October 15, 2008

SEW Experts: Googloomy Times, Desperate Measures

Crashing markets, bank bailouts, and government investments in the private sector are the new norm. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "Googloomy Times, Desperate Measures," Kevin Ryan takes a closer look at what you can do to avoid being caught up in the hoopla. If you're smart about it, you might just benefit from the downside and create your own upside.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 2, 2008

SEW Experts: Economic Depression 2.0

Using some past economic low times as historical guides, what can the online world expect in the coming months? In today's building brand equity column, "Economic Depression 2.0," Erik Qualman notes that one likely outcome is a permanent shift from traditional channels to online marketing. Yes, online marketing could reach the highest percentage of marketing spend sooner than any of us imagined.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 1, 2008

SEW Experts: In Tough Economic Times, Whither Search?

The news about our world's economic conditions aren't just bad, they're insane. What will happen to advertising and marketing dollars as a result? Is search insulated from our economic meltdown? In today's Searching for Meaning column, "In Tough Economic Times, Whither Search?," Kevin Ryan gives the short answer: not by a long shot. He then explains that the long answer is a bit more complicated.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 15, 2008

SEW Experts: Recruiting SEO Talent for Big Sites

Finding an experienced SEO expert is not easy, when most are either in top-level positions at an agency or have their own successful consulting firms. In today's enterprise search marketing column, "Recruiting SEO Talent for Big Sites," Aaron Shear advises that, to begin your search, you must first throw everything you know about hiring out the window.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 20, 2008

SEW Experts: Stop the Web, I Want To Get Off! Drop Me at the Global Village

Web 2.0? Web 3.0? It's time we take a bigger view. With all the innovations that are available to the online world, it's about time we dropped thoughts of categorization and departmentalization. In today's SEM Crossfire column, "Stop the Web, I Want To Get Off! Drop Me at the Global Village," Frank Watson and Chris Boggs wonder, if the Web is an integral part of our homes and work, isn't it time we embraced it? And that means all of it, not just the parts we profit from.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 29, 2008

SEW Experts: Five Traits of the Ideal Link Builder

If you've decided to expand your team, or perhaps hire your first link marketer, there are some important qualities to look for in potential hires. In today's Link Building column, "Five Traits of the Ideal Link Builder," Justilien Gaspard outlines those five traits, which can help you identify candidates that are most likely to be successful and productive members of your link marketing team.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 28, 2008

SEW Experts: Forget Competition, the Search Wars are Over

Advertisers love competition because (arguably) costs will be driven down. In the single search environment that already exists in many countries around the world, search advertising costs are set by one entity. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "Forget Competition, the Search Wars are Over," Kevin Ryan wonders if maybe we shouldn't count the other (non-Google) search engines out just yet.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 16, 2008

SEW Experts: Training Your Search Marketing Employees - Part 2

Advanced practitioners come to an agency with the skills in place to help grow the business. That's why we hire them. In today's Business of Search column, "Training Your Search Marketing Employees - Part 2," Fionn Downhill notes that because they're skilled in relation to their job, the priority is to train them to flourish in the agency.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 15, 2008

SEW Experts: Keeping SEO Staff Motivated and Driven

Talented link developers are hard to find -- you want to retain them as long as possible. In today's Link Building column, "Keeping SEO Staff Motivated and Driven," Justilien Gaspard offers tips on some incentives you can use to keep your link marketers productive and driven, while reducing staff turnover.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 9, 2008

SEW Experts: Black, White, and Blue all Over

The LA Times is in the midst of an aggressive online product rollout. If anyone should be able to build solid local content sites, it's newspapers. In today's Vertical Search column, "Black, White, and Blue all Over," local search expert Michael Boland outlines their efforts, noting that it's their game to lose, with a sizeable but quickly closing head start, as publishers across the country sit on their hands.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 22, 2008

Google Sued for Ad Fraud; Another Class Action Settlement?

Today Google was slapped with a an advertising fraud lawsuit that will be fascinating – and important – for AdWords advertisers to watch.

The lawsuit, which seeks class action status, was filed by the firm of Kabateck Brown Kellner, on behalf of David Almeida, a Massachusetts-based private investigator. The lawsuit claims that Google defrauds advertisers by obscuring the fact that new AdWords campaigns are set by default to display ads on both Google's search results pages (and like pages served by partners like AOL) and pages owned by site publishers who display AdWords ads via Google's Adsense programs.

Readers of my weekly SEW Content Advertising column are familiar with this phenomenon, and my suggested best practice of creating separate search and content campaigns.

At the risk of making life harder for my friends at Google, I need to point out that the suit seems to get one important fact wrong. Reports today in CNET, Yahoo! Finance, Wired and other outlets imply that advertisers are presented with the ability to “opt out” of displaying ads on the content network during campaign creation. Here's the way Yahoo puts it:

“During this process, users encounter two adjacent boxes. Into the first, customers enter the amount they wish to pay per "click" of an ad displayed on Google.com. The second box is marked "optional." Into this box, a user can enter the amount they would be willing to pay per "click" of an ad appearing on a third party web page. But leaving the box blank does not prevent ads from appearing on third-party sites.”

The truth is, advertisers don't see this option during campaign creation. The only way for them to opt out of displaying ads on the content network is for advertisers to explicitly edit the settings of their campaign after creating it, and un-check the box labeled “Content Network” – which is checked by default. Some would reason this makes Google even more exposed to fraud charges.

Another irony: some of the reporting claims the content network is inherently flawed in some way. Here's how Yahoo! puts it:

“Ads on third-party sites are widely-acknowledged to be far less effective (and therefore less valuable to the advertiser) than ads on Google.com.”

Readers of my column know that the content network is not “less effective;” savvy advertisers realize that great, profitable results can be obtained by advertising on content sites. The rules and best practices for creating effective content campaigns are, however, much different than for search campaigns. To Google's credit, they've been trying to make these differences more clear.

I'll dig into this subject more deeply in the next installment of my column. Meanwhile, my predictions, no matter which way the lawsuit is decided:

1. Google will finally make opting out of the content network much more straightforward, with clear instructions during campaign creation.

2. Google's advertiser education efforts, via their tutorials and help files, will much more explicitly teach the differences search and content ad campaign best practices.

Posted by David Szetela at 7:53 PM | Permalink

April 15, 2008

Is Search Recession-Proof?

The online advertising industry hasn't been immune to recession fears, and online advertising will probably suffer if there is a recession. But search will likely be the last place from which marketers pull their ad dollars. In today's SearchDay, "Is Search Recession-Proof?" Reprise Media's Joshua Stylman explains why: paid search is accountable, efficient, and built on a cost-controlled model, making it the most recession-proof medium in the ad world.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 6:56 AM | Permalink

April 4, 2008

SEW Experts: Recruiting the Right People for Your SEM Business

If you've been a one-man operation until now, hiring your first employee is a major milestone. However, making the wrong choice can seriously impact your business. In today's Business of Search column, "Recruiting the Right People for Your SEM Business - Part 1," Fionn Downhill warns that the success of your search marketing business depends on the quality of the staff you hire. Getting the right people will largely depend on how you go about the recruitment process.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

April 2, 2008

SEW Experts: How to Survive a Recession In Search

If you listen to the media, you'd know that a recession is nigh, and you should be locking yourself up in an underground bunker and hiding out for the next year. If you're a bit more selective in what you choose to believe, you may be thinking it would be wise to be prepared, in case an economic downturn does come. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "How to Survive a Recession ... In Search," Kevin Ryan offers five steps to help you improve the chances of your business surviving, and thriving, during hard times.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:03 AM | Permalink

March 27, 2008

Conversion Rates & The Value Of Outsourcing SEM/SEO

I recently got my hands on Marketing Sherpa's newly released Landing Page Handbook. This detailed guide is packed full of industry information and practical case studies.

One of the things that jumped out at me was a table of conversion rate averages for different marketing tactics. The survey data was drawn from over 5000 active online marketers in a variety of settings.

In-house managed PPC Search - 3.84% Outsourced managed PPC Search - 5.40% Difference: 40%

In-house Natural Search Optimization - 2.62% Outsourced Natural Search Optimization - 4.76% Difference: 80%

As you can see, the outsourced conversion rates are much higher. Before I go any further, I must admit that this is not a scientific sample, and that self-selecting biases of various kinds are bound to obscure these results. We are not given any breakdown by industry or company sizes, or other critical information. However, at a high level the data makes perfect sense, since agencies must perform better to justify their fees and keep their client's loyalty and business.

Agencies that are specialists in a particular area see a wide cross-section of accounts and industries among their clients and should be able to do a better job. This is not a slam at their hard-working and capable in-house counterparts. It is an acknowledgment that our industry moves very fast, and unless you have a whole organization focused on keeping up with the changes, it is very difficult to stay up on the latest developments.

Marketing activities are the engine of growth for a company. They are not administrative cost centers. Many companies mistakenly try to save a little money by running their programs in-house. They do not realize the real cost is in the lost opportunities that they can not capitalize on. If your in-house program is profitable, that is not enough - you must consider the scale of your program and always question how much money you might be leaving on the table. Giant conversion rate differences such as the above can be turned into strategic weapons that let you soundly trounce your competition.

So next time you consider the in-source / outsource decision, consider opportunity as well as direct costs.

Posted by Tim Ash at 2:59 PM | Permalink

March 21, 2008

SEW Experts: Sales and Your Search Marketing Agency - Part 2

A typical search marketing sales plan differs from other kinds of sales plans. The way to approach customers, close the deal, and structure the payment terms must all be considered in light of the unique demands of search. In today's Business of Search column, "Sales and Your Search Marketing Agency - Part 2," Fionn Downhill looks at these issues, including the pros and cons of performance-based relationships.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

March 18, 2008

Is the World Ready for Utility Computing?

Just as cheap power delivered over a universal grid revolutionized the processing of physical materials, cheap computing delivered over a universal grid is revolutionizing the processing of informational or intellectual goods. That's the premise of The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google, the latest book by Nicholas Carr, former executive editor of the Harvard Business Review.

In today's SearchDay, "Q&A with Nicholas Carr, author, The Big Switch," we asked Carr about some of the issues raised in his book, which explores the future of computing and its implications for business and society. Carr will also discuss some of those topics today during his opening keynote at SES New York.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 7:45 AM | Permalink

March 17, 2008

Are Search Jobs Recession-Proof? If So, How Do You Get One?

In the past, traditional marketing budgets and jobs have been among the first to be cut whenever the economy hits a rough patch. So what should those marketing folks do this time around? One option is to come join their search marketing brethren, since search is expected to weather the coming economic storm better than most forms of marketing or advertising.

In today's SearchDay, "Finding Recession-Proof SEM Jobs," Greg Jarboe shows that search engine marketing jobs and budgets really are recession-proof, and that going to SES New York this week may help traditional marketers get through the roughest economic times since World War II.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 3:44 AM | Permalink

March 7, 2008

SEW Experts: Sales and Your Search Marketing Agency - Part 1

Now that you know how to win the right search marketing clients, it's time to look at one of the most important areas of your business -- how to make sales. In today's Business of Search column, "Sales and Your Search Marketing Agency - Part 1," Fionn Downhill discusses ways a search marketing agency can gather sales leads, and turn those leads into sales.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

February 29, 2008

SEMPO Running Agency Salary Survey

Having successfully completed an in-house search marketers' salary survey in the fall (with results in January), SEMPO, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, is conducting an online salary survey of agency-based search marketers.

The survey presents less than 30 questions and can be completed in an estimated 12 minutes. It's open now and will run through mid March. Results of the survey will be published in connection with ad:tech San Francisco in April.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 2:53 PM | Permalink

February 14, 2008

SEW Experts: Search Engine Marketing Career Development

Why would anyone want to become an SEM professional? Well, it's a hot, growing, in-demand field, and everyone wants a piece of it: corporate clients, interactive agencies, investors, search engines, and traditional agencies. In today's SEM.EDU column, "Search Engine Marketing Career Development," Ron Jones explains that what each party wants and how they're going to get it differs, but those who are trained and prepared can step in, close the talent gap, and benefit everyone involved.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

February 8, 2008

SEW Experts: How To Market Your Search Engine Agency

You'd think that being in the marketing business would mean you were an expert at marketing your own business. In reality, it can be a struggle to keep a regular pipeline of sales leads. In today's Business of Search column, "How To Market Your Search Engine Agency - Part 1," Fionn Downhill shows you how to reach your target market and get those leads, which are so important when developing and growing your business.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

February 6, 2008

SEW Experts: 2008: Google, Yahoo and MSN Join Together

This just in: Microsoft, Google and Yahoo have agreed to combine forces to create MicroGooHoo, a universally accessible platform to provide clearly unbiased information access points for all humanity. Or maybe not. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "2008: Google, Yahoo and MSN Join Together," Kevin Ryan delves into the details of the coming battle between Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft over search and platform restrictive productivity enhancements.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

February 4, 2008

SEW Experts: Search Marketing Trends That Matter

Search optimization and advertising is gaining its rightful place among marketers' tools. In today's Search Ads column, "Microsoft-Yahoo: Search Marketing Trends That Matter," Matt Spiegel shares eight trends that will change your company's search engine strategies.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

February 1, 2008

MSN and Yahoo Merged: How Would It All Mash Up?

Hold on tight SEM artists. Search marketing is mainstream bacon & eggs in America this morning. Even the “tease” story on the Today show was Microsoft's “huge takeover bid to purchase struggling” Yahoo!

Microsoft's profits have been soaring due to increased demand for computer software. Yahoo is in the dumper, having just laid off 1,000 people. Is this acquisition finally real?

In 2006, the SearchEngineWatch blog was aBuzz with “Microsoft buying Yahoo” posts and hashing out possibilities in search marketing forum chit-chat threads. The Wall Street Journal prognosticated about the possibility of “a major departure for Microsoft." They wrote, "Microsoft has considered the idea of acquiring a stake in Yahoo, and that the two companies have discussed possible options over the course of the past year.”

Some SEMs who love major search engine drama games saw this one coming down the pike years ago, and are still salivating. For others, the very idea would be hell. Personally it makes me just giddy.

The potential implications for both organic and paid search marketing could be del.ici.us for the Microsoft desktop. For PPC the much maligned Panama and AdCenter paid advertising platforms, along with all their graphically beautiful albeit dysfunctionalretarded inadequacies, could be fixed.

Think about the intriguing social media marketing adventures which would be possible. Maybe Yahoo Answers will integrate in Windows Mobile OS. Office 2009 might just include Word documents sporting a new “Insert/Flickr Image" function. How does this affect the market landscape for Google's much heralded GPhone initiative. An aligned Yahoo/MS mobile platform-play would no doubt be a fascinating addendum to the Linux vs. Windows shoot out.

How will Yahoo email mashup with Outlook? What would pumping Yahoo Pipes into the MS machine mean to the feed aggregation paradigm? How would Microsoft create marketing mechanisms marketing to the decade old Yahoo Personals social graph?

The list goes on. MSN AdCenter was the first mainstream engine to dabble in demographic targeting, but the interface is weak. One would hope a combined Yahoo/MS team would know what to do with reams of data Yahoo has gathered about us all.

Aside from the potential effect on Yahoo/MS investors and the American economy (which will be reported on ad nauseum), the implications for the search marketing industry could be massive and exciting. Stay tuned. It might finally be true. Hold on tight search marketers and we'll see how it all mashes up.

Posted by Marty Weintraub at 10:02 AM | Permalink

January 31, 2008

SEW Experts: How To Educate Search Staff from Scratch

Educating employees in SEO and PPC marketing can seem impossible when they have no search background. In today's SEM.EDU column, "How To Educate Search Staff from Scratch," Ron Jones offers advice for those struggling to organize a program to teach employees the fundamentals of search.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

January 25, 2008

SEW Experts: Win the Right Search Marketing Clients - Part 2

For a search marketing agency, especially one just starting out, choosing the right clients can make or break your business. In today's Business of Search column, "Win the Right Search Marketing Clients - Part 2," Fionn Downhill follows last week's look at targeting start-ups and small business owners with a discussion about what mid-size and larger companies have to offer.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

January 18, 2008

SEW Experts: Top 5 Search Engine Marketing Trends 2008

With 2008 in full swing, the game is already starting to change for the SEO (define) community. In today's Outsourced column, "Top 5 Search Engine Marketing Trends 2008," William Flaiz reminds agencies that many of the trends in 2008 will mean more competition – and more opportunity.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

January 16, 2008

SEW Experts: Search Doesn't Matter

Is Google the Microsoft of the new millennium? Does search matter the way IT did four years ago? In today's Searching for Meaning column, "Search Doesn't Matter," Kevin Ryan looks at how Nick Carr's new book, The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google, and his previous one, Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage, apply to search engine marketing today.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

January 15, 2008

Experienced InHouse SEM Getting the Big Bucks

SEMPO published an interesting report about average salaries for inhouse search marketers, with experienced SEMs getting mid-to-high $100,000 salaries, as reported in SEW SearchDay.

The SEMPO report said that mid-to-high $100K to the $200K salaries usually go to those with 5-7 years' experience. The survey the report came from was a "cross-section of global entry-level, mid- and upper-level in-house managers and in-house analysts completed the online survey during the fall of 2007," SEMPO noted.

The actual report can be read here.

Posted by Frank Watson at 2:42 PM | Permalink

Cheap Computing Will Change Everything

Nick Carr, author of The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google, is the keynote speaker at Search Engine Strategies London, which will be held February 19-21, 2008, at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

In his book, Carr discusses how cheap electricity changed society 100 years ago, and cheap computing is in the process of changing society today.

"Cheap power delivered over a universal grid revolutionized the processing of physical materials. Cheap computing delivered over a universal grid is revolutionizing the processing of informational or intellectual goods," says Carr in today's SearchDay, "Q&A with Nick Carr, Author of The Big Switch."

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 2:38 PM | Permalink

January 4, 2008

SEW Experts: Win the Right Search Marketing Clients

As a new search marketing firm, what kinds of clients will best fit your business? In today's Business of Search column, "Win the Right Search Marketing Clients," Fionn Downhill breaks down the benefits and drawbacks of working with start-ups and small businesses, mid-sized businesses, and large organizations.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

December 26, 2007

SEW Experts: Google vs. the World

Round 1 goes to Google/DoubleClick and the U.S. FTC. Round 2: Will the EU strike a blow for global privacy? In today's Searching for Meaning column, "Google vs. the World," Kevin Ryan explores the latest trend in the interactive industry: consolidation.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

December 21, 2007

SEW Experts: SEM Agency: Uphill Battle? - Part 2

After deciding to go out on their own to start a search marketing agency, the main stumbling block for many people is a lack of organizational skills. In today's Business of Search column, "SEM Agency: Uphill Battle? - Part 2," Fionn Downhill covers some basic principles necessary for success.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

December 16, 2007

AdSense Ad Review: Good for Advertisers?

A few days ago Frank Watson blogged here about a new AdSense feature that lets site publishers exclude AdWords ads they feel may be inappropriate for their sites.

AdSense publishers will be able to view ads that advertisers have directed to their sites via Placement Targeting, and choose to block ads they don't feel are "relevant" to their site visitors.

This will certainly be used by AdSense publishers to (attempt to) maximize AdSense revenues - - publishers will block ads that they deem "low-revenue" in favor of ads that visitors will click on more frequently.

But is it good for advertisers? Well, yes and no...

Most AdWords advertisers who create Placement Targeted campaigns have done time-consuming research to identify sites that have proven (or are expected) to be relevant, in terms of producing valuable clicks and conversions. Knowing their ads can be blocked at the whim of an AdSense publisher might make advertisers more reluctant to spend the time necessary to target their advertising.

AdWords advertisers will be able to see the reason an ad was blocked - if the AdSense publisher chooses to provide it. Google says "This feedback gives advertisers more insight on how to increase coverage by adjusting ad quality, content, and relevance. We also use this information internally to help improve products."

Nice theory -- but will AdSense publishers really provide (optional) constructive feedback?

As I've pointed out in my SEW Experts column, Content advertising requires significant work and diligence -- arguably more than for Search advertising. Dealing with blocked ads -- understanding why an ad was blocked, and possibly even corresponding directly with a site owner to appeal the decision -- could just add unnecessarily to the advertiser's workload.

Hopefully this won't happen often - and the system will work to each side's satisfaction and benefit.

But let's keep an eye on it.

Posted by David Szetela at 11:31 AM | Permalink

December 7, 2007

SEW Experts: SEM Agency: Uphill Battle?

There are many challenges involved in setting up a search marketing business. Our new and ever-changing industry presents some unique challenges. In today's debut Business of Search column, "SEM Agency: Uphill Battle?," Elixir Systems' President Fionn Downhill shares some basic business advice on how to get started.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

December 6, 2007

SEW Experts: SEO.edu: Can You Learn SEO From a Book?

It's challenging to learn search marketing. Since the rules are made by the search engines and their algorithms, all we can do is try the tactics we learn from others and see what works and what doesn't. In today's debut SEM.EDU column, "SEO.edu: Can You Learn SEO From a Book?," Symetri Internet Marketing's Ron Jones begins an exploration of some of the best ways to learn SEM and SEO.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

December 4, 2007

SEW Experts: SEMs Get 'No Respect' No More

At Search Engine Strategies Chicago, keynote speaker Don Shultz told search marketers in no uncertain terms that they need to start thinking differently about what they do. In today's Search Engine WarGames column, "SEMs Get 'No Respect' No More," Kevin Heisler shares Shultz's views on talent development, helping traditional marketers understand search, and a range of other topics.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

November 19, 2007

SEW Experts: Search Marketing Staffing Crisis

There's a tradeoff most people face in the process of hiring a search marketing team: hire people with less business experience who are likely more familiar with search (even if only from their own personal use), or hire people less familiar with search who have more business experience. In today's Search Ads column, "Search Marketing Staffing Crisis," Matt Spiegel offers a solution to the search marketing staffing crisis, but it's going to require some outreach on all our parts.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

November 6, 2007

Sign of the Times – Agencies Go Vertical

Just a few short years ago when search engine marketing was still very young; a prospective client looking for help with search marketing sought an agency with expertise in search. Once the client selected a search capable agency, they did not want “their” agency working with other companies in their industry or vertical market. Clients viewed their search agency as a “secret marketing weapon” and wanted to be sure that none of their competitors shared the same secret or an interest in competing for the same keywords. There was fear that there would be conflicts of interest.

Fast forward just a few short years, add a lot more sophistication, millions of dollars in search engine advertising, and the equation changes. Just yesterday, iCrossing announced a reorganization that will align their client service teams by industry expertise. The iCrossing verticals include: automotive, energy, financial services, life & wellness, retail & consumer packaged goods, telecommunications & technology, and travel & hospitality.

This is a model similar to the one used by large consulting firms such as Accenture with its 170,000 employees. Using a vertical industry organization allows team members to leverage their expertise across clients and for clients to gain from the team's deep knowledge of the market and its demands. It is also a model that is familiar to C-level executives who look for vertical bench strength in consulting teams and expect that team member resumes will reflect experience in their specific market.

Is this the iCrossing reorganization a sign of the times? Is search really growing up? Are agencies now achieving the mass where they can establish entire teams dedicated and experienced in industry verticals (iCrossing now has 550 employees in 13 offices)? Looks like it to me.

Posted by Amanda Watlington at 7:05 PM | Permalink

October 9, 2007

ReachLocal Scores $55M Funding

Local search marketing firm ReachLocal announced a $55.2 million round of funding today, led by Rho Ventures. ReachLocal, like Marchex and WebVisible, is a local search fulfillment agency, according to Marchex's view of the local search landscape. They offer advertisers packages of local ads from Google, Yahoo, MSN, Superpages and others. For the past year, ReachLocal has been building out its sales force to reach local advertisers. Its 11 sales offices in the U.S. are set to expand dramatically with the new infusion of cash.

"Essentially the company is building a yellow-pages style sales force without the directory publication (Weblistic and Yodle are attempting something similar). It's an audacious but possible enterprise," writes Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence. "There's clearly an SMB appetite for Internet distribution and a need for someone to educate and help SMBs get from where they are to the various consumer points of entry on the Internet."

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 11:44 AM | Permalink

October 8, 2007

SEW Experts: Getting a Jump on the Business Intelligence Imperative

There's gold in all that business intelligence you possess, and it's the key to besting your competitors. In today's Search Ads column, "Getting a Jump on the Business Intelligence Imperative," Matt Spiegel will help marketers learn to love charts, graphs and data.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

September 12, 2007

SEW Experts: The Search Marketing Human Capital Problem

In today's Searching for Meaning column, "The Search Marketing Human Capital Problem," Kevin Ryan tries to help both HR execs hunting for human "search marketing" resources and SEM pros hunted by executive recruiters. Find out what human capital is worth.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

September 5, 2007

SEW Experts: How Search Will Save Online Advertising... Again!

In today's Searching for Meaning column, "How Search Will Save Online Advertising... Again! ," Kevin Ryan says that the credit crunch might have some casualties, but search won't be one of them.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

July 18, 2007

SEW Experts: Housebreaking the Search

In today's Searching for Meaning column, "Housebreaking the Search," Kevin Ryan struggles with search marketing for grown-ups.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

June 20, 2007

Seth Godin Interview

Latest in my interview series is a chat with Seth Godin about Squidoo, and about the challenges facing Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. Seth praises the ruling troika of Google for their courage in continuing to try out a wide range of products to see what sticks, but chides them for not having invented Twitter.

While Yahoo has done well with great social media products like Yahoo Answers, and with acquisitions like Flickr and del.icio.us, their challenge is to figure out how to make their destination site oriented platform scale.

Seth's harshest comments are for Microsoft. He thinks they have been investing in the wrong places, spending $150M on projects like Zune, and $250M chasing Google. He thinks they would be far better off looking for the next big viral thing. This would expand their reach into the market.

Posted by at 10:11 AM | Permalink

June 18, 2007

SEW Experts: The Five Characteristics of Highly Effective PPC Specialists

In today's Search Ads column, "The Five Characteristics of Highly Effective PPC Specialists ," Tony Wright has come up with five characteristics of successful PPC specialists. As anyone in the search marketing industry can tell you, talent is scarce. If you can find one with all these traits, hire him/her on the spot.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:10 AM | Permalink

June 4, 2007

360i in Management Buyout

Innovation Interactive, which houses search and interactive shop 360i and search tools provider SearchIgnite, has gone solo, via a management-led buyout from Japanese parent company Livedoor, according to Mediapost.

Innovation Interactive's management team and employees were joined by private equity firm ABS Capital Partners to take back control of the company, which was acquired by Livedoor in November 2005.

The move bucks the recent trend of consolidation in the industry, with Avenue A | Razorfish, Performics, Reprise Media and others being acquired recently.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 8:14 AM | Permalink

June 1, 2007

Mike Grehan Joins Bruce Clay Inc.

Mike Grehan has joined Bruce Clay Inc. as its VP of international business development. According to Lisa Barone, his role will include strategy, servicing key accounts, and international training: In his new role as VP of International Business Development, Mike will routinely be let out of the storage closet, but only if he promises to help us further develop and implement the company's global growth strategy, and help with client services on key accounts. We're also going to make him assist Bruce in teaching our international SEO training class in Australia, South Africa, the UK and Europe to train search marketers world-wide. Mike has a lot of knowledge and we think he should share it.

Many SEW readers will recognize Mike from his frequent speaking appearances at SES and other industry events (he'll be in Toronto and Miami), or from his long-running ClickZ column on search.

Mike shares his thoughts on his Mike Grehan Says... blog: Bruce Clay already has a presence in the UK as well as South Africa and Australia. I'll be supporting him in strengthening the brand and training in those territories, as well as opening in at least three new geographical territories this year. So, it looks like my office, once again, will be mainly on a Boeing 777!

Congratulations to both Mike and the Bruce Clay team.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:41 PM | Permalink

May 17, 2007

WPP Snaps Up 24/7 Real Media

Ad agency holding company WPP has acquired 24/7 Real Media for $649 million. The company has three main businesses: a CPM-based display ad network, publisher-side ad-serving technology, and a search marketing consultancy.

The 24/7 search business was built from acquisitions of Website Results in 2000 and Decide Interactive in 2004.

On the search side, WPP already owns Outrider, now part of MEC Interaction, and Boston-based Catalyst. According to WPP's statement, 24/7 will increase search spend under WPP's management by $200 million, "taking search volumes to more than $450 million and adding a robust technology platform for managing search."

This acquisition seems to be more about the ad network and ad-serving technology, as that's the focus of much of WPP's announcement.

This is the latest in a string of ad network acquisitions, and another example of Microsoft apparently missing out. Google got DoubleClick, Yahoo got Right Media, and so far Microsoft has been left empty-handed. Microsoft had reportedly been eyeing both DoubleClick and 24/7.

Of course, it's possible that Microsoft is the sane one here, since it doesn't need an ad network, but could have been after the publisher relationships 24/7 had with its ad serving technology, which would help jump-start a base for its adCenter platform.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 PM | Permalink

May 9, 2007

Yahoo and Microsoft: A deal made in heaven or hell?

It appears that the on-again, off-again merger talks between Yahoo and Microsoft have cooled once again, but they're not officially dead. And Google's acquisition of YouTube for $1.65 billion and pending acquisition of Doubleclick for $3.1 billion certainly make a deal between the #2 and #3 search engines more likely today than six months ago. But do Yahoo and Microsoft really need each other?

PC Magazine has got dueling opinions, with John Dvorak offering that this is still a bad idea, explaining that 1 + 1 would probably equal far less than 2. Lance Ulanoff, on the other hand, thinks the idea makes perfect sense. Check out their debate.

Posted by Greg Jarboe at 1:44 PM | Permalink

April 27, 2007

Is Zunch Communications' Bankruptcy a Sign of Things to Come?

Zunch Communications has declared bankruptcy, but Zunch Worldwide lives on. The new entity bought the assets and took on some of the debts of SEM firm Zunch Communications in October 2006, and that company finally filed for bankruptcy last week.

While clients that stayed on with Zunch Worldwide were not affected, any unsecured creditors were basically hung out to dry, left to muddle through a bankruptcy process that is bound to be fruitless, since the Zunch Communications entity has no assets to speak of, other than the payments that Zunch Worldwide will make over a period of time.

Zunch is spinning this bankruptcy as a part of a larger trend coming to the industry, but others say that's not the case.

Zunch Worldwide spokesperson James Sadler said this was a direct result of a slide in business precipitated by the departure of six key executives in October 2005. When they left to start Kinetic Results (now Dexterity Media), Zunch lost some clients, including one spending more than $1 million a year.

"Essentially, Zunch Communications never fully recovered from that split. Zunch Communications fell further behind both in paying its obligations and in servicing its clients," Sadler said.

The other side of that story is that those executives left because they saw that it was headed toward this path. According to Tony Wright, VP of client services at Dexterity Media and one of the six, "We left because we saw the company was doing some things that we didn't agree with. For them to infer that the bankruptcy is the result of us leaving is absurd."

Others left the company before those six, notably Mark Jackson, Zunch's former president, who's now president and CEO of Vizion Interactive. Jackson left Zunch in March 2005, and similarly expressed his differences of opinion with Zunch CEO John Sanchez.

"There were some decisions made with the finances that I did not agree with," Jackson said. "At one point in time, we had a great company, doing great work for great clients."

Sadler said that given the SEM landscape today, more bankruptcies like this should be expected. That could mean consolidation, if there's value to be had. Reprise Media is the latest SEM firm to go that route. But Sadler says he expects the more common fate to be dissolution.

"I'd be surprised if there wasn't some kind of shakeout over the next couple years," he said. "The trend seems to be that people go to work for an SEM company for a while, then think they've got it all figured out, so they go start their own company. That's a lot of diluted talent chasing after the same ad dollars."

While there is certainly something to the idea of an over-saturated market, that doesn't appear to be the cause of Zunch's problems. Both Vizion Interactive and Dexterity Media are doing well in the same Dallas-Fort Worth market that Zunch is based in, as are many other SEM firms.

"There's a small percentage of companies out there engaging in search marketing, and many of them are using agencies that don't understand how to manage their campaigns to ROI goals," Jackson said. "We continue to add to our team and add clients. It's not been an issue for us."

Dexterity Media is also thriving, according to Wright. "If you look at the growth of the search market overall, there are so many people out there whose Web sites really need help. We don't have any problems finding business," he said.

Disclosure: Jupitermedia, former corporate parent of Search Engine Watch and Search Engine Strategies, is an unsecured creditor in the Zunch Communications bankruptcy, as are Wright and Jackson.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 3:26 PM | Permalink

April 24, 2007

iProspect Opens Office in Spain

SEM agency iProspect recently began accelerating its global expansion plans by moving founder and former CEO Fredrick Marckini over to parent Isobar to become its global search officer. His new job is to expand Isobar's existing search marketing practices and set up new ones, bringing to them the tools and best practices iProspect has built in the U.S.

The first fruits of that strategy come in the form of a new iProspect office in Madrid, where the agency formerly known as NTB has rebranded as iProspect Spain. This is the third global agency, following iProspect Netherlands (2005) and iProspect Sweden (2006).

The global offices serve both local clients in each country, as well as global clients looking to expand into those regions.

“Search engine marketing is now recognized as a global opportunity. Marketers around the globe want continuity of service with local expertise, and this expansion offers exactly that,” Marckini said. “iProspect's worldwide expansion answers global marketers' demand for the same excellence, technology and results that iProspect is known to deliver in the United States.”

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 10:08 AM | Permalink

April 5, 2007

iProspect to Accelerate Global Expansion

Aegis Group's Isobar, which acquired PPC search agency iProspect for $50 million two years ago, is expanding the iProspect brand globally, beginning with Isobar's digital agencies in 36 locales worldwide.

To accomplish this ambitious plan, Isobar has named iProspect founder and former CEO Fredrick Marckini to be its chief global search officer. Taking the reins from Marckini will be Rob Murray, who has served as iProspect's president for the past eight years. Both Marckini and Murray had the option of leaving in December when the two-year earn-out was completed, but both chose to stay on, in expanded roles.

While Murray takes over iProspect's U.S. operations, Marckini's job will be to expand Isobar's existing search marketing practices and set up new ones, bringing to them the tools and best practices iProspect has built in the U.S. over the past 11 years.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 11:32 AM | Permalink

April 2, 2007

Who's Buying DoubleClick?

Last week, Microsoft was the rumored acquirer of DoubleClick's remaining businesses, which include the DART ad serving system and Performics search and affiliate marketing platform. This week, The Wall Street Journal (subscriber link) is pointing toward Google as the likely acquirer, citing "people familiar with the situation."

The unnamed source(s) tell WSJ that Microsoft has appeared less likely to win the bidding as the potential price for the company surpassed $2 billion, though Microsoft may still counter Google's offer. Yahoo and AOL are also named as suitors, according to the source.

If this kind of sourceless, baseless reporting didn't happen so often, I'd be tempted to think this was an April Fool's joke. But alas, the WSJ says it's so, but can't back it up with any real proof, and everyone is convinced that Google has already signed the check.

Here's the thing. Somebody -- or more likely multiple somebodies -- are bound to buy DoubleClick's remaining assets. The private equity firm that bought it two years ago, Hellman & Friedman, has made no secret that everything's for sale.

But for $2 billion plus? As Kate Kaye points out, H&F have already made $90 million from selling DoubleClick's e-mail business and $435 million selling off Abacus. So, if they do sell the rest for $2 billion, they'll have made about 2.5 times the $1.1 billion they paid. I'm not sure DoubleClick is worth that much, but if H&F makes that much, it will be a happy day for its investors.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 11:54 AM | Permalink

March 27, 2007

Update with Rand Fishkin on SEOMoz's Paid Subscription Model

SEOmoz recently began offering a paid subscription model for value added content on their site. Rand and I put together a Podcast update on how this is working for SEOmoz, and their future plans.

It's notable that SEOmoz already has more than 100 subscribers, and a larger audience of people who are paying do download premium content. These numbers may seem small, but I see them as significant validation regarding the model and the quality of the SEOmoz content.

In addition, we talked at length about the SEO tools provided, both the free versions, and the value added features available for paid subscribers. Tools like the Page Strength Tool, for example, provide great insight into a page, including detailed information on del.icio.us tags, Wikipedia mentions, DMOZ, and other factors. Just having these things be available on the fly to you while in the middle of evaluating the site of a potential client, or while looking at a competitor's site, without having to check all these places one by one, is a great value.

Another thing available for premium members are extensive how to guides. For example, a guide and a walk through of 10 different keyword research tools, and where to brainstorm valuable keyword ideas. Rand and SEOmoz remain committed to generating the same great content for free that they always have. The premium model is designed for those that want even more.

Posted by at 11:08 AM | Permalink

March 23, 2007

iCrossing Acquires Sharp Analytics

Earlier this week, the Scottsdale, AZ based search marketing firm, with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Francisco and Brighton, U.K, has added Salt Lake City, Utah to the list in its purchase of the business intelligence provider.

Sharp Analytics' proprietary, Web-based software, called SharpView, provides Fortune 500 marketers and their agencies a tool to integrate results from offline and online campaigns for advanced tracking, measuring and optimizing campaign ROI.

Posted by Elisabeth Osmeloski at 11:36 AM | Permalink

March 21, 2007

Let "First Principles" Guide Your Strategy

First principles form a core set of working assumptions, hypotheses, and key beliefs about a single area of interest. In today's SearchDay, Marchex's Lead Search Architect Matthew Berk describes the approach that has helped him succeed: Let all dialogue, all thinking, and all subsequent labor derive from a set of first principles.

Some examples:

• Lookup is easy to support; discovery is an order of magnitude more difficult – and valuable
• To deliver value to advertisers, focus first on being relevant to the consumer
• Relevance is a function of the strength of the result set, not the rank of specific results

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 9:00 AM | Permalink

March 12, 2007

Difficult SEO Clients

There's no such thing as the perfect SEO client, but everyone knows that some are more difficult than others. Shari Thurow describes three of the more challenging clients in her ClickZ column today: Web Developers and Other IT Staff, Journalists and PR Professionals, and Decision Makers.

What kinds of clients do you have the most trouble working with? What's your best strategy for bringing them over to your side? Discuss it at the SEW Forums.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 9:05 AM | Permalink

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