. and Europe.
LinkWorth Booth 310 www.linkworth.com
LinkWorth is an online advertising portal providing a unique monetization venue for publishers and innovative marketing products for advertisers. Services include text link advertising, in-content payper-click, hosted content pages, paid blog reviews, SEO consulting services, article submission, directory submission, press releases, and custom content creation.
Booth 313 www.nvi.com
NVI is Canada’s front-running web design and interactive strategy company. The company builds viable revenue models for customers by developing and marketing websites based on an innovative online approach to business. NVI not only adapts to a web in flux, but pioneers new interactive strategies. We get to know you and how your industry operates, helping you define, reach, and track your goals. Our results-driven attitude keeps you making money, supported by our core values of efficiency, knowledge, boldness, creativity, and transparency. With a strong core in organic search engine optimization (SEO) and analytics, we determine the ideal supporting services for your business: paid search marketing (PPC), online PR, banner advertising management, affiliate marketing, e-mail campaigns, and social media marketing — whatever brings your website the explosive launch (or re-launch) you need.
Online Marketing Institute
LocalSplash.com
Booth 312
Booth 416
The Online Marketing Institute (OMI), in association with Wharton Interactive Media Initiative, is an education-focused, career development organization offering marketers accreditation in the various fields of online marketing. OMI’s curriculum of case studies, best practices, peer validation and trend analysis is delivered to students via workshops, webinars, seminars and online learning channels. OMI’s education program was built in conjunction with leading universities, research firms and associations to give marketers market-tested practical knowledge that can immediately benefit their careers. OMI’s courses are available to the general public. OMI is the educational sister entity of the Online Marketing Summit (OMS).
www.omicertified.com
www.localsplash.com
Sponsors & Exhibitors
NVI
The Local Splash service puts local businesses on the first page of Google, Yahoo, and MSN Bing search results, including the map, organic, and sponsored search sections. The Local Splash service has been used by tens of thousands of local businesses. In addition, many national chains like Extra Space Storage (more than 750 locations) trust Local Splash for all their local search marketing. Whether or not a business has a website, Local Splash enables local businesses to be found online. The company behind LocalSplash is Relevant Ads, founded in 2004 with the mission of helping local businesses be found online. Relevant Ads offers agencies and resellers a unique partnering opportunity; interested parties should contact Michael Orefice at (877) 635-6225, ext. 324, or e-mail morefice@localsplash.com for more information.
Power Strip Sponsor WiFi Sponsor www.marketwire.com
The only fully integrated North America-based global newswire, Marketwire, Inc. is a full-service partner to IR, PR, and MarCom professionals seeking top-tier press release distribution, media management, multimedia, and monitoring solutions. Marketwire’s customer-centric corporate philosophy focuses on being the best by infusing every aspect of its business with the following core attributes: precision, adaptability, innovation and simplicity. With a reputation for technology leadership, Marketwire offers innovative products and services that help communication professionals maximize their effectiveness while ensuring accuracy and best practices. Marketwire distributes the majority of press releases issued by publicly traded companies in Canada and serves more than 8,000 clients worldwide through 20 offices on four continents. A
SearchEngineStrategies.com 18
SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Lanyard Sponsor www.resolutionmedia.com
Marketwire
For the latest information on SES Chicago’s sponsors and exhibitors, check your addendum or visit
Resolution Media Resolution Media is a digital marketing agency fueled by our foundation in search engine marketing. Our integrated digital programs are designed to achieve our clients’ business objectives and maximize ROI. We offer search engine optimization, pay-perclick search advertising, website conversion optimization, audience segmentation analysis, as well as mobile, video, and social media services. Our clients range from local businesses to Fortune 500 companies, including VCA Animal Hospitals, Briggs & Stratton, HP, and Lowe’s. As an Omnicom Media Group agency, we have access to the brightest marketing minds across all media to generate a comprehensive integrated marketing program.
Rosetta Booth 410 www.rosetta.com
Rosetta is one of the nation’s preeminent online marketers, fusing leading-edge technology with breakthrough interactive advertising and creative design. Rosetta and its search and media practice were recently ranked by Advertising Age Magazine as the largest privately held interactive agency in the country and top 15 among search engine marketing companies. Rosetta’s search and media team consists of passionate and innovative online marketing professionals offering leading edge, but proven interactive marketing strategies and services across marketing strategy, organic search engine optimization, paid search management, online media
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Tim Ash
Bruce Clay
Sponsors & Exhibitors
Avinash Kaushik
Brad Geddes Bryan Eisenberg
Greg Jarboe
Kris Jones
David Szetela
Hollis Thomases
To save 35% and free shipping, visit www.wiley.com/go/onlinemarketingbooks Offer is valid from October 18th, 2010 through October 24th, 2010. SearchEngineStrategies.com ยง SES
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planning, social media, mobile marketing, and advanced analytics. Clients include OfficeMax, Nationwide, Puma, Pirelli, Citizens Bank, Marriott, American Greetings, Wolverine, and Perry Ellis.
Semantic Marketing Systems Booth 316 www.semanticmarketingsystems.com
We provide database marketing services for search engine marketers for creating segmented PPC campaigns with advanced semantic content management. Our SEMMX database defines over 1 billion search queries segmented into 5 million topics, enabling segmentation of search by meaning for virtually any field of knowledge and product. We provide analytic and management tools to identify and build “long tail” campaigns around themes specific to our agency customers. Our Linkapedia dynamic SEO content constructor uses the SEMMX data to create funnel feeder pages that are semantically relevant to your business purpose acting as a search magnet linking organic search to your product conversion funnel pages. Founded in 1996 as Intellisophic (www.intellisophic.com), we are the largest supplier in the world of semantic knowledge for document management and identification.
topseos.com Booth 305
Sponsors & Exhibitors
www.topseos.com
The independent authority on search vendors, topseos.com, evaluates and ranks the top internet marketing companies. Categories ranked by topseos include: search engine optimization, pay-perclick management, affiliate marketing, social media optimization, and many more. Since 2002, topseos has been a trusted resource for businesses looking to launch or improve Internet marketing campaigns. The pathfinder service allows topseos to work directly with you to help find companies that best fit your business needs. Why waste time searching through thousands of sites with false promises? Go straight to the authority, gain insight into the industry, and work with the best.
Visibility Magazine Booth 315 www.visibilitymagazine.com
Visibility, the print magazine, heralds a beginning in the world of Internet marketing. This is the first time an established digital presence, topseos.com, is venturing into the traditional print media domain. The print medium holds great promise for Internet marketing vendors who are constantly looking for more channels to promote their services. Visibility is published quarterly and covers a wide range of topics, including organic optimization, pay-per-click marketing, website analytics, affiliate marketing, and press release distribution. Our association with topseos.com has meant that the hard work of proving our credibility is more than half done. Thanks to this backing, we are considered a force to reckon with, and a reliable source of information on all aspects of Internet marketing.
WebmasterRadio.FM Booth 505 www.webmasterradio.fm
WebmasterRadio.FM: the destination for education and entertainment. WebmasterRadio.FM is a free, Internet-based radio network focused on the B2B e-commerce marketplace. We offer 100 percent
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
original programming led by industry leaders, including “The Daily SearchCast,” hosted by Danny Sullivan; “PowerSource,” hosted by Tim Mayer and Jeremy Zawodney of Yahoo Search; and “Wizards of Web,” hosted by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg. Each show we air reaches out to a different part of the marketplace, ensuring there is a radio show for all potential listeners. All radio shows are broadcast live and then available in archive, mobilcast, and distributed in podcast format through all of the major podcast portals. WebmasterRadio.FM is proud to boast that we are the official radio network for many of the world’s most prestigious conferences. WebmasterRadio.FM is free to the listening audience based solely on advertiser support. If you are interested in learning more about how to reach a very targeted and captive audience through a fully integrated and interactive advertising campaign, please contact Brandy@WebmasterRadio.FM.
Website Magazine Booth 406 www.websitemagazine.com
Website Magazine, the magazine for web success, presents expert information on how to succeed on the Internet in 12 print issues per year, available both by subscription and on newsstands at select bookstore chains across the U.S. and internationally. WebsiteMagazine.com offers news and blogs updated daily, as well as five e-mail newsletters covering e-commerce, search marketing, website design and development, affiliate marketing, and website success. Website Magazine developed a foundation to lessen the impact of the printed magazine on the environment; learn more at ReplaceATree. org. 142,708 BPA-audited subscribers. iPhone 4 giveaway at the booth.
Wpromote Inc. Booth 205 www.wpromote.com
Wpromote is a privately held firm that has been a leader in the search engine marketing industry since its inception in 2001. Wpromote is ranked as the No. 1 integrated search marketing company by topseos.com and honored to be a four-time Inc. 500|5000 honoree. Wpromote is also one of eight honorees invited to Google’s semi-annual client forum, where they provide feedback and testing for the AdWords platform. Wpromote’s objective is to help clients realize greater success through its superior search marketing service. Through its full-service integrated search engine marketing, clients develop a more comprehensive online presence and are able to reach highly targeted clientele more effectively and efficiently. Utilizing proprietary bid management, keyword analysis software, and a team of seasoned marketing and optimization specialists, Wpromote provides measurable results and helps clients maximize their advertising return on investment.
Yahoo! Search and Bing Sponsored Session www.advertising.yahoo.com www.bing.com
On Tuesday at 3 p.m., learn how Yahoo! Search and Bing are coming together for advertisers and consumers as a powerful new choice in search. You’ll hear tips on how to prepare for the transition, and have your questions answered by Yahoo! Search and Bing experts. This session is for agencies and advertisers.
Sponsors & Exhibitors SearchEngineStrategies.com ยง SES
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Association Sponsors eec www.emailexperience.org
The eec, the email marketing arm of the Direct Marketing Association, is a global professional organization that strives to enhance the image of email marketing and communications, while celebrating and actively advocating its critical importance in business, and its ROI value. We are committed to regularly conducting a broad series of email initiatives for a variety of organizations that highlight the positive impact and importance of email as a marketing tool, communications vehicle, and branding device. Additionally, eec members are setting the standards for email through our member roundtables and advisory committees. The eec members who belong to our organization are representative of other trade organizations, agencies, advertisers, technology partners, clients and companies focused on the potential of email marketing.
SEMNE
Sponsors & Exhibitors
www.semne.org
SEMNE (Search Engine Marketing New England) was created in 2006 as a networking organization for anyone responsible for search marketing and driving traffic to their website. SEMNE meetings feature expert speakers on topics such as online PR, SEO, click fraud, social media, and more. Meetings are held around New England every other month and are open to individuals interested in learning more about search marketing and making connections with others in the industry. During each meeting, attendees have plenty of time to network and learn from industry leaders. SEMNE member benefits include: free admission to all meetings, networking opportunities with peers and industry leaders, discounts to industry events, and free job listings. SEMNE is dedicated to enabling people to exchange information and ideas, learn new search marketing tips and techniques, while networking with likeminded individuals.
SEMPO www.sempo.org
SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) is a nonprofit association with more than 860 members, representing thousands globally. SEMPO works to increase awareness and promote search engine marketing worldwide. Member benefits include research, SEMPO Institute and event discounts, job board, networking opportunities, research, webinars, membership committees and regional groups, and more. The SEMPO Institute is the top resource for the serious marketing professional who wants a higher standard of education. This online training curriculum is extensive and comprehensive, and the lessons and tests are designed to take you from beginner to serious SEM professional
Social Media Club Chicago www.smcchicago.org
Social Media Club (SMC) Chicago is a local chapter of a worldwide organization that serves as connection point for anyone interested in social media. Membership is free and open to all levels, including beginners. Launched in October 2008, SMC Chicago presents events that mix socializing, networking and learning. Founder Barbara Rozgonyi and President Jeff Willinger lead the SMC Chicago chapter. Event attendees include entrepreneurs, corporate communicators, journalists, business professionals, publishers, marketers, media creators, citizen journalists, and technology types.
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
WebAward www.webaward.org
Do you have an award-winning website? Prove it. Enter the Web Marketing Association’s WebAward competition and win recognition for yourself and glory — and a great marketing opportunity — for your website. The international WebAward competition sets the standard of excellence in 96 industry categories by evaluating websites and defining benchmarks based on the seven essential criteria of successful website development. Entrants benefit from a website assessment by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented to an award-winning website.
Media Partners AddMe www.addme.com
Since 1996, AddMe has been a trusted source for free search engine submission and search engine optimization tools such as meta tag editors, link checking, SEO keyword density, and other web promotion tools. Addme has also constantly engaged its readers via informative newsletters, special offers, and Internet marketing blogs.
DIRECT www.directmag.com
DIRECT provides strategic and tactical information for direct marketers that is timely, inspirational and on the cutting edge of innovation. DIRECT’s print, online, and interactive information products connect today’s marketers to the information, resources and suppliers they need to reach their business goals. The franchise includes the magazine, www.directmag.com; Newsline, Listline, Tips, Magilla Marketing, and Searchline e-newsletters; The Buyers’ Guide, The National Center for Database Marketing conference, webinars; original research and more.
eMarketer www.emarketer.com
eMarketer is the first place to look for market research and trend analysis on Internet, e-business, online marketing, media, and emerging technologies. eMarketer aggregates and analyzes information from more than 4,000 sources, and brings it together in analyst reports, daily research articles, and the most comprehensive database of e-business and online marketing statistics in the world. With eMarketer, you understand the growth and impact of the Internet. Plus, you stay ahead of the curve on new trends such as blogs, social networking, podcasting, mobile marketing, and many others that are profoundly affecting the business landscape.
HispanicMPR.com www.HispanicMPR.com
Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com, and its companion podcast provide you essential information on America’s largest minority. We feature original content, including articles and podcast interviews with leaders, newsmakers, and experts on business, marketing, media, and America’s largest minority. Our resources section includes a nationally-recognized book, guest articles, audio recordings of presentations, and extended interviews with national Hispanic market experts. Sign up for free e-mail updates and visit our resources section at www.HispanicMPR.com.
Sponsors & Exhibitors SearchEngineStrategies.com ยง SES
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With more than 7 million monthly pageviews, Mashable is the world’s largest blog focused on social networks and web 2.0 news. Mashable’s readers include the most tech-savvy early adopters, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, influencers, Web 2.0 aficionados, and technology journalists.
Technorati Media as the sixth largest social media property and the third largest blog property. Technorati.com, the flagship site, is the world’s first and largest blog search engine, and one of only two real-time search indexes covering the blogosphere. BlogCritics.org is a journalism 3.0 site with a community more than 3,000 authors who have published over 84,000 articles. Twittorati.com shows what top bloggers are tweeting about, and how these trends compare to blogosphere trends.
mThink/Revenue Performance
TNW
Mashable www.mashable.com
www.mthink.comrevenue/
Revenue Performance delivers the most integrated and personally relevant information to today’s online marketers. Our editorial intelligence is focused on all aspects of the online marketing experience, including key business strategies, innovative marketing methods, effective online advertising techniques, and emerging trends in technology. We expand your knowledge with in-depth analysis, case studies, opinion columns, and online marketing resources that are focused on maximizing the performance of affiliate marketers, partner marketers, and search marketers. We stress best-of-breed and best practices that are supported by a strong ethical foundation to help the online marketing industry thrive.
Search Marketing Standard Sponsors & Exhibitors
www.searchmarketingstandard.com
Search Marketing Standard is the first and only print magazine that search marketers can call their own. The ever-growing demand for search marketing services and information has led to a need for a specialized publication dedicated to making this knowledge easily accessible. Search Marketing Standard covers pay-perclick advertising, search engine optimization, web analytics, click fraud, local and contextual search, and other search-related topics. Each quarterly issue features articles and advice from leading experts in the field, interviews with the who’s who of the industry, reviews of popular tools and services, latest news and trends, and more. Whether you are a professional search marketer constantly on a quest to improve your knowledge and expertise, or a business owner trying to take advantage of the great potential search advertising has to offer, you will find the information you need in our magazine.
Target Marketing www.targetmarketingmag.com
Target Marketing is the direct marketer’s partner, providing strategies and solutions for profitable direct marketing. Target Marketing delivers the answers that help direct marketing professionals market more successfully and profitably. Through case studies, best practices, trend analysis, tips and techniques, and interviews with experts, Target Marketing covers channel/data integration, prospecting, customer retention, operations infrastructure, contact optimization, and more. Through magazines, e-mail newsletters, websites, webinars, virtual trade shows, conferences, books, and more, Target Marketing Group supplies the insight and advice that readers have come to rely on to remain competitive.
Technorati www.technorati.com
Technorati Media is an integrated online media company with an ad network, two owned web properties, and an ad technology platform. Launched in June 2008, Technorati Media’s ad network has quickly grown into the largest social media ad network (blogs, social networks and distributed content), boasting an audience of more than 101 million unique visitors a month on 325 sites with over 1 billion monthly page views. In May 2009, comScore ranked
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
www.thenextweb.com
TNW is a blog network with its roots in the annual conference of the same name in Amsterdam. We invite thought leaders and Internet entrepreneurs from all around the world to share their views on the future of the web. Covering technology news, business, and culture, the blog has grown to serve 1.5 million unique readers every month and developed a reputation for breaking major Internet news stories from around the globe. Our network of writers across Europe, Australasia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and North and South America means that if it’s worth hearing about — you’ll hear it from us.
TopRank www.toprankmarketing.com
Ranked in the top 1 percent of blogs by Technorati, TopRank Online Marketing Blog is a leading resource for Internet marketing resources, news, interviews and how-to articles about natural search optimization, paid search marketing, social media, and online public relations. Online Marketing Blog is edited by TopRank CEO Lee Odden, a 10-year online marketing veteran who is a frequent speaker at search and PR industry conferences and has been quoted in U.S. News and The Economist. Odden has also written for Yahoo! Publisher Network and DM News and serves on the operating committee for the DMA search engine marketing council.
WebProNews www.webpronews.com
WebProNews is the No. 1 source for e-business and search news. The WebProNews network is made up of 100 e-business websites, e-mail newsletters, and the popular WebProWorld forum. Millions of business professionals read WebProNews and other iEntry business and tech publications to stay in the know. Since 1999, the WebProNews network has emerged as an industry leader in e-mail and network marketing. By maintaining extremely high standards of quality in our publications and sites, the WebProNews network continues to grow an avid readership and user base made up of CXOs, business owners, entrepreneurs, web developers, and IT professionals. Our primary objective is to provide companies with an affordable, flexible, and effective means of marketing their products and services to an active informed audience.
Web Host Industry Review www.thewhir.com
Web Host Industry Review magazine draws on the credibility and authority established serving as the web hosting industry’s publication of record for the last five years. Web Host Industry Review delivers to web hosting providers, resellers, and customers insightful, sophisticated analysis of important industry issues and trends, timely coverage of news, and reviews of essential tools and services.
EW N
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Sponsors & Exhibitors
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SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Sponsors & Exhibitors 26
SES ยง October 2010 {Chicago}
Sessions
Tuesday, Oct. 19 9:30-10:45a Grand Ballroom
Conference Welcome & Morning Keynote Speaker § Avinash Kaushik, Author, Blogger, Analytics Evangelist, Google
11:30a-12:30p Northwest 1
Introduction to Search Engine Marketing
This session will provide a clear and concise overview of the key concepts involved in search engine marketing. Who are the major search engines, and how can you best optimize them to gain “natural” or “organic” traffic without cost? Learn how to achieve top ranking or placement by utilizing search engine advertising opportunities. This is a must-attend basic session for anyone new to SES events. Introduction § Bryan Eisenberg, NYTimes bestselling author, bryaneisenberg.com
Speaker § Kelly Cutler, CEO & Co-founder, Marcel Media
1:30-2:30p Northwest 1
Update on Real Time Search: I Want it Now!
Now that search engines are rapidly moving into the realm of real-time search and taking “fire hose” feeds from social networking sites such as Twitter, the race is on to see who can provide the freshest and most relevant information. The real-time web offers a huge variety of news, blogs, updates, and video results. And real-time is everywhere — on your smart phone, your laptop, iPad, and other devices. Find out how real-time search is developing and how marketers can benefit. Moderator § Matthew Bailey, President, Site Logic Marketing
Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Dr. Ralph Wilson, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Web Marketing Today
Speaker § Rob Garner, Senior Strategy Director, iCrossing § Annie Stickney, GM of Online Marketing & Dev, Minyanville Media Inc.
Northwest 2 — Sponsored Session
Northwest 2
TBD
Key Points in Launching a Global Website
Northwest 3
Introduction to Analytics
Cut to the chase! Use analytics tools to get the specific answers you need about your search marketing campaign’s economic performance, your users’ on-site behaviors, and how to look for major red flags in traffic patterns. This slate of experts will keep you focused rather than poring through hundreds of pages of meaningless statistics. Introduction § Matthew Bailey, President, Site Logic Marketing Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Tami Dalley, Director, User Experience Optimization, ROI Labs Northwest 4
Sessions
length, social media is one of marketing’s most dynamic channels. Learn how to address and adapt to the evolving social environment. Which changes are worth embracing, and which should you pass by?
Search: Where to Next?
It’s been said that the best way to predict the future is to invent it. And almost everyone likes to speculate about the future. When it comes to search marketing, none are better at it than our veteran panel of industry insiders. Join us for an illuminating discussion as we peek into the next generation of digital marketing and predict what search might look like in the next five to 10 years. What should be on your search radar for 2010 and beyond? Does the key to the future of search lie in personalization? Do social networks herald the end of search? Certain industry pundits have said SEO is dead. The future is coming. Are you ready for it? Moderator § Anne Kennedy, International Search Strategist, Beyond Ink USA Speakers § Chris Boggs, Director, SEO, Rosetta § Robert Murray, CEO, iProspect § Bruce Clay, President, Bruce Clay, Inc. Northwest 5 — OMS Track
Remaining Agile Amidst Seismic Shifts in the Social Media Landscape
From Facebook’s endless attempts to integrate content from all over the web, Twitter’s latest mobile app, to YouTube extending the limits on video
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
As the world becomes smaller and search marketing becomes more complex, the era of “ranking well in Google” is over. This is especially true for companies who are targeting multiple markets or countries. This new opportunity also brings many new complexities to be considered other than standard SEO. This session tackles key issues critical to successfully developing, optimizing, and launching global websites that meet nextgeneration marketing goals. We’ll cover the following topics: Keyword research Language & cultural issues Geographical issues Issues involving different engines and platforms Leveraging standardized templates to develop global websites Cross-border management issues Copy writing for multiple audiences Adapting unique market trends and techniques Moderator § Anne Kennedy, International Search Strategist, Beyond Ink USA Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Andy Atkins-Krüger, Managing Director, WebCertain Northwest 3
Meaningful SEO Metrics: Going Beyond the Numbers As knowledge of SEO practices moves from the offices of the optimizers to the board room, the standard metrics used by the practitioners of this former dark art are straining under the weight of the all-powerful bottom line. The days when upper management was impressed by subtle changes in page rank have been replaced by questions of LTV and ROI. As more resources create perfectly optimized and keyword-rich landing pages, C-levels are demanding proof of the return they’re receiving from these resources. Learn to move beyond page rank and into metrics that can make you a hero and get your budget increased. Moderator § Richard Zwicky, Founder, eightfold logic, Enquisite Speakers § Jim Yu, Founder & CEO, BrightEdge § Jon Glick, VP of SEO & GM European Web Properties, Become.com
Tuesday Northwest 4
Introduction to Information Retrieval on the Web
This session could be entitled “How Search Engines Work,” as it delves into the methods used by crawler-based search engines such as Google. Understanding how search engines gather information from billions of documents and index them is essential knowledge for search engine marketers. Find out how: search engine crawlers work keywords are weighted and indexed hyperlink-based ranking algorithms work end user behavior can affect ranking to future proof your marketing strategy in a new decade of search Introduction § Brent Payne, SEO Director, Tribune Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Mike Grehan, Global VP Content, SES/Search Engine Watch/ClickZ Northwest 5 — OMS Track
Social Integration: Creating Interactive Conversations Across Channels
The goal of any business is to grow and know your consumer base and then turn them into raving fans. Learn five things you should be doing to help your business engage consumers and the three key channels you should leverage now to create personal, relevant, and interactive conversations with your consumer.
specific business questions using your web analytics data to drive tactical and strategic decision making. This session will provide you with all of the essentials to get down and dirty with your data. Moderator § Richard Zwicky, Founder, eightfold logic, Enquisite Speakers § Andrea Fishman, VP of Global Strategy, BGT Partners § Tami Dalley, Director, User Experience Optimization, ROI Labs Northwest 4 — Sponsored Session
A Powerful New Choice in Search
Learn how Yahoo! Search and Bing are coming together for advertisers and consumers as a powerful new choice in search. Get tips on how to prepare for the transition, and have your questions answered by Yahoo! Search and Bing experts. This session is for agencies and advertisers. Northwest 5 — OMS Track
Beyond Listening-Establishing & Hitting Metrics with Social Media
While social media is a great tool for listening to your customer, it’s still about marketing to them. Learn how to establish and hit goals through social media as you would any other channel by assigning a dollar amount to friends, followers and fans and tracking those results. Speaker § Loren Baker, SVP of Online PR/Managing Partner, BlueGlass
Speaker § Sundeep Kapur, Evangelist, EmailYogi.com
3-4p Northwest 1
4:15-5:15p Northwest 1
Developing Great Content
Introduction § Anne Kennedy, International Search Strategist, Beyond Ink USA
Without meaningful content and compelling copy, your website is not grabbing the attention it deserves. In this session, we’ll explore a diverse range of web content development strategies, along with innovative techniques for dramatically boosting the visibility and interactive appeal of your site. From SEO copywriting tips that encourage consumers to click to persuasive design strategies that turn browsers into buyers, it’s all about improving the end user’s experience through superior content.
Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Debra Mastaler, President, Alliance-Link
Moderator § Jonathan Allen, Director, SearchEngineWatch
Discover how search engines rely on link analysis as an important component for ranking web pages. You will also learn how to increase traffic to your site by building quality links in an appropriate manner.
Northwest 2
Brand, Trademark & Reputation Management
Now that Google has lifted the ban on trademark terms in search ads, should we expect an immediate influx of brand names in Google keyword ads? Should you use a competitor’s trademark in your own search advertising? What if a competitor has an ad running on your trademarked brand name? Is it worth engaging professional legal help, or are there other options? What if bloggers are posting negative or false claims about your brands? Are there ways to get these damaging messages out of the search engines? We’ll explore these and other brand protection issues.
Speakers § Michael DeHaven, SEO Product Manager, Bazaarvoice § Greg Jarboe, President & Co-founder, SEO-PR § Heather Lloyd-Martin, CEO, SuccessWorks
Sessions
Link Building Basics
Northwest 2
Is Search Retargeting Right for You?
Speakers § Fionn Downhill, CEO & President, Elixir Interactive § Geoffrey Wozman, Attorney at Law
Research shows that as many as 90 percent of the people who visit a website leave without completing any action that online marketers intend them to take, such as making a purchase. Despite this knowledge, remarketing remains the most underutilized online marketing technology. Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is a technology that allows marketers to show their ads to former site visitors while they surf elsewhere on the web. Sounds very simple. However, a lack of awareness around the technology has ruffled some feathers in the industry. In this session, industry experts will share their experiences with remarketing and the impact it has had on advertisers’ overall ROI.
Northwest 3
Moderator § Matt McGowan, Managing Director, North America, Incisive Media
Once you have the fundamentals of web analytics under control, it’s time to take the next step into deep dive analytics. It’s all about answering
Speakers § Rob Leathern, CEO, XA.net § Joshua Dreller, VP of Media Technology & Analytics, Fuor Digital § Melinda Reese, Network Solution Specialist, Microsoft Advertising
Moderator § Chris Boggs, Director, SEO, Rosetta
Deep Dive Into Analytics: When Bounce Rate No Longer Floats Your Boat
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Tuesday Northwest 3
Digital Marketing on the Political Edge
Two years ago, Chicago’s own Barack Obama effectively used online marketing in his campaign to become president of the United States. With the mid-term elections on the horizon, what better time to take a look at what candidates have learned over the last couple of years, how other organizations are utilizing online marketing to help/smear those candidates, and how news organizations are covering those campaigns.
Introduction § Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Online Marketing Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Bryan Eisenberg, NYTimes bestselling author, bryaneisenberg.com
Moderator § Jack Marshall, Staff Writer, Stats Editor, ClickZ
Northwest 5 — OMS Track
Speaker § Simon Heseltine, Senior Marketing Manager, AOL Inc.
With the rise of social media, consumers are no longer coming to your site exclusively through the “front door.” The entire conversion funnel needs to be reconsidered. Learn how to optimize your site for the social media landscape to increase results.
Northwest 4
The Secret Formula To Boost Response
Are your click-through rates flat? Does your conversion rate fall below your expectations? Perhaps there is a search marketer’s insider secret
Theater Presentations Tuesday in the Expo Hall 11:30-11:50a Blogsvertise: Blog Advertising Strategies Speakers: Jean Newton & Kristin Matthews 12-12:20p NVI: From Brick to Bytes — Taking a Luxury Jewelry Chain Online Luxury jewelry isn’t the kind of expenditure that most people want to make online. But that’s bound to change. So how does a major, national brick and mortar chain such as Birks & Mayors begin the transition? We’ll look at (1) how a major luxury brand can position itself online through SEM and social media; (2) how they can extend their retail experience to interactive platforms; and (3) how they can keep their social media presence and e-commerce experience in line with their brick and mortar one. Speaker: CT Moore, account manager at NVI
Sessions
that Google doesn’t want you to know about. Bryan Eisenberg reveals a critical three-step formula to boost your click-through rates and increase your conversion rates. Budget the time or bust your budget.
12:30-12:50p VeriSign Authentication Services: Traffic Doctor — 5 Sites That Got More Traffic & More Sales By Building Trust Both clinical research and the experience of practical online marketers have demonstrated beyond doubt that online trust indicators give a serious boost to time on site, pages visited, and ultimately conversion. Now the trust battle is moving upstream into the search arena. Search marketers are realizing that they can gain more traffic and increase conversion rates on that traffic. We’ll walk through five online businesses and reveal specific techniques for how they improved clicks, stayed off black lists, and boosted profits. Plus, we’ll explain how this phenomenon aligns with other well-understood online behaviors such as measured using heat maps and A/B split testing. Speaker: Bob Angus, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Symantec 1-1:20p iContact: What is List Segmentation & Why Should I Care? When you fail to segment your list in your e-mail marketing plan, you plan to fail! Join Victoriya to learn why list segmentation is valuable and a must-do for your e-mail marketing campaigns. We’ll help you learn what segments are valuable and how you can segment your current lists with ease. Speaker: Victoriya Bobbitt, Account Manager 1:30-1:50p Agendize: What is “Engagement” & Why it Matters to Search Marketers Businesses optimize their websites and online marketing campaigns for search, trying to get as many customers as possible to their “front door” online, but what do the customers do once they get there? Most sites only offer a couple of engagement options for users — a contact form and a button to share on social networks — missing a huge conversion opportunity. We’ll introduce our new self-serve platform that will help businesses optimize their online marketing investment by bringing more customers past the “front door.” Speaker: Matt Fogel, VP Product
30
SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Optimizing the Socialized UX
Speaker § Tim Ash, CEO, SiteTuners.com 2-2:20p Brafton CustomNews: Fuelling SEO, Twitter, & Facebook Conversations Enhancing your SEO, Twitter, and Facebook conversations using our custom news content. Session will include case studies. 2:30-2:50p Wpromote Inc.: 6 Things to Supercharge Your SEM Campaigns From PPC to organic SEO, social media to landing page optimization, this session willl provide actionable tips, strategies, and secrets to get more out of your online marketing efforts. Learn how to obtain free leads from Facebook, grow your PPC results without spending a penny more, and how to boost your conversion rates of forms and carts with changes that take just minutes. Speaker: Michael Mothner 3-3:20p Website Magazine: Web Trends for 2011 Speaker: Mike Phillips, Senior Editor, Website Magazine 3:30-3:50p Semantic Marketing Systems: Wake up & smell the coffee, a long tail story Speaker George Burch’s talk uses a case study of a small coffee company to illustrate the power of online statistical methods when harnessed to a massive query generation database to target the the meaning of the search. 4-4:20p Acquisio: The End of Search Marketing (as we know it!) Trends are changing, channels are emerging. Welcome to the world of performance marketing, where search is only one of many channels. Are you aware of new opportunities, and do you have the budgets to accommodate them? Learn how the game is changing and how you can take advantage. Speaker: Marc Poirier, CMO & Co-founder
Express Site Clinics Tuesday in the Expo Hall (Booth 514)
11a-12p Quick Social Media Wins Stumped about social media? Not getting the results you hoped to see? Or are you just overwhelmed by everything that’s out there in social media and don’t know where to start? Li Evans will help you tweak your social media tactics. Speaker: Liana Evans, Director of Social Media, Serengeti Communications 12:30-1:30p Power PPC Advertising Clinic Get your Google AdWords PPC advertising campaigns and landing pages expertly analyzed, with specific recommendations for improvement and optimization. Or just watch and learn a wide range of tips and best practices. Speaker: David Szetela, CEO, Clix Marketing 2-3p Express Search Usability Clinic Get one-on-one advice for usability, design, copy, link development, and any technical issues that may prevent your website from receiving high quality search engine traffic and visitor conversions. Speaker: Shari Thurow, Founder & SEO Director, Omni Marketing Interactive
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Wednesday, Oct. 20 9:30-10:30a Grand Ballroom
Morning Keynote
Speaker § Jeffrey Hayzlett, Celebrity CMO, Bestselling Author & former Kodak CMO, Eastman Kodak Company
11a-12p Northwest 1
SEO 101
Organic search is one of the best customer cost of acquisition values, simply because it is a “pull” medium, allowing people to find you when they need you. Search engine optimization will help you position your website properly to be found at the most critical points in the buying process. This SEO overview will help you understand what the search engines are looking for, and how the principle of building your site for your customers will also please the search engines. In clear, nontechnical language, you’ll learn the latest optimization trends along with the best practices necessary to make an immediate impact on your internet presence and website profitability. Introduction § Andrew Goodman, President, Page Zero Media Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Bruce Clay, President, Bruce Clay, Inc.
shopping engines, and directories starting to fill these gaps with usergenerated content, video, or inventory data that funnel searchers toward local businesses? More importantly, how are location-based services (LBS) opening up new markets in wireless advertising and providing search marketers with increasing opportunities to target searches based on specific locations? Moderator § Gregg Stewart, President, 15miles Speakers § Curtis R. Curtis, SVP, Strategic Partnerships, UniversalBusinessListing.org § David Rodecker, Founder & CTO, Relevant Ads Inc. Northwest 5
Video Search Optimization
According to comScore, YouTube is now the No. 2 search destination in the world. While the good old organic results pages still attract tens of thousands of experts probing the latest algorithmic quirks and optimization techniques, video search remains relatively uncharted waters. Panelists discuss the importance of optimizing for video search, and probe into tactics like keyword research, copywriting, reputation enhancement, and sponsorships and special programs. Moderator § Anne Kennedy, International Search Strategist, Beyond Ink USA Speakers § Greg Jarboe, President & Co-Founder, SEO-PR § Grant Crowell, Senior Media Analyst, ReelSEO.com § Paul Carff, Senior Developer Advocate, Google Inc.
Northwest 2
News Search Optimization
News search engines offer a great way to receive targeted traffic related to breaking topics or to help with a public relations launch. In this session, we look at how to make use of press releases and news content to tap into the power of news search. Introduction § Jamie Smith, CEO, Engine Ready Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Brent Payne, SEO Director, Tribune Northwest 3
Sessions
Bringing SEO In-House: The Pros and Cons
Managing SEO in-house at mid- to large-sized organizations can pose many challenges. Once the company decides to start SEO in-house, what’s next? In this session, you’ll learn what you’ll need to do to manage an in-house SEO program that runs smoothly and successfully. There are many groups involved in SEO besides the subject matter experts and if you are responsible for SEO, you need to learn and implement these tactics that will increase the productivity and reduce the frustrations you face on a regular basis. Come and see marketers deliver the keys to success in building well-integrated search marketing programs that thrive on support from all levels of the company. Moderator § Lisa Buyer, President & CEO, The Buyer Group Speakers § Bob Tripathi, Customer Marketing Manager, Sears Holdings § Jessica Bowman, SEO Strategist & in-house SEO Expert, SEOinhouse.com
1-2p Northwest 1
Search & Packaged Goods
It’s common knowledge that the average consumer-packaged goods (CPG) marketer spends 1 percent or less of his total advertising dollars on search. Why does search remain so underutilized among CPG marketers? Do CPG marketers still view search advertising as primarily for direct response, not branding? Is Google’s pricing system, and the rest of the search industry that largely follows its model to blame? Join us for an eye-opening discussion as we examine the profile and online behavior of CPG searchers and explore the high-growth opportunity and untapped potential of search marketing for consumer brands. Speakers § Vic Catalfamo, Global Digital Marketing Manager, P&G Northwest 2
Search, PR, and the Social Butterfly
Take social media to the boardroom! Social media continues to spread its wings with the advent of Google Social Search, Bing, Twitter Search, and Yahoo’s Twitter-like moves. With the demise of traditional media outlets and the rise of search and social, PR firms have also gotten a big lift and muscled in on the territory once ruled by advertising agencies. Time to eighty-six the anachronistic press kits and media lists and hand over the keyword-rich online status updates and Twitter feeds. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear firsthand from online PR/social media pros that bridge the best of both worlds while influencing SEO via profiles, fans, tweets, friends, and follows.
Northwest 4
Moderator § Sally Falkow, President, PRESSfeed
What percentage of online searches are local? If you consider searches that end up having some influence on local buying activity, the opportunity is put into perspective. But there are still large gaps between the point of search and the point of purchase. How are online mapping,
Speakers § Lisa Buyer, President & CEO, The Buyer Group § Peter Liefer, President, Primeview
Local 2.0: The Evolution of Local Search
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Wednesday Conversion Ninja Toolbox
Landing page optimization can produce huge improvements in online marketing campaigns. The question is not whether you should do it, but how. In this fast-paced solo session and Q&A with landing page optimization author and expert Tim Ash, you’ll learn about a number of powerful new tools that have recently become available for improving conversion rates. Learn the secrets of the conversion ninja, and become one yourself. Introduction § Tracy Falke, Social Media Specialist, Freestyle Interactive Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Tim Ash, CEO, SiteTuners.com Northwest 4
Getting Mobilized! Mobile Marketing Strategies
Learn basic mobile marketing strategies that are attracting mobile traffic today. This session will focus on mobile SEO, but will also touch on driving traffic and conversions with mobile applications, text messaging, and mobile e-mail. You will learn what you need to know to develop, launch, and track an integrated mobile marketing strategy. This session will help attendees understand how mobile marketing fits into the traditional and online marketing mix and determine what mobile marketing strategy is most appropriate for their business. It will provide tips for updating existing sites to work on a variety of mobile devices and will expose the major SEO mistakes that are being made by some of the top mobile marketing agencies. Attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of basic mobile SEO best practices, including mobile site architecture, local and universal SEO tactics that work in a mobile application, and how to author meta data that is compelling in mobile search results. Introduction § Jonathan Allen, Director, SearchEngineWatch Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Michael Martin, Owner, Mobile Martin Northwest 5
Competitive Research
An essential component of any search marketing plan is understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors. This knowledge helps you comprehend what links to gain, ad prices to pay, content to offer, and customers to seek. In this session, we take a close look at what tricks you can use with search engines to analyze your competitors’ game and also what free and premium tools are available to deep dive into their strategy. Join us for a candid discussion as panelists reveal their secrets for monitoring competitive forces and threats while sharing tips that can be successfully applied to any business intelligence effort. After attending this session, you’ll have the skills to easily discover what keywords your competitor is targeting, how much your competitor is spending on ads, and be able to identify opportunities your competitor is missing. Moderator § Kristopher Jones, President & CEO, KBJ Interactive Speakers § Mark Munroe, Director of Search Audience, MerchantCircle § Eli Goodman, Search Evangelist, comScore, Inc. § Bill Leake, President & CEO, Apogee Search
2:30-3:30p Northwest 1
The Other Googles Details to follow. Northwest 2
Speaking Geek: How Marketers Can Work with Web Developers to Achieve Business Goals
We hear it all the time: an online marketer returns from an SES event brimming with new ideas and advertising tactics, only to hit a wall when they present their plans to the developers responsible for implementing their ideas. It’s no secret that marketing and tech don’t often speak the same language, and as a result, projects are slowed or stalled, and millions of marketing dollars are wasted. So how do you bridge the gap? Hear from a panel of marketers and developers on how to collaborate and pull off a technical online project successfully. Moderator § Tracy Falke, Social Media Specialist, Freestyle Interactive Speakers § Jessica Bowman, SEO Strategist & in-house SEO Expert, SEOinhouse.com § Casey Rovinelli, Director, Digital Marketing, National Hockey League Players’ Association Northwest 3
Stretching Your Marketing Dollars: The Upside of Search
Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across all industries are being forced to weigh cost versus benefit with every decision they make. However, just because you’re compelled to stretch your marketing dollars doesn’t mean their effectiveness should be sacrificed to fit leaner budgets. Come hear tips and tricks that will help you pick up the valuable traffic being left behind by your competitors while putting your business on the path to profitable growth. Our panel of industry experts will teach you the secrets to maximizing your exposure via organic, paid search and local search without emptying your wallet or cutting sales or leads. Moderator § Julie Batten, eMarketing Manager, Klick Communications Speakers § Eli Goodman, Search Evangelist, comScore, Inc. § Melissa Mackey, Search Marketing Manager, Fluency Media Northwest 4
Holiday Shopping Tactics
It’s the beginning of the holiday season. All the campaigns have launched and you’ve thought of everything. Or have you? While other campaigns are flying on holiday spending autopilot, you can swoop in and reinvigorate sales during the peak season and even when everyone else has called it quits for the year after the holidays. It’s never too late to breathe new life into a holiday search campaign, and you can take these tactics back to the office. Moderator § Ethan Giffin, CEO, Groove Commerce Speakers § Alex Cohen, Senior Marketing Manager, ClickEquations § Lisa Raehsler, SEM Strategy Consultant § Erin O’Donnell, Vertical Specialist, SMB Advertising, Microsoft Advertising
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Sessions
Northwest 3
Wednesday, Oct. 20 Northwest 5
Northwest 2
Facebook! In a little more than three years, Facebook has ballooned to an astounding community of over 500 million users, many of whom are fanatically engaged. The resulting explosion has marketers scrambling for chunks of the gold rush. Replete with internal PPC (Facebook ads), “SEO” and organic social (participation), Facebook has become a massive standalone social ecosystem all rolled up into one incredible viral ball. Join our panel of international Facebook marketing pioneers for a noholds-barred look at: Getting found organically: Winning use of fan pages, interest pages, groups, events, applications, and internal search (Facebook SEO). Panelists will share real big brand and small business how-to case studies that rock. Facebook ads: Learn how to run tens of millions of daily impressions with up to 1.25 percent CTR, awesome targeting, great lead gen, and direct response conversions. See examples of SMBs cleaning up regionally, for very little investment. Discover how others have overcome the Facebook UI’s grueling workflow challenges and discuss emerging tools. Facebook competitive intelligence: Zero in with laser precision. Attendees will take away techniques and tactics to target customers and identify influential users. This includes gathering comprehensive data on your competitors’ most engaged friends, for holistic organic friend-making and buying your competitors’ friends with Facebook ads.
In this session we will cover the fundamentals of getting traction for your videos on Youtube and other video sharing sites and social networks play. We will examine tactics to get more video plays and suggest strategies for ‘going viral’, that could work for large and small producers alike. We will also look beyond Youtube to a more comprehensive visibility strategy for a video library in general and explore ways to create a brand, monetize your content and suggest ways to continually develop great content ideas.
Killer Facebook Marketing Tactics
How to Transform Your Approach to Video
Introduction § Greg Jarboe, President & Co-founder, SEO-PR Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Jonathan Allen, Director, SearchEngineWatch Northwest 3
B2B Marketing Tips
This session will focus on PPC and SEO best practices — specific to B2B search marketers. Examples and case studies will include: Reaching buyers across the buying cycle Best ways to target a specific, niche audience Engaging buyers, influencers, and implementers B2B offers: whitepapers, demos, trials, webinars, etc. Lead generation tips
Moderator § Krista Neher, CEO, Marketess
Moderator § Patricia Hursh, President, SmartSearch Marketing
Speakers § Marty Weintraub, President, aimClear § Liana Evans, Director of Social Media, Serengeti Communications
Speakers § Mischa Stephens, Senior Optimization Specialist, Google § Chris Long, SVP E-commerce & Marketing, L-com, Inc. Northwest 4
Twitter Nation & Automation
3:45-4:45p Northwest 1
Sessions
How to Become a Link Magnet
Some people just have to sit at a keyboard and type for 10 minutes. Some people spend a little time mashing up a video. And some people develop a cool tool or app. What happens next? They become link magnets. In search marketing, where content is still king, we’ve talked about how to make your website a link a magnet. But with social media and personal branding, developing a great presence online can turn you personally into a link magnet. Some people have. Thousands want to. How can you develop your personal brand so that you only have to mouth an opinion and a gazillion links follow? Andy Warhol once suggested that everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame. And social media is certainly making that little prediction come true. Find out from a panel of experts how you can become a link magnet and dominate search engines.
Within the dramatically expanding social network space, Twitter has become everyone’s darling ever since major companies like Dell publicized how many millions of dollars they are actually making via this 140-characters-is-enough microblogging platform. Of course, the real question is how to bring your message across this huge stream of endless tweets and how to actually be heard in an ocean of white noise without breaking the bank. Obviously, automation is key here, but it does require a lot of insight into the actual mechanics of Twitter and online conversations in particular. Which automation tools to use? How can you prevent getting your account banned? Treading the fine line between ripping success and utter failure, it’s about the right kind of credible interaction. Learn why subtle, “suggestive marketing” works best on Twitter — and how to automate that effectively, too. Plus, effective strategies to outpace your competitors.
Moderator § Laura Lippay, Partner, Nine by Blue
Moderator § Matt McGowan, Managing Director, North America, Incisive Media
Speakers § Aaron Kahlow, Chairman & Founder, Online Marketing Summit § Jim Boykin, CEO, We Build Pages Internet Marketing Services § Christoph Cemper, Managing Director, Cemper.com
Speakers § Tracy Falke, Social Media Specialist, Freestyle Interactive § Hollis Thomases, Founder, WebAdvantage.net § Paul Madden, Owner, Crea8 New Media A
For the latest information on SES Chicago’s sessions and speakers, check your addendum or visit
SearchEngineStrategies.com 34
SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Northwest 5
Content Marketing Optimization
The core of any search or social media marketing program centers on content. Digital assets, rich media, web pages, MS Office and PDF docs, as well as content created and shared by consumers all offer opportunities for optimization. If it can be searched, it can be optimized. Online marketing is increasingly competitive and brand marketers
Wednesday
Introduction § Jonathan Allen, Director, SearchEngineWatch Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Online Marketing
5-6p Northwest 1
Paid Search 101
Paid placement is a form of search advertising that provides a top ranking in return for payment. Every major search engine offers a paid placement program. Learn what’s available in this session that is especially geared toward beginners, with details on programs from major providers and advice on how to succeed. Introduction § Stacie Susens, Director of Client Strategy & Dev, Resolution Media Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Brad Geddes, Founder, bgTheory.com Northwest 2
SEO is Dead: Long live SEO!
SEO is dead... No it’s not... Yes it is! It’s been an ongoing debate for quite some time now. So what’s the truth? Does SEO still give you the necessary oomph to rocket you up the search engine charts like it used to? Or, is SEO a “just in case” best practice routine these days? Can anyone prove that it does work, or can anyone prove it doesn’t? We have a panel of experts for you to agree with — or disagree with. It’s a totally open discussion and it’s led by the most important person in the room: you! We need your real world experience, opinions, and feedback. This is the perfect primer leading directly into our infamous black hat/white hat unconferenced session. Moderator § Mike Grehan, Global VP Content, SES/Search Engine Watch/ClickZ Speakers § Todd Friesen, Director of SEO, Performics § Bruce Clay, President, Bruce Clay, Inc. § Kristopher Jones, President & CEO, KBJ Interactive Northwest 3
B2B Lead Gen Management & CRM Integration
This session will focus on “post-click” best practices — specific to B2B search marketers and/or companies with a complex sales cycle. Examples and case studies will include: Conversion improvement tips Landing page and microsite testing Lead scoring, nurturing, and management Integration with CRM systems Follow search leads through to offline sales Moderator § Patricia Hursh, President, SmartSearch Marketing Speakers § Scott Brinker, President & CTO, ion interactive § Adam Goldberg, Chief Innovation Officer, ClearSaleing
Northwest 4
Crossing the Digital Divide: The Leap From Search to Display
Many advertisers who embrace the highly measurable, highly efficient world of search engine marketing remain on the sidelines in display. Historically, display advertising has lacked the targeted pricing, placement, and ROI of search. The advent of new display optimization technologies and next-generation ad exchanges, however, is offering a radically fresh take on an outdated media model. Demand-side platforms, in particular, offer advertisers better control over pricing and targeting, and power these advantages by creating advertiser-specific algorithms. In this session, you will hear a “101” introduction to DSPs and ad exchanges, as well as advice for experienced search advertisers who want to broaden their media mix. Moderator § Jay Sears, General Manager, ADSDAQ Ad Exchange Speakers § Mike Baker, President & CEO, DataXu § Michael Rubenstein, President, AppNexus § Chris Zaharias, SVP, Dapper Northwest 5
E-Commerce Site Clinic
This interactive session takes retailers and e-commerce merchants from the audience and examines their websites live to provide feedback about improving them to gain more traffic from search engines and increase online conversion. Moderator § Aaron Kahlow, Chairman & Founder, Online Marketing Summit Speakers § Rob Snell, Partner, Snell Brothers § Ethan Giffin, CEO, Groove Commerce
6-7p
Open Mic: SEW Black Hat White Hat Unconferenced
Not just a workshop, not just a party — but a little bit of both. Debate issues that matter over drinks!
Sessions
worldwide are seeking real advantages that will improve the efficiency and impact of their social media and SEO efforts. This session provides unique insight into content-based optimization strategies and processes as well as tactics for sourcing, creation, and promotion of optimized content on the social web.
Express Site Clinics Wednesday, Expo Hall (Booth 514) 11a-12p Your Baby Is Ugly: Landing Page Mini-Critiques Your landing page has severe and fundamental problems and could have a much higher conversion rate. Join us on the exhibit show floor for complimentary mini-critiques by landing page optimization expert Tim Ash, chairperson of ConversionConference.com and author of the bestselling book Landing Page Optimization. Speaker: Tim Ash, CEO, SiteTuners.com 1-2p User Friendly Sites That Monetize Well Is your site user-friendly, or are visitors wandering around lost before finally hitting the back button? How clean is your content, and is it engaging for your readers? Are your on-site ads suffering from banner blindness, or can they be placed in a better position to increase revenue without alienating visitors by being too blatant? Get tips on how to make the best user-friendly website that also monetizes well for you and your advertisers. Speaker: Jennifer Slegg, CEO, JenSense.com
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
35
Sessions
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Thursday, Oct. 21 9:30-10:30a Grand Ballroom
Morning Keynote
Speaker § Maile Ohye, Senior Developer Programs Engineer, Google
10:45-11:45a Northwest 1
Northwest 5
Marketing in the Content Networks Clinic
This interactive session takes volunteers from the audience and examines their websites live to provide general feedback about improving them to do better with Google AdSense and other contextual ad placements. Moderator § Michael Gray, Owner, Atlas Web Service Speaker § Jennifer Slegg, CEO, JenSense.com
Digital Asset Optimization
Moderator § Chris Boggs, Director, SEO, Rosetta Speaker § Kaushal Kurapati, Director of Product Management, Yahoo! Search § Jim Yu, Founder & CEO, BrightEdge § Fionn Downhill, CEO & President, Elixir Interactive
12-1p Northwest 1
Social Media 101
Social media has become a major piece of the search marketing puzzle and is changing the way we work, communicate, and live. Companies are amazed by the influence social media is having and want to understand how to use it effectively. This session is designed to guide you through the complex landscape of social media and how it relates to your brand or web property. You’ll learn about the leading sites, the functionality they provide, and best practices for interacting in these virtual places. You’ll also come away with some valuable tips on how to effectively leverage your brand, services, and products in different social media environments, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace, Digg, and more.
Northwest 2
Introduction § Laura Lippay, Partner, Nine by Blue
Finally see which search marketing tactic is the most cost effective, PPC or SEO. Since the best battles are decided through web analytics, learn about an industry study examining visitor behavior and conversion data for visitors arriving from paid versus organic links.
Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Liana Evans, Director of Social Media, Serengeti Communications
Moderator § Jamie Smith, CEO, Engine Ready
Channel Surfing: Measuring Profit & ROI Across Channels
PPC or SEO? The Ultimate Search Marketing Battle
Speakers § Julie Batten, eMarketing Manager, Klick Communications § Stacie Susens, Director of Client Strategy & Dev, Resolution Media Northwest 3
Website Usability, Testing, & SEO
Both usability and findability are key components to a successful user experience and a profitable website. In fact, improving the usability of your site for visitors can also improve your SEO. Which usability tests can make your site more findable and profitable? Which tests might be a waste of time? What can SEO professionals learn from — and contribute to — usability testing? This session will focus on tests that are crucial for improving the architecture, navigation, and design of findable websites. Introduction § Greg Jarboe, President & Co-founder, SEO-PR Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Shari Thurow, Founder & SEO Director, Omni Marketing Interactive Northwest 4
Advanced Keyword Research
How many keywords do you need in your paid search account? What keywords are your customers searching for? How do customers find products after they reach your site? This advanced session will demonstrate how to target the right terms in your paid and organic search marketing, and learn where these keywords should be used. Solo presentation § Brad Geddes, Founder, bgTheory.com Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Ron Jones, President/CEO, Symetri Internet Marketing
Northwest 2
Visitors take interesting paths on the way to your shopping cart, surfing through a variety of ads and search listings before arriving at your site. Which types of ads or combination of ads are the most likely to lead to conversion — your display ads, Facebook ads, branded PPC ads, or something else? And which ads result in the highest profit and ROI? Proper attribution models give marketers scientifically valid ways to determine how particular channels had an influence on purchase or conversion. In this session, the panelists will identify various methods for determining attribution and will pinpoint common attribution misconceptions. Moderator § Bryan Eisenberg, NYTimes bestselling author, bryaneisenberg.com Speakers § Adam Goldberg, Chief Innovation Officer, ClearSaleing § Mikel Chertudi, Senior Director, Online & Demand Marketing, Adobe Northwest 3
Duplicate Content & Multiple Site Issues
More and more site owners are concerned that they might get penalized accidentally or overtly because of duplicate content. If you run mirror sites, will search engines ban you? If you have listings that are similar in nature, is that an issue? What happens if you syndicate content through RSS and feeds? Will other sites be considered the “real” site and rob you of a rightful place in the search results? This session looks at the issues and explores solutions. Moderator § Adam Audette, President, AudetteMedia, Inc. Speakers § Michael Gray, Owner, Atlas Web Service § Susan Moskwa, Webmaster Trends Analyst, Google, Inc. SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Sessions
Search result multiplicity is not a new phenomenon, but recent advancements guarantee that the world of search and marketing will be changing forever. How do the new “blended” search results pages affect your marketing strategy? Do these changes mean that the major search engines are eager to keep the “second click” on web properties owned by themselves? How popular are the new blended search results with users?
Thursday Northwest 4
Social Goes Local
Social media represents a growing part of the online user experience and an important potential driver of leads to local businesses. Some businesses are already using Facebook and Twitter, but is that enough? What are some of the ways they take advantage of social media in conjunction with other media? We’ll sit down with some of thought leaders in this area to drill down on what really is working for small businesses. We’ll also take a peek at “check-in” via social media apps like Foursquare and Gowalla, along with a discussion of Twitter local trending topics and Facebook’s entrance into the geo-location foray. Now that Bing is competing with map apps and Google Places has opened its doors to local businesses, there are more ways than ever to take advantage of the various social media platforms. Moderator § Steve Espinosa, VP of Innovation, eLocal Listing, LLC Speaker § Gib Olander, Director of Business Development, Localeze § Gregg Stewart, President, 15miles Northwest 5
Social Media Clinic
Is your site a wallflower? Are you missing the friends, follows, and shares because your website is anti-social? Get the social media personality check-up at SES. Learn how your site can make new friends, get more leads, and increase visibility by adding some fresh socialization tools and strategies. Moderator § Paul Madden, Owner, Crea8 New Media Speakers § Tracy Falke, Social Media Specialist, Freestyle Interactive § Lisa Buyer, President & CEO, The Buyer Group
2-3p Northwest 1
Sessions
Get Googley: How to Apply Lessons from SEM to Other Marketing Channels
It’s a brave new world and search marketers are in the driver’s seat. The core principles of SEM and the people behind them are moving front and center in the marketing mix. From precise audience segmentation to dynamic creative insertion to real-time bidding to conversion optimization, the key attributes of search are quickly pervading other channels. Join us for a lively session featuring practical tips for applying SEM-think to other channels. Introduction § Stewart Quealy, VP, Content Development, SES Conference & Expo Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Aaron Goldman, CMO, Kenshoo Northwest 2
Shoes, Cupcakes, and Social Media: Building an Army of Brand Ambassadors
Mari Luangrath is obsessed with shoes. So obsessed, in fact, that she launched her cupcake business by talking about... shoes. As a result, Foiled Cupcakes now personally serves a client list of more than 100 Fortune 500 companies, a dozen wholesale and restaurant partnerships, and a healthy list of Chicago’s influencers, surpassing revenue goals by more than 600 percent in a year. Luangrath shares the three easy, applicable, and effective strategies she’s found to channel prospects into buyers during the launch and growth stages of Foiled: 1) participate in relatable conversations; 2) facilitate fun; 3) do it again. She’ll
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provide concrete examples of social media campaigns following this methodology, along with real outcomes and actual numbers, along with the pitfalls and mishaps the company has encountered along the way. Introduction § Jackie Ortez, Conference Program & Training Manager, SES Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Mari Luangrath, Head Cupcakeologist/Owner, Foiled Cupcakes Northwest 3
Ads in a Quality Score World
More and more, ranking well in paid search listings is less and less about how much you pay and more about the “quality” of your ad campaign. But what goes into making up your quality score? In this panel, we’ll take a closer look at quality factors and give tips on increasing the perceived relevancy of your campaigns. Moderator § Matt Van Wagner, President, Find Me Faster Speakers § David Szetela, CEO, Clix Marketing § Andrew Goodman, President, Page Zero Media Northwest 4
SEO Through Blogs & Feeds
Not yet running a blog? Not syndicating your content through web feeds? Then you’re missing out on an important area that can help your overall SEO efforts. Learn more about the unique advantages blogs and feeds offer to search engine optimization. Moderator § Adam Audette, President, AudetteMedia, Inc. Speakers § Michael Gray, Owner, Atlas Web Service § Sally Falkow, President, PRESSfeed Northwest 5
Ad Copy & Continuity Clinic
Does your PPC ad make a promise that your landing page can’t keep? Make sure that your ad copy and landing page contents are in alignment with each other to ensure a smooth and profitable visitor experience. This clinic will examine actual ads and landing pages offered up by volunteers from the audience. Moderator § Lisa Buyer, President & CEO, The Buyer Group Speaker § Melissa Mackey, Search Marketing Manager, Fluency Media § Brad Geddes, Founder, bgTheory.com
3:15-4:15p Northwest 1
Successful Information Architecture
Information architecture is the core ingredient to getting the most out of your website. Mix into the batch content, navigation, design, technical development, and SEO, and you should end up with a spectacular dish. However, more often than not, priorities are not defined appropriately, leading to poor results. This session will focus on how to organize, prioritize, and optimize each ingredient to get the best outcome for your website. Includes tools and techniques to help. Solo Presentation (Marketing Virtuoso Session) § Matthew Bailey, President, Site Logic Marketing
Thursday The Trouble With Content Management Systems is... Details to follow.
Speakers § Krista Neher, CEO, Marketess § Chris Winfield, CMO/Managing Partner, BlueGlass
Northwest 3
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This session is designed to meet the specific challenges of large enterprise organizations. Topics include SEO tactics specific to large sites (sites with thousands, if not millions of pages), the challenges of educating key stakeholders in the organization, budgeting issues, implementation hurdles common to large organizations, CMS issues, and IT team challenges. This session will also include a proven model of organization for your enterprise-level SEO campaign, and a summary of key metrics that you should be measuring to drive ongoing SEO strategy.
Sports is a multi-billion-dollar global industry, from Olympic hockey in Canada to the World Cup in South Africa to the NFL in Chicago. There’s so much that happens in the wide world of sports that keeping track of it and identifying the areas to focus digital marketing dollars on can be a huge challenge. How do teams and players connect with their fans? How do they use their social networks to generate engagement and revenue? How do sports sites work with leagues, teams, and players? What online marketing opportunities are out there in the sports vertical right now, and how can they be applied to your company and/or vertical?
Enterprise-Level SEO
Moderator § Adam Audette, President, AudetteMedia, Inc. Speakers § Crispin Sheridan, Senior Director of Search Marketing Strategy, SAP § Andrew Wheeler, EVP & Managing Director, iProspect Boston Northwest 4
Local Search Ranking Factors
Want to know how to get better position in local search results and what factors are being considered by the Google algorithm? Want to make sure you’re the first listing in local business directories? Local is different than regular SEO and requires special techniques. This session will cover the factors and criteria you need to know to get your clients ranked. Moderator § David Rodecker, Founder & CTO, Relevant Ads Inc. Speakers § Steve Espinosa, VP of Innovation, eLocal Listing, LLC § Benu Aggarwal, Founder & President, Milestone Internet Marketing § Kaushal Kurapati, Director of Product Management, Yahoo! Search Northwest 5
Beyond the Click: What Shoppers Need Now
You’ve optimized SEO, stretched your SEM dollars, and tackled social media and emerging trends head-on. But in the e-commerce world, it’s time to address the elephant in the room: low conversion rates and lagging transition to the online channel among otherwise tech-savvy consumers. Shoppers are less and less impressed as e-commerce falls behind the capabilities of the web. Research shows that 43 percent of website visitors go immediately to the search function. If the search functionality is poor, 80 percent of users will leave the site and click over to a competitor, yet many websites still rely on navigation alone. This panel will address how top retailers are applying the latest in website technology and cloud-based services to change the conversion game. Moderator § Bryan Eisenberg, NYTimes bestselling author, bryaneisenberg.com
4:45-5:45p Northwest 1
The Business Value of Social Media
The social media genie is out of the bottle, and the world of business will never be the same. Social media and micro-blogging platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are transforming your business, your customers, your colleagues, your partners, and everyone linked to them in revolutionary ways. Whether you’re a small business owner or part of a multinational corporation, you need to be listening to what’s being said about your products, your services, and your competitors across all social outlets. Join us as we move past outdated business models, tackle ROI, and unlock the economic potential of social media.
Digital Marketing & Sports
Moderator § Stewart Quealy, VP, Content Development, SES Conference & Expo Speaker § Simon Heseltine, Senior Marketing Manager, AOL Inc. § Casey Rovinelli, Director, Digital Marketing, NHL Players’ Association § Jonathan Blum, Co-host, The Sports Circuit Northwest 3
Advanced Paid Search Tactics
Your campaigns are performing OK. How to take them to the next level? Advanced PPC tactics can actually be more fun than basic ones, because you get to activate both left and right brain power, tapping into your own unique aptitudes as well as your customers’ deepest desires. This session will cover campaign expansion techniques, advanced ad testing, advanced auction theory, the proper use of relevant analytics reports, and ideas for bid rules and campaign automation. Moderator § Constance “Connie” Stack, VP, Sales & Marketing, WordStream Speakers § Matt Van Wagner, President, Find Me Faster § Andrew Goodman, President, Page Zero Media § Rachelle Hansen, Account Supervisor, Resolution Media Northwest 4
Selling Search to the C-Suite
Your CMO still wants to know why your company isn’t No. 1 for the most popular, random, or non-revenue-orientated terms you’ve ever heard. Your entire day is spent answering questions about search. Search marketers and non-search marketers have traditionally had difficulty communicating in their disciplines, often creating friction and unnecessary conflict. Learn how both disciplines can educate each other. Moderator § Fionn Downhill, CEO & President, Elixir Interactive Speakers § Laura Lippay, Partner, Nine by Blue § David Dalka, Digital Marketing Strategist, Dalka Strategy Consulting Northwest 5
SEO Site Clinic
In this interactive session, SEO experts will take website suggestions from the audience and review them on the spot to provide feedback and suggestions to improve search exposure and search engine rankings. Moderator § Bob Tripathi, Customer Marketing Manager, Sears Holdings Speakers § Todd Friesen, Director of SEO, Performics § Adam Audette, President, AudetteMedia, Inc. SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Sessions
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FOCUS: media planning §
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Facebook ad network: Is it coming? n late August, Mashable reported incredibly rich and detailed profiles on its community from a variety of sources that Facebook had a $33.7 billion valuation. Wow. Too high? Maybe to can be used to target ads with ever more effectiveness. some, and maybe not to others. Furthermore, you can target unique Instead of debating that point, let’s look at some things that Facebook might do niches of people in quantities that really no in the future to a) serve other media property advertisements and b) could possibly match. Google and search is make more money. For example, “women about timing. Facebook in 10 particular cities Facebook has some pretty amazing between 18 and 28 is about targeting. things going for it. It’s who love bike riding.” becoming ubiquitous The source of this in terms of its appeal, so all walks of life are data from what I can see are as follows: flocking to it. Registration information: Of course, Second, people spend tons of time on this is obvious. Our basic information like age and a location we enter when Facebook and visit it on their computers we set up our accounts. and phones every day — if not more. Posts: The topics (and revealing Third, with its massive loyal user base, keywords) we post on our wall that no matter what your niche audience looks express our interests. like, chances are you can effectively target Likes: The other posts and brands on them and reach them in large numbers on Facebook we “like” and sites outside Facebook. of Facebook we visited where we Finally, user growth is still expanding clicked on the “like” button. and has a long way to go before peaking. Geo-targeting: Our listed address and What does this mean for online marketof course the IP address of where we ers and media buyers? Consider these are coming in. two factors: unprecedented targeting Location-based information: Now to a massive audience and the possibilFacebook will know what kinds of ity of a new ad network layered over the restaurants and activities you like to social graph already installed on millions engage in. of sites. (You know all those “like” and “share” buttons, Facebook Connect, and Facebook ad network fan widgets?) In many ways, these sites are I’ve heard a lot of opinions that Facealready connected to Facebook on code and book will give Google a run for its money technical levels. in search. But I totally disagree. That’s like Let’s explore these two things with the saying Groupon is going to give Amazon a disclaimer that a lot of what I outline here run for its money. is based on predictions on what Facebook Facebook and Google are different. could do — not necessarily on what it will Google is for finding things, and Facebook do. is for finding out what your friends are up to — two completely different and compatUnprecedented targeting ible activities. Whether privacy advocates or Facebook Where they do compete is for ad dollars users like it or not, Facebook is amassing — just like Groupon competes with
By Harry Gold
Amazon for consumers’ income and online purchases. However, I have asked rooms full of people this simple question: “How many of you go to Facebook before you buy something?” No one raised their hands. Then I asked the same question about Google (and search in general), and everyone raised their hands. So, Google and search is about timing, and Facebook is about targeting. So I have a feeling Google is going to be OK. Still, Facebook poses a threat to Google in advertising dollars (not search dollars) and the AdSense Percentage of users in the 50+ age group who use social Google Network services such as Facebook in particular. and Twitter — compared to That’s because 22 percent a year ago. Facebook could Source: Pew Research Center turn on an ad A Learn more at ClickZ Stats. network and sell incredibly targeted ads that reach Facebook-profiled users on other sites. So its ad inventory would go through the roof and it wouldn’t have to clutter up its site to reap the rewards of that additional ad space. So, what do you all think? Will Facebook turn on an ad network? I think it will. §
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Harry Gold is founder and CEO of Overdrive, serving as the architect and conductor behind the company’s ROI-driven programs. He started his career in 1995, founding the online marketing firm Interactive Promotions. Since then, Harry has been at the forefront of online branding and channel creation, developing successful web- and search engine-based marketing programs for various agencies and Fortune 500 companies. He is a frequent lecturer on SEM and online media. @HarryJGold
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Listening to the social web
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ne of the new truths of the social web and the conversations that take place on it is that listening, in the most basic sense of the word, is now an established best practice. While accurate, automated sentiment and semantic analysis is still the dream, monitoring the social web for mentions of your product or service and then doing something based on that information is now table stakes for anyone seriously interested in building a strong brand. Over the past year, as I have been posting my own customer service experiences at ReadThis.com, I’ve been surprised in the variation of responses by brand managers, company representatives, and brand enthusiasts. The results have been mixed, to be sure, which surprised me, given the relatively high claimed rates of adoption of social media — upwards of 80 percent — cited by consumer-facing businesses in technology adoption studies. The impression that I’ve gotten — probably not all that different from many other consumers — is that brands using social media are still very early in their recognition of what the medium is all about.
By Dave Evans
Mostly, it’s used as one more talking channel rather than a truly engaging and participative medium. The good news is that a move toward dialog and away from monologue will come with experience; the downside is that consumers are still generally ahead in their applied understanding of what the social web is all about. The current imbalance between listening and speaking puts those marketers failing to grasp this nuance of social media as a contributor to the development of customer loyalty in a bad spot. Consider the following examples, which I posted on my blog and on Twitter. Last April, I was flying home from Seattle on Continental Airlines: I arrived at Sea-Tac airport only to discover I’d mistakenly booked my return on the wrong day. Over the summer, I visited SeaWorld San Antonio with our Cub Scout pack. In Charleston, S.C., my family and some friends stopped for ice cream at a Häagen-Dazs. In Early August, I ran into technical issues configuring a WiFi router for my mother-in-law, a SuddenLink (ISP) customer. Note: My personal blog and Twitter presence are no more visited than those of any other average blogger or Twitter user — if anything, less so. On the social web, I’m the same as any other consumer using these tools. That said, the use of any listening tool — from the free Google Alerts to the paid DIY tools from Collective Intellect, Alterian’s SM2, NetBase, Lithium’s Scout Labs, or Radian6 — would readily discover any of my posts (as well as those of anyone else). Here they are, along with the results.
Continental Airlines
Despite my own mistake in booking my ticket, and without a moment’s hesitation, an airline agent in Seattle reissued my non-refundable, non-changeable ticket (yes, I do everything possible when traveling to minimize my clients’ costs) on the spot, without fees, and with a smile. I was blown away. Her service re-impressed on me why I consistently choose Continental (I am a Platinum Elite customer). I promptly thanked @Continental on Twitter, and wrote a short post about the experience on my blog. Less than 15 minutes later, I had a post back from Continental, adding that it was happy that it all worked out so quickly.
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COVER STORY / FOCUS: social § From the reply, it was clear that not only had Continental seen the Twitter post, they had also read my blog. I really wasn’t expecting a reply, so I was now doubly impressed as a customer. Check-plus for @Continental.
SeaWorld
“Sure Dave, say nice things and you may get a thank you; say negative things and you can expect silence.” But that would be to miss the most valuable aspect of a strong, wellthought-out listening program. Case-inpoint: SuddenLink.
Our family has held a season pass or SuddenLink fun pass for something like seven consecuVolunteering to configure a Wi-Fi tive years (basically since our son, now router for my mother-in-law — normally nine, turned two). We have been to the park a 15-minute undertaking — I got stuck. I many times, and each time we have come called the ISP, SuddenLink, who answered away thinking, “That is a day our child promptly on a Sunday afternoon, and was will remember.” (Disclosure: I worked at told, “As it is not our router, we can’t help GSD&M, where that particular SeaWorld you.” OK, fair enough. advertising campaign was created.) The SuddenLink representative I spoke When we attended the SeaWorld adven- with connected me to Cisco, where I was ture camps program with the Cub Scouts, told — very politely, and with an apology we left the park feeling let down. The educa- — that because the router was not under tional program was fine, but the experience warranty, helping me to get it running would was absolutely unremarkable. We got the cost $30. distinct impression that we were less valued To Cisco’s credit, I was also offered a new than “paying park guests,” even though we (and better) router for a discounted price. actually paid more per person. Mostly, we Needing the router set up then, I went back wondered how many of the first-time visi- to the web and solved the problem myself, tors to the adventure camp would come back based on a tip I’d read in a post from somebased on the camp experience. one who had a similar issue. I posted about the experience and was I recounted the experience on my blog, careful to avoid the snarky self-indulgent noting that the ultimate “fix” should have comments that too been immediately often enter customer Social media is still used as obvious to the Suddenexperience-related Link representative one more talking channel online discussions. — and that it was indeBeing snarky helps rather than a truly engaging, pendent of any specific no one: check out brand of router. The participative medium. the U.S. Air Force problem was that I had social media response not properly reset the matrix (http://bit.ly/bGVB) if you doubt this. modem, which in retrospect ought to have Instead, I included some specific, been the first question the representative constructive, and simple-to-implement asked me. process and policy ideas that would have In my post, I suggested SuddenLink made a difference: easy things, like changing consider two things. First, create a note in the instructions provided by SeaWorld ahead the customer service database that phoneof time to reflect what actually happens based representatives access during calls: during the camp. That was over a month ago. if the caller a) has a SuddenLink telephone I’ve not heard a word from SeaWorld or its modem, and b) is having difficulty configurnew owner, Blackstone. ing a Wi-Fi router, the representative should review the modem reset procedure (which, as I discovered, is a common issue). Second, Häagen-Dazs Moving on to what should have been taking a tip from Dell, I suggested Suddena great experience (who doesn’t like ice Link consider providing a forum on the cream?), but our visit to Häagen-Dazs was SuddenLink website where customers can decidedly negative: a series of impersonal post their own solutions to problems like this service missteps in the store we visited one. This was the first thing I looked for on (historic district, Charleston, S.C.), punctu- the SuddenLink site. So here was my half-snarky post (starting ated with hand-made signs like “No Public Restrooms,” something I had always thought with its title, “SuddenLink or SuddenDeath”) but which also suggested some constructive was required in a restaurant. I posted about this experience as well, steps to improve the experience. On the suggesting that when you set up a business USAF social media response matrix, I was in the middle of a tourist area, the tradeoff on thin ice in terms of expecting a response. Guess what? Just a few hours after postfor all that street traffic is the realization that some basic accommodations for those ing I heard from @SuddenLinkTina, apolocustomers is reasonable. Not a word from gizing that my issue was not immediately resolved, and that SuddenLink was actively Häagen-Dazs. You might be tempted at this point to say considering a customer-helps-customer
Want to learn more? SES Chicago will feature dozens of sessions on social media, including “Social Media 101” and “Search & Social Around the World.” Find out more:
SESchicago.com addition to the website. Wow! In 140 characters — and with a clearly consumer-centric perspective powering what she wrote — @ SuddenLinkTina converted me to an advocate for the brand. Look at the steps that led to this conversion. First, SuddenLink provides good service, so it passes the “we do what we say” test. Second, the company actually answered the support line promptly, so it gets a bonus point for that. Next, it apologizes when it sees something that could have been handled better, so now it is really moving up on the customer appreciation scale. Hey, no one is perfect — neither customers, nor the businesses that serve them. Apologies go a long way to restoring harmony. Finally, to top it all off, SuddenLink accepts customer’s suggestions and thereby encourages them to participate further. This is how the social web works, and SuddenLink is a great example of the simple steps that can lead to beneficial conversations on the social web, and to more satisfied customers for your business as a result. So there you have it: four posts directly referencing a specific brand, product, or service, and a 50 percent response rate. Both of the responses led to or affirmed a strong relationship between a customer and a brand, while the two “no response” examples did nothing to address a relationship that is in danger, with at least one of them having been an extremely positive relationship prior to the events noted. Yes, social media can be tricky, and brand teams are right to consider carefully how they approach it. At the same time, listening is a basic skill, and being recognized as a customer with an issue is something that we all understand and respond to, in particular outside the office in situations where we are the customer. Take a look at your own listening program. It’s rightly “step one” of your social media program. § Dave is consulting director with 2020Social, based in New Delhi, India, and the author of Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day, a practical, hands-on guide to implementing and measuring social media as part of an integrated marketing program. Working alongside his clients, Dave develops an effective, measured approach to using social media and achieving organizational and business goals. @evansdave
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Asking the right questions By Joshua Palau uestions are interesting things. As a society, we like to ask questions. As a father, I’ve watched it start at a young age. The questions start as simple as “Why is the sky blue?” and gradually get harder to answer and more pointed. Questions are our way to get the information that we want; some use it as a way to get the answers they’re looking for. Everybody remembers in school how teachers say, “There are no stupid questions.” That’s actually not true. Let’s face it — there are stupid questions. We’ve all asked them or heard them before. Nobody sets out to ask a dumb question, however. These questions are the product of a general lack of understanding in the search industry and a resistance to seeing digital as its own unique channel with its own nuances. When faced with a dumb question, you really have two options: Answer
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the question, or figure out what the real question is. Make no mistake: One of the worst things you can do is answer a dumb question. When you choose to answer a question, you indicate that the question made sense. This can pull the conversation away from where it ought to be and into a world of irrelevance. Handling an irrelevant question is an incredibly difficult thing to do. For one, you have to avoid insulting the person who asked the question. If your CMO asks a dumb question, laughing is not an acceptable answer. You have to dig deeper and redirect him to the right question, the smarter question. In search, it’s your job to educate and bring the focus of the conversation to where others can ask useful questions. Here are some questions I’ve encountered over the course of my experience in the search industry and how to shift their focus in the right direction.
FOCUS: search marketing §
Question
How much does my competition spend on search? If you can tell me that, then I can budget better. This comes out of old school offline media. Companies are used to looking at reporting tools to determine how much TV or print is being bought by their competition and creating a comparable budget.
Smarter question
How many queries are there for my keyword set? This question thoughtfully takes the conversation away from trying to mirror what your competition is doing and pushes it toward meeting demand. If there are 500,000 searches per month for “facial cleanser,” why would you care whether or not your competition is live on those words?
Question
marketing-focused conversation. You can discuss how to leverage organic product videos, as well as shopping and local feeds. You can also have a conversation around re-sellers and surrounding, related strategies. Lastly, you can have a much broader conversation around consumer choice. Your client may want to keep transactions on their site, but we may not be able to enforce that. People want choices. If I want a selection of multiple sneaker brands, then Nike.com is not going to be the answer I’m looking for. However, Nike may influence my decision and bolster loyalty by providing a universal coupon code or creating a loyalty program.
Question
How are my keywords performing? When you hear this question, it’s a clear sign you need to educate the client and bring them to a point where they can ask more targeted keyword questions. A client who focuses on just keywords is so deep in the weeds that you will almost always fail to meet expectations. Individual keyword performance fluctuates and changes for so many reasons.
How do I stop people from appearing for my brand term? This is about so much more than trademark protection. Search has thrown a serious monkey wrench into the marketing works by providing multiple choices during the discovery process. In the offline world, Smarter question this really doesn’t exist. Let’s say you want How profitable are our categories? A good search program is broken into to buy a specific pair of sneakers. You head out to the local sneaker store and ask the categories. This allows you to maximize demand, customize employee for blue messaging, and more Nike AF-25, size 10. Clients focused on importantly, manage They go to the back, keywords alone are based on segments. If get your sneakers, and the entire category of setting you up to fail. you can be on your swimwear is performmerry way. Imagine if ing well, does it really when you asked that question, the employee presented you with matter if the term “bikini” isn’t? Let me similar pairs of Adidas, New Balance, and be clear: I am not saying poor-performing Saucony. This is essentially what happens in words should be ignored. You certainly want search, and it drives marketers to think too to optimize them, but you should look at narrowly about this issue and how to solve it. your entire category performance because that is what truly tells the story of success.
Smarter question
How can we own as much real estate as possible? Now you’ve opened this up to a more
Question
Why am I not ranking No. 1 for keyword X? With so many sites that have a poor
Want to learn more? SES Chicago will feature dozens of sessions about search strategy, including “Stretching Your Marketing Dollars” and “Paid Search 101.” Find out more:
SESchicago.com analytic setup, people focus on the ranking question as their SEO measure of success. This often forces you to chase the algorithm instead of the actual goal.
Smarter question
Which words should I give more attention to organically? This is a trick question because it requires the analytics to be configured properly (let’s assume that it is). With this question, you can now investigate which words are driving the traffic you want. Once you have that list, you can overlay the rankings to determine where to focus your efforts first. If you have important terms that rank in the top five, that’s a good place to start. I encourage you to submit your favorite questions and see if we can’t find better ways to focus our teams and clients. It’s not easy to move some clients out of these types of questions. However, there is a payoff. You’ll have clients and teams that are thinking more intelligently about business challenges and begin to have conversations that will keep you in the camp of trusted advisor instead of vendor. Vendors get fired — trusted partners stay with you forever. § Joshua Palau is VP of search at Razorfish, where he is responsible for the global strategy, product development, and operations of their paid, organic, and feeds offerings. He helps clients to understand how search fits into the overall marketing plan and constantly researches the rapidly changing industry to help clients anticipate, and respond to, changes in the landscape. Joshua began his digital career in 1996 and has a diverse background working on the publisher, client, and agency side. Prior to joining Razorfish, he worked for Hearst Magazines, About.com, and Johnson & Johnson. @joshuapalau
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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§ FOCUS: social marketing
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Why merchandising must get social n the past when a shopper was look- Discovery phase ing for a TV, he went to his local retail At the widest point in the purchase funnel, store. To combat choice overload in shoppers go online to discover products. product aisles, shoppers were met This often starts in a search engine, and with tools designed to influence their UGC equips pages with the scalable freshdecisions and help them buy confidently. ness that search engines crave to maximize End-caps showed featured products. search results and drive traffic. Signage and point-of-purchase (POP) Increasingly for some shoppers, this displays grabbed their attention. Sales staff search starts on social networks. Friends’ was on hand to answer any questions. shared reviews, questions, stories, and prodFor manufacturers and retailers, these ucts on these networks introduce shoppers merchandising efforts were meant to lead the to new products and draw them into the shopper to purchase purchase path. their product. Once on an Traditional merchandising But the decisione-commerce site, efforts don’t translate to making process is shoppers in the discovthe social web. no longer an in-store ery phase can shop by activity. Many shopprofile, starting their pers are increasingly making their purchase search on profiles of customers like them to decisions online before ever setting foot in a see what products they like. UGC adds addiretail store. tional filters for discovering products, such Forrester predicts that by 2014, more than as top-rated category pages. half of total retail sales will be influenced by the web. Today’s shoppers don’t go to a Choice phase store to determine which TV they want — Online, the same obstacle confronts shopthey already know which product they want pers as in-store: choice overload. Product when they arrive. specs and marketing copy can be nearly But traditional merchandising efforts identical from product to product. Reviews don’t translate to the social web. Trust in and stories from “people like me” add a new marketing is gone — people want to hear filter to product choices to help shoppers from others like them. decide. “Social” is no longer a label that can be E-commerce doesn’t exist in a vacuum. applied to certain aspects of business and Most shoppers arrive on your site with ignored in others; it’s just one more way to preconceived notions about products and shop today. For merchandising to be relebrands. UGC helps to validate or combat vant, it has to get social. these with trustworthy testimonials from real Social merchandising is all about context. customers. Shoppers research online to discover prodAdditionally, customer Q&A help shopucts, compare or reduce choices, and build pers make choices based on their specific confidence in their final purchase decision. needs. Reviews and specs may lead a shopBring contextual user-generated content per to a specific flat-screen TV, but they may (UGC) to the research process that maps need more info to make a purchase. back to the shopper’s task. Here’s how UGC The ability to ask questions like, “Can helps shoppers in three phases of online I hang this TV on my wall?” can lead to decision-making.
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By Sam Decker
information shoppers need to move past the choice phase and select a product for purchase.
Validation/confidence phase
Once they’ve decided on a particular product, UGC can give shoppers the last bit of confidence they need to make a purchase. Much like in the discovery phase, shoppers can check profiles of reviewers to make sure people like them like the product. With features like Facebook Connect, they can also see what their friends on social networks think of the product. Customer opinions also work to set expectations for shoppers. Reviews (especially negative reviews) give a realistic depiction of performance, leading to more satisfied buyers and decreased returns. And UGC can point out product details to help shoppers make the exactly right purchase for them: “These shoes are fantastic, but they run a little small. Be sure to get the next size up.” Shoppers are never alone online — networks of customers are always just a click away, ready to share their opinions. Will that click steer them away from your site? Social merchandising helps manufacturers and retailers alike by serving the end-goal of both — helping shoppers buy. As more shoppers make their decisions online before ever entering a retail store, merchandising must get social to stay relevant. § Sam Decker is chief marketing officer of Bazaarvoice, the market leader in hosted social commerce applications that drive sales. Sam has written two books on wordof-mouth marketing, is a frequent speaker at marketing and e-commerce events, and is an awardwinning blogger. Prior to Bazaarvoice, he built Dell. com into the largest consumer e-commerce site at $3.5 billion in annual sales. @samdecker
FOCUS: social marketing §
Quantity vs. quality: What gets you ahead in social media? By Liana Evans
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hen marketers first step out their profiles and their news/Twitter into any type of social streams. Having 40,000 followers, fans, or friends media environment, whether it’s Twitter, doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot on the Facebook, Foursquare, surface. While some might think that it’s a or the thousands of other niche communi- symbol of power, there are other things that ties out there, they tend to fall into the trap need to be looked at for value and success. When you combine different metrics of just counting the number of followers, fans, members, or friends that they have. together, a clearer picture begins to form Using this measurement alone can be a very and more actionable insights can be drawn misleading metric to base an integrated to further hone the success of your social media strategy. marketing strategy on. Lets’ take a look at Twitter and Facebook Many companies tout, “Well, we have X thousand of followers on Twitter! We’re for examples. With Twitter, it’s very easy to doing great!” But are they really? Do they fall into the false belief that having a lot of even know who their followers are and how followers is a great thing. It is, if you know they are valuing the content the company is all of those people following you are interproducing through its Twitter stream (if the ested in your content and engaging with you. company is even doing that at all)? Do busi- If they aren’t, having all of those followers won’t help you connect with your audience. nesses know if their followers are “real”? To ensure you’re progressing toward As multilevel marketing programs inundate social media communities with get- success, look beyond the mere number rich-quick schemes — that promise tens of of followers you have, and examine how many of those followthousands of followers are talking to you ers/fans/friends if Growing your base either in “@” or direct you just sign up for audience is important; messages. How many a certain service — of your followers are there are a lot of spam monitoring how that retweeting the content accounts that aren’t happens is critical. you’re putting in your people at all. The stream? accounts are bots. Lists shouldn’t be ignored either. When Understanding the quality of your followers is just as important as knowing how many your followers create lists and include you, it’s a sign that they find your content valuyou have. While services that automatically follow able enough to segment it for their followers someone who follows or friends you on a to find it valuable as well. Also, don’t forget to see how many people particular social media platform can make managing and implementing a social media within your followers are recommending strategy a lot easier, they also have their that their friends and followers follow you drawbacks. You’re more likely to be targeted as well. When you take all of these metrics by spam accounts following you, who won’t and put them together, it begins to tell you add any value to your online marketing a much better story about what’s happening with your engagement in Twitter. efforts if you incorporate these services. With Facebook, having 100,000 fans If you choose to use these services, how will you know what your followers will won’t mean a thing if you don’t engage expect of you, or how you can engage them? them. The mere number can seem like it’s It’s good to check out who is following you, a great thing, but many people on Facebook because you can find influencers and engage like things and then forget about them. Only when you can bring those fans back with budding evangelists just by checking
Want to learn more? SES Chicago will feature dozens of sessions about social strategy, including “Hitting Metrics with Social Media” and “The Business Value of Social Media.”
SESchicago.com to interact with your brand/product/service on your fan page is when you can truly harness the power of Facebook as a social media tool. It goes beyond just “liking” their comments too, as your team works in Facebook. To keep people interested and engaged you have to make your Facebook page a destination of engagement for them. Give them a reason to add their fan photos or shoot a video and upload it to your video gallery section in your fan page. Asking questions, posting links to content that is peripherally related to your company, and starting discussions are all ways to make your Facebook fan page a place where your fans want to come and share with their own network of friends. Growing your base audience is important; monitoring how that happens is critical. Is it other influencers that are bringing you new fans? Is it your content? Is it the exclusive information you are giving to your audience? Watching your rate of growth after you do things is just another metric you can incorporate into your measuring plan. When it comes to success with social media marketing, don’t be fooled by quantity. Ultimately, it’s the quality of what you are giving your followers that matters the most if you want to be successful. § Liana “Li” Evans is director of social media for Serengeti Communications, a Washington, D.C.based online marketing firm. She also runs the Search Marketing Gurus blog. Li has been active fulltime in the search marketing arena since 1999, becoming wellversed in all avenues of social media and search marketing. She speaks and trains at SES and other industry conferences. @storyspinner
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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§ FOCUS: in-house
Top 3 SEO initiatives before year-end site development freeze By Bob Tripathi
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t’s end of the year, and you’ve just been told that there will be a site development freeze, starting in November, that will remain in effect until Jan. 1. You were also informed that whatever SEO changes you want should either go in before the site freeze or wait until next year. As an in-house SEO, that news could come as a setback as you had some changes planned for the coming months. You were also hoping to make some changes and start 2011 with a bang by showing some solid SEO results. So what do you do? You’re asked by management and stakeholders to decide which SEO items will have the highest impact. I find this kind of question analogous to, “Which child of yours do you love the most?” Well, I love them all and cannot really choose one over another. But still you have to make a decision and really work on those changes that you want to implement prior to the site development freeze. Which ones would you choose, and which ones would you eliminate? Most SEO initiatives can be bucketed broadly into three categories: Business as usual mode: The goal of SEO activities in “business as usual” or maintenance mode is to maintain your SEO rankings while ensuring that your referrer traffic from engines or from a specific keyword stay the same and do not tank, especially during the holidays. These daily/weekly SEO activities include making sure there are no 404s, no missing titles, no duplicate meta descriptions, missing ALTs, 301s, or 302s. As an in-house SEO, it’s critical that some portion of your week is allocated to these activities. Tools like Xenu and Webmaster Central accounts can be of great help. Next level up mode: This can also be called improvement mode. Here your goal is to work on SEO tactics that would produce incremental gains for your in-house program. Most of the activities in this category probably have management/stakeholder approvals, so you are ready to roll. Driving traffic and revenues is at the core of all activities in improvement mode: optimizing new content, new product page copy, internal link optimization, inserting new keywords in title and description, and making site navigation SEO-friendly. Planning mode: The goal here is to keep your eye on future results and plan upcoming SEO strategies. You might plan for three months ahead, a year, or even more. Activites include: a new content strategy for your site, working SEO into new product
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launches, ensuring new marketing initiatives have SEO looped into the process, SEO idea selling, training new groups and stakeholders, working with numerous partners, SEO forecasting, keyword research, competitive intelligence, new reporting templates, new titles, and new descriptions. Now that you know the three main buckets of SEO categorization, let’s pick an item from each. Remember, we need to pick tasks that can easily be implemented without a lot of approvals and things that, as an in-house SEO, you can control. Here are the three SEO changes I would most certainly pick before my site development freeze:
SEO change #1: Title and meta tags
Writing good titles and descriptions can be an art. It also can be one of the highest impact SEO tactics that you can affect in a short period of time. If you are in-house, then it means not many meetings and approvals needed for changing title tag and meta descriptions on your site. A well-written title and description can have a great impact not just on SEO rankings, but also on your CTR. It sometimes baffles me how quickly we are to experiment ad titles and copy in PPC campaigns, yet the fear lower rankings keeps us away from testing new title and descriptions in SEO. A rule of thumb for a good title tag is no more than 45-49 characters and around 150-200 characters for a meta description. Remember, Google displays close to 155 characters in its page snippet. A good title could also have a singular as well as a plural version of your keyword. Don’t change — but improvise on your existing description. You may also want to track rankings and CTR, with a before-and-after analysis.
SEO change #2: Internal link optimization
This is an often-overlooked tactic by many SEOs but a real low-hanging fruit. The main benefit of internal link optimization is to ensure search spiders discover (crawl) all pages by following links, users are able to visit from one page to another (in the same theme), and all links make use of keywordrich anchor text. Anchor text is one of the important components of SEO, and a well-optimized link on your own site goes a long way not just in building relevance on pages on your site, but it’s also a good usability practice. Many big brands operate many different web
Want to learn more? Bob will be speaking at Wednesday’s “Bringing SEO In-House” session, and he’ll also be leading one of the SES Training workshops on Friday, “Getting Your In-House Search Program Up & Running.”
SESchicago.com
properties, and I’ve consistently observed that they either do not link to each other or are linking to each other without leveraging anchor text. In cases like those, internal link optimization could be relatively easy to accomplish before you have sitewide freeze. A simple example: “Great Deals on Plasma TV. Click here to learn more...” The common fallacy here is to make the “Click here to learn more” part hyperlinked. Instead, try writing it this way: “Click here for great deals on Plasma TV...” Here, you can hyperlink the keywords “Plasma TV” or even “great deals on Plasma TV.”
SEO Change #3: 301 redirect
Here’s a truth in the SEO world: If we let IT folks to their own devices, then most sites would have some kind of site or page redirects. Why? It might be due to new programming functionality, or back-end changes, or enabling customers to use the same login credentials throughout the site. Most of the time, 302 redirects happen because SEOs are not kept in the loop by IT, or because SEO wasn’t considered when the project started. Certainly, lack of SEO training for IT adds to the agony. The bottom line: Make sure all your 302s are converted into 301 redirects before the site development freeze. If you are on apache platform you would use the “mod_rewrite” solution, and if you’re on a Windows platform, use the built-in “IIS_Rewrite” solution. Some free tools that let you check if you have a redirect on your site are tools.pingdom.com and webconfs.com. As always, your business is unique, and your SEO program is unique too, so keep that in mind before you shortlist your own SEO changes. § Bob Tripathi is online marketing manager at Sears Holdings, responsible for all digital marketing initiatives, including SEO, paid search, social media, and display. Previously, he spent a number of years at Discover Financial Services, managing their SEO program in-house. Bob also does online training at www. instantetraining.com. @bobtripathi
NDING/CONTENT CREATION/WEB PROGRAMMING/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ON RKETING/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL RKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIEW/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARK LYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIEW/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARC ERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/AFFILIATE MARKETING/ONLINE BRANDING/CONT GRAMMING/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/WEB ANA /GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALY EARCH/SITE REVIEW/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESE IEW/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MED RKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/AFFILIATE MARKETING/ONLINE BRANDING/CONTENT CREATION/WEB PROGRA RCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/G LYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD IEW/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIE LYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETIN RKETING/AFFILIATE MARKETING/ONLINE BRANDING/CONTENT CREATION/WEB PROGRAMMING/PAID SEARCH/BANNER DIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID S ERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARC RCH/SITE REVIEW/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE AN /P CH/BANNER ADVER PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVER ALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIEW/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARK LYS RC ALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARC ER TE MARKETING/ONLINE BRANDING/CONT GRAMMING/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/WEB ANA /GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALY EAR TEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESE IEW/WEB ANAL ALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MED RKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/AFFILIATE MARKETING/ONLINE BRANDING/CONTENT CREATION/WEB PROGRA RCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/G LYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD IEW/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIE LYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETIN RKETING/AFFILIATE MARKETING/ONLINE BRANDING/CONTENT CREATION/WEB PROGRAMMING/PAID SEARCH/BANNER DIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID S ERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIEW/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKE EMAIL MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIEW/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE AN /PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/AFFILIATE MARKETIN NDING/CONTENT CREATION/WEB PROGRAMMING/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ON RKETING/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL RKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIEW/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARK LYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIEW/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARC ERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/AFFILIATE MARKETING/ONLINE BRANDING/CONT GRAMMING/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/WEB ANA /GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALY EARCH/SITE REVIEW/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESE IEW/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MED RKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/AFFILIATE MARKETING/ONLINE BRANDING/CONTENT CREATION/WEB PROGRA RCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/G LYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD IEW/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIE LYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID SEARCH/BANNER ADVERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETIN RKETING/AFFILIATE MARKETING/ONLINE BRANDING/CONTENT CREATION/WEB PROGRAMMING/PAID SEARCH/BANNER DIA MARKETING/ONLINE PR/EMAIL MARKETING/WEB ANALYTICS/ONSITE SEO/GOOGLE ANALYTICS/OFFSITE SEO/PAID S 49 MARKE SearchEngineStrategies.com ยง SES ERTISING/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING/STRATEGIC ANALYSIS/KEYWORD RESEARCH/SITE REVIEW/SOCIAL MEDIA
A picture’s worth a thousand links By Noran El-Shinnawy
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s a former photographer, I know that a picture is worth a thousand words. As a current marketer, I know it can be worth a thousand links. In a world where most of us suffer from information overload, some even admit that they wake up in the middle of the night with information anxiety because they’re scared they might have missed an important tweet. So you’ve got information. But today’s consumers have mastered the art of junk filtering and selective retention to a point where press releases and blog posts are failing miserably at getting your information across. Thanks to social media, the average attention span has now diminished to as little as mere seconds. As a marketer, those few seconds are all the time you have
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to grab it, retain it, and hopefully make a buck in the process. During ClickZ’s Connected Marketing Week in San Francisco this August, I attended a BlogworkZ session where Lee Sherman of Intuit shared how he used a technique to share information that helped mint.com increase their conversion rate and customer acquisition. Curious? It’s the same simple visualization technique people have been using for the last 10,000 years — we marketers decided to fancily label it as infographics. Taking financially complex ideas such as debt or inflation and breaking them down into simple, digestible chunks of information is far from an easy task. But the returns can be tremendous. I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t want to double their conversion rates, gain traffic, get a little
FOCUS: content §
across was, “How much money does the government make from alcohol?” Start with a strong descriptive title or question, so your audience knows exactly what type of information they are about to Tell a story Isn’t this what marketing is all consume. In my opinion, this is one of the about? I wonder which is worse very few places where you should be a little — telling a boring story, or telling an inter- reserved with your creativity, so you don’t esting story to someone who doesn’t care. run the risk of being too vague or generic. Next, organize the flow of all your differDon’t fall into either one. While your topic may be great, think of an angle to take to ent chunks of information so that you’re not just listing them, but make it more interesting and relevant to Whether your information is are actually showing the relationship and your audience. political, social, or financial, flow from one point to Chris Angus of evoke at least one type of another. Warlock Media gives The last step seems a emotion in your audience. a great example: little counter-intuitive, “There’s no point drafting an infographic on how many people but it’s absolutely crucial. Work your way in the U.S. own cats; nobody cares and it backward from the last piece of informacertainly isn’t groundbreaking. Instead, how tion you presented, all the way back to your many cats in the U.S. have feline AIDS and title, and ask yourself the following two questions: how many get put down for it?” But don’t stop there. This “interesting” Was this the right question to ask? idea has to be interesting to your target audi Does the information presented actually ence. Doing so you will put you in a position answer it? where you are both relevant and influential. Make it pretty Shock me Thumbs up for great and interestShock me. Humour me. Provoke ing content that makes sense and me. Whether your information is link-worthy. Double thumbs up if it’s eye is political, social, or financial, be sure to candy as well. But whatever you do, make evoke at least one type of emotion in your sure you don’t cross the fine line between art audience. Remember, it need not always be and “abstract.” Nothing could be more frusa positive one. trating in infographics than coming up with great content that’s ill-represented or just too KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid! strange to understand. Once you’ve made a decision on Remember, the average person does not the concept, narrow it down to an understand your data as much as you do, idea. Just one. It’s easy to get caught up in so make it your mission to keep the process all the different things you want and could effortless for them. possibly say about it. So tell yourself that Last and definitely not least, make sure you will only answer one question or show you carry a consistent theme throughout a cause and effect relationship. One exam- your infographic. And just as you think of ple of a great but simple infographic I came navigation and usability on a webpage, make SEO love, and just make more money. A good infographic can do that and more. Here are five quick tips to get you started:
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Want to learn more? SES Chicago will feature dozens of sessions about content strategy, including “Developing Great Content” and “Conversion Ninja Toolbox.” Find out more:
SESchicago.com sure you’ve created and maintained a strong flow.
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Get SEO love A little SEO love never hurt anyone. What strikes me as really interesting here is that you now suddenly move beyond your classic link or media bait. With a good infographic, you’re definitely getting a little more than the average, “Hmm, this is interesting; I guess I’ll share it.” You are positioning yourself as a reference to a great source of content and information that people want to link to, share, and comment on. For example, WordStream recently created two excellent infographics that got them a link from CNN and, consequently, a ton of traffic. If I haven’t managed to convince you, consider this: President Obama recently appointed information and data visualization expert Edward Tufte as a member to his independent advisory panel. Shouldn’t you get yourself an infographic whiz too? § Noran El-Shinnawy is an Internet marketing manager at Acquisio who creates web copy and landing pages that convert, and PowerPoints that tell a story. With a passion for understanding today’s customer, she analyzes the PPC customer’s journey and optimizes that experience. Noran blogs about PPC and conversion. She recently completed a master certification in conversion optimization with MarketMotive, where she continues to help new students. When she’s not online, Noran is either traveling or diving with sharks in the Red Sea. @noranshinnawy
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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pay-per-click search network
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FOCUS: paid search §
Yahoo-Bing integration: The transition checklist
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By Kevin Lee ’m amazed by how many search engine marketers still haven’t opened up adCenter accounts. With the Microsoft adCenter system powering Yahoo this fall through the holiday season, any search marketer taking his campaigns seriously must get set up for the transition ASAP. You can now make choices with regard to: Opening a new adCenter account (my preference) and creating an account from scratch, or importing a Google AdWords campaign over. Linking an existing (or new) adCenter account to an existing Yahoo DTC/ Panama account. While you can choose to have your Yahoo Panama account converted to a Microsoft adCenter campaign, the lack of three match types in Yahoo might make this more work than a new account with a Google import. One way to determine how much work you might have to do in transitioning a Yahoo campaign (assuming you want to consider going that route), would be to pull an account compatibility report from within Yahoo’s DTC/Panama interface. It won’t catch everything but will give you an idea of how much manual homework you’ll have to do. For example, I have two personal Yahoo Panama accounts for my wife’s businesses (and for experiments within Yahoo). One account had been paused and dormant for a couple of years and, when I logged in, this one had no compatibility report available. But the active campaign had a compatibility report that flagged several issues that you may share. For example, you might see the following messages: “This attribute will not be imported into adCenter. In adCenter, the concept of Alt text more accurately corresponds to {Param2}.” This message refers to my use of Yahoo’s flavor of dynamic keyword insertion (DKI). “Geo-targeting, Network Distribution, Demographic Bidding, and Ad Scheduling will not be transitioned to adCenter.” You must set these up in your adCenter account. “Ads with more than 25 characters in
the title will be truncated and paused.” This message refers to some old ad creative units that had been paused and so I never edited them down to the new industry standard. The account I used to test compatibility was by no means large or complex and yet some significant manual interventions were required. However, the alternative of importing a campaign from Google AdWords requires compatibility homework in similar areas such as DKI and targeting issues.
Microsoft’s brand identity crisis
As a side-note, it’s fascinating to watch Microsoft struggle with the brand identity issue. For consumers, the search brand is Bing, so in many cases the messaging around the transition has Bing/Yahoo joint branding, but in other cases, such as messaging to the ad community, the branding is mixed. For example, here are URLs of resource pages referenced in recent communications from Yahoo and Microsoft: Advertisers, Begin Your Account Transitions: http://yhoo.it/945igN The adCenter platform is mentioned in the header and throughout the post, but the brand Microsoft isn’t mentioned until the end. Yahoo Paid Search Transition to Microsoft adCenter On Track: http://bit.ly/ceRSnf Microsoft used both the adCenter product and Microsoft corporate brand in the title and in the post. But it didn’t reference the Microsoft Advertising business unit (as occurred below). Exciting News From Bing and Yahoo! (Again): http://bit.ly/d6cr7u While this is the Bing community site, the copy within the post refers to adCenter as “Microsoft Advertising adCenter.” Yahoo Transition Center: http://bit.ly/aandkp This is a good resource, but branding of the Microsoft product here is as “Microsoft adCenter.”
Want to learn more? SES Chicago will feature several sessions about paid search strategy, including “Paid Search 101” and “Advanced Paid Search Tactics.” Find out more:
SESchicago.com Search Alliance: www.searchalliance.com This site, specifically used to announce the deal, uses a still shot of a video showing the Yahoo and Bing brands on one sign, but the text on the page is very much centered around the “Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance.” Microsoft Transition Center: http://bit.ly/9Gs7sN Because this page is “owned” by the Microsoft Advertising group, they call adCenter “Microsoft Advertising adCenter.” Most people wouldn’t notice the challenges and inconsistencies in naming the Microsoft brands and platforms, but my recommendation would be to let the user/ consumer decide what to call it. The industry calls the two platforms AdWords (for Google) and adCenter (for Microsoft). Gluing all sorts of conditional identifiers in front of either product is an exercise in futility. Like Federal Express (which changed its name based on what customers called them) and Chevrolet (which allegedly decided internally to abandon the Chevy brand before getting outed by the press), Microsoft should simplify its messaging and branding. Microsoft needs only to have adCenter (for advertisers) and pubCenter (for publishers) and whatever consumer-facing brands it wants to use to display the advertising managed via adCenter. § Kevin Lee, Didit co-founder and executive chairman, has been an acknowledged search engine marketing expert since 1995. His years of SEM expertise provide the foundation for Didit’s proprietary Maestro search campaign technology. Industry leadership includes being a founding board member of SEMPO and its first elected chairman. Kevin lives in Manhattan with his wife and children. @Kevin_Lee_QED
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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§ FOCUS: mobile
Digital sales in a mobile app world recent cartoon from The experience still sucks. That’s a reason why applications like Oatmeal blog really summarizes people’s behavior about Appstream from Appsfire have had huge buying expensive mobile success helping people find new apps and devices but balking at paying why posts like top 10 iPad apps for travelers $0.99 for an application. Human beings keep hitting the top of websites like Digg. Unless you know exactly the name of the involved in a marketplace are both unpredictably predictable and predictably irratio- app you want, or can find it based on the top nal, which leaves plenty of room for intel- apps list or top of a category list, finding one of the over 250,000 apps in the iTunes ligent optimization efforts. Yet much of the research about applica- marketplace is a horror. Of course, sharing with friends, and social tions shows people love adding apps to their devices and following the common trend in discovery (like Ping will hopefully provide) is one helpful feature, but allowing people to software they are gravitating toward free. Another evolving trend is that the nature tag applications or allowing people to find of what apps are downloaded changes as the apps by the tasks they help you accomplish available devices change. Also, what people can be another way to help people discover feel comfortable doing on these devices will new apps. evolve. You can already see a big difference between iPhone/iPod touch users and iPad Persuasive Descriptions, users. Analytics, and Testing There are great opportunities ahead for app A limiting factor is the way the developers, and many have already started to app stores allow developers to present their figure out what it takes to be successful. applications. A text description and a few I recently presented at Benchmark Capi- screenshots. Certainly, video demos would tal’s offices in Tel be helpful for a lot Aviv, Israel, when one Stores must provide access of the applications; of its portfolio compaproviding developto advanced download ny’s new apps, Lyric ers with an easy way and usage metrics. Legend, got approval to measure, test, and from the Apple app update their descripstore that morning. I watched as it climbed tions would be another. the charts from new application to No. 2 free Right now, developers have very little music game in the iTunes app store over just insight into an application’s page views, two and a half days. conversion rate, or even accurate downloads, I love this app, both for what it does as or more specifically what marketing efforts a game and for its potential as a business are helping to get those visitors to download model. The game is rather simple — tap apps. on the correct words from the lyrics as they The company behind Appstream has are sung. Get really good at a song, and you developed a service for application analytics become a lyric legend and then go buy more that works really simply for the developer songs. Great concept. without any requirement of adding code. This process, however, underscored They created a service that tracks conversion several limitations that all app stores have — to purchase in the app store and provides and the challenges for developers seeking to real-time analytics on referrals, geography, sell more effectively through them. clicks, and purchases. But the application stores need to work closer with developers to make their marketing efforts more effective 5 challenges facing application and not tied up in their app store black box; developers today the stores must provide access to advanced download and usage metrics. Application Discovery I can almost understand Apple not offering Finding apps that meet users’ this capacity today, but in Google’s Android needs is still an overwhelmstore, there is no excuse for not finding a way ing issue with most app stores, including to tie in Google Analytics. Android and iTunes marketplaces. The
2
1
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
By Bryan Eisenberg
3
Try Before You Buy Why not offer the ability to have seven or 30-day trials of an application, so that people can really see its ability before they commit to purchasing it? Limited trials are just that — limited — and don’t always show off the key benefit a user is looking for from an app. This is common for other software applications and needs to be common for mobile applications as well.
4
App User Targeting Application stores must provide developers with efforts to target users from within applications (free apps with ads to support it) and from within the store experience. Just like Amazon offers publishers the ability to target readers of similar books or books by the same author, the app stores should provide this functionality. They should also offer an advanced advertising targeting system that would allow developers to target people by geography, by current application use profiles, etc. That would allow me to target all New York iPad users who use their iPad for presentations, for example. They could also allow the ability to purchase placement of ads on the app store home page or other pages as well.
5
Integration and Evolution of Business Models Just like Lyric Legend is a great music discovery tool, imagine it as a business model that sits on top of this digital content marketplace, where as you master new songs, based on your preferences and current iTunes music, it offers you new songs to add to your iTunes collection and the ability to challenge friends to play Lyric Legend. What will this do as the nature of online videos, movies, e-books, and apps evolve? What business models will exist in the future based on the integration? What advertising possibilities will be created? § Bryan Eisenberg is co-author of the New York Times bestselling books Call to Action, Waiting For Your Cat to Bark?, and Always Be Testing. He has keynoted conferences globally such as SES and Econsultancy. Bryan is also cofounder and chairman emeritus of the Web Analytics Association. @thegrok
FOCUS: behavioral programs §
Are you ready for behavioral marketing?
O
By Andrea Fishman nsite behavioral marketing programs that deliver customized, targeted web content are emerging as an appealing option for businesses seeking new ways to drive sales and improve conversion rates in an era where accountability for marketing spend continues to grow. Shifting from mass-market messaging to customized, diversified messaging enables marketers to narrow their focus to high-value conversion points — and tailor their message to deliver richer, more relevant interactions. On average, consumers visit 2.5 websites prior to making online purchases, and 42 percent visit three or more sites during their research process, according to a Jupiter Research/NPD retail consumer survey from April 2008. With multiple touch points in the customer lifecycle, the opportunity to deliver highly segmented, custom content is well within reach. Behavioral programs should identify and segment visitors, deliver targeted content and offers, and provide a foundation to improve conversion and retention rates. The real question is not if targeting works, but is your business ready to embrace change?
Readiness: How mature is your marketing organization?
Embracing a behavioral targeting program is, in many ways, counter to the fast-paced culture of Internet marketing. Patience becomes a new mantra. From collecting rich data sets to developing unique profiles and testing versions before a “winner” is isolated, behavioral programs require a commitment of time and infrastructure to truly deliver on their potential. Data: The foundation of most behavioral programs is strong data. Is there a collection effort underway to collect core behavioral elements to build profiles and segmentation groups? Is your data robust enough to build profiles distinct enough to warrant unique content? Are you working with your partners and external ad networks to integrate third-party data into your environment?
about the visitor. The incremental lift in the Technology: Are you using a set of tools and applications that can deliver behavioral program can be attributed to the customized content, like landing pages, personalization of the content. banners, and text based on actions the Last year, Forrester reported that 58 user takes, even prior to visiting your percent of organizations using behavioral site? Do you have the staff in place to marketing programs experienced an increrun multiple tests and segmentations mental lift in conversion. For organizations simultaneously? that have already optimized their design and Content and creative: Have you or taxonomy, relevancy-driven content provides your agency an additional opporproduced multiple Instead of soft measures like tunity to improve site versions of your primary assets brand value, businesses can performance. Whether this to deliver once measure real conversions conversion the visitor has results been identified? with a behavioral program. in more lead forms Do you have completed, more enough diversity banners clicked on, or of content to isolate different variables more actual sales, the attribution of success for testing? and/or impact to the behavioral program is Insights: Who’s crunching the relatively easy to measure. numbers? Has your marketing team evolved to include analysts and Relevancy, not complexity statisticians who can identify trends Even if your organization is just startand insights based on site behavior and segment performance? ing to build its foundation for enhanced data collection, there is still an opportunity Optimization: How are the insights being applied? Are the appropriate to begin a behavioral program. Forrester’s stakeholders from the business Q1 2009 “Global Email Marketing and involved in the process to ensure that On-Site Targeting Online Survey” estimates the data is not just reported on, but that most marketers “use an average of 2.9 used to optimize the site and improve attributes for targeting website content to business processes? specific visitors.” Just three attributes can get you started. Justifying the Investment If you are able to identify the search term Demonstrating the ROI for this market- visitors used to arrive at your site, the refering investment may prove to be one of the ring site, and then allow them to self-select easier aspects of implementing a behavioral an area of interest, you have the foundation program. The level of investment tends to be in place to begin delivering more relevant, high, which can be attributed to the complex- focused content. § ity of systems and people in place to support the program. However, the return is tangible. Andrea Fishman is VP of global Rather than relying on soft measures such strategy at BGT Partners and managing partner of BGT Chicaas brand value or customer awareness, which go. Since joining BGT in 2003, she have less direct measure of performance, has driven value to the agency’s businesses can measure real conversions and clients through the development sales in a behavioral program. In a simple of competitive assessments, straexample, visitors to the site receive one of tegic delivery plans, and integrattwo types of content — one being the tradi- ed marketing programs. A graduate of Brandeis Unitional content focused on all visitors, and the versity, Fishman is a national expert on all things second being more customized and deliv- related to web marketing and contributes regularly to ered based on the behavioral data known ClickZ, BtoB Magazine, Chicago Business, and eHealthcare Strategy and Trends.
@andreafishman
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
55
!
Chicago-based Groupon:
A profitable lead-gen tool for local businesses By Gregg Stewart
T
he concept of couponing is nothing new. Coca-Cola created the idea in 1887 as a way to offer soda samples to potential customers. Nearly 123 years later, couponing has become a billiondollar industry, thanks in large part to e-coupons that are outpacing print coupons 10-1. In 2009, digital coupons alone saved consumers more than $858 million, a 170 percent increase over the year prior, according to coupons.com. And from July 2009 to July 2010, more than 46.4 million American consumers used online coupons, resulting in more than $1 billion in savings — a year-over-year growth of 100 percent. Like every industry, couponing has had to adapt to changes in technology and media to reach consumers with relevance. What started as simple promotion codes for e-retailing has morphed into a popular breed of e-couponing that is changing the sales promotion game. That’s because the couponing business model has been refreshed to keep pace with today’s consumers. Chicago-based Groupon — one of many recent start-ups to test the new style of couponing — is thriving beyond anyone’s initial predictions (I came across one report that called the service “digital coupons on steroids”). By now, I’m sure you’ve heard that Groupon was valued at $1 billion earlier this year, making it the frontrunner in the e-couponing industry and a part of an elite group of Web 2.0 startups that have reached the milestone. As the
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
market leader, Groupon, which could reach 150 markets worldwide by 2011, has quickly gone mainstream to generate hefty consumer savings (more than $336 million since its November 2008 launch) through the sale of approximately 7.7 million units (e.g., groupons). In short, Groupon borrows its business model from The Point, which is the company behind the e-couponing service. Through collective action, Groupon works as an assurance contract: If a certain number of people sign up for the daily deal in each local market, then the deal becomes available to all; if the predetermined minimum is not met, no one gets the deal that day. For businesses, it’s free to advertise on Groupon; the service simply takes a cut from each sale.
Groupon is cross-platform
Why has Groupon been able to impact sales generation for so many local businesses, while remaining profitable itself? Unlike print coupons that are one-dimensional, digital coupons have the potential to go cross-platform, combining different marketing facets: Online: Register online. Local: Upon registration, indicate your local market to receive offers. In this way, Groupon can geographically segment and target subscribers, based on radius. E-mail: Receive a daily Groupon e-mail. Online (again): After clicking the e-mail’s
FOCUS: local §
call-to-action, redirect to a promotional landing page to purchase. Rather than receive daily e-mails, visit a custom URL (e.g., Groupon.com/milwaukee) for your market. Mobile: In lieu of e-mails, download the GPS-enabled app to browse and redeem local deals (no printer required). Social: The landing page showcases user reviews about the featured business, facilitating online conversations among shoppers. Offline: Groupon, like many social commerce services, drives offline response, as customers must visit the businesses to redeem the deals.
Groupon is lead generation
What makes Groupon so appealing is its lead-generation potential. Not only does your business gain local brand exposure among thousands, you’re also advertising to an audience that may not know of you or may not shop with you under normal circumstances. With a discount, they are more apt to try something “new,” which equates to new foot traffic. Remember, to get the daily deal, a minimum number must take action, guaranteeing you paying customers, who, according to Groupon, spend 60 percent above the value of the digital coupons.
rate), versus traditional, “invasive” marketing. Groupon’s key age demographic consists of cross-platform adopters; 95 percent who follow brands on Facebook or Twitter also subscribe to commercial e-mail, and 70 percent follow brands on both Facebook and Twitter, according to Ibid. The aforementioned statistic indicates habitual users of social media. According to Royal Pingdom, 18-to-34year-olds comprise the largest segment of users across the 19 social networking sites studied. Factor that into Groupon’s concept of relying on users to share offers via Facebook, Twitter, and other sites, either by clicking the social-share icons embedded in the daily landing pages or by engaging in independent word-of-mouth advertising. The importance behind this is twofold: 1) No one gets the daily deal if enough customers don’t register (it benefits users to spread the word), and 2) users are rewarded with Groupon credits for recommending others (the viral buzz attracts new customers).
Is Groupon risky?
While Groupon seems like a sure-fire bet for local businesses, one common question I get asked is, “Does it generate brand loyalty, or are users likely to shop around to secure deep discounts?” Groupon is a discount service, so compaGroupon is audience savvy nies have a legitimate concern about its abilAudience awareness is critical to Grou- ity to cheapen brands. But bear in mind that pon’s success: Groupon, at its core, is meant for local businesses with limited exposure; it’s not really Fifty percent of Groupon users go meant for luxury brands. That’s because an out at least two times per week (an underlying motivation behind Groupon’s established base of offline activities). In fact, Groupon deep discounts is the claims that facilitation of less risk While Groupon can 92 percent of for the customer who generate new foot traffic, is unfamiliar with your business owners believe the business. it’s up to you to create service brings in As more sites repeat business. eager, “quality” appear, discounts customers, who will become easier are committed to spending because to obtain, which could teach consumers to they already purchased the deal. seek discounts first, then quality. But, in ExactTarget states that 58 percent of the end, your product must drive revenue. consumers start the day by checking It’s Groupon’s function to get customers to e-mail, making Groupon a viable your doorstep; after that, it’s up to you. Have platform. you taken an introspective look at your own Sixty-eight percent of Groupon users brand? If your product (and the experience are 18 to 34. This is significant, to secure the product) is quality, then most considering more than 90 percent of advertising platforms will work. online consumers, aged 18 and up, Consider that Groupon works best subscribe to permission-based e-mails, when your gross profit margin is greater according to Ibid. Securing permission than 50 percent of your retail price. That’s first increases your chances of eliciting why Groupon caters to and is alluring for positive response (e.g., higher open
Want to learn more? SES Chicago will feature numerous sessions about local. Greg will be moderating Wednesday’s “The Evolution of Local Search,” and he’ll be speaking at Thursday’s “Social Goes Local” session.
SESchicago.com
businesses that boost profit through add-on sales (e.g., restaurants and spas). For example, let’s pretend you own a spa that offers $200 massages. $200 x 50% (discount) = $100 $100 x 50% (Groupon fee) = $50 Your revenue = $50 My recommendation is to closely analyze your business’ goals and objectives, and factor in whether Groupon will work for you. As you strategize, ask yourself if you have slim profit margins. Can you justify cutting your price in half? Can you make a profit through volume? What discount percentage will generate sales volume? Will price reduction create enough repeat business and/or above-Groupon spending to be profitable? These questions may help you determine alternate avenues.
Conclusion
If this business model works for you, Groupon can be a profitable lead-generation tool. But be aware of settling in as Groupon does the million work. While Groupon can generate Marking Groupon’s largest nanew foot traffic, tional effort to date, Gap offered $50 worth of clothing for $25 it’s up to you to on Aug. 19 in 85 markets. The create repeat busicampaign made $11 million. ness. Plan now for A Learn more at ClickZ Stats. how you will keep customers coming back. You could develop a loyalty program with incentives to entice repeat sales. Or, through e-mail or social media, follow up with first-time customers with an exclusive offer. Whatever you do, bring customers incentives in ways that don’t deplete your margins. §
$11
A 20-year veteran of local-search marketing for Fortune 500 companies, Gregg Stewart is VP of interactive at TMP Directional Marketing and is president of its interactive services division, 15miles. As the world’s largest local search agency, TMPDM called upon Stewart to lead the charge of transitioning from a traditional agency to a comprehensive media firm. He was responsible for assembling high-performance teams that developed digital solutions to yield salesgenerating results at the local level. @greggstewart
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
57
around the
Town: Chicago R Restaurants 1 11 City Diner $ 1112 S. Wabash Ave. (11th Street) Hours: Sun-Thu 9a-9p; Fri-Sat 9-12a Phone: (312) 212-1112 Cuisine: Coffee shop/diner www.elevencitydiner.com
This week in Chicago... § Chicago International Film Festival Where: Chicago Theater, 175 North State St. & other locations | When: Oct. 7-21 The 46th annual Chicago International Film Festival takes place this October and promises to be full of unique films, experiences, and stories. The festival has shown the first feature films by world-renowned directors like Martin Scorsese (U.S.A.), Peter Weir (Australia), Mike Leigh (U.K.) www.chicagofilmfestival.com/ § 14th Annual Halloween Franken Plaza Where: Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington Street & various locations | When: Oct. 1-31 Halloween is more than a day in Chicago; it’s an entire season. Cultural institutions get into the fun and the city center, Daley Plaza, is transformed into a new destination. Be on the lookout for pumpkin patches, pumpkin decorating, haunted houses, hay rides, and scary theatre. www.chicagoween.us § NFL Football: Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago Bears Where: Soldier Field | When: Sunday, Oct. 17 (12p) § NHL Hockey: St. Louis Blues @ Chicago Blackhawks Where: United Center | When: Monday, Oct. 18 (7:30p) § NHL Hockey: Vancouver Canucks @ Chicago Blackhawks Where: United Center | When: Wednesday, Oct. 20 (8p) NBA Basketball: Indiana Pacers @ Chicago Bulls (preseason) Where: United Center | When: Friday, Oct. 22 (7p) § NFL Football: Washington Redskins @ Chicago Bears Where: Soldier Field | When: Sunday, Oct. 24 (12p)
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
2 Chicago Firehouse $$$$ 1401 S. Michigan Ave. (14th Street) Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30a-10p; Fri-Sat 11:30a-10:30p; Sun 4-9p Phone: (312) 786-1401 Cuisine: American (traditional) www.chicagofirehouse.com 3 Edwardo’s Natural Pizza $ 521 S. Dearborn St. (b/t Congress Pkwy & Harrison) Hours: Mon-Thu 10a-10p; Fri-Sun 11a-11p Phone: (312) 939-3366 Cuisine: Pizza www.edwardos.com 4 Exposure Tapas Supper Club $$$ 1315 S. Wabash Ave. (13th Street) Hours: Sun, Tue-Thu 5-10p; Fri-Sat 5-11p Phone: (312) 662-1060 Cuisine: Eclectic/international (small plates) www.exposuretapas.com 5 Gioco $$$ 1312 Wabash Ave. (13th Street) Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30a-10p; Fri 11:30-12a; Sat 5-11:30p; Sun 9a-10p Phone: (312) 939-3870 Cuisine: Italian Northern www.gioco-chicago.com
6 Opera $$$$ 1301 S. Wabash Ave. (13th Street) Hours: Sun-Thu 11:30a-10p; Fri-Sat 11:30-12a Phone: (312) 461-0161 Cuisine: Asian www.opera-chicago.com
^
Admission: Adults $15; students & seniors (65+) $12; children (3-11) $10 Hours: Daily 9a-5p Phone: (312) 922-9410 www.fieldmuseum.org
Bars
9 Grace O’Malley’s 1416 S. Michigan Ave. (14th Street) Hours: Mon-Fri 2p-2a; Sat 10:30-3a; Sun 9:30-12a Phone: (312) 588-1800 www.mainstayhospitality.com
7 Oysy $$ 888 S. Michigan Ave. (9th Street) Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30a-10p; Fri-Sat 11:30a-11p; Sun 11:30a-9p Phone: (312) 922-1127 Cuisine: Japanese/sushi www.oysysushi.com
14 John Shedd Aquarium 1200 S. Lake Shore Dr. Directions: 4 blocks southeast from Chicago Hilton Admission: Adults $27; children (3-11) $20; aquarium only $10 Hours (fall & winter): Weekdays 9a-5p; weekends 9a-6p Phone: (312) 939-2438 www.sheddaquarium.org
10 South Loop Club 701 S. State St. Hours: Sun-Fri 11-4a; Sat 11-5a Phone: (312) 427-4727 www.cityinsights.com/slc.htm 11 Villians 649 S. Clark St. Hours: Mon-Fri 3p-2a; Sat 5p-3a; Sun 11-2a Phone: (312) 356-9992 www.villainschicago.com
8 Zapatista $$ 1307 S. Wabash Ave. (13th Street) Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30a-10p; Fri-Sat 11:30a-11p; Sun 12-9p Phone: (312) 435-1307 Cuisine: Mexican www.zapatistamexicangrill.com
G Drugstores 15 Target 1154 S. Clark St. (312) 212-6300 Directions: 8 blocks southwest from Chicago Hilton 16 Walgreens 2 E. Roosevelt Road (312) 212-1579 Directions: 4 blocks southwest from Chicago Hilton
¶ Attractions
Key
12 Adler Planetarium 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr. Directions: 5 blocks southeast from Chicago Hilton Admission: Adults $10; students & seniors (65+) $8; children (4-17) $6 Hours: Weekdays 10a-4p; weekends 10a-4:30p Phone: (312) 922-STAR www.adlerplanetarium.org
F Chicago Hilton 720 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60605 (312) 922-4400
1 Find the numbered destinations on the map below.
R Restaurant pricing $ $$ $$$ $$$$
under $20 $21-30 $31-40 $41 and up
$ Banks 17 Chase Bank 850 S. Wabash Ave. (312) 922-3930 Directions: 1 block southwest from Chicago Hilton 18 Bank of America ATM 610 South Michigan Ave. Directions: 1 block north from Chicago Hilton
13 The Field Museum of Natural History 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr. Directions: 4 blocks southeast from Chicago Hilton
[
Note: Walk one block north (of Michigan Avenue and Jackson) to Monroe to visit the Art Institute of Chicago or Millennium Park.
3 18
11 10
F 17 7
15 1
16 14
4
12
5 8 6
© 2010 Google Maps
13 2 9
SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES SearchEngineStrategies.com
59
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Speaker Bios SearchEngineStrategies.com ยง SES
61
Benu Aggarwal
Founder & President Milestone Internet Marketing Benu Aggarwal is a recognized expert in Internet marketing strategies for the travel industry. Her online interactive agency provides web 2.0 and search engine promotion strategies such as PPC, organic, e-mail marketing, and website development. An award-winning firm, Milestone is based in Silicon Valley and represents over 600 clients, including major hotel brands, premier resorts, and OTAs. Benu oversees a team of Internet marketing and PPC specialists, designers, writers, and programmers. She has written several articles on search engine marketing and has co-authored the well-known Internet marketing handbook, “Hotels to HTMLs.” Benu speaks candidly about true and tested steps that achieve higher search position and about developing the right web 2.0 implementation strategies. She has been a speaker for Search Engine Strategies, SMX, Phocuswright, and other conferences focused on travel, search engines, and online promotions.
Feras Alhlou President E-Nor, Inc.
Feras Alhlou is the President of E-Nor, Inc., which he co-founded in 2003. He has an extensive background in the areas of marketing optimization, web analytics, and interactive marketing. Feras is passionate about improving his clients’ ROI and led his organization to implement and launch successful Internet marketing and analytics strategies for E-Nor’s diversified client base. Feras has traveled the globe educating businesses and Internet consultants on the subjects of search engine marketing, online marketing, and web analytics. Under his leadership, E-Nor has become a Qualified Google Adwords Advertising company, a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant (GAAC) and a Google Urchin Software Authorized Consultant (USAC) company.
Jonathan Allen
Director SearchEngineWatch.com Jonathan came on board as director of Search Engine Watch with Incisive Media in December 2009. This newly created role will see him bring the spirit of collaboration back to Search Engine Watch and transform the site into a vibrant community of search and tech marketing professionals. Before joining Search Engine Watch, Jonathan worked as search marketing specialist for Incisive Media on leading B2B print/online publications and job boards in the legal, tech, and finance sectors, including websites such as Legal Week, TheInquirer.net, V3.co.uk, Accountancy Age Jobs, and Computing Careers. @jc1000000
Tim Ash
Speaker Bios
CEO SiteTuners.com Tim Ash is the CEO of SiteTuners.com, a landing page optimization firm that offers conversion consulting, full-service guaranteedimprovement tests, and 2nd-generation software tools to improve conversion rates. He has worked with Google, Facebook, American Express, CBS, Sony Music, Universal Studios, Verizon Wireless, Texas Instruments, and Coach. Tim is a highly-regarded presenter at Search Engine Strategies, eMetrics, PPC Summit, Affiliate Summit, and PubCon. He is the chairperson of ConversionConference.com, the first conference focused on improving online conversions. Tim is a columnist for several publications, including ClickZ. He is the host of the weekly “Landing Page Optimization” show and podcast on WebmasterRadio.fm. He received his B.S. and M.S. during his Ph.D. studies at UC San Diego. Tim is the author of the bestselling book, Landing Page Optimization. @tim_ash
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SES § October 2010 {Chicago}
Andy Atkins-Krüger Managing Director Web Certain
Andy is a trained linguist with 20 years of international marketing experience, having worked with major brand leaders in advertising and public relations on five continents. In 1997 he discovered SEO and a couple of years later, paid search. As the marketing manager of Portakabin, Andy was responsible for promoting the company throughout Europe in the late ’90s and needed a multilingual SEO solution. The result was the business now known as WebCertain, which Andy later acquired; he became managing director in 2002. WebCertain has been operating search marketing campaigns for over 10 years and is one of few agencies that only deal with international campaigns; the company doesn’t deal in Englishonly projects. Following Andy’s experience in multi-country PR campaigns, WebCertain centralizes campaigns in many languages and employs a team of native speakers that covers all major European and Scandinavian languages; Hebrew and Arabic for the Middle East; and Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean for the Far East. @andyatkinskruge
Adam Audette President AudetteMedia, Inc.
Adam is a second-generation Internet marketer and president of AudetteMedia, a search marketing boutique located in Bend, Ore. He is also a lead SEO strategist at Zappos.com, whom he’s worked with since 2001. An online marketer since 1996, Adam has worked with many companies, including Charming Shoppes, JELD-WEN, Motosport, Michelin, University of Phoenix, and HSBC. He is a frequent speaker at search conferences nationwide. You can read his blog at http://www.audettemedia.com/blog. @audette
Matthew Bailey President SiteLogic Marketing
Matt Bailey is the president and founder of SiteLogic, a website marketing consultancy, and has been training businesses on website marketing since 1997. He is in demand worldwide as a speaker for the Search Engine Strategies conferences, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), and the American Advertising Federation. He speaks at over 30 international conferences, seminars, and training sessions each year. Seminar attendees consistently rave about Matt’s conversational, entertaining speaking style and his ability to explain high-level search marketing concepts in a way that even “non-techies” understand. Matt is the primary trainer and developer for the DMA’s search engine optimization certification program, and the trainer for its two-day website marketing seminar.
Loren Baker
SVP of Online PR/Managing Partner BlueGlass Loren plans the company’s strategic online public relations campaigns that include social media/ blogger outreach, guest blogging and online editorials, online reputation management, and press relationships. Prior to BlueGlass, Loren co-founded Search & Social, an agency specializing in innovative search marketing and social media engagement tactics. A pioneer in the search marketing industry, he is the managing editor of Search Engine Journal, an AdAge Top 10 blog that he created in 2003 to cover search marketing news and tactics. Over the last decade, Loren has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, universities, financial institutions, and startups. He has successfully assisted them with the development of their strategic online marketing campaigns.
President & CEO DataXu Mike Baker has been pioneering digital media platforms for 20 years and is a widely recognized thought leader in interactive advertising. Before co-founding DataXu, he was a VP at Nokia, where he created and ran Nokia Interactive. Baker came to Nokia through its acquisition of mobile advertising leader Enpocket in 2007, where he was the founding investor and CEO. Baker was previously a partner at venture capital firm GrandBanks Capital. He has also been EVP at Engage Technologies, an innovator in online advertising and behavioral targeting. An active angel investor in digital media, he is currently chairman of the board of Nexage, a mobile advertising solutions provider. Baker holds degrees in law and telecommunications management.
Chris Boggs Director, SEO Rosetta
Chris Boggs is a specialist in search engine optimization and paid search advertising. He joined Brulant from Avenue A | Razorfish in 2007 as manager of the SEO team, and Rosetta acquired Brulant in 2008. Chris has worked in search engine marketing since 2000, starting in-house and moving into a consulting role in 2002. He’s worked with organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100, within all major industries, including health care, financial services, and consumer products, and retail. He is experienced in performing and directing hands-on SEO, from keyword research to content and link development, as well as guiding technical implementations with e-commerce platforms. @boggles
Jessica Bowman
SEO Strategist & In-House SEO Expert SEMinhouse.com Jessica Bowman delivers insightful, actionable advice in a way that gets people on board, moving forward and improving the bottom line. Identified as one of the industry’s top in-house SEOs, Jessica’s specialty is building an in-house SEO program. After doing just that at Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Business.com, she was hired by Yahoo to build new SEO programs and expand existing ones. Jessica regularly speaks at Search Engine Strategies and Webmaster World Pubcon. She writes for Search Engine Land, Search Engine Watch, and Search Engine Journal.
Jim Boykin
CEO We Build Pages Internet Marketing Services Jim Boykin founded We Build Pages in 1999 as a web designer. Shortly thereafter, Jim started specializing in search engine optimization, and then link building, and the company now employs about 35 ninjas. Jim led We Build Pages by helping clients achieve higher traffic through page optimization, link building, content creation, widget services, and Internet marketing consulting. For years, Jim blogged about link building, and he’s won several link-building awards, including “Best Link Building Blog” in 2006 and 2007 by Search Engine Journal.
Scott Brinker President & CTO ion interactive
Scott Brinker is the president and CTO of ion interactive, a leading provider of post-click marketing software and services. Scott leads the company’s product development and technical operations from the firm’s Boston office. He has over 12 years of experience in developing and marketing successful websites, from startups to
Fortune 500 companies. A passionate advocate of post-click marketing, Scott has written articles for Advertising Age, BtoB Marketing, MarketingProfs.com, OMMA, and DM News. He blogs regularly at blog.postclickmarketing.com. Scott has a B.S. in computer science from Columbia University. He also has an MBA from MIT.
Lisa Buyer
President & CEO The Buyer Group When it comes to relationships, Lisa Buyer believes the connection between social media, search, and public relations is exponential. As the founder of three media companies and CEO of The Buyer Group, Lisa is ambitious about the influence of public relations on social media, SEO, and SEM, and she continues to share her innovative approach with clients, peers, and associates. The Buyer Group is an interactive PR, social media, and branding agency in South Florida that also consults agencies transitioning from traditional media to today’s best digital strategies. Lisa is the editor of several blogs and teaches online courses on applying social media to business networks. She is a regular speaker and moderator on topics of online PR, social media, and search at national conferences, including Search Engine Strategies and PubCon. Lisa is a certified Google AdWords professional and is past president of the International Association of Business Communications South Florida chapter. @lisabuyer
Paul Carff
Senior Developer Advocate Google As a developer advocate, Paul works to promote Google’s APIs and technologies. He is currently engaging with partners to develop video sitemaps to improve video search. At Google, he has managed a number of internal technical support teams and developed data warehousing solutions enabling Google’s sales and support teams to scale. Previously, Paul was a career Naval officer. Along the way, he maintained the nuclear reactors on submarines, managed the Navy’s largest Network Operations Center (NOC), and was a deputy director of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, where he was responsible for an organization of more than 850 engineers.
Mikel Chertudi
Sr. Director, Online & Demand Marketing Adobe Mikel Chertudi oversees global strategy and execution of demand creation for new customer acquisition and cross-selling, including the tactics of search (both paid and SEO), e-mail, newsletters, display, content syndication, direct, and dimensional mail. He’s responsible for authoring best practice guides, webinars, and reports on marketing and technology issues. He and his team have deployed a comprehensive marketing technology-based solution for increasing response effectiveness by intertwining search marketing automation, e-mail, and direct mail lead nurturing automation, progressive telephony, on-site behavioral targeting, ad serving, A/B and multivariable testing, and personalized prospect portals with web analytics as the anchor technology to deploy a highly-relevant prospect and customer experience.
Bruce Clay
President Bruce Clay, Inc. Bruce Clay has been a recognized leader in the search marketing arena since 1996, when he launched one of the first consulting firms devoted to search engine optimization (SEO). His pioneering efforts continue to lead the search industry by providing award-winning SEO training and certification courses, the SEO code of ethics, and the full-featured SEOToolSet. Bruce hosts “SEM Synergy” (www. SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Speaker Bios
Mike Baker
semsynergy.com), a weekly half-hour show on WebmasterRadio. fm covering all aspects of Internet marketing. He is the co-author of Search Engine Optimization All-in-One For Dummies, a comprehensive desk reference, and is a principal editor and speaker for SEMJ.org, a scholarly research journal for search engine marketing. Widely recognized as a search marketing expert, he has been quoted in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, PC Week, Wired Magazine, and Smart Money, and is a frequent speaker at national industry conferences. @bruceclayinc
Alex Cohen
Senior Marketing Manager ClickEquations Alex Cohen is an accomplished online marketer, blogger, and presenter. He has been a featured speaker at Search Marketing Expo, Princeton University’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, Villanova University, and Wakeforest University. Currently, Alex is senior marketing manager at ClickEquations, a paid search platform for large advertisers and agencies. In addition to speaking, he writes Digital Alex, a blog about marketing optimization, and contributes to Search Marketing Gurus, the Web Analytics Association, Web Analytics World, and other search marketing websites. @digitalalex
Grant Crowell
Senior Media Analyst ReelSEO.com Grant Crowell is the senior media analyst, podcast show host, and vlogger for ReelSEO.com, an online magazine dedicated to video news and marketing strategies with video for everyone. Grant’s regular coverage for ReelSEO includes video in SEO and social media optimization (SMO). He is also the founder of Grantastic Designs (now GC Interactive), an online marketing solutions firm established in 1996, specializing in search-optimized, user-friendly web design and multimedia content, including video and usability solutions for commercial enterprises, non-profits, academia and government organizations. Grant is a year-round analyst in his coverage of both the latest and time-tested “best practices” with online video. He has been a featured speaker at SES and PubCon on video SEO, along with providing extensive coverage of the video marketing space at conferences throughout North America. Grant’s new book, You Sued? Your Legal Guide to Online Video, is scheduled for release in November 2010. @grantcrowell
Curtis R. Curtis
Speaker Bios
CEO & Managing Director SharksFly Marketing
(Curtis) R. Curtis is a 17-year veteran and recognized leader in the Internet, e-commerce, hosting, and online marketing industries. Since the early ’90s, Curtis has been involved in the evolution of the web, working first with the government on implementing the first ISPs and in 1993, the startup and management of an ISP. He has worked with such companies as AT&T, TELUS, Rogers, Sprint, Group Telecom, Superb Internet, and most recently, RankSense SEO. Currently, Curtis is CEO and managing director of SharksFly Marketing and works with businesses seeking to develop strategic partnerships within the search, hosting, and other related verticals. He also provides marketing consultation, including local search, SEO, SEM, affiliate marketing, and social media campaigns.
Kelly Cutler
CEO & Co-founder Marcel Media As co-founder and CEO of Marcel Media, Kelly Cutler is a leader in the fast-paced online marketing industry. Cutler has led the full-service online and interactive marketing firm to its rank within the Inc. 5000’s fastest growing private companies within its initial
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six years; it’s also a Google AdWords qualified company and a Google Analytics and a Website Optimizer certified partner. Cutler is recognized as an innovator specifically within the search engine optimization/marketing community. She is a University of Chicago new entrepreneur program instructor, an active member and president of the Chicago Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and belongs to the Chicago Internet Marketing Association and SEMPO.
David Dalka
Digital Marketing Strategist Dalka Strategy Consulting David Dalka is a passionate voice for fully considering search engine marketing/optimization, user-generated content, and social media innovation strategy at the C-level and board of directors level, and integrating the activities fully into organizational culture to improve profitability. His interests are in seeing organizations outperform by acting nimbly, with a bias for action and utilizing current marketing technology to create customer focused experiences that drive revenue growth. Deeply experienced as a leader in both financial services and high-growth startups, David understands how to combine data and strategy in dynamic marketplaces to produce business results. He was at BlackRock, a technology-intensive investment management firm, during the 80-to-800 employee growth phase, as well as Alliance Bernstein, PPM America, and a Fortune 500 bank. David earned a B.S. from DePaul University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. @dalka
Tami Dalley
Director, User Experience Optimization ROI Labs Tami Dalley is the director of user experience optimization at ROI Labs, a leading provider of global web analytics consulting services. A self-proclaimed “fanatical explorer,” Tami’s expertise includes deep-dive web analytics, usability consulting, competitive intelligence, landing page design, and multivariate testing. In 2008, her work was honored with the Search Engine Strategies award for “most effective use of web analytics.” Tami is also a noted industry thought leader and has spoken at such events as Search Engine Strategies, Search Marketing Expo, and Conversion University, among others.
Michael DeHaven SEO Product Manager Bazaarvoice
Michael DeHaven serves as the SEO product manager at Bazaarvoice, the market and technology leader in hosted social commerce applications that drive sales. With over 14 years of experience in the online marketing industry, Michael has developed and implemented holistic SEO strategies for leading websites such as CareerBuilder. com, Travelocity.com, and Hotels.com. His expertise lies in the developing synergies between SEO and the various other components of solid strategic online marketing plans.
Fionn Downhill CEO & President Elixir Interactive
Fionn is CEO and president of Elixir Interactive, a digital marketing agency that focuses on search and social media, helping companies understand how their customers think and interact online. Elixir Interactive strives to create dynamic partnerships with all its clients to ensure Internet marketing is a major factor in the growth of their online brand as well as sales and lead generation efforts. Fionn is very involved in the advancement of online marketing and is a strong advocate for best business practices in the industry. She is a founding member of the SEMPO Institute and a past SEMPO board member. Fionn is a frequent speaker on search engine marketing.
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SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Speaker Bios
“On the Internet... PRWeb has the pole position.” - Fortune
Joshua Dreller
VP of Media Technology & Analytics Fuor Digital Joshua Dreller joined Fuor Digital as director of media technology and analytics in June 2007. His responsibilities revolve around staying abreast of cutting edge digital technologies to maximize the effect of digital media on client goals. Joshua is fluent in the use of software such as Mediaplex, Omniture SearchCenter, and SiteCatalyst. He sits on the standards committee for the Web Analytics Association, a collaborative effort between WAA members, vendors, agencies, practitioners, and thought leaders to provide standard definitions and promote consistency of the most widely used terms across the analytics industry. He is a certified Google Analytics professional, Microsoft adExcellence member, and Yahoo search ambassador, and designates his expertise and commitment to their search marketing platforms. Joshua also authors the industry blogs “In the Trenches” and “PPC Academy,” where he reviews and reports on the newest features and products for search engine marketing professionals.
Bryan Eisenberg
New York Times bestselling author bryaneisenberg.com Bryan Eisenberg is the co-author of The Wall Street Journal, Amazon and New York Times bestselling books Call to Action, Waiting For Your Cat to Bark? and Always Be Testing. Bryan has been the keynote speaker for Search Engine Strategies, Shop.org, Direct Marketing Association, MarketingSherpa, E-consultancy, Webcom, and the Canadian Marketing Association. He is also the co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Web Analytics Association. Bryan serves as an advisory board member of Search Engine Strategies, the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit, and several venture capital-backed startup companies. Bryan is the recognized authority and pioneer in improving online conversion rates, persuasion architecture, and persona marketing. He was recently recognized by eConsultancy members as one of the top 10 user experience gurus. @thegrok
Steve Espinosa VP of Innovation eLocal Listing, LLC
Espinosa brings years of experience in Internet search, web product development, product development, multimedia, and search engine optimization. He was responsible for the development of the iZone product, the precursor to eLocal Listing’s current product offering. Based on his knowledge of SEO, video production, design, and marketing, eLocal has become a premier supplier of successful SEO and universal search optimization services to small businesses. He has consummated several major web development contracts for large companies such as Honda and Bridal Networks.
Liana Evans
Speaker Bios
Director of Social Media Serengeti Communications Since 1999, Liana “Li” Evans has been active full-time in the search marketing arena, becoming well-versed in all avenues of social media and search marketing. Li runs the Search Marketing Gurus blog, and is the director of social media for Serengeti Communications, a Washington, D.C.-based online marketing firm that focuses on building social media strategies for companies and training companies to bring online marketing in-house. Li was the SEO and social media architect for a Fortune 500 multi-million page entertainment website. As a database designer and programmer since 1992, Liana has developed technical expertise in dealing with large-scale retail sites and their dynamic natures. @storyspinner
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Tracy Falke
Social Media Specialist Freestyle Interactive Tracy Falke runs content, SEO, SEM, and social for Freestyle Interactive, one of the largest full-service creative digital agencies in the U.K. She also works with their art directors to conceive, execute, and manage CRM. Freestyle provides strategic planning, creative design, and technical build across a full range of digital services. Clients include TNT, Lloyds TSB, Virgin Active, Amtico, Land Rover, City University London, Alstom, Thales, Marstons, Volvo Cars, and Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Adlington.
Sally Falkow President PRESSfeed
Sally Falkow has been creating news coverage for both small and large organizations for over 25 years. She holds an accreditation in public relations from the PR Society of America. Her interest in the shift in media consumption caused by the Internet led to her cutting-edge approach to online media relations. Her understanding of the convergence of PR and search has made her a thought leader in the field of online PR, brand awareness, blogger relations, and news search. Read her blog at http://falkow.blogsite.com. PR News named he “PR trainer of the year” for 2009. @sallyfalkow
Andrea Fishman
VP of Global Strategy & Managing Partner BGT Chicago, BGT Partners Andrea Fishman is VP of global strategy and managing partner of BGT Chicago. Since joining BGT in 2003, she has driven value to the agency’s clients through the development of competitive assessments, strategic delivery plans, and integrated marketing programs. A graduate of Brandeis University, Fishman is a national expert on interactive marketing and contributes to SES Magazine, ClickZ, BtoB Magazine, Chicago Business, and eHealthcare Strategy and Trends. @andreafishman
Todd Friesen Director of SEO Performics
Todd Friesen is an SEO strategist and consultant. Prior to his role at Performics, he was the VP of Search at Position Technologies. He holds a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Calgary and is considered an SEO pioneer. He entered the SEO world in 1998 and has since worked with top-name clients like Sharper Image, Nike, Neiman Marcus, and Accor Hotels North America on natural search optimization. Prior to Visible Technologies, Todd was the director of SEO for Range Online Media, where he managed SEO campaigns for large B2C online retailers such as Macys.com and CompUSA. He is an expert in search engine marketing, a former administrator at Webmasterworld.com, and a former moderator for Search Engine Watch forums. He is co-host of the popular “SEO Rockstars” show on WebmasterRadio.FM, as well as a regular speaker at conferences. @oilman
Rob Garner
Senior Strategy Director iCrossing In his role at iCrossing, Garner works with Fortune 500 brands to develop search engine marketing strategies that drive visibility, engagement, and results. By finding synergies between natural and paid search, designing websites for visibility from the ground up, and incorporating search and social media strategies, Garner has helped some clients achieve as much as $1 billion in revenue from natural search alone. A regular MediaPost “Search Insider”
Speaker Bios SearchEngineStrategies.com ยง SES
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columnist for four years, Garner is a regularly-quoted expert on the topic of search engine marketing in major business and industry publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Reuters, Adweek, Direct Marketing News, Smart Business Magazine, Search Engine Watch, Clickz, CNNMoney, and The Dallas Morning News. He is also actively involved in a number of professional industry organizations, including the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Search Committee. He served as president of the DallasFt. Worth Search Engine Marketing Association from 2006-08, and serves on the 2010-12 SEMPO board of directors.
Brad Geddes Founder bgTheory.com
Brad Geddes is the author of Advanced Google AdWords, the most advanced book ever written about AdWords. He is one of the first Google advertising professionals and Microsoft adExcellence members. He was the first advanced AdWords seminar leader and works directly with Google to conduct AdWords seminars. He has written extensively about Internet marketing for more than a decade. He is the founder of bgTheory.com, a company dedicated to consulting, educating, and training businesses on Internet marketing theory and best practices. He is also the creator of CertifiedKnowledge.org, an online training and PPC toolset. Brad has worked with compananies who manage tens of thousands of small PPC accounts and other companies who spend millions on marketing each year. His experience ranges from owning his own agency, to working for a botuqie agency, to managing programs that were official resellers of Google and Yahoo.
Ethan Giffin
CEO Groove Commerce Groove Commerce is the brainchild of CEO Ethan Giffin, an industry expert in the dynamic technologies behind e-commerce and e-marketing. Formerly the director of e-commerce at $5 billion Allegis Group, Giffin was the chief architect behind the management, marketing, design, and success of Thingamajob.com, an Internet job portal for some 18,000-plus continuously updated job openings with a database of over 5 million members. For over a decade, Ethan has lived and breathed e-commerce and web marketing through his career, his personal interests, and now through Groove Commerce. He envisions clients being highly successful in e-commerce without having to become experts on e-commerce technology. Ethan has spoken at many of the industry’s top conferences, including Search Engine Strategies, ad:tech, and Webmaster World’s PubCon. @opie
Jon Glick
Speaker Bios
VP, SEO & GM European Web Properties Become.com Jon leads Become.com’s global search engine optimization efforts, and is the general manager of Become’s European web properties. He previously served as VP of product search and comparison shopping at Become. Previously, he managed Internet search initiatives for Yahoo! Search, including web crawling, indexing, and ranking. A noted authority on search engine design and ranking technology, Jon frequently speaks on search-related issues. He has presented at numerous conferences, including SMX, Search Engine Strategies (SES), Digital Life, Web Search University, and ISPcon; he has also presented as a guest lecturer at India’s National Institute of Technology. Glick received his MBA from Harvard Business School, and holds a B.S. in computer-aided mechanical design from Cornell University.
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Adam Goldberg
Chief Innovation Officer ClearSaleing Adam serves as ClearSaleing’s chief innovation officer and is one of the interactive advertising industry’s leading authorities on attribution management. Prior to ClearSaleing, Adam worked at Google, where he started their first inside sales team in 2003. While at Google, Adam helped to build the inside sales team into a $500 million a year organization. He also created Google’s proprietary B2B search engine to help his sales team identify prospects and to help Google better understand its customer base. @adamsgoldberg
Aaron Goldman CMO Kenshoo
Aaron Goldman is CMO at Kenshoo, a global leader in search marketing and online advertising technology for advertisers, agencies, and local marketing providers. In this role, Goldman oversees corporate marketing, product marketing, trade marketing, and public relations. Kenshoo clients include Facebook, LinkShare, Omnicom, SapientNitro, and more. Previously, Goldman founded Connectual, a digital marketing consulting and matchmaking firm. For almost two years, he helped companies like Omnicom Media Group, Info.com, Adify Media, and Elevate Studios with marketing and business development. Before starting Connectual, Goldman served as VP of marketing and strategic partnerships at Resolution Media. During his nearly five-year tenure on the executive team, Goldman managed corporate marketing, industry relations, and new business development, working with advertisers like Bank of America and Dell, while sitting on the advisory boards of Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. Prior to Resolution Media, Goldman led the Midwest sales team for MaxOnline, now a division of Ask.com. @aarongoldman
Andrew Goodman President Page Zero Media
Goodman is founder and president of Toronto-based Page Zero Media, a full-service marketing agency founded in 2000. Page Zero focuses on paid search campaigns as well as a variety of custom digital marketing programs. Clients include Direct Energy, Canon, MIT, BLR, and others. He is also co-founder of Traffick.com, an award-winning industry commentary site; author of Winning Results with Google AdWords (McGraw-Hill, 2nd ed., 2008); and frequently quoted in the business press. He has spoken or moderated at countless SES events since 2002. His spare-time eccentricities include rollerblading without kneepads and naming his Japanese maples. Also, he co-founded HomeStars, a consumer review site with aspirations to become “the TripAdvisor for home improvement.” He lives in Toronto with his wife Carolyn. @andrew_goodman
Eli Goodman
Search Evangelist comScore, Inc Eli leads the business development team for comScore’s search division, where he plays an integral role in driving the development, sales and marketing of comScore’s search products. He is a 10-year veteran of the technology and market research industry, with experience in marketing research, search, online media, and events. Prior to joining comScore, Eli worked at Hitwise, where he honed his knowledge of the web analytics industry, specifically focusing on search projects related to retail, travel, financial services and publishing. Eli began his career at Gartner, Inc. as a member of the business development team for the research and consulting division. In this capacity, he worked with technology vendors utilizing Gartner research for market sizing, product development direction and
Michael Gray
Owner Atlas Web Service In 1998, the company I was working for said, “You’re in management, you understand sales, and you seem to know a little something about computers, so we’re going to put you in charge of our new website starting Monday.” I took some classes and learned some programming, and a few weeks later, I actually had an idea of what I was doing. We were paying $10,000 a month for someone to host our shopping cart for us; we had less than 1,000 visitors a month and were making less $10,000 in gross revenue. That was a problem. I rewrote the shopping cart, set it up with an in-house linux box, and we were in business. A few years later, after several design revisions, and even more programming revisions, we were averaging between 30,000 and 50,000 unique visitors a day, with yearly revenues in excess of $25 million. Currently, I work on my own affiliate marketing projects and client work. @graywolf
Mike Grehan
VP, Global Content, SES/SEW/ClickZ Incisive Media Mike Grehan is VP, global content director with Incisive Media, publisher of Search Engine Watch and ClickZ, and producer of the Search Engine Strategies international conference series. Previously, he worked as a search marketing consultant with a number of international agencies, handling global clients such as SAP and Motorola. Recognized as a leading search marketing expert, Mike came online in 1995 and is the author of numerous books and white papers on the subject. He is chair of the Search Engine Strategies advisory board. In March 2010, he was elected to SEMPO’s board of directors. @mikegrehan
Jeffrey Hayzlett Celebrity CMO Bestselling Author
Jeffrey Hayzlett is the former CMO and CP of the Eastman Kodak Company. Hayzlett speaks frequently around the world on business growth, communications, and marketing, including keynoting events such as The Economist Marketing Summit, the 140 Character Twitter Conference, CMO Summits, Mobile Marketing Forum, Digital Life Design Conference, Direct Marketing Association Leadership Forum, and National Postal Forum. He is cited as a leading marketing expert in numerous books, magazines, and newspapers worldwide, and is a frequent television guest and commentator. Hayzlett is known as the “celebrity CMO” for his work at Kodak, because his countless media appearances and social media skills have made him one of the top C-level executive Twitterers in the world. He is also cowboy — literally: a South Dakota native who always wears cowboy boots and still has a little house on the prairie. A sought-after speaker, Hayzlett was named “Business to Business Marketer of the Year” by B2B Magazine in 2009 and has received numerous business awards and honors. @jeffreyhayzlett
Simon Heseltine
Senior Marketing Manager AOL, LLC Simon Heseltine is a senior marketing manager at AOL in northern Virginia, working primarily with their sports and news sites. He has worked both on the in-house and agency sides of the fence, and was a developer in a past life. Simon is a frequent speaker at industry conferences on a variety of online marketing topics, and holds a master’s in IT from Virginia Tech. @simonheseltine
Patricia Hursh
President SmartSearch Marketing Patricia Hursh, president and founder of Boulder, Colo.-based SmartSearch Marketing, is a pioneer of electronic marketing. Patricia has been using technology to improve marketing and communications for more than a decade. She began working in the search marketing arena in 1997. She writes columns for ClickZ and Search Engine Land and regularly serves as a speaker and subject matter expert at industry events in the U.S. and internationally, such as AdTech, BMA, Search Engine Strategies, and DMA conferences. She frequently authors search articles and is often interviewed for industry publications. As an educator, Patricia has led numerous seminars and workshops and recently authored several courses for SEMPO’s fundamentals of search marketing program.
Greg Jarboe
President & Co-founder SEO-PR Greg Jarboe is the president and co-founder of SEO-PR, which provides search engine optimization, public relations, social media, and video marketing services. Founded in 2003, SEO-PR has offices in San Francisco and Concord, Mass. Jarboe is the author of YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day. He is also one of the 25 successful online marketing gurus profiled in Michael Miller’s “Online Marketing Heroes: Interviews with 25 Successful Online Marketing Gurus.” Jarboe is a correspondent for Search Engine Watch and a frequent speaker at SES conferences. Jarboe is a member of the Rutgers faculty for the digital marketing program as well as the Market Motive faculty. He is also a principal in the ChannelOne marketing group. Bas van den Beld of the State of Search blog says, “One of the biggest online video experts out there is Greg Jarboe of SEO-PR.” Andrew Girdwood of the Brinkwire blog says, “Greg’s been at the forefront of the blended SEO/PR style for so long that he’s synomymous with the tactic.” @gregjarboe
Kristopher Jones President & CEO KBJ Interactive
Kristopher Jones is well-known throughout the search engine and affiliate marketing community as a true pioneer and leading voice on trends and strategies for effective online marketing. An accomplished best-selling author (www.amazon.com/pepperjam), Kristopher is the former president of Pepperjam Network, a nextgeneration affiliate network recently acquired by GSI Commerce (NASDAQ - GSIC). Under Kris’ leadership, Pepperjam, the company he founded in 1999, was a three-time Inc. Magazine fastest growing company. Kristopher was recognized in 2005 as an entrepreneur of the year by Bank of America and as one of the top 20 business leaders in northeastern Pennsylvania under the age of 40. Kristopher previously worked as a senior staff member to Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) and is a frequent speaker at conferences including Search Engine Strategies (SES), eTail, ERA, and Affiliate Summit. @krisjonescom
Ron Jones
President/CEO Symetri Internet Marketing Ron is President and CEO of Symetri Internet Marketing, an online branding and client acquisition provider specializing in social media marketing, search engine optimization, and paid search advertising. Ron has served as president and key internet strategist since its inception in 1998. He has provided consulting services for companies like Sealy, Inc., Broyhill Furniture, Kimberly Clark Healthcare, Wachovia, Shaw Industries, and Kayser Roth. Ron has been an SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Speaker Bios
public relations. Eli earned a B.A. in organizational and behavior management from Brown University. He currently resides in New York City. @losbuenos
avid proponent of the search engine marketing industry by hosting and speaking at seminars and conferences. His training courses and workshops are available to anyone interested in learning basic or advanced search marketing best practices. Ron’s 18 years of experience working with traditional advertising agencies around the country make him one of the industry’s leading authorities on converging offline and online initiatives into highly effective, performance based, multi-channel marketing campaigns.
Aaron Kahlow
Chairman & Founder Online Marketing Summit Aaron Kahlow currently is the CEO of Online Marketing Connect and serves chairman and founder of the Online Marketing Summit and its related educational arm, the Online Marketing Institute. Having delivered hundreds of keynote speeches and seminars nationwide, Aaron is one of the well-known faces in the online marketing and advertising space. In addition to his passion for speaking, Aaron’s best practice ideas are frequently seen in his columns for ClickZ, MarketingProfs, Online Strategies Magazine, Electronic Retailer, iMediaConneciton, BtoBOnline, MarketingSherpa, SearchEngineWatch, American Business Media, and Online Marketing Connect, the largest repository for quality blogs and articles about all domains of online marketing. @omconnect
Sundeep Kapur Evangelist EmailYogi.com
Sundeep Kapur has been assisting organizations with their converged channel marketing strategies since 1990. From direct marketing to digital to converged, he is a passionate teacher who works with businesses across multiple industries helping them to enable technology and services to brand, personalize, and speak to consumers more effectively. Sundeep is also an avid user of social media having leveraged words, pictures, and video into a conversational blog with more than 900 articles. His daily dose of best practices can be found at www.emailyogi.com.
Avinash Kaushik
Speaker Bios
Author, Blogger, Analytics Evangelist Google Avinash Kaushik is the co-founder of Market Motive Inc. and the analytics evangelist for Google. Through his blog, Occam’s Razor, and his best selling books, Web Analytics: An Hour A Day and Web Analytics 2.0, Avinash has become recognized as an authoritative voice on how marketers, executives teams, and industry leaders can leverage data to fundamentally reinvent their digital existence. Avinash puts a common sense framework around the often frenetic world of web analytics and combines that with the philosophy that investing in talented analysts is the key to long-term success. He passionately advocates customer centricity and leveraging bleeding edge competitive intelligence techniques. Avinash has received rave reviews for bringing his energetic, inspiring, and practical insights to companies like Unilever, Dell, Time Warner, Vanguard, Porsche, and IBM, as well as delivering keynotes at a variety of global conferences, including SES, ad:tech, iCitizen, MeasureUp, and Web 2.0. Avinash recently received the 2009 statistical advocate of the year award from the American Statistical Association. @avinashkaushik
Anne Kennedy
International Search Strategist Beyond Ink USA Anne covers fast-changing Internet trends, such as “Is Facebook a Global Player?” published January 2010 by Search Engine Marketing Journal. She guest blogs for Microsoft and speaks at marketing
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events worldwide on search marketing, predicting that it will be viral, visual, and mobile. She served as technical editor for “When Search Meets Usability” by noted author Shari Thurow, published in 2009. U.S.-based Beyond Ink is in two Portlands, Maine and Oregon, and international partners with Nordic eMarketing in Reykjavik, Iceland, with offices in China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, and the U.K. In marketing for 40 years, Anne founded Beyond Ink in 1997 to bring sound principles of marketing to online media and has provided search engine marketing consulting to hundreds of companies, including Hearst Newspapers, Philips Lifeline, and Dunkin Donuts, and launched dotcoms Zillow, Avvo, JibJab, and AmericanTowns online. @annekennedy
Bill Leake
President & CEO Apogee Search Bill Leake draws on a deep expertise in both business and marketing to help increase revenues for a wide range of clients. He has been involved in driving provable revenues through Internet marketing techniques since the early 1990s when, as part of the management team at Power Computing, he built the first company to sell $1 million of product over the Internet. As CEO and founder of Apogee Search, he has guided the company from inception to its current position as the largest search engine marketing firm in the Southwest and one of the fastest growing companies on the Inc. 500 list. Bill also serves as the president of the Austin Interactive Marketing Association, and as the chairman of the SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization) committee. Bill received an MBA with honors from the University of Texas and his B.A. from Yale University. @marketing_bill
Rob Leathern CEO XA.net
Rob founded XA.net in early 2008. Recognized as an expert in the field of online advertising and e-commerce, Rob has built scalable technology-based media businesses and advised Fortune 500 companies and startup firms alike on their online revenue-generating strategies. Rob was previously COO for Consorte Media, an online advertising company focused on the Hispanic market. Before that, Rob was VP of business development for Root Markets and GM of advertising at LinkedIn. Before LinkedIn, Rob was at NexTag, where he built up NexTag’s display advertising lead generation and media business, propelling the firm to a position as a top five U.S. online advertiser, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. He led the creation of the firm’s advertising server systems, yield management, media buying, and creative creation tools, enabling unprecedented automation of media buying and management.
Peter Liefer President Primeview
Peter Liefer is founder and president of PrimeView, an awardwinning interactive agency specializing in web design, e-commerce, and online marketing. For over 15 years, PrimeView, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., has worked with both startup companies and Fortune 500 companies as their full-service interactive agency. Liefer and his team have provided online solutions for Nissan, University of Phoenix, National Car Rental, and hundreds of other companies. With Liefer’s leadership and expertise, PrimeView has also received recognition by the Business Journal as one of the top 25 design firms. He frequently speaks at events and conducts webinars on social media, search engine optimization, and online marketing trends. Liefer has also served as a member of the Arizona Department of Education standards validation team, a panel that examines the IT curriculum and academic standards for Arizona’s secondary education programs.
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SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Laura Lippay Partner Nine by Blue
With an eye for the big picture and a history in optimizing enterprise properties for online visibility, Laura has focused on search and social strategy for some of the top brands on the Internet. Laura is a partner in the Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft-pioneered search acquisition consultancy Nine By Blue, and was formerly the technical marketing director for Yahoo Media. Laura’s web development background lends a unique technical balance to her perspective on Internet marketing, bridging gaps between marketing and development teams to provide a comprehensive solution to online visibility. @lauralippay
Heather Lloyd-Martin CEO SuccessWorks
Described as a fast-talking, fiery redhead, Heather Lloyd-Martin is a 20-year marketing veteran and recognized author, and is considered the pioneer of SEO copywriting. A first-generation search marketing expert, her life is split between watching the search engines dance and pinpointing the exact direct response copywriting strategies that make people buy. For over 10 years, Heather”s firm, SuccessWorks, has been training corporate in-house SEO copywriters and creating revenue-driving website content campaigns. SuccessWorks’ client base includes companies of all sizes, from Fortune 500 retailers, search engines, and publishers to financial services and travel destination sites. Additionally, freelance online writers and small business owners consider her book, Successful Search Engine Copywriting, as their go-to resource for everything SEO copywriting. Heather serves on the board of American Writers and Artists, Inc., is an advisory board member of SEMpdx, and serves on the PubCon conference advisory board. @heatherlloyd
Chris Long
SVP, E-commerce & Marketing L-com, Inc.
Chris is responsible for all aspects of L-com’s e-commerce, online marketing, and traditional direct marketing. Through his efforts, the company has grown its organic search engine traffic by over 200 percent, and has achieved triple-digit ROI in both its PPC program and its offline direct marketing programs. Previously, Long was a founder and CMO/GM at Litle & Co., where he drove the company’s sales from startup to more than $100 million annually, helping the company attain the No. 1 ranking in Inc. Magazine’s 2006 list of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. Before that, he was VP of marketing at OrderTrust and director of e-commerce at Staples Inc. @wire__to__wire
Mari Luangrath
Speaker Bios
Owner Foiled Cupcakes
Mari Luangrath is currently growing her third entrepreneurial venture, Foiled Cupcakes, Chicago’s most talked about gourmet cupcake company. Passionate about bringing people together, Mari’s goal is to foster personal relationships while providing the absolute best in personal service, delivery, and quality. Clients include the Adler Planetarium, Bank of America, BP North America, the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago Tribune, Citigroup, Edelman PR, The Food Channel, NBC, Northwestern University, and the Wrigley Company. Prior to Foiled Cupcakes, Mari ran both a rubber stamping/scrapbooking business and a home staging business, on top of being a full-time mom. In her spare time, Mari enjoys shopping for shoes, training for a 5k, and eating chocolate.
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Melissa Mackey
Search Marketing Manager Fluency Media Melissa Mackey is search marketing manager at Fluency Media, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based digital agency. A veteran PPC marketer, she helps clients achieve maximum ROI from paid search. Mackey contributes regularly to Search Engine Watch as a PPC expert author, and moderates the Search Engine Watch forums. She also hosts a blog, www.beyondthepaid.com, where she writes on the topics of pay-per-click and search marketing. A marketing professional since 1988, Mackey previously served as director of search marketing for MagazineLine. Mackey has also held advertising executive positions at the Lansing State Journal and radio stations WMMQ-FM and WJIM-AM/FM. Throughout her career, her achievements include the evaluation and implementation of numerous banner advertising and shopping search campaigns, as well as execution and analysis of ad copy and landing page strategy. Mackey holds a dual B.A. from Michigan State University, and a master’s of management from Aquinas College. @mel66
Jack Marshall Staff Writer ClickZ
Jack Marshall is a staff writer and stats editor for ClickZ News. His beats include mobile marketing, display, and video advertising, social, and viral media, as well as industry developments in the U.K. and Europe. Jack also coordinates the stats section of the ClickZ site, which publishes the latest online facts, Internet research, trends, and analysis from the interactive marketing world. @jackmarshall
Michael Martin Owner Mobile Martin
Michael Martin is the owner of Mobile Martin, based in San Diego. He graduated from UMass with a computer engineering degree and a minor in German. In his 10-plus years of Internet marketing experience, he has project managed and overseen the online marketing improvements to such sites for SC Johnson, IGN, Avaya, Road Runner Sports, Deepak Chopra, Trump Properties, The Active Network, Resource Nation, as well mobile marketing news at Mobile Martin, www.mobilemartin.com. Michael is also on the SEMPO education committee and has previously spoken at SES New York and Chicago, Affiliate Summit West and East, WordCamp LA, The San Diego Google Technology User Group (GTUG), several PubCons, and the PMI Project Management Institute Annual Conference. @googleandblog
Debra Mastaler President Alliance-Link
Debra Mastaler is president of Alliance-Link, an interactive marketing agency based in northern Virginia that provides custom link-building campaigns and link training. Debra offers a commonsense approach to link building by combining traditional sales and promotional strategies with effective online search engine marketing tactics. Debra is a featured guest speaker at Search Engine Strategies, is a guest columnist for Search Engine Land, Search Engine Guide, and Search Engine Journal, has written widely on link marketing, and is the link-building moderator on the SEOBook Community forum as well as the Small Business Ideas forum. In addition to client projects and link training for Fortune 500 companies, as well as a number of top international SEO firms, Debra has provided link training sessions for the Direct Marketing Association, High Ranking Seminars, and Search Engine Strategies. @debramastaler
Managing Director, North America Incisive Media Matt McGowan is responsible for Incisive Media’s U.S. operations in addition to overseeing all marketing, sales, editorial, and operations for ClickZ.com, SearchEngineWatch.com, ClickZ Events, and the international conference and exposition series Search Engine Strategies. Prior to joining Incisive, Matt was VP at PropertyRoom. com, where he oversaw all sales, marketing, and operations for the U.S.-based auction services company. Earlier in his career in San Francisco, Matt developed an e-business strategy for the multinational publishing house, Pearson Plc. Before that, he worked on the institutional desk for Schwab Capital Markets and Trading, a division of Charles Schwab Inc., in New York and San Francisco. Matt has a bachelor’s from Lafayette College in Easton, Penn., and a master’s from the University of Oxford in the U.K. @matt_mcgowan
Susan Moskwa
Webmaster Trends Analyst Google, Inc.
Susan Moskwa works with Google’s Webmaster Central and Search Quality teams as a webmaster trends analyst. She follows industry trends in search engine optimization and web development to help Google build better tools for webmasters and improve search quality. Susan also participates in webmaster blogs and forums, helping site owners troubleshoot search-related problems and get the most out of Google Webmaster Tools. Susan has a degree in linguistics from Cornell University. She works in Seattle.
Mark Munroe
Director of Search Audience MerchantCircle Munroe brings nearly a decade of SEO and product marketing experience to MerchantCircle as he works to help smaller merchants gain more exposure online. Key to his strategy is leveraging the enormous amount of unique content created on the MerchantCircle platform to attract more consumers to more merchants. Munroe routinely speaks to MerchantCircle members at local events around the country to simplify the science of audience development. He spends time maximizing link distribution and search monetization efforts, while also developing MerchantCircle’s premium search products. Munroe previously worked at MerchantCircle during the launch phase of the company in 2005. In the interim, he spent time at RealTravel as director of product management, as e-commerce product manager at Dealix, and as director of online marketing at Vayama.com. He’s also consulted on SEO programs for companies like Wine.com, SideStep, and UsedCars.com. Munroe holds an M.S. in computing management from Polytechnic University.
Robert Murray CEO iProspect
Robert is responsible for formulating the firm’s corporate strategy as well as managing the company’s operations. With more than 18 years of strategic consulting and financial analysis expertise, he’s in charge of developing and negotiating strategic alliances, identifying acquisition opportunities, and evaluating the company’s capital structure. An iProspect veteran of 11 years, Robert led the company through its acquisition by Aegis PLC, as well as its recent acquirement of Range Online Media in September 2008. Over the past two years, iProspect has opened offices in Chicago, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Finland, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia. Prior to joining iProspect, Murray was a marketing and manufacturing strategy consultant for Bain & Company, Inc. of Boston.
Krista Neher CEO Marketess
Krista Neher is the CEO of Marketess, a marketing consultancy that emphasizes the creative use of technology and social media to grow brands online. Marketess has provided marketing solutions for Fortune 500 companies as well as startups and small businesses. Marketess brings a unique combination of traditional marketing skills and experience, technical knowledge, and creative new marketing approaches with an emphasis on online and social media marketing. Krista worked at Procter and Gamble for more than five years in sales, finance, and marketing. While there, she worked on some of the biggest brands and on some of the largest and most successful product launches. Prior to Marketess, Krista was the VP of marketing for Photrade.com, a technology startup where she used branding, strategic marketing, technology, and social media to grow the business. Krista is an active blogger and social media enthusiast.
Erin O’Donnell
Vertical Specialist, SMB Advertising Microsoft Advertising Erin O’Donnell is responsible for generating revenue through the Microsoft adCenter platform comprised of advertising accounts for paid search, content, and mobile ads supplying Bing, Yahoo! Search, Microsoft-owned and operated properties; partner sites including Facebook, Fox Sports, CNBC, and Rodale network sites; and access to the top premium publishers across the web. Focusing on the home and garden, retail, and travel sectors, she leads the vertical optimization efforts for the North American SMB team from her Seattle office. Previously at Microsoft, Erin was a media specialist in Microsoft Advertising providing scalable and profitable service offerings to a diverse group of direct advertisers and agencies, including some of the most industry influential SEMs.
Lee Odden
CEO TopRank Online Marketing Lee Odden (@leeodden) is the CEO of TopRank Online Marketing, a digital marketing and public relations firm specializing in strategic Internet marketing consulting, training, and implementation services, including online PR, SEM, and social media marketing. A veteran Internet marketer, Odden has consulted for clients such as HP, McKesson, Northwest Airlines, PRWeb, and the national PRSA. Odden is one of 25 online marketing experts featured in “Online Marketing Heroes” published by Wiley, and has been cited for his search and social media marketing expertise by The Economist, U.S. News, and Fortune Magazine. As an active thought leader in the search marketing industry, he contributes to top industry publications such as Mashable, iMedia Connection, and MediaPost. A sought-after speaker, Odden conducts seminars for companies and regularly presents at Search Engine Strategies, WebmasterWorld Pubcon, OMMA, and the Media Relations Summit. He is active in the industry as the chair of the DMA social media advisory council, board member on the DMA search engine marketing council, and board advisor for Search Engine Strategies. @leeodden
Maile Ohye
Senior Developer Programs Engineer Google As a developer programs tech lead, Maile coordinates Google Webmaster Central outreach efforts, including the Webmaster Central Blog. Previously, Maile was a systems integration consultant for several pharmaceutical and technology companies, as well as for the Department of Defense. She earned a B.A. in cognitive science with a computer science emphasis from the University of California at Berkeley. SearchEngineStrategies.com § SES
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Speaker Bios
Matt McGowan
Jackie Ortez
Conference Program & Training Manager SES Conference & Expo Jackie is the conference program and training manager for SES, where she is a part of the content team and develops training and speaker management. Prior to SES, she worked at MedLearning, a medical meeting company, as a program coordinator organizing national meetings and medical advisory boards for pharmaceutical companies. Jackie also worked for NCLA, where she traveled across the Atlantic and worked in Hawaii, touring five islands a week.
Brent Payne SEO Director Tribune
An in-house SEO with more than seven years of experience, Brent has doubled Tribune’s visits from search engines since he joined the company in February 2008. With more than a million visits per day to Tribune’s network of websites, Brent drives traffic not only to Tribune’s newspaper sites (including the L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, and Baltimore Sun) but also to Tribune’s dozens of broadcast sites (including KTLA, WGN, and WPIX). He is a newspaper SEO authority with experience and expertise in CMS challenges, duplicate content mitigation, page-rank funneling, Google News, and Google index rates. He has also trained large editorial teams regarding SEO. @brentdpayne
Stewart Quealy
VP, Content Development SES Conference & Expo Stewart has been part of the Search Engine Strategies (SES) content team since 2001 and plays a key role in programming Incisive Media’s interactive marketing events. In addition to SES, Stewart was part of the original Jupitermedia team responsible for launching emerging technology events such as Jupiter Advertising Forum, Plug.IN, Game Market Watch, Weblog Business Strategies, Grid Computing Planet, and ClickZ Online Video Advertising. Prior to that, Stewart worked closely with the open-source Apache Software Foundation (ASF) to launch their first ApacheCon trade shows in both the U.S. and Europe. Stewart has also worked closely with the Object Management Group (OMG), an international not-for-profit computer industry consortium, to conceive their inaugural Integrate conference. Earlier in the dot-com bubble, Stewart worked with 101 Communications and SIGS Publications, running their objectoriented programming portfolio of events, including Java DevCon, XML ONE, C++ World, and Smalltalk Solutions. @stewq
Lisa Raehsler
Speaker Bios
SEM Strategy Consultant Lisa is more than just passionate about search. As a manager of teams, Lisa has supervised more than 25 PPC accounts and puts her experience into practice every day as a thought leader in integrating search campaigns with web analytics, ecommerce websites, and behavioral targeting strategies. In addition to agency work, she has led successful online marketing programs at Thomson Reuters in search marketing, merchandising, and ecommerce strategies at the enterprise level. Lisa also serves as programming committee chair for the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA), the world’s oldest and largest interactive marketing association. Lisa’s recent speaking engagements include MIMA and SMX. She holds a B.A. in economics from Valparaiso University and is a certified Google Advertising professional. @lisarocksSEM
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Melinda Reese
Network Solution Specialist, Targeting Microsoft Advertising
Melinda Reese is the targeting and network specialist in Chicago at Microsoft Advertising. She is responsible for product sales of specialized targeting requests as well as generating revenue through the Microsoft Media Network which comprises Microsoft’s owned and operated properties including MSN, Windows Live, Office Live and XBOX Live; Microsoft’s partner sites, including Viacom, CNBC, Dow Jones; and access to the top 500 premium third party publisher sites across the web. A longtime veteran of digital and advanced media space, Melinda is highly regarded as an early adopter of one-to-one marketing in the digital space on the planning/buying side. She has a knack for creating solutions to solve client’s challenges for both brand and direct response advertisers. She has spent the last three years sharpening her skills on the sales side of the business in the Southeast for Microsoft and recently moved north to lead the network sales effort for the Chicago district.
Casey Rovinelli
Director, Digital Marketing National Hockey League Players’ Association
Casey Rovinelli is the director of digital marketing for the National Hockey League Players’ Association (www.nhlpa.com). He has been making a living online for the last 12 years holding online marketing positions in Toronto and San Francisco. Past employers include E*TRADE, eBay, PayPal and Virgin Mobile. @caseyrovinelli
Michael Rubenstein President AppNexus
Prior to joining AppNexus in September 2009, Michael was a 10-year veteran of Google/DoubleClick. He founded and successfully commercialized the DoubleClick Ad Exchange, acting as VP and GM reporting to the company’s CEO. After Google’s acquisition, he continued to serve as director of the Google Ad Exchange. Michael previously held a variety of senior management roles at DoubleClick, including VP, global accounts, where he spearheaded the company’s landmark partnership with AOL. Michael joined DoubleClick in 2001 as part of the company’s acquisition of FloNetwork, an e-mail marketing ASP. Michael started his first ad network while earning his B.A. from McGill University. He also holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Jay Sears
General Manager ADSDAQ Ad Exchange Jay Sears is the GM of the ADSDAQ Advertising Exchange for ContextWeb, Inc. Sears is responsible for bringing new products to market as well as developing key strategic relationships that drive audience and revenue acquisition. Sears created the company’s original publisher team and launched the ADSDAQ Exchange Selling Desk, in use by more than 11,000 web publishers. Currently he is managing the ADSDAQ Exchange Buying Desk for advertisers as well as its exchanges service, inside sales, and real-time bidding initiatives. Sears speaks about Internet advertising at industry events, including ad:tech, iMedia, Search Engine Strategies, WebmasterWorld, and interactive marketing associations. He co-chairs the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s ad networks and exchanges committee. Sears received the 2009 President Award from The Advertising Club. He is the hyperlocal publisher behind the local media site MyRye.com. Sears holds a B.A. in political science from Kenyon College.
Speaker Bios SearchEngineStrategies.com ยง SES
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Jennifer Slegg CEO JenSense.com
Jennifer Slegg began as a freelance writer and then turned to writing content for the web 15 years ago. Having created numerous content-rich and community-based sites in niche markets, Jen is well-versed in the many ways to monetize content online. Acknowledged as the leading expert on the Google AdSense contextual advertising program and the Yahoo Publisher Network, she also writes on JenSense, a blog dealing exclusively with contextual advertising issues for publishers. Her unique style brings insight to both publishers and advertisers of contextual advertising programs. She also has her blog JenniferSlegg.com, which covers the search industry beyond content monetization — she discusses everything from link building to social media marketing success tips.
Jamie Smith CEO Engine Ready
Smith got an early entrepreneurial start during the beginning of the Internet boom building and selling websites. He has over 10 years of Internet marketing experience, continually staying on top of the newest opportunities in the ever-changing online business landscape. In 1998, Smith founded World Methods, an Internet marketing agency headquartered on Martha’s Vineyard. World Methods and Engine Ready merged in September 2001, putting together a robust online services organization with a talented group of Internet software visionaries. Under Smith’s tenure, Engine Ready has transformed from a local Internet marketing services company into a leading strategic software development firm. Smith studied business administration at the University of Vermont and has a B.S. in management and occupational safety from Keene State College. @enginereadyceo
Rob Snell
Partner Snell Brothers Rob Snell is managing partner of Snell Brothers Consulting, a firm specializing in search marketing for Yahoo! Stores. Rob has extensive Yahoo store experience with both family-owned stores and consulting clients. The Snell Brothers have designed, developed, marketed and/or maintained hundreds of Yahoo stores that have generated tens of millions of dollars in online sales. Rob is the author of Starting a Yahoo! Business For Dummies (Wiley Computer Publishing). Rob is totally obsessed with search marketing and increasing his stores’ conversion rates. He is a small business owner, online retailer, and search marketing/ecommerce consultant. He’s been online since 1990 and opened his first online store in 1997 when his brother, Steve Snell, stumbled across Viaweb (now a Yahoo store). Rob recently testified to the United States Congress on the impact of search marketing on small business.
Constance “Connie” Stack
Speaker Bios
VP, Sales & Marketing WordStream
Constance (Connie) Stack joined WordStream, a provider of SEO tools and PPC software, in June 2009. She is an entrepreneur and start-up specialist having founded her own company (ManageContacts.com, which was acquired by Consumer Finance Advisor, Inc. in 2007) and served on the executive team of many other startups (including Optas, acquired by Dendrite International in 2005). Connie was the CEO of Consumer Finance Advisor (CFA), a portal for consumers looking for financial products ranging from mortgages to auto loans. It was at CFA that Connie honed her search marketing skills as she and her team leveraged the long tail of
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search to achieve success in a very competitive inbound marketing space. Connie has a business degree from Laurentian University in Ontario, Canada, and she’s a proud member of the extended family of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), having served as a mentor for the MIT Venture Mentoring Service (VMS). Connie lives just north of Boston with her husband, Mike.
Mischa Stephens
Senior Optimization Specialist Google Mischa is a senior optimization specialist at Google and has been optimizing AdWords accounts for clients in B2C and B2B technology verticals for three years. His expertise is in search ROI optimization, display ad creation, and display network targeting. Additionally, Mischa handles training for Google’s own aspiring optimizers with a focus on “simple but effective” approaches to account management.
Gregg Stewart
SVP, Interactive TMP Directional Marketing Gregg Stewart is president of 15miles, a full service digital agency which provides online and mobile solutions for local-search clients. In fact, 15miles derives its name from research that epitomizes local search, as nearly 80 percent of purchase transactions occur within 15 miles of consumers’ homes. Prior to joining 15miles, the interactive media division of TMP Directional Marketing (TMPDM), Stewart was EVP of Wahlstrom Group and president and founder of Wahlstrom Interactive. He went on to become SVP of channel management and marketing at Fathom Online. Deeply versed in the industry and a seasoned veteran of local search, Stewart joined TMPDM as SVP of its eastern region in January 2006, successfully managing the interactive and local search programs. In January 2007, he assumed the role of SVP of interactive to develop TMPDM’s integrated-media solutions. That involved leading TMPDM’s executive contingents through extensive training to transition from a purely traditional agency to a comprehensive media firm — offline and digital — during the past four years.
David Szetela CEO Clix Marketing
Online advertising expert David Szetela is owner and CEO of Clix Marketing, one of the few agencies that specializes exclusively in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, creating and optimizing clients’ Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing, and Microsoft adCenter advertising campaigns. Clix is also one of the few agencies paid according to performance — as a percentage of profit or a commission per sales lead generated. Szetela’s 25-plus-year career working for small magazine publishers as well as Apple Computer and Ziff-Davis Publishing has provided him deep experience in direct response marketing. He is active in the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) and is one of the authors of SEMPO’s advanced search advertising course. His articles on PPC advertising have been published in MediaPost, Search Engine Land, MarketingSherpa, on his company’s blog, http://www.clixmarketing.com/blog, in his weekly “Profitable PPC” column published by Search Engine Watch, and in the SEW blog. He is a frequent speaker at search and advertising industry events like Search Engine Strategies, SMX, PPC Summit, and MarketingSherpa Summit, and he hosts a weekly radio show, “PPC Rockstars,” distributed by Webmasterradio.fm and iTunes. His book on PPC content advertising, Customers Now, was published in November 2009, and his Wiley/Sybex book, PPC Advertising on One Hour a Day, was published in July 2010. @szetela
Founder WebAdvantage.net
Hollis Thomases, a Cornell University graduate, founded WebAdvantage.net, a boutique agency providing strategic online marketing and advertising solutions, in 1998 when most businesses were primarily focused on building websites. Thomases advocates tactics that generate qualified website traffic and measures that converted those leads into sales. Clients include Nokia USA, Johns Hopkins University, and Endo Pharmaceuticals. Thomases writes a biweekly column, “Planning the Buy,” for ClickZ. She has appeared on television and on TechTV’s “Working the Web” and in such print publications as Advertising Age and The Examiner. She frequently speaks at industry events and trade conferences and has participated in several advisory boards. Thomases was named “Enterprising Woman of the Year” in 2008 and “Small Business Person of the Year” for Maryland in 2007. WebAdvantage.net was named a top 50 women-owned business in 2008 by the Baltimore Business Journal and a “Smart Giant” by the Greater Baltimore Technology Council in 2007.
Shari Thurow
Founder & SEO Director Omni Marketing Interactive Shari Thurow is the founder and search engine optimization (SEO) director at Omni Marketing Interactive, a full-service SEO, website usability, information architecture (IA), and web design firm. Shari has designed and promoted websites since 1995, and is outsourced to many firms worldwide. Clients include Yahoo, Microsoft, America Online, ABC News, HSBC, Expedia, Deloitte and Touche, National Cancer Institute, and WebMD. As a pioneer in the area of search engine-friendly website design, she has a 100 percent success rate for getting client sites ranked at the top of search
engines. She is the author of Search Engine Visibility, which has been translated into French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Polish. Her new book, When Search Meets Web Usability, was released in 2009. Omni Marketing Interactive has been featured in many publications, including The New York Times, USA Today, Fortune, Internet Retailer, and Crain’s Chicago Business. @sharithurow
Bob Tripathi
Customer Marketing Manager Sears Holdings Bob Tripathi is with Sears Holdings as marketing manager, responsible for all digital marketing initiatives including SEO, paid search, social media, and other digital channels. Prior to Sears, Bob spent a number of years with Discover Financial Services as in-house search marketing strategist, managing enterprise-wide organic search and paid campaign strategy. Bob specializes in setting online search marketing strategies and building SEO best practices into the workflow of large organizations. Bob has more than seven years of hands-on experience in SEO and managing PPC campaigns in both B2B and B2C industries. Over the years, he has worked with businesses of all sizes, helping them generate revenues and achieve positive ROI with search engine marketing. Bob has a B.A. in international business and marketing from Eckerd College in Florida. He is a co-founder of SEMPO Chicago Working Group and also serves on the in-house search committee at SEMPO. @bobtripathi
Matt Van Wagner President Find Me Faster
Matt is a seasoned sales and marketing professional specializing in search engine marketing strategies for small and medium-sized companies in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont. An award-winning speaker whose presentations are usually as entertaining as they are informative, Matt is the president and
Speaker Bios
Hollis Thomases
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founder of Find Me Faster, a search engine marketing firm based in Nashua, N.H., and an early member of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO). He writes on Internet, search engines, and technology topics for the New Hampshire Business Review. Matt is a graduate of St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y. (B.S. in economics), with an MBA from Rivier College in Nashua, N.H.
Marty Weintraub President aimClear
Marty Weintraub is president of aimClear, an Internet-focused advertising agency with offices in Duluth, Minn. aimClear provides traditional and social pay-per-click (PPC) management, natural search optimization (SEO), social media/feed marketing (SMO), and online reputation management (ORM) services to national clients. aimClear offers training and audits in all service categories. An avid search marketing blogger, he’s written extensively for SearchEngineWatch, SearchEngineLand, SEORoundTable, and others. His popular publication, aimClear Blog, is an AdAge Power 150 blog (aimClearBlog). Marty’s speaking engagements have included numerous appearances at Search Engine Strategies (SES), Search Marketing Expo (SMX), SEMpdx, and PubCon. aimClear’s clients have included cherished enterprise publishers, including WashingtonPost properties, MarthaStewart.com, SecondLife, MerchantCircle, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and CBS. He brings Internet marketing experience dating back to 1992, the dawn of interactive. @aimclear
Andrew Wheeler
EVP & Managing Director iProspect Boston Wheeler is responsible for overseeing all Northeast operations for iProspect. This includes the campaign management process, developing and deploying exceptional strategies, training client services teams, and delivering superior results for clients in the region. An accomplished speaker, he often presents at major industry shows such as Search Engine Strategies, Search Marketing Expo, and Internet Retailer. Since joining iProspect in 2003, Wheeler has worked on both the organic and paid client services teams. Then, as client services director, he led the integration of paid and organic search initiatives, allowing iProspect to better service clients’ overall search strategies.
Dr. Ralph Wilson
Speaker Bios
Founder & Editor-in-Chief Web Marketing Today Dr. Wilson is widely recognized as one of the top international authorities in the area of Internet marketing. Business Week called his popular WilsonWeb.com website “bar none the best e-commerce resource out there.” Business 2.0 profiled him as one of the savvy dot-com survivors. The New York Times named Dr. Wilson “among the best-known Internet marketing publishers and consultants who preach the responsible use of e-mail for marketing.” He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Web Marketing Today, the grandfather of the Internet marketing e-zines, published continuously since 1995. He is the author of hundreds of articles and numerous books, including Planning Your Internet Marketing Strategy (John Wiley & Sons, 2002), The E-Mail Marketing Handbook (Second Edition, 2005), and The Shopping Cart Report (Second Edition, 2004).
Chris Winfield
CMO/Managing Partner BlueGlass Chris is responsible for the company’s marketing strategy and all strategic partnerships. Before joining BlueGlass, Chris co-founded
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and served as president of 10e20, one of the leading boutique social media marketing agencies in the world. Chris has helped many of the world’s largest magazines and newspapers increase traffic, develop natural links, and increase profitability. He has taught global corporations — such as Viacom, NBC Universal, Thomson Reuters, Intuit, HomeAway, and AT&T — to leverage social media in innovative ways. Chris has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, The Boston Globe, Entrepreneur Magazine, and over 200 other media outlets. He is also a regular speaker at numerous Internet marketing conferences, including SES, SMX, Pubcon, DPAC, LegalTech, DM Days, RMC, Elite Retreat, and IBM 2.0.
Jim Yu
Founder & CEO BrightEdge Jim is the founder and CEO of BrightEdge. He combines in-depth expertise in developing and marketing large on-demand software platforms with hands-on experience in advanced SEO practices. Prior to founding BrightEdge, Jim was at Salesforce.com, where he led a core part of the platform products team that delivered the industry’s first cloud computing platform. At Aether Systems, Jim ran the product management team responsible for the product strategy, roadmap, and delivery of the innovative Scoutware line of wireless products. At Mercator Software (now IBM), Jim directed the development of Mercator Integration Broker, an industry leading enterprise software product, generating over $100 million in revenue. Jim holds an MBA from Stanford University, a master’s of engineering from the University of Virginia, and a B.S. in computer science from the University of South Dakota.
Chris Zaharias SVP Dapper
Chris Zaharias was recently appointed SVP of Sales at Dapper, a leader in the movement to fix online advertising by changing display ads into intelligent units that are personalized, relevant, and interactive. Previously, Zaharias ran sales for Omniture’s SearchCenter SEM solution. A seasoned sales executive whose working knowledge of search marketing dates back to the late ’90s, Chris has more than a dozen years of e-commerce, online marketing, and enterprise technology experience, including domestic and international management positions at Netscape, RealNames (an early pioneer in the paid keyword space), and Efficient Frontier. Zaharias is also a veteran speaker, having appeared at ad:tech New York, Search Engine Strategies, and SMX in previous years.
Richard Zwicky
Founder, eightfold logic Enquisite Richard has been involved in search marketing for 10 years, starting in the late 1990s. He started in the industry by managing the online campaigns for his own successful e-tail operation, which quickly led to developing Metamend, a leading search engine optimization firm that he co-founded in 2000. As CEO for Metamend, he managed and led the optimization campaigns for web properties ranging from SOHOs to Fortune 500 sites. He split Metamend and Enquisite into separate companies in 2006, as Enquisite’s services are designed for use by any SEO and SEM. Today, he is leading Enquisite, which recently released its first products. Richard focuses on helping search marketers manage campaigns more easily and with greater success. He believes in long-term successful campaigns that are built from the ground up, and are never caught flat-footed by shifts in search engine algorithms or by regional variances in search user behavior. @rzwicky
Berlin 2010
Toronto 2011
Nov. 22-24 NH Berlin Friedrichstrasse
June 13-15 Hyatt Regency Toronto
London 2011
Tokyo 2011
Feb. 22-25 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
June 28-29 TBD
New York 2011
San Francisco 2011
March 21-25 Hilton New York
Aug. 15-19 Moscone Center
Amsterdam 2011
Hong Kong 2011
March TBD
September 20-21 TBD
Shanghai 2011
Chicago 2011
May 24-25 TBD
October Chicago Hilton
Speaker Bios
WORLD TOUR
in association with
www.SearchEngineStrategies.com SearchEngineStrategies.com ยง SES
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glossary advertising network: A service where ads are bought centrally through one company, and displayed on multiple websites that contract with that company for a share of revenue generated by ads served on their site. algorithm: The technology that a search engine uses to deliver results to a query. Search engines utilize several algorithms in tandem to deliver a page of search results or keyword-targeted search ads. anchor text: The clickable text part of a hyperlink. The text usually gives visitors or search engines important information on what the page being linked to is about. click through rate (CTR): The rate (expressed in a percentage) at which users click on an ad. This is calculated by dividing the total number of clicks by the total number of ad impressions. CTR is an important metric for Internet marketers to measure the performance of an ad campaign. content network: A group of websites that agree to show ads on their site, served by an ad network, in exchange for a share of the revenue generated by those ads. Examples include Google AdSense or the Yahoo Publisher Network. contextual advertising: Advertising that is targeted to a web page based on the page’s content, keywords, or category. Ads in most content networks are targeted contextually. cost per action (CPA): A form of advertising where payment is dependent upon an action that a user performs as a result of the ad. The action could be making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or asking for a follow-up call. An advertiser pays a set fee to the publisher based on the number of visitors who take action. Many affiliate programs use the CPA model. cost per click (CPC): Also called pay-per-click (PPC). A performance-based advertising model where the advertiser pays a set fee for every click on an ad. The majority of text ads sold by search engines are billed under the CPC model. cost per thousand (CPM): An ad model that charges advertisers every time an ad is displayed to a user, whether the user clicks on the ad or not. The fee is based on every 1,000 ad impressions (M is the Roman numeral for 1,000). Most display ads, such as banner ads, are sold by CPM. geo-targeting: Delivery of ads specific to the geographic location of the searcher. Geo-targeting allows the advertiser to specify where ads will or won’t be shown based on the searcher’s location, enabling more localized and personalized results. Googlebot: Google uses several user-agents to crawl and index content in the Google.com search engine. Googlebot describes all Google spiders. All Google bots begin with “Googlebot”;
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Below you will find commonly-used terms that every online marketer should know. Keep this list handy! A
for example, Googlebot-Mobile: crawls pages for Google’s mobile index; Googlebot-Image: crawls pages for Google’s image index. inbound link: An inbound link is a hyperlink to a particular web page from an outside site, bringing traffic to that web page. Inbound links are an important element that most search engine algorithms use to measure the popularity of a web page. invisible web: A term that refers to the vast amount of information on the web that isn’t indexed by search engines. Coined in 1994 by Dr. Jill Ellsworth. keyword: A word or phrase entered into a search engine in an effort to get the search engine to return matching and relevant results. Many websites offer advertising targeted by keywords, so an ad will only show when a specific keyword is entered. link bait: Editorial content, often sensational in nature, posted on a web page and submitted to social media sites in hopes of building inbound links from other sites. Or, as Matt Cutts of Google says, “something interesting enough to catch people’s attention.” link building: The process of getting quality websites to link to your websites, in order to improve search engine rankings. Link building techniques can include buying links, reciprocal linking, or entering barter arrangements. meta tags: Information placed in the HTML header of a web page, providing information that is not visible to browsers, but can be used in varying degrees by search engines to index a page. Common meta tags used in search engine marketing are title, description, and keyword tags. pay per click (PPC): See cost per click (CPC). quality score: A score assigned by search engines that is calculated by measuring an ad’s clickthrough rate, analyzing the relevance of the landing page, and considering other factors used to determine the quality of a site and reward those of higher quality with top placement and lower bid requirements. Some factors that make up a quality score are historical keyword performance, the quality of an ad’s landing page, and other undisclosed attributes. All of the major search engines now use some form of quality score in their search ad algorithm. return on investment (ROI): The amount of money an advertiser earns from their ads compared to the amount of money the advertiser spends on their ads. search advertising: Also called paid search. An advertiser bids for the chance to have their ad display when a user searches for a given keyword. These are usually text ads, which are displayed
above or to the right of the algorithmic (organic) search results. Most search ads are sold by the PPC model, where the advertiser pays only when the user clicks on the ad or text link. search engine marketing (SEM): The process of building and marketing a site with the goal of improving its position in search engine results. SEM includes both search engine optimization (SEO) and search advertising, or paid search. search engine optimization (SEO): The process of making a site and its content highly relevant for both search engines and searchers. SEO includes technical tasks to make it easier for search engines to find and index a site for appropriate keywords, as well as marketing-focused tasks to make a site more appealing to users. Successful search marketing helps a site gain top positioning for relevant words and phrases. search engine results pages (SERPs): The page searchers see after they’ve entered their query into the search box. This page lists several web pages related to the searcher’s query, sorted by relevance. Increasingly, search engines are returning blended search results, which include images, videos, and results from specialty databases on their SERPs. social media: A category of sites based on user participation and user-generated content. They include social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook, social bookmarking sites like Del. icio.us, social news sites like Digg or Reddit, and other sites that are centered on user interaction. spider: A search engine spider is a program that crawls the web, visiting web pages to collect information to add to or update a search engine’s index. The major search engines on the web all have such a program, which is also known as a “crawler” or a “bot.” title tag: An HTML meta tag with text describing a specific web page. The title tag should contain strategic keywords for the page, since many search engines pay special attention to the title text when indexing pages. The title tag should also make sense to humans, since it is usually the text link to the page displayed in search engine results. universal search: Also known as blended, or federated search results, universal search pulls data from multiple databases to display on the same page. Results can include images, videos, and results from specialty databases like maps and local information, product information, or news stories. web 2.0: A term that refers to a supposed second generation of Internet-based services. These usually include tools that let people collaborate and share information online, such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies.
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