http://www.searchrank.com/blog/ Featuring news, opinion and commentary related to the industry of search engines and marketing. en Copyright 2008 Thu, 15 May 2008 07:50:46 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss I am so weary of non-SEO types who have some measure of influence spouting off their opinion of what SEO is, what it isn't, whether it is growing or declining and the like. It is no different then when celebrities use their clout and status to speak out of some subject like they are some kind of authority on the matter when in all actuality they are not. Following is my response to recent posts that have claimed that SEO has no future and is on a downward spiral. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/seo-has-no-future-think-again.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/seo-has-no-future-think-again.html Search Engine Optimization Thu, 15 May 2008 07:50:46 -0800 For the longest time I have wanted to participate in a local seminar in my own community of Phoenix Arizona on the subject of search engine marketing. Now that will be fulfilled in the inaugural event of the National Marketing Academy as they host the Phoenix Search Engine & Internet Marketing Workshop. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, 2008 from 7:30 am - 5:00 pm and will be held at the Sheraton Phoenix Airport. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/nma-phoenix2008.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/nma-phoenix2008.html People and Events Wed, 14 May 2008 08:58:43 -0800 Here are some great and newsworthy posts I came across today including how to put your Flickr photos into Yahoo News, 10 reasons why you should monitor your brands across social media sites, and finally, Bill Slawski examines a Microsoft patent that explores the identification of a block within a web page. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/daily-finds-050808.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/daily-finds-050808.html Daily Finds Thu, 08 May 2008 10:10:43 -0800 Submitting stories, blog posts and articles to social news sites such as Digg, Mixx, Sphinn and others can be very time-consuming but if done properly, can also have huge payoffs. Why then do so many people shoot themselves in the foot by not following proper etiquette? Is there such a thing as "social bookmarking etiquette?" Certainly there is! Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want to get the most out of your social bookmarking activities. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/social-news-etiquette.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/social-news-etiquette.html Social Media Thu, 08 May 2008 07:47:38 -0800 Here are some great and newsworthy posts I came across today including Mixx continues to gain exposure as CNN adds "Mixx It" button to every article on its site and a post at Search Engine Guide on how not to waste your time with web analytics. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/daily-finds-050608.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/05/daily-finds-050608.html Daily Finds Tue, 06 May 2008 15:54:16 -0800 Here are some great and newsworthy posts I came across today including Jeff Quipp writes about the four pillars of social media algorithms, a post by Ann Smarty that looks at the discovery of bad networks of sites, and finally, SEOmoz has a SEO Cheat Sheet for web developers, available in PDF format for easy printing. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/daily-finds-043008.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/daily-finds-043008.html Daily Finds Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:52:25 -0800 I'm two days back from the first Small Business Marketing Unleashed conference and I have to say that this was probably one of the best conference I have ever been to. The conference attracted right around 50 paid attendees which made for a very intimate setting. Speakers and those of who were live blogging were able to spend some real quality time with attendees. The information that was presented in sessions and workshops was of the highest quality and the food served up set the bar high for any other conference to follow. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-trip-report.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-trip-report.html People and Events Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:17:25 -0800 Here are some great and newsworthy posts I came across today including Brent Csutoras goes through each of the major social communities that he uses and outlines some of the best tools to help you manage and maintain your accounts, Eric Papczun reviews EveryZing - a turn-key, hosted solution to gain natural search engine visibility for your video and audio content, and finally, Dogpile.com has come out the other end with an updated search algorithm, design and new partner content. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/daily-finds-042408.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/daily-finds-042408.html Daily Finds Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:17:37 -0800 If you've ever tried to find the spare toilet paper in someone else's bathroom, you've experienced a usability issue. Just like the owner of that bathroom, we sometimes get so used to our own sites, we can't see what needs to be fixed. In this workshop, Matt Bailey, Founder of Site Logic Marketing will walk you through common problems that can make your site a hassle for visitors to use. Find out how even the smallest change can make a dramatic impact on your site's conversion rates. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-usability-worksheet.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-usability-worksheet.html Web Design and Usability Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:57:17 -0800 The days of flipping through a big fat yellow book to find a local business are quickly coming to a close. After all, why settle for a simple phone number when an online search can also net you menus, pricing, hours and consumer reviews? In this workshop, Matt McGee, SEO Manager at Marchex will walk attendees through the most popular local search engines and will show you the best ways to leverage them to promote your business online. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-local-search-workshop.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-local-search-workshop.html Local and Mobile Search Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:50:53 -0800 Session Summary: Need links? Of course you do! In order to rank well and successfully promote your online business, you need an effective link building program as part of your over-all SEO strategy. Link guru Debra O'Neil Mastaler, Owner of Alliance Link walks attendees through the world of links. Find out why search engines rely so heavily on links, where to find links and why a good link can send sales through the roof. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-link-building.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-link-building.html Link Building Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:57:24 -0800 While pay per click advertising can be a quick and easy way to drive traffic to your web site, it can also be a quick and easy way to drain your bank account. Christine Churchill, President of KeyRelevance reveals how to get the most bang for your buck from each of the major paid search engines by choosing the right keywords, writing relevant ads and optimizing your landing pages. She will share the simple tweaks you can make to dramatically cut your average cost per click while increasing your sales so you have the best chance against companies with much deeper pockets. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm_unleashed-paid-search-advertising.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm_unleashed-paid-search-advertising.html Paid Search Marketing Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:48:42 -0800 There's no doubt the best endorsements come from happy and loyal customers. So what if there was a way to build a community around your web site? A community that helped keep your content fresh, your ideas flowing and the links 'a coming. Turns out, there is. Find out the best ways to build up a loyal readership and how to get your visitors more involved from the queen of community herself, Wendy Piersall, Founder of Sparkplugging.com. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-building-community.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-building-community.html Blogs and Online Publishing Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:16:17 -0800 You may have heard it said that having a search engine friendly site is key to success on the web. That's fine and dandy, but what in the world is a search engine friendly site? Find out how to code your site to make a difference in how well you rank in the search engines. Learn what tags and attributes are essential to gaining those top rankings. Even if you know nothing about HTML, this session will arm you with the knowledge to help your programming team get your site in shape. Stoney deGeyter, President, Pole Position Marketing is the speaker for this session. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-site-architecture.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-site-architecture.html Search Engine Marketing Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:00:55 -0800 While it's easy to get overwhelmed about going up against big businesses in marketing realms like search engine optimization, blogging, viral marketing, community building and analytics, a good dose of common sense can really level the playing field. This panel aims to set the stage for the rest of the show by helping you change your perspective on competing with the big boys. Speaking on this panel is Matt McGee, Wendy Piersall and Matt Bailey. http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-intro.html http://www.searchrank.com/blog/2008/04/sbm-unleashed-intro.html Search Engine Marketing Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:51:15 -0800