Searchfest 2009 Interview: David Wallace

David will be speaking about “WordPress” at Searchfest 2009 which will be held March 10th in Portland, Oregon. Get your tickets now.

1. Please give me your background and tell us what you do for a living.

I have been in the SEO/SEM fields since 1997. We started our web design company in April of that year and quickly evolved into a search marketing company mostly out of the success of marketing one of our own “niche” sites.

Today I continue to run SearchRank as a full service search and social media company serving both small and large companies in just about every type of industry.

We also run several sites on various subjects including Disney-O-Rama, Dipnoid, Likes n’ Gripes and The Jesus Site to name a few.

Believe it or not, prior to getting into the industry of search, I worked in a warehouse as a forklift operator. In fact, I only had 6 months of computer experience at all when I started our company in 1997.

2. What are the benefits in speaking at Search Marketing conferences?

Several! For one you gain exposure to the audience that is present, not that you should turn your speaking engagement into an ad for your company, but by providing great information that is presented in an interesting and compelling manner, you can do wonders promoting yourself and your company.

Conference speakers are also typically viewed as “experts” in their industry. That can go a long way when prospective clients are considering a business partnership with your firm.

Finally the networking at conferences is great. I have personally met so many great people over the years of which I still maintain those friendships and relationships today. I find it invaluable to be networked to so many fantastic people in this industry.

3. What can a small business with a limited budget do to get themselves noticed online?

Lay a foundation by ensuring their web sites are optimized strategically for organic search. And while hiring a professional firm can be costly, anyone can learn the art of SEO. If one has more time then money, there are many, many options for one to learn basic SEO tactics that they can then employ into their web site strategy.

I’d also recommend that business owners begin to blog. Blogging software such as WordPress is completely free so cost should not be an excuse not to blog. Blogs will essentially allow them to “push” their content rather then waiting for people to find it. This is especially true if they combine blogging with active involvement in social media venues such as Twitter and Facebook.

Finally they can do something that creates buzz. Take BlendTec for example. They made a series of relatively inexpensive videos showing their blenders could “blend” just about anything – from rakes, to soda cans to marbles to even iPhones and then published those videos on YouTube. Their “Will It Blends” series has brought much attention and fanfare to a product line that many had never heard of before.

Todd Mintz

Todd Mintz knows PPC…knows Social Media…knows SEO…knows Blogging…knows Domaining…and knows them all real well. He runs growth marketing for )and is also a Director & Founding Member of SEMpdx: Portland, Oregon’s Search Engine Marketing Association, and he can be found here on Twitter and Facebook.

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