SES Chicago - December 7-11, 2009

September 8, 2009

SEW Webcast with Bill Hunt Tomorrow

It's a fact of business life: big companies often face bigger challenges. Large-scale search programs, especially those involving multiple brands or multiple countries, are inherently more complex to create and manage. If you're finding yourself in this situation, look no further than our latest Search Engine Watch webcast, "Effectively Managing a Large Scale Search Program."

The presenter is Bill Hunt. Hunt was previously CEO of two of the largest global search marketing firms, Global Strategies and Outrider -- both of which were acquired by WPP. So he knows a thing or two about running large search programs.

He's also an internationally-recognized search marketing expert who has spoken at conferences in over 30 countries, as well as one of our SEW Experts on International SEM.

The webcast takes place from 1-2 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. Hunt will provide some proven tips and techniques for running a large-scale search marketing program, including: • Review of best practices • How to get more out of your tools and process • How to identify and remove key impediments • How to move from a tactical to strategic view of search marketing • How to deploy a keyword arbitration plan • How to develop a scorecard system to ensure performance

There will also be plenty of time for Q&A with Bill, so come armed with your notebook and questions. Sign up today at the SEW Webcasts page.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 8, 2008

SEW Experts: Stop In-House SEO Disasters Now!

Whether you're in the house or outside it, fighting the good fight is never easy. Though we don't do it enough, hat's off to the in-house SEO practitioners everywhere. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "Stop In-House SEO Disasters Now!," Kevin Ryan identifies a few best practices and identify problematic personalities that in-house search marketers should understand.

» Full story

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

September 24, 2008

SEW Experts: Use Care When Choosing an SEO Agency

The increasing awareness about what SEO is and what it can do is a good thing. But it's important to beware of "instant experts" who know a few things about what's going on, but don't get the whole picture. In today's Web analytics and ROI column, "Use Care When Choosing an SEO Agency," Eric Enge warns against hiring an SEO or beginning SEO work on your own without validating that it's the right course of action.

» Full story

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

August 26, 2008

SEW Experts: Weapons of Mass Optimization

Building an in-house SEO team can be a daunting task, especially for large organizations. With proper planning, the experience becomes more manageable, and success becomes more likely. In today's enterprise search marketing column, "Weapons of Mass Optimization," Aaron Shear reminds us that when planning such a big project, the key is to start small, and pay attention to the smaller details within the larger project.

» 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)

May 6, 2008

SEW Experts: Convincing the Executive Team to Invest in SEO

Convincing senior managers of the value of search marketing is not always easy. In today's Enterprise Search Marketing column, "Convincing the Executive Team to Invest in SEO," Aaron Shear reminds us that by gathering the right data and getting support from clients and other departments ahead of time, the task will be much easier to accomplish.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

April 10, 2008

SEW Experts: Bringing the SEO Teacher to You

Besides SEO books, online training, and in-person training, there's another option for teaching your staff about SEO: bring a consultant to you. In today's Search Marketing Education column, "Bringing the SEO Teacher to You," Ron Jones notes that if you're looking for SEO training experts to come to your place of business, you might be surprised to find local resources readily available.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

April 2, 2008

Work With Your IT Staff, Not Against Them

If you're like most in-house or agency SEOs, you've had your share of challenges with convincing the IT department to implement your SEO-related changes. The traditional approach is for an SEO to make a very specific request to IT, then IT meets, discusses it and rejects it for various reasons. Then the SEO grumbles in frustration.

In today's SearchDay, "IT Roadblocks? Try Some In-house SEO Training," Jessica Bowman outlines a better plan: in-house SEO training for IT staff. By equipping IT with SEO knowledge, they can truly understand the problems that search engines face with your site, and then come up with their own solutions that are technically feasible (and they are willing to implement).

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 6:21 PM | Permalink

January 14, 2008

CMOs & VPs: Beware of IT Fiefdoms Ruling Marketing Roost

Have your inadvertently created an IT marketing fiefdom?

Is your IT department in charge of seach engine marketing (SEM)?

Have you got a little nagging ishy feeling in the back of your throat? I thought so.

Don't feel bad, we see the same sad mess in lots of mid-to-larger size companies. It's not your fault. VP types just have to trust someone.

Who better to trust than the ladies and lads over in the IT department, who've been coming through tirelessly for years. They do tech over there; they must be good at Google right?

Reality Check In too many cases, you're wasting loads of money on elaborate systems with no vision; well-installed machines absent timeless marketing principles; and fiefdoms of executive elves who need some basic training in SEO 101.

Don't get me wrong. Some of my best friends are IT Department gear-heads: really smart tech-savvy people.

We actually even have some I absolutely couldn't live without. So many of us depend on IT for priority setting propensities, research skills, and willingness to crawl around like snakes on their bellies to connect broken things in an emergency. We even know search marketers who are serious technical masters.

There are young programmer rock stars who are way into search and know what to do. Guess what? They're smart enough to call a professional search marketer to build a credible in-house department or outsource SEM.

Let's Call it What it Is It just breaks my hearty-har-heart when large companies blindly trust hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to part-time SEM types who coordinate technology in a building. Some actually oversee Marketing and IT. They're called vice presidents.

Don't cave in to IT fiefdoms. Trust that nagging little voice in your head. It will pay in the end.

Posted by Marty Weintraub at 8:00 PM | Permalink

December 27, 2007

SEW Experts: 7 Tips for Training Link Developers

We all know the vital role of backlinks in search engine visibility. So how do you train your link building team? In today's Link Love column, "7 Tips for Training Link Developers," Justilien Gaspard shares some essential tips for training link developers in-house that are so simple, even traditional ad agencies can catch on.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

December 17, 2007

SEW Experts: Search Marketing Skills: Tips, No Tricks

If becoming a search apprentice is one key to learning, how does one become an apprentice in search marketing? In today's Search Ads column, "Search Marketing Skills: Tips, No Tricks," Matt Spiegel shares the most important skills needed to break into the search business.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

December 10, 2007

SEW Experts: Search Engines, Silos, SES Solutions

Not long ago, it was easier to justify the existence of disparate marketing functions, each working within its own domain. Today, consumers move between touch points with ease and expect consistent and meaningful messages to be delivered on their terms. In today's Search Ads column, "Search Engines, Silos, SES Solutions," Matt Spiegel shares details of a panel discussion he participated in at SES Chicago where it was noted that if we begin by asking questions about the needs of the consumer, then the goals of the business silos are naturally harder to justify.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

December 3, 2007

SEW Experts: SEM Mentors: The Apprentice

In a previous column, it was suggested that the search marketing industry needs to take responsibility in solving the search marketing staffing crisis. In today's Search Ads column, "SEM Mentors: The Apprentice," Matt Spiegel shares an exchange with an SEW reader, an SEM apprentice turned mentor.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

November 29, 2007

SEW Experts: 5 Best Reasons to Build Links In-House

It's tempting to outsource link development, but that may not be the best move for your site. In today's Link Love column, "5 Best Reasons to Build Links In-House," Justilien Gaspard shares the key advantages to in-house link development.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

November 26, 2007

SEW Experts: Knowledge Gap: CEOs, CMOs, VPs and SEM

When your CEO, CMO, or other decision-maker knows a little bit about SEM, you've got trouble. While knowledge sharing is a good thing, there's a problem when people consider themselves knowledgeable on a subject well before that's actually the case. In today's Search Ads column, "Knowledge Gap: CEOs, CMOs, VPs and SEM," Matt Spiegel discusses the need to help those decision-makers realize that because they now have more knowledge doesn't necessarily mean they are prepared to make key decisions with this information.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

October 24, 2007

Developing an In-House Training Plan

Most companies know they need to do search engine optimization (SEO), so they assign the task to one of their employees who they think can "get it." Unfortunately many of the employees do not how to execute properly, and end up frustrated. It is a lose-lose situation.

In today's SearchDay, "Developing a Training Plan for In-House SEO," Melanie Mitchell shares some insights into training she's learned as VP of SEO/SEM at AOL.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 5:00 PM | Permalink

October 1, 2007

SEW Experts: Breaking Down Silos: Specialization With Integration

For any search marketer working with large enterprises or agencies, integration is the toughest job they face. In today's Search Ads column, "Breaking Down Silos: Specialization With Integration," Matt Spiegel describes a challenge that makes changing bids on thousands of keywords seem like child's play.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

September 25, 2007

SEW Experts: Roadblocks Sidetrack Search

The larger the company, the bigger the roadblocks. In today's Big Biz column, "Roadblocks Sidetrack Search," Aaron Shear explains that diplomacy may be one of the most useful tools in your SEO toolbox. To advance your search marketing strategy, you need to be less SEO and more politico with the head honcho.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

September 20, 2007

Is Your Search Integrated Like Chunky Monkey?

Integration in search is like integration of Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors. If you're in the market for a search vendor, you might have something to learn from the boys in Vermont. In today's SearchDay, "Searching for Options: Integration Spells Sweet Success," John Tawadros writes that while options abound, successful integration has its rewards.

However you decide to engage in search, be sure to choose your search marketing vendor wisely, and give careful consideration to the importance of integration in the process. Otherwise, you could end up with a melt-down on your hands, and a sticky mess that could take more than a few napkins to clean up.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:05 AM | Permalink

September 13, 2007

The Benefits Centralized SEM Management in Large Organizations

What would you need to do to convince the necessary people in your large organization that a unified, integrated approach to paid search marketing will have a stronger financial impact if centrally managed? And, once you have built a consensus, what would you have to do to get the plan moving?

AOL's VP of SEO/SEM answers those questions in today's SearchDay, "Laying the Foundation for Paid Search Success in Large Organizations."

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 11:31 AM | Permalink

August 31, 2007

SEW Experts: In-House Vs. Outsourced: What Is the Best Solution?

In today's Outsourced column, "In-House vs. Outsourced: What's the Best Solution?," Chris Boggs ponders the relationship between in-house and agency search experts, asking the question, "Can't we all just get along?"

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

August 24, 2007

SEW Experts: Playing Dirty With PPC

In today's In-House column, "Playing Dirty With PPC," Rob Kerry gives in-house SEMs a few black hat PPC tricks, to help them keep up with competitors that choose to play dirty.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

August 14, 2007

SEW Experts: Understanding the Search Landscape

In today's Big Biz column, "Understanding the Search Landscape ," Aaron Shear tells you how to answer the pesky questions about search rankings from upper management.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

August 10, 2007

SEW Experts: Don't Be An SEO Alien

In today's In-House column, "Don't Be An SEO Alien," Rob Kerry has some practical advice for in-house SEOs, and it doesn't have to do with following Best Practices.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink

July 27, 2007

SEW Experts: Look After Your Brand and Your Brand Will Look After You

In today's In-House column, "Look After Your Brand and Your Brand Will Look After You," Rob Kerry explains that an in-house SEO's work doesn't stop with optimizing page elements. He tells you how to put out fires before they spread by defending your brand.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 1:02 AM | Permalink

June 29, 2007

SEW Experts: Stop In-house SEO Disasters Now!

In today's In-House column, "Stop In-house SEO Disasters Now!," Kevin Ryan pens an ode to the in-house SEO practitioner, with a few best practices and a guide to identifying problematic personalities.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:01 AM | Permalink

June 15, 2007

SEW Experts: When the Honeymoon Ends, In-house

In today's In-House column, "When the Honeymoon Ends, In-house," Jessica Bowman explains how an in-house SEO startup has a life similar to marriage. There's the honeymoon phase, and then it ends. Listen up as Bowman tells you how to make the most of the benevolence while it lasts.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 9:36 AM | Permalink

June 13, 2007

In-House SEO in Large Organizations

While many large organizations might be inclined to outsource their SEO, AOL's Melanie Mitchell says that could be a mistake. In today's SearchDay, Laying the Foundation for In-House SEO Success in Large Organizations, Mitchell sets out to debunk the arguments against having an in-house search engine optimization (SEO) team, especially in a large organization.

She talks about elements of a core SEO team, and ways to establish in-house SEO as a cross-functional effort. She also discusses setting targets for both the core team and individual business units engaged in elements of SEO.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 4:26 PM | Permalink

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