To learn more about search marketing, also see our What Is SEM / Search Engine Marketing? page.

The Best Link Building For Local SEO — None!

Jun 17, 2013 at 9:02am ET by Chris Silver Smith

Since Google rolled out the Panda and Penguin algorithm updates, numerous sites have been impacted or penalized. Often, companies that incur penalties or experience a drop in rankings don't have a clue as to what they've done wrong -- especially small, local businesses. This leads me to a novel proposal: perhaps for local businesses, the best link building is absolutely none at all. I've been approached by many small-to-medium businesses seeking help with various degrees of penalization as a result of these updates over the past year, and some of the commonalities to me are striking -- pri [...]

3 Reasons Why Deploying Hreflang Shouldn’t Be An Auto-Reflex!

Jun 11, 2013 at 10:32am ET by Andy Atkins-Krüger

I apologize for talking yet again about hreflang -- but there is an important point I really want to make for those working in geo-targeting. For some, "hreflang" is becoming an auto-reflex, and that's definitely not helping their international success. Allow me to explain why. A quick recap of hreflang first. Hreflang is an attribute which can be added to a link element in a page head, an HTTP header or an XML sitemap to indicate a geographic or linguistic preference for a URL; thus, enabling search engines to serve the correct page to searchers based on their language or location. Current [...]

PRWeb Claims Percent Of Releases Put On Editorial Hold Doubled Since Updating Policies & Software

Jun 10, 2013 at 8:00am ET by Amy Gesenhues

Last November, a fraudulent release claiming Google was acquiring Wifi provider ICOA was circulated by the popular release distribution service PRWeb, exposing a number of loopholes in their verification and editorial processes. Our own Danny Sullivan published a comprehensive story explaining how such releases find their way through PRWeb's system. After posting a statement on the fake release, PRWeb began a series of technology and editorial updates that have resulted in a more stringent review process, doubling the percentage of releases put on editorial hold. "We wanted to combat PR [...]

8 E-Commerce SEO Tips Gathered From A Decade Of Consulting

Jun 6, 2013 at 9:44am ET by Trond Lyngbø

In the comments of my last column about how I doubled e-commerce revenue for clients by focusing on user intent, readers asked for some more specific e-commerce SEO tips that they could apply in their own client work. Today's article shares some valuable lessons gathered over a decade of SEO work for e-commerce clients. These 8 e-commerce SEO tips have the power to transform any online business and boost profits. 1. Understand The SEO Impact Of Information Architecture & URL Structure Like most SEO consultants, I am often contacted late in the Web development process, well after in [...]

Monetizing Site Search Queries

Jun 4, 2013 at 10:20am ET by Bill Hunt

I believe that once everyone starts thinking clearly again after the last round of Penguin updates -- focusing on their business rather than on ways to game the system or mass produce activities that are not scalable -- we can get down to action that can actually move the needle. [caption id="attachment_161907" align="alignright" width="327"] Image via Shutterstock[/caption] One such action? Focus on your site search queries. While most keyword research best practices suggest you take a look at them, I have found very few companies that actually do it. At a recent search conference, f [...]

SEM-Like Control For Successful PLA Campaigns

May 30, 2013 at 10:47am ET by Dan Morrison

There are notable similarities between keyword and PLA campaigns that, when leveraged properly, will give retailers greater control of their campaign management. Let’s evaluate how retailers can leverage best practices from their keyword campaigns and apply them to their PLA campaigns for maximum efficiency and control over their budgets. In SEM, search engines decide which ads are shown for which queries based on keywords; but, advertisers don’t have to yield control of their spend to the search engine. Instead, they can institute a proper campaign setup that allows for control at a gr [...]

How to Counter Your Ignorant Boss’ Misconceptions About SEO

May 30, 2013 at 9:23am ET by Nathan Safran

Any in-house SEO professional (or consultant) who has been in the industry for even a short time has likely had to dispel misconceptions and inaccuracies about SEO to a senior manager, budget holder or client. These misconceptions can often be so embedded that they result in an underfunded, under-resourced and under "mind-shared" SEO program. To address many of these misconceptions -- and also have a little fun with the SEO-ignorant Boss -- we put together a sample interaction between "Ann," the Director of Online Marketing at medium-sized clothing retailer ACME Co., and her VP of Marketi [...]

3 Ways To Prioritize Your Global Search Marketing Efforts To Maximize ROI

May 29, 2013 at 10:48am ET by Andy Atkins-Krüger

I was pleased to be part of a great panel at SMX London on prioritizing your search marketing efforts. It included SEO veterans Mikkel deMib Svendsen of deMib.com, Julia Longdon of ContentMango and Dave Davies of Beanstalk. For me, this was an extremely useful session with a huge hidden ROI benefit for search marketers not necessarily obvious in the title of the session. Why? The answer is very simple -- it’s known as the REAL Law, which stands for "Resources for Everyone are Always Limited." Even the largest organization must make choices about what they do with resources. Often, the lar [...]

Bing Ads Pro Accreditation Exam Now In French, German And Portuguese

May 28, 2013 at 10:12am ET by Ginny Marvin

Microsoft is expanding the Bing Ads Accredited Professional Program to include three new languages. The "Pro Bingers" certification program is now offered in French, German and Brazilian Portuguese. Three new sites have been set up for each of the new languages. The sites include 29 training modules, an intro video and the exam in each localized language. Users who pass the free Bing Ads Accredited Professional exam can enroll in the Find a Pro Directory, designed to help clients find agencies and consultants to run their Bing Ads campaigns. Earlier this year, Microsoft added a languages [...]

Study: TV Networks Not Ranking In Key SERP Positions, Losing Valuable Search & Traffic Opportunities

May 22, 2013 at 9:33am ET by Amy Gesenhues

After evaluating the organic search performance of America's most popular television networks, SEO research firm RankAbove discovered a majority of the networks are missing out on significant search and traffic opportunities. The study examined four key areas of search including keywords, rankings, traffic potential and Universal SERPs. According to the findings, not only are a number of networks performing poorly in their SEO efforts, some are actually performing worse than they were a year ago. Keyword Analysis The keyword analysis portion of the study categorized keywords related to 2 [...]

Product Listing Ads: Five Tips That Increase Conversions

May 15, 2013 at 9:00am ET by Rick Backus

Google Shopping scored best in class in our latest rankings of comparison shopping engines. How can you get more revenue out of it? Read on for our five tips to increasing the conversion rate of your Product Listing Ads. 1. Please The Feed Your Google Shopping product data feed is the most important element of a healthy PLA campaign. It tells Google what information to use for your product ads and helps Google determine where your ads should appear in search results. It's better to err on the side of providing too much relevant information than not providing enough. Give Google as many cl [...]

How Latvia Teaches Us That “Think Global, Act Local” Is No Longer Useful In Search Marketing

May 14, 2013 at 10:35am ET by Andy Atkins-Krüger

Last week, I was lucky to join a number of great speakers at the iLive conference in Riga, Latvia. As with all conferences, I learned a lot. (I simply can't relate to those who go to a conference and say they've heard it all before.) I learned at least as much from the people I met and chatted with -- as well as from the people of Riga and Latvia -- as I did from the conference itself. Latvia -- A Country With A Population Less Than Houston, Texas Latvia is a very small country with a population of just over 2 million people -- around the size of a smallish Chinese or American city. The co [...]

How to Double Your Revenue With SEO

May 9, 2013 at 9:45am ET by Trond Lyngbø

In 2012, I was privileged to handle SEO for some of the biggest Norwegian e-commerce sites. This is the story about how I doubled (and even tripled) revenue for them by following a simple, easy, yet unconventional approach that anyone -- even you -- can implement starting today. At the heart of this accomplishment lie two things which are related to one another: A focus on uncovering user intent, and then filling that need The ability (and budget) to do all that's necessary This may sound easy, but when you consult with a business that is stratified and compartmentalized into water [...]

How To Increase Lead Conversions With Visitor Engagement

May 9, 2013 at 9:00am ET by John Paul Mains

When the iPhone was first released, everyone marveled over its amazing simplicity and user experience. The world fell in love, and the mobile industry was changed overnight. Other phones, if they weren't smartphones, were suddenly viewed as cheap and not very useful. We have all experienced this same truth at the websites we visit. We inherently equate a great design with an upstanding company and a bad design with a company not quite as reputable or as good. [caption id="attachment_158424" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image via Shutterstock[/caption] Because of this reality, buil [...]

Why Vertical Search Is Threatening Google’s Reign

May 8, 2013 at 9:36am ET by James Green

Until recently, Google has dominated search. It has been the main stomping ground for consumers looking to buy products, visit sites, or conduct research. However, the nature of search is changing, especially on mobile devices. My own search behavior is a prime example. As a frequent traveler, I go straight to Kayak.com to search for flights. When I'm looking to buy a consumer product, I often sidestep Google entirely and go right to Amazon, eBay or PriceGrabber. Recent research proves that I'm not alone in this and that consumer search behavior is evolving. According to comSco [...]

93% Of Local SEOs Expect To Grow Their Business In 2013

May 6, 2013 at 9:00am ET by Myles Anderson

Last week, we published the findings of the BrightLocal Local SEO Industry Survey 2013. The objective of this survey is to gain greater understanding about the health and nature of the local SEO Industry. Through this survey, we aim to find out what life is like "on the ground" for those in the local SEO industry and share those findings publicly to help improve the knowledge and insight within our industry. This is the 2nd wave of the survey. The 1st wave was conducted in 2011 and looked ahead to 2012. Wave 1 survey results can be viewed here. About The BrightLocal Local SEO Industry [...]

Local SEO Industry Survey Reveals Most Customers Want On-Site SEO & Google+ Optimization Services

May 3, 2013 at 5:08pm ET by Amy Gesenhues

A local SEO industry survey, managed by SEO software company Brightlocal, revealed that the most in-demand SEO services are on-site SEO and Google+ optimization. Conducted between January 20 and February 20 of this year, the survey evaluated the health and nature of the local SEO industry by focusing on five key areas: agency size and turnover, clients and industries, marketing and sales, services and tasks, and future outlooks. The majority of survey respondents included freelancers, small digital agencies and web designers, with a total of 1,409 respondents. On-site SEO and Google+ opt [...]

Last Year’s Top 3 U.S. Search Marketing Agencies Continue To Lead In 2013 Report

May 3, 2013 at 12:12pm ET by Amy Gesenhues

Every year, Ad Age ranks the top performing U.S. search marketing agencies based on the previous year's U.S. and worldwide revenue. This year, the top three agencies held their 2012 report rankings, with iCrossing, 360i and iProspect coming in at No. 1, 2, and 3 on the list of largest U.S. search marketing agencies. 360i was responsible for the fast-thinking Oreo tweet during the blackout at this year's Superbowl. The agency also received a Facebook Studio Award for an Oreo social media marketing campaign. iCrossing recently received a Shorty Award for their Maker's Mark #CocktailParty2012 [...]

Study: PLAs Buck Post-Holiday Trends For Google Shopping, Traffic Nearly Doubles in Q1

May 3, 2013 at 10:42am ET by Ginny Marvin

The momentum of Google's PLA program didn't slow after the holidays. After seeing Google Product Listing Ad traffic jump 82% in Q1 over Q4, CPC Strategy followed up its latest quarterly review of top CSEs with a closer look. The agency hadn't been surprised to see the 87% increase in PLA traffic in Q4 over Q3 as Google's pay-to-play program ramped during the holiday season. However, the huge traffic spike from Product Listing Ads that occurred after the holiday shopping rush did catch them by surprise. Bucking the typical trend of CSEs (and e-commerce in general), paid Google Shopping traf [...]

SEO Branding: Appearance In Search Results Impacts Brand Perception

May 2, 2013 at 9:14am ET by Nathan Safran

Stop a search marketer on the street, whether a grizzled veteran or relative newcomer, and ask him/her to list the top goals of ranking in the search results; they will talk to you about traffic, revenue and conversions. Likewise, in reflecting what is top of mind for search marketers, a perusal of industry websites shows a majority of articles focused on the same. Far less covered -- whether research, POVs or even "thinking-out-loud" blog posts -- is content focused on other benefits of appearing in the search results, such as brand development. For decades, marketers have invested in g [...]

Get Our News, Everywhere!

Follow @sengineland

Got a tip? Tell us here!

Most Likes
Most Tweets
Comments

Our Stories Being Liked on Facebook

Search Engine Land Sponsors

Advertise With Us

Free Daily Search News Recap!

SearchCap is a once-per-day newsletter update - sign up below and get the news delivered to you!

Click to watch SMX conference video

Join us at an upcoming SMX event:

North America

SMX East - Oct. 1-3, 2013
SMX Social Media Marketing - Nov. 20-21, 2013
SMX West - March 11-13, 2014
SMX Advanced - June 2014

EMEA

SMX Stockholm - Oct. 14-15, 2013
SMX Milan - Nov. 7-8, 2013
SMX Israel - Jan. 2014
SMX Munich - March 25-26, 2014
SMX London - May 2014
SMX Paris - June 2014

APAC

SMX Sydney - April 2014

Search Engine Land produces SMX, the Search Marketing Expo conference series. SMX events deliver the most comprehensive educational and networking experiences - whether you're just starting in search marketing or you're a seasoned expert.