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Show archive of August 2008

    1. Directing Bots on Your Site

      August 27, 2008
       

      Returning last week from SES San Jose, Bruce, Susan and Virginia consider the highlights of the conference. Strong sessions, constant networking, and great opportunities for visibility were the norm. Whether listening to experienced SEOs debate tactics in the conference hall or over dinner, the Internet marketing action never slowed.

      While at SES, Virginia got a chance to talk to Live Search Webmaster Center Program Manager Jeremiah Andrick. Jeremiah gave his insight into the improved functionality of the recent Webmaster Tools update and explained how by supporting the online publishing community Live Search is helping the end user gain access to the best content available.

      Then Susan and Virginia give some suggestions for ways to direct search engine bots on your site. When search engine bots visit your site, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to crawl and index your pages. Effective bot herding can be achieved through a site map, robots.txt file, Meta tags and nofollow attributes.

    2. SES San Jose 2008

      August 20, 2008
       

      Many of the hosts of SEM Synergy are attending SES San Jose. Live from the expo room floor, Virginia interviews three of the presenters.

      Chris Winfield, President of 10e20, sits down first to talk about his presentation on Igniting Viral Marketing Campaigns. He explains what viral markeing is and the main places conversations are taking place online. He gives some ideas of good content and his tips for someone trying to start a viral marketing campaign.

      Then, Cindy Krum, Director of New Media Strategies at Blue Moon Works, stops by the WebmasterRadio booth to talk about her session. Presenting on panel Death of the ‘.mobi’, Cindy explains why marketers should be interested in mobile. She talks about how mobile rankings differ, even among different mobile devices. And then she touches on the different site architecture solutions for addressing mobile search.

      Wrapping up the show, Dave Snyder, Search Specialist at JRDunn.com and co-founder of Search & Social, talks about his session Successful Tactics for Social Media Optimization. He explains what it is that companies can get out of SMO and where people should focus their visibility efforts. He then shares what he’s looking forward to in the search mini-con he’s organizing in October, Scary SEO.

      Unfortunately, due to technical issues, this program is no longer available.

    3. On the Way to SES San Jose

      August 13, 2008
       

      With Bruce heading out to SES San Jose next week, he and Robert take a look at the subject of the panel on which Bruce will be speaking. Black Hat, White Hat: Playing Dirty with SEO covers a much-discussed topic in the SEO industry – one that has increasingly found the limelight following the Give It Up session at SMX Advanced in June. Bruce explains that black hat tactics may be a fine method of experimentation for SEOs’ personal domains, however, search engine-approved methodology is often a more sustainable business model.

      Then Bruce talks to Kevin Ryan, the VP and global content director of Search Engine Strategies and Search Engine Watch. Kevin speaks to his goals and direction for the show, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. With constantly updated session topics and a growing number of attendees, SES continues to offer strong opportunities for education and networking in the highly-competitive industry.

      Susan and Virginia close out the show with a look at the sessions and events they will be sure not to miss. From the keynotes to the parties, there are more than enough activities to keep all attendees busy for the four-day long conference. Certainly, you’ll find blogger Lisa Barone, Susan and Virginia at the Google Dance and Search Bash come night fall!

    4. Agency vs. In-House

      August 6, 2008
       

      Bruce, Robert and Virginia kick off the show with recent search headlines. In Google news, the search engine announced it will begin indexing audio and video files on YouTube’s Politicians channels. Google has been sued over its AdSense for Domains program, allegedly selling low-quality ads unlikely to convert. And the Google AdWords program got a makeover when they announced that keyword and placement targeting will be combined in a single ad group.

      Then Virginia talks to Scott Polk, a new senior SEO analyst at Bruce Clay, Inc. Experienced as a consultant and in-house SEO, Scott talks about the transition from in-house to agency and the different demands of the two environments. Implementation, evangelism and the number of hats worn all vary slightly in each role.

      Susan and Virginia close out the show with a look at the different types of training courses. Training is one of the ways that Internet marketers can stay up to date with new technologies and search engine guidelines. Training seminars, remote training, and on-site training are all options that you will have to weigh based on your needs and resources. The Bruce Clay, Inc. SEOToolSet Training will be presented following SMX East Oct. 9-10. It’s a great opportunity to attend the white hat SEO training course that has, until now, only been offered on the West Coast.