12 new KPIs for the generative AI search era
We’ve spent years tracking clicks and rankings. But in the age of LLMs and AI search, are we still measuring what matters?
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Duane Forrester's latest articles
Inside the AI-powered retrieval stack – and how to win in it
The page is dead. Long live the stack. Here's how vector databases, embeddings, and Reciprocal Rank Fusion have changed the search stack.
What The Future Of Search And Social Marketing Means To An InHouse SEM
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the future of search. What will it look like? What will the changes ahead mean to me as an inhouse search marketer? Will my work be different? Will I need new skills? It’s almost a dead certain reality that any inhouse search marketer today will need to develop […]
When In House Should Opt For Outsourcing
There are not too many times when I advocate that an in-house SEO program should turn to outsourcing. Far too many times I have seen businesses hire agencies to perform SEO work, and it ends up being a case of the visually impaired leading the visually impaired. It’s rare, but some agencies and consultants truly […]
In-House Training: The Plan Versus Reality
As part of your job managing in-house search marketing, you’ve no doubt created a training plan. At some point, you either have delivered training, or will need to. Whether it is natural search optimization, paid search management, social media, link building or any of the other disciplines that orbit around the world of search, training […]
6 New Years Resolutions For In-House SEMs
Your resolution list might look different than this one, but that’s not the point. The point here is that you actually have an SEO resolution list. Either get cracking on those projects that stalled in 2009 and find your success by managing the work smartly, or use some of these ideas to jumpstart your 2010 […]
Do You Sound Like A Broken Record? Get Used To It…
In a world where everything changes at break-neck speed, it seems like not a day goes by where I don’t utter some version of the same words and advice. After a recent chat with a couple of other in-house SEOs, it occurred to me… we sound like a broken record. Are we destined to repeat […]
Need A Culture Shift? Build An SEO Taser!
It’s no secret everyone wants to see results these days. Times are tough, revenues down, expectations are up. It’s a fight to maintain market share, never mind grow it. And every day your inbox bubbles up requests for “SEO to drive more traffic, more page views, MORE REVENUE!” You want to help folks, you want […]
SEO Careers In A Recession
First off, I would like to start by reminding everyone to participate in the SEMPO.org 2009 in-house salary survey. Running for the second year, this benchmark survey provides direct industry feedback, from in-house professionals like you, on the realities of compensation in this profession. Agency side folks, don’t worry, will be launching the second annual […]
Q&A With Paul O’Brien, Vice President of Marketing at Zvents.com
Paul O’Brien is an old-hand at the online marketing game, having honed his skills with brands such as Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard. I recently had an opportunity to chat with Paul, and it’s always impressive to meet well-rounded, knowledgeable thought leaders like him. If you think you have heard Paul’s name before, it could be because […]
Q&A With Kieran Hawe, Director, SEO/Search: MTV Networks
This month in our continuing series of interviews of inhouse SEMs, we speak with Kieran Hawe. Kieran practices our art as the Director, SEO / Search – Global Digital Media for MTV Networks, based in New York. He’s taken the time to offer up advice for readers not just on SEO and career aspirations, but […]
Q&A With Bill Scully, Director eMarketing: Siemens Water Technologies
This month for our in house SEO interview series, we sat down to chat with Bill Scully, Director of eMarketing with Siemens Water Group. Bill’s varied back ground and hands-on history has enabled him to showcase clear successes for his company, which has translated to a solid career path for himself. Beyond that, Bill is […]
Q&A with Marshall Simmonds, In-House SEM: About.com, NYT.com
As a continuation of our series of interviews with in-house search engine marketers, this month we’ve engaged Marshall Simmonds. He heads up the search-related efforts at About.com and the New York Times. Marshall has a deep history working in this industry, and we wanted to ask him a few things, such as what his biggest […]
Q&A With Rob Crigler, Director Of Interactive Marketing For Orkin
Rob Crigler is the Director of Interactive Marketing for Orkin (NYSE: ROL), overseeing online media, DRTV, web dev, Internet yellow pages, SEO, and SEM. Rob has over 20 years of marketing experience, and he has been working in the interactive space for so long that he can actually remember days of the Internet long before […]
Q&A With Bill Macaitis, SVP Online Marketing For Fox Interactive Media
Bill Macaitis is the SVP of Online Marketing for Fox Interactive Media (FIM), which runs a network of entertainment sites including MySpace, Fox Sports, IGN, Photobucket, AskMen, Rotten Tomatoes, American Idol, GameSpy, Scout, and Flektor. The FIM network reaches over 171 million monthly unique visitors. Bill has over 12 years of online marketing experience with […]
Rallying The Troops When Support Turns To Apathy
When you first started your in-house SEO program, it was likely a tough sell. You had to convince executives to green-light your idea, which many probably didn’t understand the first time around. They wanted projected ROI, and you tried to explain the difficulty of predicting that. Your boss wanted things rolled up to a higher […]
Are We In-House SEO Experts? Not Really… And Here’s Why
When you hear the phrase “in-house SEO expert” or “in-house SEO,” certain things immediately flash to mind. There’s the glamour bits built around the perceptions fostered from hearing of six-figure salaries, or direct involvement in big projects and depth of contact many in-house search marketers seem to have within the executive workings of their companies. […]
The Art Of Growing An In-House Search Marketing Team
You’ve been tasked with building an in-house search marketing team, and now you’re wondering where to start. It’s a daunting task, to be sure. Do you start by rousting the programmers to get the content management system (CMS) into shape? Do you grab a credit card and start up a paid search campaign? Do you […]
Building A Career In Search Marketing
So, you’ve decided that a career in search marketing IS for you. Sure, your friends, parents, and significant other have no idea what you’re talking about when you describe the profession, but there’s money to be made, and you want your share! But, where to begin? Wanting the job is one thing. Being qualified for […]
Big SEO: Automate Or Die Trying
If you are one of the growing numbers of in-house SEOs working on larger web sites, things can get a bit “scratch-your-head, where-do-I-start” difficult. If you’re managing tens of millions of pages, or even tens of thousands of pages, there’s no doubt you need to automate things. Even those working on smaller sites that produce […]
Vetting An Agency: Protecting The Family Jewels
One of the biggest realizations that hit many in-house search marketers is the simple fact that they cannot do it all themselves. Despite the best of intentions and the strongest work ethics, the fact remains—you are but one person and there are only so many hours in a day. If you are fortunate enough to […]