Brian Klais is founder and president at Pure Oxygen Labs, a mobile consulting and technology firm he launched in 2011, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. Previously, Brian was an executive at Netconcepts, a leading SEO consulting and technology provider to retail and media brands like Zappos, Home Shopping Network, Cabela’s, Discovery Channel, and Yahoo!. When Covario acquired Netconcepts in 2010, Brian became VP of Products. At Search Engine Land, Brian mused on the intersection of search, mobile, and analytics in the "Mobile Mondays" column, and previously for the "Analyze This" column. He's a frequent speaker at conferences like SMX, Where2.0, AdTech, and Shop.org.
One of the staggering facts in Facebook’s public filing last month was that 50% of their traffic is driven by mobile devices. That’s about 5x more than the average website. Perhaps even more staggering: the growth rate of their mobile traffic actually exceeded their US growth rate last year (17% vs 16%). With US smartphone […]
By now, you may have already put Super Bowl XLVI in the history books. But let’s remember: this was the first to occur in the post-PC mobile era. (It was supposed to feature my Green Bay Packers, but that’s another story.) This was Mobile Super Bowl I: a record TV audience. Half with a smartphone. […]
Happy (belated) New Year. Let’s face it, 2012 isn’t the first year someone has christened the “year of mobile.” But it is the first time consumers have done so – and continue to. Still in the market for resolutions? Let me suggest 10 that’ll charge-up your brand to set pace – and lead – with […]
Retail brands with popular mobile apps are benefiting tremendously this holiday season from prominent mobile app visibility in Google’s organic search results. Search for Groupon, eBay, Amazon, Target, QVC or numerous others. Alongside the brand website listing, local listings, and social profiles, searchers are starting to see links to these brands’ iPhone, iPad, and Android […]
As we approach Thanksgiving in the US, Google’s recent introduction of secure search understandably left many in SEO-land feeling more like the 99% these days – betrayed and powerless over the sizable disappearance of organic keyword data in the name of privacy. But besides PPC advertisers, there appears to be another exception to Google’s secure […]
It’s been about a decade now since marketers woke up to the reality of the deep “invisible Web” – that mass of dynamic content search engines couldn’t see, index, or associate with keyword search. Remember the days when engines bragged about how many pages they indexed? Seems like forever ago. Search was new, the sitemap […]
My last few columns painted a picture of QR codes as a force that will disrupt paid search and organic search marketing strategies. QR codes give consumers a faster, easier shortcut than searching in many situations. I talked about how the generation of these “mobile links” will demand brevity from your SEO’d URLs – but […]
This summer, I dedicated my columns to exploring the disruptive effects QR codes will have on the core of search marketing – from SEO URL strategy, to the very notion of link building. Today, I’ll look at how QR disrupts the SEM game, and may force you to adopt a new strategy. It’s In The […]
Last month, I introduced the idea that QR codes could disrupt your URL strategy. This led to quite a lively discussion! With dozens of comments, over 850 retweets, and hundreds of QR scans for the mobile article, this is obviously an important topic. Today, I’ll complete the theme with examples, and best-practice methods for optimizing […]
SEO has greatly influenced web information architecture over the years, particularly with respect to URL structure. I think we’d all agree, it has long been considered gospel to “optimize” URLs at the category (or product-levels) by including at least a sprinkling of keywords, as a ranking signal and to make URLs more human readable and […]
Imagine justifying your PPC budget, if you could no longer track which keywords sent each visitor. Regardless of how successful your program is today, you probably would not think twice about killing or dramatically shrinking it tomorrow. And for pretty good reason, right? That referral data is connective tissue that enables you to attribute success […]
Any smartphone shopper who’s tried to take advantage of the mobile Web will nod incredulously with Google’s recent survey that found 79% of marketers still do not offer mobile-ready content. For consumers, that’s a real letdown. But marketer antipathy towards mobile shoppers isn’t the only reason the mobile Web sucks. The fact is, most of […]
“I know why you’re here Neo… It will find you if you want it to.” -Trinity Last time I made the case that you’re not mobile-friendly unless you’re friendly to searchers too. I argued that since the marginal cost of achieving basic SEO is lowered by addressing alongside development of mobile friendly content, consumer brands […]
No, you’re not seeing double from last week. I wanted to extend the theme Bryson initiated in his column last week, titled “Why Mobile-Friendly is Not Mobile SEO,” in response to Google’s recent change in its position towards mobile content. I agree with his interpretation: you’re not going to drift into #1 in mobile search […]
I’m pleased to join you with my first installment for the new Mobile Mondays column. As a long time Analyze This columnist, I appreciate SEL making space for the mobile marketing conversation. Mobile marketers love the data Google announced recently at the “Think Mobile” event. First, they shared that one in seven queries (15%) now […]
By helping solve the fundamental business problem of resource allocation, Google’s freshly announced Mobile Keyword Tool has the potential to ignite mobile search marketing and propel mobile web marketing into orbit, right now. How is that? The announcement revealed a new feature designed to help marketers build segmented keyword lists that better target ads toward […]
With 2010 holiday shopping season nearly complete, every consumer brand has really been given the ultimate mobile gift this from their consumers: a massive trove of smartphone search analytic data screaming for their favorite brands to be as mobile as they are. This gift will probably go unwrapped by many brands, which will present unique […]
Over the past few months I’ve focused my articles for Search Engine Land’s Analyze This column on helping marketers prepare to maximize their 2010 holiday season mobile results. I’ve covered mobile landing page optimization tactics, and how to calculate mobile’s business impact across marketing channels. With that foundation behind us, and Black Friday now just […]
The 2010 mobile holiday season is now just 30 days out. In last month’s column, I outlined dozens of mobile web page optimization best practices to improve sales and generally avoid the “you suck” lump of stocking coal this season. To underscore the opportunity and concern, Internet Retailer announced last week at the Mobile Commerce […]
The 2010 retail holiday season kicks off in just 60 days. If you’re like me, you already sense the Christmas shopping budget is sunk, having to decide not which mobile device to purchase, but how many. Kindles for the kids? New iPhone for the wife? iPad for the family? What about the grandparents? And what […]
Bing is now powering Yahoo’s organic results, and retailers wonder how this algorithmic shift will impact their organic traffic with holiday season just around the corner. Market share trends all seem positive so where’s the beef? While I’m a fan of the direction Bing is taking, don’t expect this market shift to produce short-term organic […]
I’ve spent the last decade in the search optimization business as a principal, entrepreneur, expert and executive—building the Netconcepts search business, selling the company to Covario, and the past 7 months leading the integration of these businesses into a powerful new entity. I came into this business knowing very little about SEO. I have learned […]
“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all its forms… has marked the upward surge of mankind.” – Gordon Gecko, Wall Street Dear Bing, Come autumn, you will be powering Yahoo’s search algorithm. But […]
I no more than finished weaving some nostalgic “back to the future” references into my last SEL article (how social media content like UGC can accelerate your SEO into the future) and Google decides to unveil their new search results UI, featuring among other improvements new filters that give searchers a whole new dimension on […]
Search marketers are hugely time-constrained. So many pages to optimize for so much search activity, yet so little time. Where do you spend it? Most likely on the top categories or keywords. But if you have thousands of pages, most pages go under-optimized—and will always be unless you have the ability to “create” time. As […]
Is your website ready for mobile? If not, search should play a critical role in developing your mobile web strategy.
User-generated product review content has proven effective at increasing conversion in online retail. But can this form of social media also be optimized to increase organic search reach and traffic?
In the first installment of this series I asserted that your SEO performance is suffering in proportion to how powerfully you are able to communicate the opportunity to executives. Winning the resources required to grow the channel requires a basic set of metrics. In the subsequent installments, I showed you how to use “Jedi” performance […]
Powerful the force is in you! You're overcoming resistance to your SEO efforts. But preparing for growth requires looking within. Learn how Keyword Reach and Page Yield metrics can help you set good baselines and direct your SEO campaigns for maximum effect.
"These are not the droids you're looking for..." Ever wish you had this kind of Obi-Wan, Jedi power to win the resources, funding, and support required for your SEO? Continuing from my last column, here are my three "Jedi Metrics" to effectively overcome organizational resistance towards SEO. Caution: The force is strong. Use it wisely!
Winning the natural search game starts with winning resources. Learn how to get your organization to properly value natural search using cutting edge metrics that lead to much more powerful business conversations - and the growth your CEO is looking for. Who knows, you might also get a raise.
In recent years, many retailers have implemented powerful attribute-based (a.k.a. faceted) navigation systems that make it easier for customers to filter, sort, navigate, and buy from a retailer’s inventory. Most of Netconcepts’ clientele who have implemented these technologies report good results, increased conversion and sales. From the natural search perspective, many such marketers are pleasantly […]