aimClear® Search Marketing Blog

Did I just lose a contact, or does it seem like the lines between public-relations practitioner and online marketer are blurring? An increasing number of SEOs seem to think so (I happen to agree), but their perceptions of the role PR pros play in the SEM sandbox range from toy-sharer to sand-village slave.

Recently, I read a Search Engine Watch article by Jeremy Bencken that focused on the link-building benefits of PR. The post shared some sweet tips that any PR practitioner should implement, but some advice centered on PR primarily as a link-building tactic, neglecting the fact that PR is a strategy in and of itself: to drive the awareness that leads to the search. In other words, a story placed through media-relations efforts might not include a link, but if it led a reader to search for more information, it did its job. More on this concept after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Those at #SESCHI 2010 witnessed the epic battle of PPC vs. SEO. Queue the Rocky-theme music! In the red corner we’ve got SEO, and in the blue corner is PPC. This session saw the likes of Julie Batten, VP of media strategies with Klick Communications, and Stacie Susens, director of client strategy and development with Resolution Media, square off over which is the best online marketing tactic. aimClear live-tweeted this session (via @lindsaylorraine). Read on for full coverage of the pros and cons of both sides of the SEM debate, & find out which prevailed in the Search Engine Strategies ring…

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This session was especially geared toward the search novice, with details on programs from major providers and advice on how to succeed. The assembled audience was comprised of Small business owners, agency representatives and in-house advertising representatives.

The panelists provided a well rounded program chock full of sound basic approaches to what can be a very daunting road to travel. Read the rest of this entry »

The bandwidth involved working with my SEM colleagues, twittering, staying in touch with Facebook peeps and processing clients is delightfully staggering. Sometimes an innocuous written exchange blasts across my desk amidst the noise,  strikes a nerve and leaves me in thought.

In this case a state-level branch of a well known national brand, pinged me by email to ask common SEO shopping questions, including classic misunderstandings: personalized search and “site submissions.”  The inquiry was a bit of a “Dear John” letter, so other firms likely received a similar inquiry. We don’t respond to RFPs but make it our practice to answer polity to reasonable questions time-allowing, with the corporate mantra being to support potential clients.

I’m memorializing my answers to that inquiry in this post, for the benefit of future clients and our Account Managers.  I’ve fictionalized names to protect anonymity. Read the rest of this entry »

There was a palpable hush in our aimClear rotunda office yesterday afternoon as, *gasp,* I finally caved personally to incorrect usage of of the initials “SEM” to humor our PPC client. Sadly in this wacky world of nearly indistinguishable acronyms, abbreviations and cryptic terms there’s a colloquial tragedy afoot. Even the New York Times got SEM wrong. Read the rest of this entry »