October 5, 2009

Go to SES Berlin or SES Chicago for "Four Keynote Themes"

During the past three weeks, I've given you three great reasons for going to either Search Engine Strategies Berlin or SES Chicago 2009. For those who want to catch up, they were "three key trends", "two early birds," and "a ranking in the top three."

This week, I'll focus on a fourth compelling reason -- and it isn't to hear "four calling birds."

You should plan to attend SES Berlin or Search Engine Strategies Chicago 2009 to hear "four keynote themes."

Let's start with SES Chicago 2009, where there will be three keynote themes well worth hearing.

On Day 1, the opening keynote is being given by Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do? He is associate professor and director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York's new Graduate School of Journalism. He is also consulting editor and a partner at Daylife, a news startup.

Jarvis writes about media, technology and business on his blog, BuzzMachine. A former TV critic for TV Guide and People magazine, as well as the creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly, he has also been assistant city editor and reporter for the Chicago Tribune and a reporter for Chicago Today.

"My keynote, like my book, isn't really about Google," says Jarvis. "It will be about the profound changes in the economy and society brought on by the Internet -- as seen through the success of the one company that has figured out and exploited them better than any other: Google."

Jarvis adds, "We'll have fun discussing the impact of search and the Google economy on every sector from media to advertising to restaurants to government.

On Day 2 of Search Engine Strategies Chicago 2009, the keynote speaker is Peter Morville, author of the best-sellers Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become and Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites. He is also the President of Semantic Studios and blogs at findability.org.

During his keynote, Morville is expected to expand on the themes found in his published works, including the idea of findability and the importance of a navigable and friendly user interface.

"At SES Chicago, this will be my first opportunity to talk about ideas in my new book - about the future of search and discovery," says Morville. "In addition to exploring the relationships between information architecture, ambient findability, and search engine optimization, we'll also be covering mobile search, decision engines, augmented reality, and emerging technologies that will change the way we find everything from answers and articles to products and people."

On Day 3, the keynote speaker is Dan Siroker, the web entrepreneur known for leading the analytics team for the Barack Obama presidential campaign. He also served as the Deputy Director of New Media on the presidential transition team.

Siroker's team of software engineers and analysts were responsible for optimizing the effectiveness of the Obama campaign's online operations that ended up raising over half a billion dollars, registering over 2 million voters, and enabling 3 million phone calls to be made in the final four days of the campaign.

Before joining the Obama campaign, Siroker was a Product Manager for Google Chrome and, before that, he worked as a Product Manager for Google AdWords.

"SES Chicago is, of course, in the President's hometown, so I'm really looking forward to sharing the lessons my team and I learned during the Obama campaign and how these practices can be applied to any data-driven decision," says Siroker. "Whether you're a developer, designer or marketer, if you're building a product or selling an idea, you can use data to do it better."

The fourth keynote theme will be delivered by Bill Hunt, the President of Back Azimuth Consulting and co-author of the best selling book "Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site", who will be the opening keynote speaker at Search Engine Strategies Berlin.

Hunt is currently on the Board of Directors of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization and writes Bill Hunt's Rants & Raves blog, which provides digital marketing commentary from a global marketing road warrior.

Hunt firmly believes that when we understand the searcher's intent, where a searcher is in the buying cycle or even understanding the type of search they are doing, advertisers can better intersect with the current demand for their type of products and services to increase sales. That's a keynote theme worth going to SES Berlin to hear.

Next week, we'll look at more reasons to go to either Search Engine Strategies Berlin or SES Chicago 2009. In the meantime, keep singing "four keynote themes, three key trends, two early birds, and a ranking in the top three."

Posted by Greg Jarboe at 3:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 29, 2009

20 Authors of Business, Marketing, PPC and SEO Books Speaking at SES San Jose

Bring a couple of book bags to Search Engine Strategies San Jose 2009 because there will be more than 20 authors of business, marketing, PPC and SEO books and speaking at the conference. I should disclose that I'm one of them.

Now, there are a lot of great conference speakers who haven't written a book -- yet. I should know. I've been speaking at SES conferences since 2003, six years before I wrote a book. And writing a book isn't like Doc Ostrow getting a Krell brain boost in the movie Forbidden Planet (1956).

Nevertheless, getting a book published does indicate that you've got more than 12 minutes of PowerPoint slides to share with attendees. And, it's "something that never looks bad on your permanent record," according to Greg Marmalard in the movie Animal House (1978).

As a new author, I'm also beginning to learn that tracking where you rank on Amazon.com is almost as addictive as tracking where you rank in Google. Now, Google guidelines do not recommend the use of products to check rankings. However, Amazon.com welcomes them. For example, Rankforest provides sales rank tracking for authors and publishers. They can view historical charts, export rankings, compare items, create alerts, and more.

So, as you look over the agendas for SES San Jose, the Social Media & Video Strategies Forum, and the Local Search Summit, you might want to know about the subjects that the conference speakers have written about as well as the topics that they are going to address. Here are the 20 authors that I know will be speaking at one or more of these events:

Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations.

Charlene Li, co-author of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies.

Tim Ash, author of Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions.

Optimizing Landing Pages -- Tim Ash's Tips and... Footwork

James Colborn, author of Search Marketing Strategies: A Marketers' Guide to Objective Driven Success from Search.

Bryan Eisenberg, co-author of Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results, Waiting For Your Cat to Bark?: Persuading Customers When They Ignore Marketing, and Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer.

Bryan Eisenberg Always be Testing: Google Website Optimizer

Mona Elesseily, author of Mastering Panama.

Eric Enge and Stephan Spencer, co-authors of The Art of SEO.

Dave Evans, author of Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day.

Andrew Goodman, author of Winning Results with Google AdWords.

Andrew Goodman- Winning Results with Google AdWords

Mike Grehan, author of Search Engine Marketing: The Essential Best Practice Guide.

Bill Hunt, co-author of Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site.

Greg Jarboe interviews Bill Hunt about his new book

Greg Jarboe, author of YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour A Day. http://www.amazon.com/YouTube-Video-Marketing-Hour-Day/dp/0470459697

Greg Jarboe - Mysteries of Online Video

Avinash Kaushik, author of Web Analytics: An Hour a Day.

Rebecca Lieb, author of The Truth About Search Engine Optimization.

Rebecca Lieb, eConsultancy, on her new book about search engine optimization at SES NY 2009

Lance Loveday, co-author of Web Design for ROI: Turning Browsers into Buyers & Prospects into Leads.

Robert Scoble, co-author of Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers.

Ayat Shukairy, co-author of Landing Page Optimization: The Complete Guide.

Shari Thurow, author of Search Engine Visibility and When Search Meets Web Usability.

Amanda Watlington, co-author of Business Blogs: A Practical Guide.

Now, I'm probably missing a few authors -- especially a couple of conference speakers who are still writing books that haven't been announced yet. Still, if you review the list above, you could fill a bookshelf with all the titles that have already been written by speakers at SES San Jose, the Social Media & Video Strategies Forum, and the Local Search Summit.

So, if you will be attending Search Engine Strategies San Jose 2009 for the first time, then imagine entering Flourish and Blotts for the first time. It's the popular bookstore in Diagon Alley where most Hogwarts students purchase their schoolbooks.

Who knows. Maybe famous wizard author Gilderoy Lockhart will be holding a book signing at the store.

Posted by Greg Jarboe at 6:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

December 16, 2008

Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization Books

If you are looking for corporate Christmas gift ideas (or Hanukkah gift ideas), let me recommend 10 business books, search engine marketing books and search engine optimization books (that you may also want to give yourself as a present).

And unlike the typical book reviews, you can decide which business, SEM or SEO books are worth buying and wrapping up for the holidays by checking out the video interviews with the authors below, who have all spoken at the Search Engine Strategies conference and expo series this year. I spoke with him after his keynote

Winning Results with Google AdWords by Andrew Goodman: This is at the top of my list because 97% of search engine marketers use Google AdWords, according to SEMPO's most recent State of the Market survey. Andrew is also the world's leading authority on Google AdWords. (He will be speaking about Ads in a Quality Score World at SES London on Feb. 18, 2009.) The forward was written by Danny Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief of Search Engine Land. Matt Cutts, head of Google's Webspam team, likes Andrew's book: "Review: Winning Results with Google AdWords." (Plus, Andrew gave me an autographed copy at SES Chicago.) But, you can also make up your own mind by watching the video interview below, where Andrew talks about his book (and gives a sneak preview of what you can expect at SES Toronto 2009, which he will be organizing and hosting.)

Andrew Goodman on Google Adwords

Click: What Millions of People are Doing Online and Why it Matters by Bill Tancer: This is the book that I want to buy for myself for Christmas. Bill is General Manager of Hitwise, which reports on how more than 25 million Internet users (10 million in the U.S.) interact with over 1 million websites across more than 160 industries. I interviewed Bill after his keynote speech at SES Chicago 2008, which was entitled, "We Are What We Click."

Bill Tancer on Search Patterns in 2008

Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site by Mike Moran and Bill Hunt: If this isn't the bible of SEM, it is at least the new testament. I just recommended it yesterday to one of my brand name clients. The forward was written by David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of "The Rules of Marketing and PR." I interviewed Bill following one of his presentations at SES San Jose 2008.

Greg Jarboe interviews Bill Hunt about his new book

Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy by Lawrence Lessig: A Stanford Law School Professor and Wired columist, Lawrence was also another one of the keynote speakers at SES Chicago 2008. Byron Gordon of SEO-PR interviewed him last week at the show.

Lawrence Lessig on Copyright laws at SES Chicago 2008 Web Analytics: An Hour a Day by Avinash Kaushik: Okay, so Avinash is a Buckeye from The Ohio State University (and I'm a Wolverine from the University of Michigan). Nevertheless, he's also the author of the highly rated web analytics blog Occam's Razor and the Analytics Evangelist for Google. So, I can overlook his alma mater and focus on his expertise in web analytics strategy. I interviewed Avinash after his presentation at SES New York 2008.

Web Analytics Recap with Avinash Kaushik at SES NY 2008

The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google by Nicholas Carr: Nick was one of the keynote speakers at SES London 2008 and SES New York 2008. He is also a neighbor of mine -- the next town over. I interviewed him back in February.

The Big Switch by Nicholas Carr

Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer by Bryan Eisenberg and John Quarto-von Tivadar: Bryan is a New York Times bestselling author and John is his chief scientist at FutureNow. They show you how to test and tune your site to get more leads, sales, and profit by using Google's free A/B and multivariate website testing tool, Google Website Optimizer. Bryan will also be speaking at SES London 2009 at the Measuring Success in a 2.0 World session. Mitch Joel, President of Twist Image, interviewed Bryan following his keynote presentation at SES Toronto 2008.

Bryan Eisenberg Always be Testing: Google Website Optimizer

Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob by Lee Siegel: After his keynote speech at SES San Jose 2008, I interviewed Lee. Actually, to be more precise, I attempted to interview Lee, who was more interested in beating up on Gawker.

Lee Siegel Punches the Internet

Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions by Tim Ash: Before I interviewed Tim at SES New York 2008, I extracted a promise that he'd show me his best salsa dance steps. Hey, I don't shill just anybody's book.

Optimizing Landing Pages -- Tim Ash's Tips and... Footwork

Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel: Okay, so you can't buy Mitch's new book until next year. But I only had nine Christmas gift ideas so far and most lists have either the top 10 books or top 10 Christmas gifts. And it doesn't hurt to get a sneak preview, right? Mona Elesseily of Page Zero Media interviewed Mitch at SES Totonto 2008 about his upcoming book.

Six Pixels of Separation and Universal Search by Mitch Joel

Posted by Greg Jarboe at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

September 30, 2008

Search Engine Marketing Inc. (Second Edition) Is Hot Off The Press

Run, don't walk, to your favorite bookstore and pick up a copy of Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site (2nd Edition). Okay, okay, so most search engine marketers will simply order the paperback on Amazon.com. But, somehow 1-click ordering takes all the drama out of buying the latest book by Mike Moran and Bill Hunt.

And if you don't believe me, check out what Lee Odden, the CEO of TopRank Online Marketing and author of the Online Marketing Blog, has to say: “With Search Engine Marketing, Inc., Bill Hunt and Mike Moran have successfully updated what is already known in the industry as 'The Search Marketing Bible.' With new content, examples, and insight including social media and Web site search, this is a must read book for marketers at companies of all sizes from startups to the Fortune 100.”

I interviewed Bill about the new edition of the book back in August at Search Engine Strategies San Jose. And I've been keeping the video interview under wraps -- until today. You can watch it below -- before getting your hands on your very own copy. And, yes, this will be on the mid-term exam.

Greg Jarboe interviews Bill Hunt about his new book

Posted by Greg Jarboe at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 19, 2008

AdGooroo Founder Authors Search Advertising Book

Richard Stokes, the founder of search marketing firm AdGooroo, has announced the publication of his new book, Mastering Search Advertising – How the Top 3% of Search Advertisers Dominate Google AdWords. In the book, Stokes walks through the basics of setting up a PPC campaign and uses graphs and case studies to demonstrate successful marketing strategies. Stokes bases his information on 15 years of search marketing experience as well as competitive intelligence data from AdGooroo.

"Readily available marketing tips and tutorials, accessible on the Internet and other public forums, tend to be outdated or incorrect, while the techniques that really deliver results are kept close to the chest of those in the dominating minority,” explains Stokes. “This doesn't have to be the case, and the book provides the majority of search marketers with the tools and insights they need to improve their performance and level the playing field.”

The book is available through major retailers. You can read samples from the book here.

Related Reading: AdGooroo Names Power Users When Being First Isn't Worth It 77.4% of Search Ads to Google in Q2 2008 Yahoo Gains, Google Declines, and MSN Plummets for Q2 2008 Search Ads

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 29, 2007

Are Your Eyes Open to the Changed Advertising Ecosystem?

Books are food for the mind. Some merit gobbling down quickly; others are to be read more slowly, nibbled at and savored. Kevin Lee's new book with Steve Baldwin The Eyes Have It (ISBN 13: 978-0974380667) published by Easton Studio Press should be read carefully and thoughtfully, for there is a lot of nutrition for the mind between the covers. Those familiar with Kevin's column in ClickZ already know how many thought-provoking ideas he can cram into just a single column. Now, imagine what's in 189 pages of this book.

The book's premise is that we live in a time when advertising, as it was once known, has undergone fundamental changes. The advertising ecosystem of just a few short decades ago is dying. Gone are the days where a brand could rapidly get at millions of untargeted consumers through a few select television ads. The dying ecosystem is being replaced with a new ecosystem of digital media where constant change is the norm, and results are highly accountable and can be achieved very rapidly.

In the book Kevin provides a roadmap for navigating this changed ecosystem. It is a roadmap that is familiar ground for those who work in the new ecosystem, for it is both search and consumer-centric. Kevin provides a great deal of advice for those on the client side who are charged with marketing in the new environment, when to seek advice and what type of advice to look for.

This book gives an eyes-wide open view of the search space. I particularly enjoyed his tongue-in-cheek outline of the warning sign that he believes should be flashing at the start campaign moment of paid search. Marketers should heed this warning. The warning would remind (1) that the search engines are not responsible for the success of the purchaser's campaign (you've got to pay attention to conversion and bear the burden yourself), (2) that the search marketplace is very competitive and opaque, (3) that the engines provide lots of sophisticated targeting tools requiring intense concentration to learn and use, and (4) that lots of advertisers are chasing the same keywords – some smart and some well . . . you know who they are.

For those who must have the details, the book is in nine chapters, most of which have multiple subsections. They are titled:

Chapter 1 – Eye of the Storm: Madison Avenue in Crisis Chapter 2 – Eyestrain: Digital Marketing Isn't Easy (And It Isn't Going to Get Easier Chapter 3 – Eyes Wide Shut: The Media Plan is Obsolete Chapter 4 – Lyin'Eyes: The Search Engine and Digital Media Marketplace are Neither Fair nor Transparent Chapter 5 – 20:20 Vision: Branding Is Not dead Chapter 6 – Eye of the Robot: Technology Is Central (But It Isn't Enough) Chapter 7 – Fleeting Eyes: Change Is the Only Constant Chapter 8 – Eyes on the Prize: Assessing the Digital Marketing Opportunities Provided by Today's Major Players Chapter 9 -- Conclusions

One note that is heard throughout the book and is echoed in my own conversations with other search marketers is that search marketing is not getting any easier in fact it is a very complex marketplace even for the professionals to navigate. I am eager to hear Kevin's take on “Selling Your Integrated Plan to the C-Suite” Wednesday, December 5 when he is on a panel by this name at Search Engine Strategies Chicago.

Posted by Amanda Watlington at 1:02 PM | Permalink

April 25, 2007

Book review of How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders by Catherine Seda

Industry and SES veteran Catherine Seda has authored a new book published by New Riders entitled: How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders. Written for the small to mid-sized business owner or entrepreneur, this book provides a clear roadmap for how these businesses can leverage the Web to boost their business performance. This book goes beyond search into blogs, podcasting, social media, email and affiliate marketing. it covers a broad sprectrum of Internet marketing tactics. The chapters are peppered with case histories and valuable insights from industry veterans. The book is clearly for the business owner audience. It was not written for the professional search engine marketer; however, search pros will want to recommend the book to small and mid-sized business clients struggling with how to navigate the online marketing waters.

An experienced author and columnist for Entrepreneur magazine, Cat knows her audience well. Having read her work for a number of years, I find myself marveling yet again at her breezy can-do writing style. Cat makes tough topics seem easy. The content is very accessible with lots of easy-to-read bulleted lists and highlighted tips. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am a contributing author of this book and Chris Sherman was the technical editor.).

Posted by Amanda Watlington at 8:03 AM | Permalink

August 3, 2006

A Multimedia Search Marketing Course

Want to learn search marketing through a guided, professionally produced CD ROM based course? A new offering from respected search marketer and SES speaker Catherine Seda might be right for you. I've got more information on Cat's new offering in today's SearchDay article, Learning Search Marketing via Multimedia.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 11:35 AM | Permalink

July 6, 2006

Search Engine Optimization in an Hour a Day

If you're just getting started with search marketing, it can be tough to know where to start or which sources of information to trust. Things change quickly, and what worked yesterday doesn't always work today. Fortunately, there are some fundamental approaches and techniques that always seem to work, and a new book does a great job of laying a foundation for search engine success. Even better, the book avoids jargon and stays away from the countless hotly debated "tactics" that often cause more harm than good. I've got a review of this new book in today's SearchDay article, A Beginner's Guide to Search Engine Optimization.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 12:37 PM | Permalink

May 24, 2006

Search Marketing Standard Hits The Newsstands

I reported last week that the new search marketing magazine, the Search Marketing Standard was delivered to over 15,000 people. Danny first mentioned this magazine back in April, and now it is here. The first issue has a lot of nice beginner style articles on SEM as well as some news related coverage from the industry. The next issue is expected by the end of August with the cover story being "Search Engine Marketing and Web Site Usability - a Winning Combination."

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 9:06 AM | Permalink

May 15, 2006

Google Ad Tools, For Newbies

We tend to assume our SEW audience is made up of fairly sophisticated search marketers, but from time-to-time we get requests for pointers from people just starting out with SEM. For those of you who are new to search marketing, I've reviewed a book in today's SearchDay article, Learning Google's Advertising Tools, that offers a solid introduction to getting started with Google's AdSense and AdWords programs.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 6:26 AM | Permalink

April 6, 2006

Search Marketing Magazine Coming Soon

Boris Mordkovich has been after me to mention his forthcoming quarterly magazine, the Search Marketing Standard. And I'm happy to do so, since it's definitely looking real now.

Boris sent me some screenshots last week, and Philip over at Google Blogoscoped got the same. You can have a look nicely posted cover over there. Want to read the magazine? It debuts in a few weeks, and if you're US based, you can get the first year free through April 30. And that's free -- no credit card is apparently required. Those of us outside the US have to cough up the $20 bucks.

Another magazine was rumored to be coming out last May, but that never seems to have happened. But it's nice to see this one now. It's another sign of search growing up to the point that those who simply prefer material printed on dead trees can tune into the industry. And I'm a firm dead tree reader myself. Plus, magazines help make coffee tables look nice and they're handy for, you know, catching up in the bathroom.

Oooh, did he really write that? Yeah, like I'm the only one doing quality reading in there :)

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 9:21 AM | Permalink

November 1, 2005

Web Site Measurement Hacks

Measuring the results of a search marketing campaign is a critical activity, but it's one that can be difficult or painful, especially if you're just getting started. Log file analysis tools, reports from paid search providers and other vendors can be both helpful and intimidating at the same time—especially if you're not really sure what you should be measuring.

A new book from web measurement guru Eric Peterson not only explains web analytics and measurement, it also shows you how to get the most from the array of tools and services available—even create your own system, should you like. I've got a full review of this excellent book in today's SearchDay article, Web Analytics, Demystified.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 6:13 PM | Permalink

October 27, 2005

Reading About Search Marketing

Most people in the search marketing business learned how to do it by plunging directly into a search optimization or advertising campaign, and adjusting and adapting on the fly. Until recently, there were few good books that offered advice for newcomers.

That's changing, and I've recently reviewed a bunch of good search marketing books. Part two of my collection of search-related book reviews, A Compilation of Search Marketing Book Reviews, looks at ten books that even pros can benefit from reading.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 10:49 AM | Permalink

September 7, 2005

Search Engine Marketing, Inc.

It takes a wide spectrum of experience, knowledge and skills to design and run an effective search marketing campaign, particularly if it's a major campaign for a large company. While there's no substitute for hands-on experience, there are a number of good books that can help people get up to speed with the basics of search marketing. However, most SEO/SEM books tend to focus on the tactics of optimization or managing paid links.

A new book from SES veteran speakers Mike Moran and Bill Hunt goes beyond the tactical level of search marketing, drawing on their experiences running the huge global effort for IBM.com. It's an excellent read for anyone, regardless of skill level. I've got a complete review in today's SearchDay article, The Business of Search Engine Marketing.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 1:46 AM | Permalink

August 18, 2005

Thumbs Up For Search Engine Marketing, Inc. Book

A Business Case for SEM from PJ Fusco at ClickZ looks at the new Search Engine Marketing, Inc. book from Mike Moran and Bill Hunt of IBM, long-time speakers at our SES shows on the topic of big site optimization. She finds it full of great fundamentals for anyone to use. FYI, a first chapter excerpt can be found here.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 9:06 AM | Permalink

August 2, 2005

Read All About PPC Search Marketing

A new book from Boris and Eugene Mordkovich offers a comprehensive look at all aspects of pay-per-click search advertising. The Pay-Per-Click Search Engine Marketing Handbook is a 186-page guide that starts with the basics of paid placement programs, and explores various strategies and options for getting the most from your campaigns. More information and a sample chapter from the book is available at http://www.ppcbook.info/.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 10:38 AM | Permalink

July 29, 2005

Threadwatch Thumbs Up For SEO Book eBook

Review: The SEO Book has Nick Wilson doing an in-depth review of Aaron Wall's long-standing eBook, SEO Book. Verdict? Highly recommended to anyone of any skill level to purchase the US $79 guide.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 9:37 AM | Permalink

June 8, 2005

Learning Search Engine Marketing

Anyone just starting to get a handle on search marketing faces a bewildering array of books, web sites, discussion forums and other resources that all promise wonderful things. Some of these sources are valuable and useful; others, sadly, are created by people who either don't know what they're talking about or worse, are intent on peddling the online equivalent of snake oil and making a buck off the gullible and clueless.

Fortunately, there are good sources of information available (apart from SEW, of course :-). Today's SearchDay article, Search Marketing in a Box, reviews The Search Engine Marketing Kit by Dan Thies. Dan is a regular speaker at Search Engine Strategies, and his book is a clear, comprehensive guide to both search engine optimization and paid search programs. Best of all, the book is completely lacking in any of the foofaraw that you find in so many other so-called search marketing "resources."

Posted by Chris Sherman at 9:20 AM | Permalink

May 26, 2005

Search Marketing Trade Publication Coming

Spotted by Search Engine Guide, news that search marketing is looking to get its first print magazine. It will be from SYS-CON media and to be called SEM/SEO Journal. A news release has more details on the launch, to come in the second half of this year. An online site is also promised at www.SEO.sys-con.com, though that URL just resolves back to the main SYS-CON site for now.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 2:21 PM | Permalink

May 9, 2005

So You've Attracted Searchers - Now What?

All too often it seems that search marketers have a sole objective of getting top-ten rankings in search results. While that's a noble goal, it's wasted effort if searchers click through to your web site and then don't do something—buy a product, sign up for your newsfeed, register for your conference—whatever your unique conversion opportunity happens to be.

A new book from ClickZ columnists Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg extends the concept of search marketing to a much more thorough, holistic approach to online merchandising that focuses on converting searchers to buyers. It's a terrific book, packed with great ideas and eminently practical tips for improving your overall search marketing and web site development efforts. For more, see my review in today's SearchDay article, Converting Searchers to Buyers.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 10:30 AM | Permalink

March 23, 2005

Writing Search Friendly Web Content

Last week I wrote about eye tracking studies that emphasized the importance of creating content that users respond to favorably after finding pages using search engines. One way to get people reading and interested is to write for your audience—your users— rather than simply trying to tweak your words to rank well. As obvious as this sounds, effective copywriting gets surprisingly little attention in the search optimization community, despite being one of the key elements of overall web site success.

Today's SearchDay article, Writing for Search Engines, reviews a comprehensive eBook that's focused solely on the art and craft of creating copy that's both search friendly and grabs attention, compelling web users to action. It's an excellent book, and deserves a place on every serious search pratitioner's bookshelf.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 9:14 AM | Permalink

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