aimClear Search Marketing Blog

Next week search industry thought leaders from around the globe will converge for Canada’s premier annual SEM conference, Search Engine Strategies Toronto 2008. Show organizers Andrew Goodman and SES Global Content Director Kevin Ryan have put together a dandy 2 day, 3 track and specialized half day training sessions program which promises to be state of the art. Read the rest of this entry »

SEM industry writers, conference organizers and attendees are passionately defending, disparaging and debating ethics surrounding so-called “gray/black hat tactics” presented @ SMX Advanced Seattle. I was surprised to find such virulent threads in BruceClay Blog and Sphinn. The contrast of post-show buzz caught me off guard and now over initial reactions, I have a few reflections. Read the rest of this entry »

Micheal Gray (Graywolf) appropriately notes that it’s sometimes necessary to “burn down” domains to properly test the Google algorithm. Likewise, serious reputation managers know what it’s like to have trolls take a profile to the brink. One learns the ropes quickly. Read the rest of this entry »

The midnight SeaTac passenger lounge seems strangely romantic to this bleary eyed writer, awaiting the 12:40AM flight to Minneapolis and then Duluth, Minnesota. I’m positive the excitement of SMX Advanced 2008 will not wear off before we all get together for Advanced again next year. This was one hell of a conference. Read the rest of this entry »

Aromatic Starbucks coffee (of course) fills my hotel room as first light, obscured by coastal fog, peeks through lace curtains here at the lovely Seattle Marriott Waterfront.

It’s exciting to think that dozens of true search industry luminaries are cloistered within one city block here in the heart of downtown Seattle’s famed waterfront district.

Search executives, consultants, clients, vendors, agencies and technicians handling billions of dollars in marketing-spend and commerce are about to lace up their casual business best and get down to some powerful discussion. SMX Advanced surely is the place to be this classic rainy Seattle morning. Read the rest of this entry »

Friends, we’re pleased to announce that aimClear will co-host an early second night stealth cocktail gathering in Seattle with our pals from Clix Marketing. Proprietor, PPC expert and all around good guy David Szetela and I will entertain those invited.

There’s no charge to attend and the early start leaves plenty of time for other parties you may have planned for later. We invite you to kick off the evening with us.

To receive an official aimClear/Clix invitation, in the form of coveted “Clix Orange” wristbands, just ask me personally or stop by the Clix Marketing booth on the SMX exposition floor. Here are the specifics: Read the rest of this entry »

Last Thursday in his post “Got A Great Organic SEO Tip? Pitch & Go To SMX Advanced!” Danny Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief, Search Engine Land, issued an invitation for “great” SEO tips.

The contest (Sphunn here) was intriguing to us because (a) I was already going to attend the conference on media credentials to cover & (b) I’m speaking @ SES Toronto later this month (along with several SMX Advanced speakers) and already have a couple of majors under the belt this year.

Friday we submitted ideas to Greg Boser (per SEL instructions) and were fortunate to receive an invitation to fill the 6th and final speaker slot for the “Give It Up” session on the last day. Thanks to SMX and Third Door for the invite. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wonder why your LinkedIn profile ranks (dangerous word) well in Google results for your name? There’s plenty of dialog in the SEM community regarding SEMs exploiting the high organic value of well-constructed social media profiles, especially those developed and nurtured in mainstream communities like Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, LinkedIn and about 50 other consensus-worthy niche sites.

The tactic is time consuming, requires committed writers truly savvy to social media etiquette and can be highly effective. Google rewards active social community members so well constructed social media profile-plays can be organic ranking machines. These techniques represent yet another fascinating intersection of SEO (natural search), social media and PR. Read the rest of this entry »

Tune in to Webmsterradio.fm for this week’s edition of PPC Rockstars, featuring advertising expert David Szetela’s interview with me. David and I discussed social PPC, a quickly emerging content network hybrid which will soon become an important component of your paid search marketing mix. Read the rest of this entry »

A cursory glance at session titles belies the intense depth of SMX Advanced 2008. “Blow Your Mind Link Building Techniques,” “Conversion Optimization: Winning After They Arrive,” “Closing The Loop: Are You Tracking Every Lead?,” “You&A With Matt Cutts,” “Search Marketing & Surviving A Recession” and “Amazing New PPC Tactics” are but a few marquis presentations that have hard-core SEM pros salivating as they jet to Seattle June 3rd and 4th from all over the world. Read the rest of this entry »