January 12, 2010 – Scott Orth, from 99SEOReports.com, began this month’s educational event by giving us a high level view of paid search.  Before creating PPC campaigns, consider your strategy.  Are you local, global or national?  What’s your marketing budget?  Etc.  Later on in the campaign process, Orth advises assigning keyword groups to the landing pages and placing at least three ad variations per group, allowing effective landing page testing.

Among the paid search best practices that EngineWorks’ Steve Burnett added was the importance of keyword research, the lifeblood of any campaign.  Continually grow your keywords lists by sorting keywords into tightly themed groups and by reviewing match types.  Burnett also stressed creating landing pages that convert.  Take the searcher directly to a page that delivers the product you are promoting and build credibility by delivering what you promised.

Anthro’s Josh Patrice gave us his recommendations on testing and reporting once the campaigns are up and running.  He noted that while there are key metrics for PPC, it all plays together and is important.  There are numerous items to test including keywords, calls to action, day parting and landing pages, all of which can be analyzed in reports.  When presenting your campaigns’ data, do so in a way that clearly conveys how the account is doing and how much money is needed. 

The evening wrapped up with Anvil Media’s Leisa Hall providing a few tips and tools for effective PPC campaigns.  Perhaps her biggest tips were related to quality score.  Based on where you fall in the quality score range, the cost per click can be significantly impacted.  Among the tools Hall suggested were scheduling and geographic settings.  She also hailed the AdWords Editor as a convenient and time-saving tool, allowing easy copy and paste capabilities.

Paid Search Seminar – January SEMpdx Event Recap is a post from: SEMpdx

December 8, 2009 – Tuesday night’s SEMpdx educational event with CMD Agency’s Darcie Meihoff and Dean McBeth provided a wealth of great information, not only on how to integrate search and PR but how to avoid some pitfalls along the way.

Darcie shared some SEO best practices that PR professionals should adopt.  She emphasized several key points including writing for users rather than search engines, which will make your content more attractive.  Another vital point she made was to focus more on placement and less on density, better optimizing the effectiveness of your content.  While discussing how social drives search, Darcie emphasized monitoring and leveraging what’s written about you to influence search results.  She also shed light on how to improve your performance, off-set negative news and make key updates on an ongoing basis.

Adding to what Darcie shared, Dean discussed the three pillars necessary in successfully converging search and PR.  The first pillar is shared goals: don’t let go of the fundamentals because the end goal is still about being found and measuring success.  Respect, the second pillar, must be shared between search and PR.  Both sides should acknowledge the other’s expertise while working toward the same goal.  The final pillar is endurance.  Online PR is a big enough fight for both PR and search firms but it will take work.  It’s beneficial to consider the current landscape when deciding which mediums to use, be it newswire, Flickr or Twitter.  Leveraging your content among multiple mediums is important because it all matters; you don’t know what people are after.

Where Search and PR Converge – December SEMpdx Event Recap is a post from: SEMpdx

In conjunction with the upcoming SES Chicago Search Conference next week, I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to ask questions of a Local Search Industry Leader Jeff Ferguson from Local.com. Local Search is one of the hottest “need to know” trends in search marketing and if you’re not familiar with local search SEO, you and your clients are the worse for it.

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

Jeff Ferguson
Local.com Sr. Director, Online Marketing

 Jeff Ferguson currently directs all online marketing efforts for Local.com via a variety of channels including SEO/SEM, affiliate programs, display, and social media. With over 14 years of online marketing experience, Ferguson has led the online marketing efforts for companies such as Hilton Hotels, Kimberly-Clark, InterActiveCorp, Experian, and Napster. No stranger to the industry speaking circuits throughout the US, Europe, and Asia, Ferguson is a regular at Digital Hollywood, the Online Marketing Summit (OMS), Search Marketing Expo (SMX), Ad:tech and Search Engine Strategies (SES), where he is also a member of the Board of Directors.

As a consumer looking for a local business, why would I go to Local.com instead of Google?

One of the best reasons is that Local.com is focused solely on the local business. For instance, if you type “Chicago pizza” into Google, you’ll get some listings for pizza places in Chicago, but you’ll also get a ton of recipes for Chicago-style pizza, pictures of Chicago-style pizza, and even the ads will be for places like Dominos or even Amazon.

How do you see social networking / social search impacting the local search space?

I think this is just getting warmed up, really.  There was a report recently that stated that about 9% of small businesses are using Twitter. Some saw that as a big number, some saw it as an “only”. Internally, we saw it as inflated because other reports state that only about 50% of small businesses even have a website at all, so we can’t see them really adopting Twitter just yet. 

The following questions are from Local SEO Expert and fellow SEMpdx Board Member David Mihm:

How has the Google Universal 10-pack / 7-pack affected your traffic strategy?

Our traffic strategy has not been affected at all by the 10-pack/7-pack, in fact, various teams throughout our organization have embraced it and made it another service we can provide to our customers. We plan on continuing our own tests with the new paid ads that are part of the latest revisions to determine if they can work with our current strategies.

Fragmentation in Local is a major dilemma for companies of all sizes…do you see any initiatives or developments on the horizon that might minimize this problem?

Unfortunately, this might get worse before it gets better.  There are new sites focused on the local market entering the game all the time, some of them are legit, some of them are just copies of existing sites that are better at SEO and SEM.  With our recent ranking as one of the top 10 search engines in the US, Local.com is rising to the top as one of the better ways to get ahead of the pack, but local advertisers will always need to be wary of the new comers that promise the world for a price.

What Local Search tips would you give individual small business owners?

-          Sign up to advertise with a local search provider like Local.com (Naturally! Zing!)

-          Develop your profile page using SEO/SEM friendly content – Adding this specific information about your business will not only help you reach potential customers, but it also will help to improve your rankings on the major search engines.

-          Determine your target customers and regional reach. Don’t overshoot your target, you’re a local advertiser, don’t try to compete with the national advertiser set.

-          Select the right targeted categories, keywords and search phrases that will help consumers find you. Do a lot of research in this area and ask not only your staff, but your customers – everybody searches differently.

-          Pay attention to your bidding strategy, especially if you have shifting seasonal or even weekly and monthly usage patterns for your product or service.  Search is not a set it and forget it channel.

SES Chicago Interview: Jeff Ferguson is a post from: SEMpdx

Search Engine Marketing conference to feature national thought leaders, workshops

Portland, Ore. – Nov.23, 2009 – SEMpdx is pleased to announce the launch of its fourth annual Search Engine Marketing conference, SearchFest 2010.

Joining the search engine optimization and pay-per-click tracks this year is a new category sure to be of interest to public relations, advertising, and other marketing professionals: Social media.

SearchFest 2010 takes place at the Governor Hotel in Portland, Oregon on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration is now open to the public (http://www.sempdx.org/searchfest/) and pre- agenda ticket prices are on sale at $139.

“Every year SearchFest enriches the pacific northwest’s business community by bringing together everyone from corporate executives and Web marketers, to traditional business owners and agency professionals,” said Ben Lloyd, SEMpdx president. “SearchFest is one of the best opportunities all year to learn new things and network with your peers. Attendees will not be disappointed.”

SearchFest 2010 will offer multiple informative learning tracks, workshops, and panels designed to provide insight into the most up-to-date strategies and technological advancements in online search marketing.

This year’s topics will include social media marketing, advanced search engine optimization (SEO,) local search, Web analytics, paid search marketing, future trends and more.

Past keynote speakers have included Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land, and Rand Fishkin, CEO and Co-Founder of SEOmoz.

Want more information or registration?

About SEMpdx

Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, SEMpdx is a non-profit dedicated to nurturing the development of search engine marketing (SEM) in the greater northwest.

SEMpdx provides a resource for local professionals and businesses interested in leveraging SEM to enhance their career and bottom line.

SEMpdx’s mission is to improve the quality of work and life for SEM professionals as well as elevate Portland’s profile on a national scale as a hotbed of SEM talent.

The organization hosts monthly educational and networking events where local businesses can get valuable tips on how to increase awareness and revenues via SEM and meet and share best practices with like minded professionals.

SEMpdx Presents SearchFest 2010 is a post from: SEMpdx

Link building continues to be an important search engine optimization tactic. The SEMpdx Link Building Six Pack will provide insight into various basic to advanced link building strategies. Join us on Tuesday, February 9th for six unique presentations by link building experts.

When: February 9th, 2009 at 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Where: Hotel deLuxe 729 SW 15th Ave, Portland, OR

On February 9th, a panel of link building experts, will take us through:

• Getting between the cushions: Finding links where they’ve always been. – Ian Lurie – Portent Interactive
• Writing & Promoting Link Bait – Scott Fish – EngineWorks
• Utilizing your existing network for links – Blu Drobushevich – Amplify Interactive
• Automating Link Building (tools, widgets, etc.) – John McPhee – Anvil Media
• Building Links to Your Links – Scott Hendison – Search Commander, Inc.

This presentation will be filled with actionable tips and insights for both beginners and experts.

Register Today!

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February Event: Link Building Six Pack is a post from: SEMpdx

“Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere…” Kim Novak, Vertigo

So last week, some of my fellow SEMpdx Board Members and I got together for a SearchFest 2010 planning meeting.  We discussed many relevant topics (date, venue, topics, speakers, etc.) and at the end of the meeting, I was tasked with inviting a group of speakers, most of whom I consider some of my closest friends in our industry.

Writing a “formal” invitation email to your friends is a bit awkward.  It’s tempting to write something along the line of:

SEMpdx Wants U 4 SearchFest 2010.  Can U Speak?  LULZ.

Most of my friends would understand this messaging but I’d be lacking some of the specifics they need to make their decision.  So, I settled on the following:

Hello…,

SEMpdx is officially inviting you to speak at SearchFest 2010, taking place next (…sorry, not announcing the date publicly yet).

We’ve done some preliminary matching of speakers to topics and we’d like you to speak about…(on the same panel as…).

Please let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions.

The responses I received fell into two different camps. 

love to, will check schedule and be back to you Todd .  Thanks, always means a lot to me to be invited to semPDX.

Sounds great – count me in.

Sounds cool, thanks for thinking of me

Sounds awesome, I’d love to speak at SearchFest again – and with…, that’s like icing on the cake!!

Hi Todd…I’d love to be part of SEMpdx again. I accept your invitation and will plan on attending.

Then I got the following two responses:

Hey Todd!

How are you? I hope things are going well for you

I would love to be part of SearchFest again this year! Thanks for thinking of me & keep me posted on anything you may need from me moving forward…

Can’t wait! Hope all is well mister, and talk to you soon

Hi Todd hope things are good on your side of the PNW. I think I could do that….

Still casual responses but a bit more formalism built in.

So, where am I going with this?

All of us are in (social media) relationships with others that encompass varying degrees of depth and complexity.  I see myself “in” close social media relationships with 50-100 people or so (including the folks I quoted above) meaning I read some or all of what they write; I make it a point to follow what they say on Twitter (and tweet back and forth with them); and generally treat them in the social media sphere as I would treat a close friend outside of social media.  Though I don’t know for sure, I believe everybody that I quoted above follows at least a portion of what I tweet / write about online.

In my closest social media relationships, all pretense falls away in favor of direct expression.  Since me and the others are part of a continual conversation, long periods of silence cease to be uncomfortable…people can go away for a while without notice and that’s perfectly OK…and they can pop right back into the group without missing a beat.  Even when the conversation switches to a more private medium such as email and I reach out to the folks I’m closest to for interpersonal conversation, frequently, I dispense with the “Hi …” and immediately delve into the reason for the contact. Sometimes I just find the last email they sent me and hit reply (even if the topic isn’t relevant to the current communication).  Now, for in-person meetings, this wouldn’t fly (we haven’t evolved quite this far yet)…however, I believe that anyone who knows me well doesn’t read the directness of my communication as anything other than my attempt to present my thoughts and ideas in the most expedient way possible.    

I think 5 of the 7 people I quoted were on the same plane as I was in dispensing with any and all formalism and continuing our ongoing conversation, while 2 were on a slightly different wavelength.

Or perhaps, they were just trying to be polite…

The Infinite Conversation is a post from: SEMpdx

Whether you’re just getting started in Web site design, or are a seasoned veteran at a local media agency, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) may seem confusing. Title tags. Keyword relevancy. Rich content. Link strategies. All of these proper SEO elements may even be a bit intimidating.

For this reason, our next SEMpdx event will present the basic fundamentals of effective Search Engine Optimization strategies. You’ll learn the latest techniques on how to properly implement common optimization elements into both new and existing Web sites. Our panel of industry experts will also answer any questions you may have pertaining to search engine friendly design and development.

When: November 10th, 2009 at 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Where: Hotel deLuxe 729 SW 15th Ave, Portland, OR

On November 10th, a panel of search engine optimization experts, will take us through:

• Code Optimization – Nick Herinckx
• Copy Optimization (including title, meta, alt tags) – Lisa Williams
• Optimizing Other Forms of Content – videos, images, pdf’s, etc. – Ben Lloyd
• Inbound Link Best Practices – Scott Orth

This presentation will be filled with actionable tips and insights for both beginners and experts.

Pricing!

• Members – $25.00
• Non-Members – $35.00
• Partners – $25.00
• Students – $10.00

Register Today!

All field marked * are required
Choose an admission type pickoneMember - $25 Non-Member - $35 Partner - $25 Student - $10 *
Quantity:	*	Coupon Code:
First Name:				*
Last Name:				*
Title:
Company:
Email:	*
Phone:	*
CC Billing Address:				*
City:	*
State or Province:	*
Zip:	*
Credit Card Number: *
Expiration Date(mm/yy): *
No refunds for cancellation 7 days prior to the event date. If needed, you may transfer your registration to someone else by contacting events@sempdx.org.
(Only click the Submit Button Once)

Become An SEMpdx Member Today!

Click here to become a SEMpdx member.

November Event: SEO Fundamentals & Site Lab is a post from: SEMpdx

Social media has become a critical component of online marketing. The SEMpdx Social Media Six Pack will provide insight into leveraging social media as a business tool. Join us at on Tuesday, October 13th to discover tools and techniques from experts who have leveraged social media to develop meaningful and value-driven consumer relationships.

Please note that this event is sold out, and the fire marshal will not allow any more attendees.

When: October 13th, 2009 at 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Where: Hotel deLuxe 729 SW 15th Ave, Portland, OR

On October 13th, a panel of social media experts, will take us through:

• Building social media into the overall marketing mix.
• Tools for monitoring and measuring social media effectiveness.
• Social media best practices.
• Leveraging different social media platforms.

This presentation will be filled with actionable tips and insights for both beginners and experts.

Agenda:

• How to build it into the overall marketing mix – Christopher Mike, RocketXL
• Best Practices for all platforms in general – Hallie Janssen, Anvil Media
• Facebook and Widgets/Apps – Kevin Tate, StepChange
• Paid media opportunities and tracking – Ken Muraoka, CMD
• Leveraging social media for SEO – Kent Schnepp, EngineWorks
• How to monitor and what tools to use – Scott Hendison, Search Commander

Pricing!

• Members – $25.00
• Non-Members – $35.00
• Partners – $25.00
• Students – $10.00

Registration Is Closed!

October Event: Social Media Six Pack is a post from: SEMpdx

Last night, I attended a meetup for representatives from various creative communities here in Portland, such as the AIGA, PAF, and CHIFOO. Other concerned citizens of the web also attended the meeting, including Bram Pitoyo (@brampitoyo) and Amber Case (@caseorganic). A further meeting is tentatively scheduled for next week & we hope to be joined by a city official or two with some say in the process.

For a little background on the PortlandOnline.com Refresh contest, see the City’s “official” request here, and some notable responses.

The consensus was that the City doesn’t really understand the potential of what a good website can do, both in terms of branding the city and even in terms of its functionality. There has been next-to-no communication with the organized creative community to date about the manner of the “RFP” (there may be some bylaws the City is trying to avoid by not calling it such) and this has created a lot of frustration, especially among the more design-y groups.

The City’s only evident goal seems to be “community buy-in” and “community engagement” and this may be one of the reasons they cannot solicit a formal RFP. But they also seem to be under the impression that designs from community members can easily be shoe-horned onto their existing infrastructure without any real thought to site architecture, usability, searchability, or anything beyond a basic idea of what a website can look like. In this sense, they are basically asking for “a piece of artwork” rather than a functional model for a website. There essentially is no project brief that any of the groups can even lend their assistance with.

There’s also the conceptual idea that by soliciting spec work for FREE that the City is explicitly saying that good design is not worth being compensated for. Apparently they have a development budget for loads of in-house staff but no one is quite sure just how much; one figure is as high as $10MM. It was generally agreed to talk about the financial concept/budget for “design” and creative work AFTER hearing what the goals were.

But one of the attendees made a great point…even the cost of converting all of the old pages into the new design at a ridiculously small estimate of $1/page would mean a cost of $114,000…

Mayor Adams has seemed to be committed to showcasing Portland as a tech-savvy, design-savvy, creative, open-source community in the past but the city is about to have a “brand fail” if the contest goes through in its current form. None of us can afford that in this economy.

Personally I agreed with most of what was said, although I think perhaps some of the branding and advertising guys were a little too concerned about the brand side rather than the functionality side–but everyone was in favor of sitting down with the City to get a sense of their goals and then help them figure out how to best accomplish them.

Portland Creative Community Meets to Discuss PortlandOnline.com Refresh is a post from: SEMpdx

SEMpdx Social Networking Rooftop Party

Registration Has Closed For This Event and admissions will NOT be accepted at the door, we’re sorry. 

Location: On the roof of Hotel deLuxe

729 SW 15th Ave, Portland, OR
Date: August 18, 2009
Time: 5:30pm to 9:00pm
Cost: $10.00

Join us Tuesday August 18th on the roof of Hotel deLuxe in beautiful downtown Portland for a wonderful evening of old school social networking with our friends from:

• American Marketing Association (AMA)
• Portland State University: Multimedia Professional Program
• Social Media Club
• Oregon Entrepreneur Network (OEN)
• Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
• Internet Strategy Forum (ISF)
• Webtrends
• Oregon Creative Industries (OCI)
• Oregon Columbia International Association of Business Communicators (OCIABC)

This exclusive venue promises to be the setting for the most talked-about networking event of the year. Not only will you be on top of one of Portland’s most luxurious hotels . . . but, you will also be able to be on top of the latest developments going-on at some of the most innovative marketing associations in the Pacific Northwest!

Reserve your place on the roof today!

Attention! REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED. This is a pre-register ONLY event. NO WALK-UP REGISTRATION. Unregistered individuals will not be admitted at the door. Registration will close on Tuesday, August 18th at 12:00 PM.

The Board of SEMpdx would like to thank Widmer Brothers Brewing for their gracious support.

Register Has Closed For This Event.

Social Networking Old School Style Party is a post from: SEMpdx