Milwaukee Search Marketing

Searching for a Milwaukee Handyman

I did a search on Google for 'Milwaukee handyman' and found the Handyman Connection in the first position in the Local Business listings. Not only that, they have added coupons at the Google Local Business Center.  This is nation wide company that franchises at the local level so it is hard to tell if the corporate office or the locals made this savvy move. The point is these are great tools to take advantage of and lets get more people on the bandwagon.

Great Post by Rand Fishkin on Ranking Factors

Great article generating some discussion. Funny graphics, especially the 'link juice' one. Search Engine Land has a very interesting series called Search Illustrated with graphics depicting search engine marketing concepts.

My Personal Opinion - 90% of the Rankings Equation Lies in These 4 Factors - by Rand Fishkin on SEOmoz

Are You Here? - Great Articles on Local Search

Search Engine Land's Locals Only is a great resource from experts on how to take advantage of local search and data you may already have to get more foot traffic. One of the articles that I wish I had written is Local Search Is About Products Too, Not Just Restaurants And Plumbers by Greg Sterling. Good, good stuff.

Another source of articles is a search on del.icio.us with the tag 'localsearch'.

In my best emergency room doctor voice: "I want to see custom pins and pictures in the bubbles people!"

The Long Tail Of Search

Great write up of dos and don'ts of managing large pay per click search marketing portfolios.

read more | digg story

South Eastern Wisconsin Search Engine Marketing Association

After an inspiring article by Todd Mintz discussing Danny Sullivan's influence on forming a local SEM Organization in Portland, I propose a South Eastern Wisconsin Search Engine Marketing Association. I am aware of, and been a to a few of the Milwaukee Interactive Marketing Association events, I crave the common experiences of attendees of events like Search Engine Strategies and Search Marketing Expo.

So, first I hope some people do stumble across this site and also have an interest in participating in this organization. The benefits could be many and the drawbacks very few. By raising the profile of what search engines can do for businesses small and large, locals with proper experience or interested in getting into the field will really benefit.

If you tell people you are a:

• search engine marketer
• have ppc or seo responsibilities
• work with Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing or MSN AdCenter

...and you get a blank look, this is a way to get together with like minded folks and talk shop in a casual way. Another 'benefit' discussing this line of work with lay people is being accused of placing pop up ads on their computersl

If interested please leave a comment, or feel free to use the Contact page.

The Search Marketing Human Capital Problem

Kevin Ryan writes a great article today on The Search Marketing Human Capital Problem.  I have given a number of talks to small business groups, and college Internet Marketing classes on search engine marketing. Most of the time people's eyes glaze over but there is usually one or two people who seem to respond and ask questions. There is a lot of poaching because of the demand for talent and Sempo.org's Sempo Institute and Marketing Experiments are stepping up to fill formalized training needs.

If you find your self short on search engine talent feel free to contact me.

Yahoo Search Marketing & MSN AdCenter Improving Slightly

Yahoo's Panama platform recently added some much needed common sense interface updates. The one most needed in my opinion was the ability to *gasp* see all of your ads at once. Before the update one had to mouse over the ad or click into the editing area to view it. Now you can see all the ads at once and copy an ad so you do not have to start fresh.

MSN AdCenter has a new start page and more importantly you go directly to your keywords when drilling down into an ad group. MSN has been listening to the feedback and I hope this is the first of many changes.

To both companies: GIVE US AN OFFLINE EDITOR PLEASE. K Thnks.

I know you are out there

I am starting this blog knowing that there are plenty of people in our region that have an interest in, work on, and can benefit from search engine marketing of the paid, seo and local varieties.

This blog is meant to keep my personal and professional blogs separate. My friends and family likely don't give a hoot about the Google AdWords and people who would likely read this blog don't want pics of our daughter showing up in your rss reader (hint hint, subscribe).

I've been in the business 6 years now and learned a thing or two, but also know it is such a rapidly evolving space that you need to stay on top of it on nearly a daily basis.  Lots o' money can get flushed if one does not keep their ear to the ground.

I'll be adding feeds of the blogs I follow as well as waxing poetic on my experiences as well as a dissection of what is going on in the local market.