Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Google Throws the Book at Competitors

You can learn a lot about how search has improved over the years by reading Matt Cutts. Recently he highlighted how search was irrelevant in the past due to a lack of diversity:

Seven of the top 10 results all came from one domain, and the urls look a little? well, let?s say fishy. In 1999 and early 2000, search engines would often return 50 results from the same domain in the search results. One nice change that Google introduced in February 2000 was ?host crowding,? which only showed two results from each hostname. ... Suddenly, Google?s search results were much cleaner and more diverse! It was a really nice win?we even got email fan letters.

Thanks to those kinds of improvements, in 2011 we never have to look at search results like this.*

* And by never, I mean, unless the results are linking to fraternal Google pages, in which case, game on!

Why should Google result crowding not apply to Google.com? Sure they can say those books are from different authors, but many websites are ran by organizations with multiple authors. Some websites are even built through the partnerships of multiple different business organizations. Who knows, maybe some searchers are uncomfortable with every other listing being an out of context book highlight.

In the past I have been called cynical for highlighting stuff like the following image

I saw it as part of a trend toward home cooking promotions. And I still view it that way. The above books promotion is simply further proof of concept.

Outside of...

  • Youtube
  • other Google owned and operated sites
  • a branded website ranking for its own brand

Can you show me *any* occurrence of a result where a site is listed 5 times in the search result? Bonus points if you can find it where the 5 times are not grouped into 1 bunch via result crowding.

Other than a home cooking override, how is it possible that this problem fixed years ago suddenly re-appears?

As a thought experiment, ask yourself if that Google ranking accident would happen if the content archive being served up was promoting media hosted on Microsoft servers.

A friend of mine summed it up nicely with:

well, it's not everyday you see that kind of power and the fact that other sites aren't afforded the same opportunity makes me think that they are being anti-competitive. Google literally wrote the book (ok scraped it) on anti-competitive practices.

Categories: 

Source: http://www.seobook.com/all-your-book

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Online Marketing Specialist / FOURYEARS.GO. / San Francisco, CA

FOURYEARS.GO. /San Francisco, CA

The position requires someone who is capable of providing technical support for our web-based marketing campaign and communications. The ideal candidate will be used to operating in a fast-paced environment, coordinating with a variety of people in a flexible team structure, with lots of creativity and camaraderie. Qualifications include; Junior to mid-level HTML, CSS, and PHP knowledge, understanding of SEO importance, techniques, and best practices. Online marketing experience a must. Successful track record with building email campaigns using tables and best practices, experience engaging and growing online communities with (Facebook and Twitter). Experience managing various aspects of a website and creating project timelines. Ability to study and generate reports from Google Analytics. Successful track record of Website design and web writing skills. Wordpress experience needed. Ability to field requests; Excellent verbal and interpersonal skills. Excellent planning, organizational, and problem resolution skills.

We are a project sponsored by the San Francisco-based non-profit, The Pachamama Alliance. The goal of the Four Years.Go. campaign is to build a global movement of commitment and action that will cause a positive tipping point in humanity's future by the end of 2014, setting us irreversibly on a new path to a just, thriving and sustainable future for all. We are looking for a candidate who will see making a difference in the direction humanity is headed as their mission in life, and be ready to use the skills they have developed to this end.


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Source: http://jobs.searchenginejournal.com/job/online-marketing-specialist-san-francisco-ca-fouryears-go-28a3aea31d/?d=1&source=rss_page

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Search Engine Marketing Guru / iStopOver.com / Toronto, ON, Canada

iStopOver.com/Toronto, ON, Canada

SEO/ PPC Guru
When it comes to SEM, you know all the answers. Ideally you have managed dynamic and rapidly changing SEM programs (Organic and PPC). You'll work closely with our director of marketing and customer service group to capitalize on trends that may change by the minute. You spend more time using Google Analytics every week than you do on your favourite hobby. A self starter and entrepreneurial thinker, you'll hit the ground running and be an agent for change in our fast moving company.

Things you can expect:
�?� A fun work environment in an exciting fresh-thinking company in downtown Toronto
�?� Lots of autonomy
�?� Lots of responsibility
�?� An opportunity to learn cutting edge search marketing tactics while working in some of the most competitive verticals on the Web
�?� A competitive salary

Things you can't expect:
�?� A large corporate structure
�?� Endless office politics �?? there are none
�?� Hand-holding
�?� A lot of mind-numbing meetings that don't accomplish anything

About the Company
iStopOver is a Toronto-based travel portal established to offer global travelers viable alternatives to typical travel options. The company's approach in matching guests' requirements with available accommodations is unique. Today the company leads the category and is poised for strong growth. With financing in place and strong management committed to the company's success, we're looking to grow �?? fast!

About the Position
We offer a competitive salary and you'll be given lots of space and responsibility.

Day-to-day tasks will vary significantly however core responsibilities will include:
�?� Keyword research
�?� A proven track record of improving rankings through on and off page optimization
�?� The ability to juggle multiple projects
�?� Implementation of new SEO and PPC programs and make changes in real time
�?� Experience guiding our development team to create more SEO friendly sites
�?� Knowledge in technical SEO methodology such as page construction and implementation of optimal site architecture
�?� The ability to perform in-depth analysis using tools to identify opportunities for improvement
�?� Web Analytics and reporting


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Source: http://jobs.searchenginejournal.com/job/search-engine-marketing-guru-toronto-on-canada-istopover-com-5ad9ac1750/?d=1&source=rss_page

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Social Media strategist for international account, staff, nyc : Ap6NP / Work Evolved / New York, NY

Work Evolved/New York, NY

Theory is good, knowledge is better. Monetization trumps them all. We're looking for ever-inquisitive, Social Media professionals who have documented experienced applying SM tools to bolster existing media and messaging deployments, as well as contributing to new strategies where Social Media was a component. Staff, NYC, Salary Commensurate.

Please reference job #Ap6NP in the subject of your reply.

Email CV/samples to: jobs @ workevolved.com (remove the spaces!)

Please be:

* Local to NYC

* Work authorized for any US employer w/o sponsorship

* Available onsite during normal business hours, every weekday.

Work Evolved is a freelance and permanent placement agency for creatives and the people who make creative happen. Information on our history, ethics, and areas of expertise can be found at http://www.workevolved.com

CONFIDENTIALITY ASSURED

Thanks!

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Source: http://jobs.searchenginejournal.com/job/social-media-strategist-for-international-account-new-york-ny-work-evolved-2d8c056911/?d=1&source=rss_page

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How To Spread Your Business Footprint Around The Web

From Josh Catone:

The Web, as we know, is a great place to market your business—but only if people can find you. Success in online marketing is contingent upon people being able to locate your Web presence. One of the best ways to connect with current and potential customers via the Web is to leave your footprint around the Internet and create a trail that leads back to your business.

 

Leaving your business footprint across the Web has a number of benefits, including driving traffic back to your site, building brand awareness, establishing trust and boosting your search engine rankings. There are an almost infinite number of places around the Web where you can leave your footprint, but here are four rules for getting the most out of your efforts and attracting notice.

 

1. Be Everywhere

 

Social media is a big place. That can be both a boon and a burden for small businesses. On the one hand, it means there is virtually an unlimited number of ways to leave your business footprint around the Internet, but on the other hand, it also can make doing so a very time consuming and overwhelming process. Still, it's a good idea to be everywhere that your customers are. Your customers will be having a conversation online—even about your business—whether or not you participate. If you're concerned with creating a healthy, positive brand image, it's better to participate in those conversations than to stay on the sidelines.

 

At the very least, it is important for almost every business trying to build their brand online to have a presence on the major social networks. Crissy Gershey, director of sales and marketing for Parties That Cook, maintains active accounts for the business on FacebookTwitterYouTubeFlickrDeliciousFoursquare and LinkedIn. Because Gershey's budget is limited, it makes sense to focus on the social media sites where her clients are.

 

Further, stagnation is a bad thing. If you can't actively maintain your presence, it might not be a good idea to register an account at all. Social media profiles tend to rank highly in search, so you want to make sure yours is active and properly filled out.

 

"Be sure to complete profiles on sites most relevant to your business. In my experience on many sites, people do not complete their profiles. Simply completing your profile makes you stand out above the majority or listings," advises Jeff Huckaby, the CEO of rackAID.

 

Jim Olenbush, a broker at Cantera Real Estate in Austin, Texas, agrees. "These pages and accounts will also rank highly for your company name, so make sure they present well," he says. Olenbush also advises maintaining an active presence on local and business review and support sites like Yelp, Merchant Circle and GetSatisfaction. "Research your competitors by searching for their company names. The websites that have references to them or pages about them might also be good places to list your business. This includes review sites, business profile pages, and mentions of companies on industry blogs."

 

2. Participate in the Conversation


 

It's often said that social media is a conversation. It's a cliche, but a truism, and getting involved in that conversation presents amazing opportunities for businesses to spread their footprint. From commenting on industry blogs to posting on discussion forums to conversing with your fans on your own social media profiles or blog, there are plenty of ways to join the conversation and leave a trail back to your site. But there is one golden rule that all businesses should follow: always add something of value.

 

"It is important for businesses to provide quality input and selfless content," says Season Lopiccolo, a partner at Noble Studios. "Nobody likes spam. Web users are likely to repel when they are feeling oversold or the content has no value to them. So always make sure your content is clear, concise and to-the-point."

 

Mike Schwarz, founder of RibbedTee, learned that lesson the hard way. "When I first started contributing to forum threads, I was more focused on pitching our brand, and less on addressing the topic of discussion," he recalls. "A few times, I got schooled pretty bad and came to the realization there was a better way to participate. In many cases, I would visit a forum and refer other competitor's products if it was a solution to the person's inquiry."

 

His lesson? "Help others thoughtfully, and they will in turn consider your products at some time in the future."

 

Of course, quality doesn't mean you can't be opinionated. Says Lopiccolo, "Allow people to be a little confrontational, even if it means they don't agree with you. As long as you show that you are listening, clear in your messaging and open for change, the people on the other end reading will continue to stay interested."

 

3. Share Your Expertise

 

"Whatever size business you own, you have the ability to influence countless followers by simply sharing your expertise with others. Everyone has expertise, if you simply decide to share it. And you'll find that the more you share, the more you learn. Don't try to hide your ideas, concepts, or creativity—talk it up," advises Alan Guinn, managing director at The Guinn Consulting Group.

 

You're probably an expert in something—after all, you won't be very successful in your business if you aren't an expert in it—and sharing that knowledge can establish yourself as a leader in your industry and help to build positive associations with your brand. There are many ways to share your expertise online, including blogging, posting on social media sites and traditional media outreach, but one of the best methods is guest posting on already established blogs.

 

"Great content is king and everyone wants it," says Jennifer Nichols, CEO and co-founder of FlackList. "Reach out to blogs with advice editorials to see if they'd be interested in sharing with them their readers in exchange for pushing out the link to your email list or posting on your own company blog."

 

"If you have a new idea, or a new way of doing things, write it up and put it online. If you have a new technique for approaching business, don't be afraid to write it up and post it," says Guinn.

 

4. Partner Up

 


 

Small businesses generally don't have the same resources as their well capitalized, enterprise-level competitors, and that can sometimes put them at a competitive disadvantage. One way to mitigate that competitive imbalance is to join forces with other small businesses and create a coalition that has more influence en masse. This strategy can also work when spreading your business footprint around the Web.

 

"One of our key initiatives [for] driving traffic is strategically partnering with other service companies that complement our painting business," says Ricky Chu, the co-founder of Rayco. Chu has formed partnerships with other local home improvement businesses that target the same clientele. "Since we have implemented cross-promoting our services on our print and web collateral we have increased traffic more than 50 percent. This is very important because this 50 percent is coming from targeted customers who are getting work done on their homes."

 

According to Matt Griffin, president and CEO of Baker's Edge, the companies you partner with needn't always be in your industry. "We like to team up with non-market related companies on projects. Being involved with new faces guarantees new exposure," he says. "For instance, we have an office Trail Running Team. We like to sponsor local races and participate. It shows us [to be] a more dynamic company, and gets our image out there to places that other kitchenware companies have never thought to tread—have you ever seen a bakeware company sponsor anything aside from a bake off?"

 

Image credit: abu 

Source: http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/marketing/article/how-to-spread-your-business-footprint-around-the-web-josh-catone

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Product Marketing Manager / Confidential / Waltham, MA

Confidential/Waltham, MA

Our client is seeking a Strategic and Hands-on Product Marketing Manager with experience marketing a complex software offering. This role requires a thought leader to manage all go-to-market strategies with hands ability and willingness to create web content and sales tools materials.

Required Skills and Experience:
�?� 3+ years marketing experience working for SaaS companies or equivalent work experience
�?� Outstanding written, oral and presentation skills
�?� Strong understanding of software development processes
�?� Experience as a subject matter expert
�?� Experience supporting webinars, podcasts etc.
�?� Undergraduate or graduate degree
�?� Technical foundation and Software product management experience a plus

Reference # 400811

We look forward to working with you in a private and professional manner. We ask the following of you:
�?� Submit your resume in a Word document to POSITIONS @ NDT.COM
�?� Our clients request American Citizen or Green Card Holder

Technical and Tech/Business Recruiting Since 1979

http://www.ndt.com
http://twitter.com/JOBSinMA
http://www.facebook.com/JOBSinMA


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Source: http://jobs.searchenginejournal.com/job/product-marketing-manager-waltham-ma-18f232b9fb/?d=1&source=rss_page

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Online Marketing Specialist / Red Hat / Raleigh, NC

Red Hat/Raleigh, NC

We are looking for a Marketing Analyst to help grow Red Hat's sales using the latest demand generation tools. Your job will be to analyze and distill opportunities for demand generation performance improvements and to maximize Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI). This role will draw on many aspects of your marketing operations and Web analytics background. Working with a world-class marketing team, this will be a career-defining opportunity. If you are looking for an opportunity where you can have a huge impact, read on.

We believe in using the latest marketing automation tools in the business. And we are applying state-of-the-art demand generation methodologies to turn the art of marketing into a science. We are very analytical and metrics-focused yet believe in taking chances, failing quickly, and rapidly iterating to improve performance. Ours is a culture of continuous improvement and pushing the limits of what's possible.

You are very analytical, love to measure results and strive to continuously raise the bar. You also love tinkering with software applications (the kind of person that enjoys exploring the 90% of features that most of us never use) because you have an insatiable curiosity for exploring what's possible.

This role requires a unique blend of strategic and tactical skills- someone who has a fierce attention to process and detail, yet is able to draw �??big picture�? conclusions and make actionable business recommendations based on an understanding of strategic marketing goals.

This is a high-profile position that will support the analytics needs of Field Marketing, Product Marketing, and Sales.

Responsibilities:
Design - Assist with designing lead-generation programs, lead-nurturing programs, lead scoring, customer research and automated communications programs. Design a �??Marketing Dashboard.�? Build and maintain a metric tracking system that makes it easy to identify where we need to focus our efforts. Collaborate with regional marketing teams to identify opportunities to develop lead nurture pathways . Assess future project needs and design data-related process flows.
Configure - Build campaigns and lead-nurturing programs using our marketing automation tools; setup and execute tactical tasks associated with customized landing pages, e-mail campaigns and lead scoring rules. Create a marketing dashboard of key performance indicators that is automatically updated to reflect current marketing activity.
Analyze - Create a marketing analytics dashboard that is used to continuously refine and improve our lead-generation efforts, which will enable us to make data driven marketing decisions. Make the dashboard visually engaging and highly actionable. Perform A/B testing on all elements of our marketing mix (lists, e-mail templates, landing pages, offers, etc.) and continuously improve campaign effectiveness. Conduct customer research to identify ways to improve conversion rates. Assist the different marketing and product management departments with market research projects, coding and fielding surveys and running analysis. Continuously monitor and test effectiveness of all lead nurture pathways. Drive analysis and metrics for lead/demand generation activities working closely with all departments.
Synthesize - Distill data from analytics and implement improvements to our lead-generation programs. Perform regular tracking of marketing performance. Integrate recommendations into the �??Design�? phase above as we continuously improve our engine. Continually monitor, analyze and tune campaigns to maximize ROI.
Database Marketing - Maintain the integrity and effectiveness of our database by cleaning, importing, and appending data. Understand the best ways to segment and leverage this asset to provide more effective campaigns, better lead management, and stellar analytics. Contribute to the overall prospect and customer data management strategy.
Marketing Best Practices - Stay abreast of marketing best practices in all of the above topics and provide strategic input on how to incrementally improve each one.
Collaborate - Work with Field Marketing, Product Marketing, Marketing Shared Services, Operations, IT, and Sales to deploy effective campaigns.


Job Requirements
Education/Experience:
Bachelor's degree from top-tier university in a quantitative or business discipline (e.g., computer science, mathematics, statistics, economics, marketing, etc.)
Experience in direct marketing, database marketing, analysis or financial analysis, and e-mail campaign marketing experience a big plus
Must have experience using a marketing automation system (like Eloqua) and/or Salesforce.com to capture, track, and report on leads
Experience working with business owners in driving data and reporting requirements with a clear understanding of where data resides and how to produce reports
Demonstrated proficiency with database design concepts, data modeling, and segmentation structuring
Ability to communicate with a non-technical audience, understand business needs, and translate them into technical requirements

Skills:
Strong analytical thinker who considers issues from a business perspective
Proficiency in MS Excel and a love for numbers
Process oriented
Above average listening, written and oral communications skills
Ability to thrive in an autonomous, fast-paced work environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines
Experience with database querying/reporting tools and statistical analysis/database mining tools (SPSS, SAS) preferred
Experience with configuring and/or running reports in Salesforce.com
Experience with Visio and lead-nurturing flow diagrams
Knowledge of e-mail marketing best practices and experience pulling lists
Experience/passion for A/B testing
Proficient in HTML; knowledge of Javascript

Personality Traits:
Technically Savvy and Creative. You not only understand how technology and process can advance and help improve marketing but you know how to actually create and build online marketing programs using sophisticated marketing automation software like Eloqua. Yet, you never lose sight of the creative process.
Analytical and Curious. You love understanding data, patterns and trends. Numbers are your friends. You can dig into the details but always see the big picture.
Energy and Enthusiasm. Energy and enthusiasm are your hallmarks. You think out of the box and wow people with your interesting angles and quality work.
A True Team Player. You're the best at what you do and you know how to work with your colleagues to get the best from them.
Passion for Great Work. Nothing less than your best will do.



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Source: http://jobs.searchenginejournal.com/job/online-marketing-specialist-raleigh-nc-red-hat-6ce904906a/?d=1&source=rss_page

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Monday, April 25, 2011

Google Panda Coming to a Market Near You

If you live outside the United States and were unscathed by the Panda Update, a world of hurt may await soon. Or you may be in for a pleasant surprise. It is hard to say where the chips may lay for you without looking.

Some people just had their businesses destroyed, whereas the Online Publisher Association sees a $1 billion windfall to the winning publishers.

Due to Google having multiple algorithms running right now, you can get a peak at the types of sites that were hit, and if your site is in English you can see if it would have got hit by comparing your Google.com rankings in the United States versus in foreign markets by using the Google AdWords ad preview tool.

In most foreign markets Google is not likely to be as aggressive with this type of algorithm as they are in the United States (because foreign ad markets are less liquid and there is less of a critical mass of content in some foreign markets), but I would be willing to bet that Google will be pretty aggressive with it in the UK when it rolls out.

The keywords where you will see the most significant ranking changes will be those where there is a lot of competition, as keywords with less competition generally do not have as many sites to replace them when they are whacked (since there were less people competing for the keyword). Another way to get a glimpse of the aggregate data is to look at your Google Analytics search traffic from the US and see how it has changed relative to seasonal norms. Here is a look out below example, highlighting how Google traffic dropped. ;)

What is worse, is that on most sites impacted revenue declined faster than traffic because search traffic monetizes so well & the US ad market is so much deeper than most foreign markets. Thus a site that had 50% profit margins might have just went to break even or losing money after this update. :D

When Google updates the US content farmer algorithm again (likely soon, since it has already been over a month since the update happened) it will likely roll out around other large global markets, because Google does not like running (and maintaining) 2 sets of ranking algorithms for an extended period of time, as it is more cost intensive and it helps people reverse engineer the algorithm.

Some sites that get hit may be able to quickly bounce back *if* they own a well-read tech blog and have an appropriate in with Google engineers, however most will not unless they drastically change their strategy. Almost nobody has recovered and it has been over a month since the algorithm went live. So your best bet is to plan ahead. When the tide goes out you don't want to be swimming naked. :)

Categories: 

Source: http://www.seobook.com/google-panda-coming-market-near-you

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Conversion Optimization Book Review

Conversion optimization is an ongoing concern for serious businesses. When viewed in the shadow of a big change like Google's recent Panda Farmer update, optimizing your site's existing traffic streams becomes even more attractive - or necessary - to remain competitive.

A book was released recently by O'Reilly, authored by Khalid Saleh and Ayat Shukairy, the co-founders of Invesp - a leading conversion optimization company. Entitled: Conversion Optimization: The Art and Science of Converting Prospects to Customers it is now available from Amazon and most other book providers.

For developing a better understanding of the foundational basics and lucrative potential of conversion optimization, it is a book I would highly recommend.

Tone and Style

Conversion optimizing is a dense subject, with lots of bits-and-bytes of small, related information tied together to make a complete picture. Saleh and Shukairy tackle this book with the intention of making this dense, complicated subject easier to understand conceptually, and therefore, profit from.
The first two chapters offer simple foundational ideas for the novice, covering the general concepts, analytics and formulas typically used in measuring and improving conversions. However, in the introduction the authors make this clear - and suggest those with a bit of experience may want to skip right to chapter three. I appreciated the suggestion, but read from the beginning anyway. :)

I like the way this book progresses in this manner - each successive chapter builds on the ideas posited in previous chapters. Even though I have some experience with optimization, I read the book from the beginning. While it was not new information to me, it was nice to reaffirm where my thinking aligns with conversion experts and identify places where our opinions diverged.

Once chapter three starts, the simple ideas presented in the beginning of the book are built-on slowly, which encourages you to see how smaller ideas nourish the roots of larger results. This is a an example of a well considered and deftly executed book idea - and it makes reading and learning easier.

A simple tone from industry experts is common with O'Reilly books - it is part of what makes them solid study materials, especially for introducing you to new subjects. What I think Saleh and Shukairy do uniquely well, is inject just enough warmth in their tone to keep the flow engaging without overdoing it and diluting the impact of the subject matter. It is a careful balancing act - they obviously have a ton of information to share and don't want to overwhelm the reader, but at the same time need to keep it on a level that most anyone can embrace.

Cold facts often need warming-up before serving them. Saleh and Shukairy say: "Conversion optimization is a blend of science and art. It is the intersection of creative, marketing, and analytical disciplines." I would add that creating an easily digestible tome on a genuinely dry subject matter is an art of its own. It requires an intersecting of knowledge, warmth, experience and understanding, and the writing skills to blend these seamlessly. Saleh and Shukairy use a simple tone and style to layer their ideas upon each other and leave the reader with a sense of foundation and conceptual understanding.

Informational Depth

The meat of this book concentrates on presenting eight principles that combine into what Saleh and Shukairy call the "Conversion Framework." They believe that understanding this framework correctly allows you to apply it judiciously and continue to benefit from conversion optimizing efforts both online and offline. They want to teach a man to fish, not simply feed him.

Here again is where the reader benefits from the approach of these specific authors. Rather than using ideas that are rooted in topical or fleeting "what is working now" type of thinking, Saleh and Shukairy want you to avoid the simple path, and learn something deeper - something that will continue to offer you value.

These concepts are explained and well supported by examples, numbers and facts. For example, when discussing the creation of personas, they are adamant to warn against getting lost in this effort and provide realistic numbers for you to use to keep your own efforts in-check. While they are encouraging the implementation of conceptual information, they offer guidelines and warnings that are much more concrete. They walk you slowly to the intersection of art and science.

After the Conversion Framework concepts are presented and supported in chapters 3-8, in chapter nine Saleh and Shukairy present you with 49 specific things to consider in optimizing your website. This part of the book is something very concrete that you can return to for any new project. While you may not want to do all 49 of these things to every effort, it is a safe bet that your best moves for most optimization projects are clearly detailed within them. I'd recommend a bookmark here.

One thing I like about these 49 specific things to address, is that Saleh and Shukairy are candid about what to expect. If a change is not likely to produce much of a lift, they state it. What this does, is helps you to approach your own efforts with additional perspective on potential results. You can save time through the benefit of following the authors' expert advice.

Ultimately, the informational depth of a book like this should work to save you time and efforts - bringing an understood focus and purpose to your next move. By establishing a conceptual framework and then offering concrete, actionable items Saleh and Shukairy present a well-balanced and useful resource that achieves this purpose.

Potential Audiences

While I feel most people who work in selling products would benefit from the ideas presented in this book, the authors themselves offer a warning in the preface to answer the question, "Who Should Not Read This Book?"

We cast a wide net when we wrote this book, but there are a few people who might not enjoy it. Developers whose work stays far from the actual user of their application (i.e., developers of backend applications) aren't likely to enjoy this book. Those who believe that conversion optimization is only about testing may not like our approach to optimization. Finally, those who are looking for pure tactics and are not concerned with the theory behind conversion optimization might find some of the chapters in the book boring.

Personally, I believe that with the simple tone and structured logic in the way the concepts are presented, this is a quick read that offers a lot to gain. Having the 49 items to optimize as a reference-ready checklist simply adds to the overall value.

Consider this: Brand new, this book (offered bundled in both print an e-format) retails for less than $40 US, and you can buy it as just an e-book for even less. This is a very small investment if even one idea in it pays off for you somewhere. If more of these ideas resonate, you may implement new strategies that increase your returns by thousands, or even hundreds-of-thousands of dollars. The potential effect of conversion optimizing cannot be overstated.

In times when it gets harder to count on the search engines to bring you more and more traffic, it is a shrewd move indeed to look toward conversion optimization. Saleh and Shukairy offer you a simple, straightforward means to consider; reading Conversion Optimization: The Art and Science of Converting Prospects to Customers can easily be seen as a small, but smart investment in remaining competitive.

Categories: 

Source: http://www.seobook.com/book-review-conversion-optimization-art-and-science-converting-prospects-customers

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Types of Penny Auctions

SEO Articles Sponsored by Moe Tamani, the Internet Marketing Services Consultant


Isn't it cool when you see those rich guys in the movies, dressed in suits, fighting over an idiotic thing in an auction? They throw away thousands of dollars and are remain so calm when doing so! I always wanted to be one of those Well, the Internet, again, has come to my rescue!

Here are some kinds of auctions available online,
? Penny Auction: Simple as the name, these kinds of auctions start with the price of the item being $0 00 and with each bid, the price increases by a preset increment (usually $0 01) Each new bid adds a few seconds to the clock and the guy who bids last, wins
? Price Viewer: This kind of auction is characterized by the fact that the current auction price remains out of view To view the price, you have to pay a fee Hence, the name
? The Reversal: Exactly opposite to the penny auction, where the start-off price is $0 00, this auction starts off with the price of the item in the general market and begins to lower If you think you can spend the current amount, you can end the auction there and then
? Lowest Bid: By far the most difficult to win, this auction requires you to bid a unique value and the person who bids the lowest value, wins
What the Internet doesn't give you, sadly, is a list of websites that you can trust and can't Spammers are the first to set penny auction sites that cheat you of your money Anyway, from those that do provide you great service, these are the most prevalent kinds of auctions you'll find!


Source:
Types of Penny Auctions

Article By:
Jessica Moorhill

Source: http://www.internet-marketing-cafe.com/Art/192836/108/Types-of-Penny-Auctions.html

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Poke The Box Review

I received this book in the mail.

It's nice to be sent books. And it's by Seth!

The book is called Poke The Box. It's about making a start. Seth encourages us to just jump in and do things. It doesn't matter if they go wrong, the important thing is to make the start. To break out of conservative patterns. It's a scatter-shot rant about the death of the industrial revolution, with Godin inciting us, over and over again, to take action.

Gotta say, I was a little disappointed by the book. It skates over the surface, didn't really hang together, and recycles some pretty tired themes. This review amused me.

Or maybe this book is the start of something else Seth has in mind. I don't know. Having said that, I think the central point of the book is valuable, and that is to.....

Start Something

Do you ever regret not buying a particular domain name? Or a particular site? Do you regret not having started a site in that niche that is now taking off? Do you ever feel you've missed the boat on affiliate marketing? Do you regret not going harder at SEO in the days when it was just that much easier?

I think a lot of us can relate. There are always regrets and missed opportunities.

We *could* have done some of these things. But, for whatever reason, we didn't. And we probably still find reasons not to make a start on things today. Chances are, we're going to regret not having started them when we look back five years from now, too.

Take Seth's advice, and just make the start on that thing you are thinking of doing.

Fail At Something

Often we don't start something because we're scared of failing. However, as we know, failure is a part of life. The old cliche about the only way never to fail is to never try anything - rings true.

In SEO, one thing that might be good to start, if you're not doing so already, is some simple testing. Buy a few cheap domain names, add a little content, and try to get the site ranking for some obscure keyword term. As you don't really care about the keyword term, you can remain focused on pure SEO. If it fails to work, it doesn't matter. In fact, that tells you something about whatever technique you were using.Throw a few links at it. What happens? Does this fail to produce rankings? At least you know who not to get links from in future!

This is something I've let slip lately, so I'm going to make a new start on it, too.

Do Something Worth Doing

Seth mentions Tom Peters, who wrote "In Search Of Excellence". Seth sees that Peters is frustrated, because people are hearing his message, without embracing the thinking behind it. Being excellent isn't about doing what working extra hard at doing what you're told, it's about making the leap and doing work you decide is worth doing.

Sometimes, the thing that enables us to keep going with a site is simply that we believe in it. Nobody else might be paying attention. The rankings are mediocre. No one is linking to it. But if we feel what we're doing is worthwhile, we're more likely to work through the rough patches when there is no other reward on offer. If we don't really believe in a project, it's hard to find the will to work through the inevitable challenges.

Summary

Well, I guess should just say "Go!" :)

Why not - today - start something new.

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Source: http://www.seobook.com/poke-box-review

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Product Marketing Manager - Cloud Computing / Red Hat / Westford, MA

Red Hat/Westford, MA

Red Hat is looking for strategic and energetic product marketing managers to join its cloud product marketing team. While the Red Hat Cloud Business Team is part of a large organization, it feels more like a startup in that we have responsibility for the entire cloud business, but also have the support and resources of an established company. This is a great opportunity for an individual who has strong product management capabilities and experience with middleware and cloud technology to make a strong impact with an industry leader as we change the world of IT technology.

Specific Duties/Primary Responsibilities:

* Be a strong contributor to a small dynamic product marketing team setting and executing the marketing strategy for Red Hat's cloud business
* Launch new Red Hat cloud offerings into the market
* Effectively coordinate and manage internal and external resources to execute marketing campaigns, strategic alliances, partner and channel programs, and other key initiatives
* Apply strong strategic thinking and quantitative skills to growing our cloud business
* Be responsible for the entire cloud business and be able to think strategically about issues beyond pure marketing, such as P&L, operations, sales enablement, etc.


Job Requirements
Required Skills & Experience:

* 3-5 years of progressive experience in a server or enterprise software product marketing organization
* 2-3 years software product marketing experience
* 2+ years working with cross-functional teams within the enterprise software space
* Must be experience with/knowledge of virtualization and/or cloud technologies
* Bachelor's degree, preferably Electrical Engineering or Computer Science
* Prefer MBA
* Strong history of execution of marketing initiatives, taking responsibility, meeting deadlines, framing difficult problems, being an expert in multiple domains, drinking from a fire hose, and doing the impossible
* Previous consulting experience is a plus: management consulting at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Booz Allen; operational consulting at Accenture, Bearing Point, Deloitte, IBM GS, etc.
* Must possess technical expertise and business acumen to effectively manage product development and delivery process
* Solid Linux skills are very desirable
* A passion for open source software is a plus



Apply To Job

Source: http://jobs.searchenginejournal.com/job/product-marketing-manager-cloud-computing-westford-ma-red-hat-39798b5da2/?d=1&source=rss_page

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5 Ways To Profit From The Group Coupon Game

From John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing:

Group-buying deal services such as Groupon and Living Social are white-hot and for good reason: they send buyers to your doorstep like no other vehicle currently.

 

But, some would argue at what cost. These group-buying services often send buyers that are simply looking for deals and require the business owner to effectively discount their products and services up to 80 percent in some instances. (Want to know more about Groupon? Listen to this interview with CEO Andrew Mason.)

 

If you think about it though, most advertising and lead generation activities come with some cost associated. Few small businesses pay close enough attention to their customer acquisition costs, but it’s one of the greatest metrics going.

 

If you can determine how much it costs to acquire a customer and how much profit you can make in a “lifetime” of serving that customer, then you can determine how much you can afford to sink into acquiring more.

 

Since group-buying services can drive such a flood of leads at a known cost, the real way to make the deal game pay is to spend sufficient time developing programs to generate additional profitable business from as many of those deal shoppers as possible.

 

 

There’s no question some percentage won’t be back; heck, I’ve purchased Groupons from neighborhood joints that I was going to anyway. But the key is to convert trial users into repeat and refer business.

 

1.   Check your attitude. I can’t tell you how many businesses make Groupon users feel unwelcome. Think about it, you paid to get me to try your place and then you immediately make it a bad experience. If you’re going to invest in a coupon, go over the top to make me feel special–find out if it’s my first time in and maybe even give me a surprise. You won’t start to make money off me unless I come back and bring friends.

 

2.   Capture data. Only one place I’ve used a Groupon has made any effort to learn who I am. Give coupon buyers a reason to join your community. Offer them recipes for the meal they just ate, create a newsletter on trends related to your store and ask for feedback on their experience. Maybe even show them how they can review your business on Yelp or sign up for your very cool referral program.

 

3.   Tailor additional “coupon-like” promotions. These folks respond to what feels like a deal. Think in terms of creating special lunch menus, previews and guest talks, and then send them routine announcements via e-mail to get them back. (This is also a great way to stay in touch with all of your customers.)

 

4.   Prepare a valuable upsell. When your coupon deal seeker comes to your place, honor their coupon with a smile and then tell them about an even better deal you have just for them. 

 

5.   Create membership. Many businesses have embraced the frequent buyer club approach and this goes very nicely with the new trial coupon buyer. Make certain that you have a way to expose them to a habitual way of buying more and referring business.

Source: http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/marketing/article/5-ways-to-profit-from-the-group-coupon-game-john-jantsch

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Who Needs Profits...When You've Got Good Rankings?!!

by Stoney deGeyter

Search engine marketing is an intense game of strategy, analysis, and patience. But, it's also a game with multiple, sometimes even conflicting, goals. Depending on who you talk to you, some will tell you SEO is about rankings, while others will tell you it's about conversions. It's a classic political struggle trying to answer the question, "what will bring in the greatest profits?"

You need exposure to get the traffic that leads to new business. But, you need to be user friendly in order to convert the traffic you're getting into new business. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Anyone who has been optimizing a site for more than a week understands the value of getting strong search engine placement. Anyone that has had top rankings for more than a week also understands that bringing in new traffic that doesn't convert is pointless.

Why SEO is Like Government (and why government isn't like SEO)

SEO is a lot like government. No matter how many years we've been at it, there always seems to be more to do. And, like a good (or bad) law, we often don't see the effects right away. But, unlike government, SEO's analyze the results of their work. When a bad strategy is implemented, it gets repealed. Not very often is a bad law or government program withdrawn, regardless of the "unintended consequences."

Sigh.

But, I digress.

With SEO, there is almost always something that can be done to improve your site and your search rankings. But, after making specific changes, you must be patient enough to wait for the results of those changes. Then you can come back and compare the new results against previous results. This is the same whether you're making changes to improve your engine rankings or to increase conversion rates.

The changes you can make to your site are virtually endless when testing is involved. But, making too many changes too quickly, without testing and comparing the results, will almost always lead to a less than optimal marketing campaign.

Making Changes that Make Sense (and a lot of cents)

When you make changes without implementing proper tracking and testing procedures, you will often get both positive and negative results (or a combination of both), but you won't be in a position to pinpoint which of those changes were responsible for what results.

Let's say you made two changes to your home page, one was for rankings, the other for usability. If both rankings and conversions increase, you probably have performed two winning changes. But, what if rankings went up while conversions went down?

Simple, go back and undo the usability changes, right? Not necessarily.

It may be that your optimization changes improved rankings, but negatively effected usability, despite having made other usability changes. The usability changes you made may have actually resulted in a positive improvement, but that improvement was counteracted by the optimization changes that, while improving rankings, had a larger negative effect on conversions. Performing both of these changes at the same time makes it hard to pinpoint cause and effect.

Had you performed these changes separately, say the usability changes first, you might have seen an increase in conversion rates with little or no effect on rankings. The following week you would then make your optimization changes to find that your rankings went up, but your conversions dropped to levels lower than they were previously.

Now you know what to do! You undo your optimization changes, because, in this case, better rankings reduced conversions. Since you measured and tracked the results of each change, you can easily undo the change that had the greatest negative impact and then perhaps try something different to improve rankings.

Looking for opportunities to improve your site is an ongoing process. Every change and every test gives you valuable insight into what's working and what isn't. If you uncover a problem, you can't sit on your hands and do nothing. But once a "solution" is implemented, be patient and look to the results to see if it was a viable solution after all.

The Goal is Profits (not first page rankings)

In search engine marketing, there are often many goals: improve rankings, get more sales, increase conversions, drive more traffic, etc.

Profits can be achieved by improving rankings, getting more sales, increasing conversions, driving more traffic, etc. But, none of these is the goal itself. It is a means to the goal. Each of those paths can, and often do, intersect, and any of them can also lead you further away from your goal as well, if you're not careful

When I talk about getting more conversions for less money, I don't necessarily mean being able to spend less money, though that would be nice. But, getting more conversions for less usually requires spending more money, but paying less for each conversion.

Testing every change on your site allows you to keep making improvements in SEO, usability, conversions, etc. so that you can achieve your goal of getting each conversion at a lower cost than the month before. The way I see it, if marketing works the way it should, your marketing budget should always be increasing rather than decreasing, assuming, of course, that you can handle the increased business that the improvements continue to bring in.

Making sure you are using a measured approach to all your marketing efforts allows you slow, steady, and consistent growth in profits. When it's all said and done, it comes back to doing all that you can to improve your business, and measuring the results to make sure that what you're doing is working. Measuring only the end result without measuring the success or failures of the processes along the way will only result in a nice tasting goulash of a marketing campaign. Why settle for that when you can have the prime rib instead?

Be sure and visit our small business news site.


Source: http://www.searchengineguide.com/stoney-degeyter/who-needs-profitswhen-youve-got-good-ran.php

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Social Media Analyst / ADP / Seattle, WA

ADP/Seattle, WA

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. is one of the largest providers of business outsourcing solutions to employers and vehicle dealerships around the world. We bring 60 years of unrivaled industry experience to the marketplace. Over 80% of the FORTUNE 500 companies and over 90% of the FORTUNE 100 companies use at least one of ADP's services. ADP serves more than 560,000 organizations in over 60 countries, including nearly 400,000 small business clients and about approximately 26,000 vehicle dealerships. www.ADP.com

Social Marketing Specialist (SMR) is responsible for delivering Social Media and Reputation Management product to car dealership across North America. SMR is tasked with daily activities in three distinct fields:


- Social Media Management (SM). Provide the social media voice for multiple and distinct clients across all necessary social media channels, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. SMR is expected to provide daily content to all assigned channels and is often required to produce this content themselves to include writing blog posts and sourcing video and photo content that is relevant to client's customer base. Experience with marketing, journalism, creative writing, graphic design, website creation and social media tools are helpful with this field.
- Reputation Management (RM). Identify and respond as appropriate to all online customer mentions, often including direct customer concern resolution on behalf of client. Work with client to install and maintain a robust customer review process. Experience with customer service, concern resolution and online search tools are helpful with this field.
- Account Management (AM). Identify and build relationships with key points of contact at client locations. Provide expert consultation on best practices in use of SM and RM for business. Maintain relations with clients that result in continued and renewed business contracts. Experience with inside sales, car sales, key account management, call centers and B2B sales is helpful with this field.

SMR is expected to maintain up-to-date knowledge of social media marketing trends, thought leadership and best practices. SMR will work with client via phone, web and email to create and manage their social media strategy. While travel to client locations is not typical, it is occasionally required.



Experience managing Social Media for business use, excellent client communication and project management skills, strong writing, notation and communication skills, ability to work under pressure in fast-paced dynamic work environment. Occasionally, experience in B2B or retail sales may be substituted for Social Media Management experience.

Benefits to a Career at ADP:

At ADP, our associates are the key to our success! At ADP you will enjoy a vibrant and diverse organization with exceptional leadership committed to providing every associate with career building opportunities. Our environment is fast paced and dynamic with work/life initiatives that allow for individual goals to be realized.



ADP offers excellent benefits effective first day of employment! Some Benefits include:

* Medical/Dental/Vision(first day)* Pension Plan
* Company Matched 401K * Stock Purchase Plan
* Vacation * Personal Days * Holidays * Tuition Reimbursement * Corporate Discounts * Employee Assistance Program * Employee Referral Bonus


ADP is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer; M/F/D/V. ADP believes that diversity leads to strength.

Apply To Job

Source: http://jobs.searchenginejournal.com/job/social-media-analyst-seattle-wa-adp-d56bff196a/?d=1&source=rss_page

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Google Update Panda

Google tries to wrestle back index update naming from the pundits, naming the update "Panda". Named after one of their engineers, apparently.

The official Google line - and I'm paraphrasing here - is this:

Trust us. We're putting the bad guys on one side, and the good guys on the other

I like how Wired didn't let them off the hook.

Wired persisted:

Wired.com: Some people say you should be transparent, to prove that you aren?t making those algorithms to help your advertisers, something I know that you will deny.

Singhal: I can say categorically that money does not impact our decisions.

Wired.com: But people want the proof.

This answer, from Matt Cutts, was interesting:

Cutts: If someone has a specific question about, for example, why a site dropped, I think it?s fair and justifiable and defensible to tell them why that site dropped. But for example, our most recent algorithm does contain signals that can be gamed. If that one were 100 percent transparent, the bad guys would know how to optimize their way back into the rankings

Why Not Just Tell Us What You Want, Already!

Blekko makes a big deal about being transparent and open, but Google have always been secretive. After all, if Google want us to produce quality documents their users like and trust, then why not just tell us exactly what a quality document their users like and trust looks like?

Trouble is, Google's algorithmns clearly aren't that bulletproof, as Google admit they can still be gamed, hence the secrecy. Matt says he would like to think there would be a time they could open source the algorithms, but it's clear that time isn't now.

Do We Know Anything New?

So, what are we to conclude?

  • Google can be gamed. We kinda knew that....
  • Google still aren't telling us much. No change there....

Then again, there's this:

Google have filed a patent that sounds very similar to what Demand Media does i.e looks for serp areas that are under-served by content, and prompts writers to write for it.

The patent basically covers a system for identifying search queries which have low quality content and then asking either publishers or the people searching for that topic to create some better content themselves. The system takes into account the volume of searches when looking at the quality of the content so for bigger keywords the content would need to be better in order for Google to not need to suggest somebody else writes something

If Google do implement technology based on this patent, then it would appear they aren't down on the "Content Farm" model. They may even integrate it themselves.

Until then....

How To Avoid Getting Labelled A Content Farmer

The question remains: how do you prevent being labelled as a low-quality publisher, especially when sites like eHow remain untouched, yet Cult Of Mac gets taken out? Note: Cult Of Mac appears to have been reinstated, but one wonders if that was the result of the media attention, or an algo tweak.

Google want content their users find useful. As always, they're cagey about what "useful" means, so those who want to publish content, and want to rank well, but do not want be confused with a content farm, are left to guess. And do a little reverse-engineering.

Here's a stab, based on our investigations, the conference scene, Google's rhetoric, and pure conjecture thus far:

  • A useful document will pass a human inspection
  • A useful document is not ad heavy
  • A useful document is well linked externally
  • A useful document is not a copy of another document
  • A useful document is typically created by a brand or an entity which has a distribution channel outside of the search channel
  • A useful document does not have a 100% bounce rate followed by a click on a different search result for that same search query ;)

Kinda obvious. Are we off-base here? Something else? What is the difference, as far as algo is concerned, between e-How and Suite 101? Usage patterns?

Still doesn't explain YouTube, though, which brings us back to:

Wired.com: But people want the proof

YouTube, the domain, is incredibly useful, but some pages - not so much. Did YouTube get hammered by update Panda, too?

Many would say that's unlikely.

I guess "who you know" helps.

In the Panda update some websites got owned. Others are owned and operated by Google. :D

Categories: 

Source: http://www.seobook.com/google-update-panda

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