1. Over at Take it in-house, we just posted an audio interview with Philip Maher, founder of Intuitive Investments and former Director of Interactive Strategy at RH Donnelley.
2. Check out Li Evan’s latest article on Search Engine Watch, Can Social Media Be Measured?
3. And if you haven’t downloaded it yet, grab our newest white paper on measuring social media, Social Media Impact: Unicorn or Elephant?

Head on over to takeitinhouse.com where we’ve got an interview with Mike Moran.  He’s Chief Strategist at Converseon while also being a celebrated author (Search Engine Marketing, Inc. and Do It Wrong Quickly: How the Web Changes the Old Marketing Rules) and a freelance consultant and public speaker.

Over at Takeitinhouse.com we have an interview with Melanie Mitchell, VP of Marketing at Folio Investments, Inc. She discusses her nearly nine years in search marketing, points out some great reasons for educating the entire company about SEO, and shares insights on in-house search marketing teams and their role in the company.

Back in the first post of 2008 on this blog, I predicted that 2008 would be the year of Reputation Management.  Given the trends we’d seen in customer referrals, it seemed like a pretty safe bet. 

Over the course of the year, we did indeed gain some buzz monitoring / reputation management contracts, which we successfully completed.  However, reputation management was not an over-riding discussion point throughout the year.  Just as Local Search wasn’t in 2006 or Mobile Search in 2007, it was just a part of the bigger picture of internet marketing.  Although, you could say that each was indeed a larger part of that picture by the end of each of those years.

SEO and potentially, PPC can be large parts of your reputation management solution, social media involvement can help your SEO and reputation management, and so on and so forth.  What you really need to look at for 2009 is that bigger picture.  Where does everything fit together?  Where are the holes in your internet marketing plan?  Where should you focus your budget, and how flexible can you make your spend?

In 2009, what I’d like you to do is not to focus on the shining promise of ‘the next new thing’ at the expense of everything that’s already working for you.  But instead, keep an eye out for the potential of that next new thing, and be prepared to test and see if it can / will work for you, either now or in the future, and how it plugs in with what you’re doing now.

With Barack Obama and John McCain now in full battle mode, I thought it would appropriate to take a look at some online metrics and make some comparisons to how each is using the internet to help their campaign. In the lead up to the election, I will post my findings and observations.

Some topic areas that I will likely include are:

• Search volume relating to each candidate in key “battle ground” states
• How they are using search
• Analysis of their Websites
• Analysis of their involvement with social media
• Other areas that seem appropriate as we move close to the election

One quick observation is how they have each reacted to hurricane Gustav. The republican convention scaled back the schedule of events and speakers on the day the hurricane hit. Instead, they focused on its potential impact and the states that could be affected. McCain’s team also made sure to give it prominent placement on their homepage and highlight speeches that were given by Cindy McCain and Laura Bush.

Not to be outdone, the Obama team has put up a splash page that has temporarily replaced their homepage. It calls for individuals to make a donation to those affected by Gustav.

So, even in times of tragedy the candidates are jockeying to show American citizens that they are in tune with the needs of those that have been affected and are working to help provide relief. And, this is just the beginning of what is sure to be a nasty battle in the coming months.

The answer to that is a resounding YES, especially when you take a look at the data in the latest Pew Internet & American Life Project memo on Search Engine Use.  They found that as of May 2008, the percentage of users that use search engines on a typical day has risen to 49%.   So, almost half of all internet users use a search engine on a daily basis to find information / locate products / research a company.

What about the makeup of the typical searcher?  According to the memo, this person is typically under 49 years of age and makes more than $50k per year – ideal demographics for most companies.

So, what does this mean for you?  It means that you need to make sure that your site can be found in the results for your company / your brand / your services, because if they’re searching, and you’re not there…

Yesterday, Google launched a new services called Insights for Search.   It builds off of Google Trends, but allows you to dig deeper into the search query data to compare search patterns by location, categories, and time frames.   

The tool works by first having you select how you want to compare the data.  The options you have are by Search Terms, Locations, or Time Ranges.  You can then filter the results by the two selections that you did not choose as well as by specific categories.  This allows marketers to get very granular data - specific to who their target audience is and where they are located. 

The tool also shows you search phrases that are currently seeing a spike in search phrases -  that ultimately, relate to the search phrases your currently researching.  This will help PPC managers find new keywords that they can potentially capitalize on before other marketers begin to bid up the costs.    

Overall, it seems like an interesting tool that will provide excellent data that can be used by marketers to bolster their search campaigns and better understand searcher behavior.

This is the conclusion to the three part series on SEO and PPC’s quest to have an amazing night out on the town.  If you missed part one or part two – check them out before reading on. 

While both SEO and PPC are now having an amazing time, they both feel like it can still be taken to the next level. Just then Web Analytics reappears, but he is not alone this time. On one side, he’s got the one person that PPC has had their eye on the entire night while on the other side, SEO sees the one that they’ve been after.

With PPC, you can tell there are instant sparks and they immediately head out to the dance floor. SEO, however, is the type to take it real slow and so they go take a seat on the couches. It doesn’t take long for the chemistry to build and soon they are having an amazing time as well.

With a smile on his face, Web Analytics knows that SEO and PPC have learned an important lesson tonight. While they both can get into the party on their own and have a decent time, the night will not reach its full potential unless they work together.  They need to bring along their friend, Web Analytics to show them how best to play off each other and eliminate the obstacles that present themselves along the way.

This experience that SEO and PPC had can be translated into the real world of SEO and PPC. SEO is a slow process that requires a lot of patience while building up rankings for the targeted keywords. The pages that visitors will be going to are often more content rich. So, it can often be a slower process before a visitor actually makes a purchase.

PPC on the other hand, provides instant gratification. It’s quick to get going and quite easy to move into the top positions if you’re willing to pay the price. It’s generally flashier since you have full control over the marketing message and the landing page that a visitor goes to. It is generally more offer-oriented and is designed to generate an immediate purchase.

All too often…SEO and PPC aren’t done in conjunction with each other. Each forges out on their own and can experience success. But, unless they are working together they are likely not reaching their full potential. That is where Web analytics comes into play.

The Web analyst needs to understand how SEO and PPC work together and find the optimal balance. It means nothing to rank #1 in the SERPs for a “key” search phrase if all you’re doing is sending crappy traffic that never converts. You need to know the types of keywords that do convert into sales or other site goals and refocus your efforts around those.

Too often, I see the excitement on people’s faces when they’ve finally achieved a goal of ranking on the first page of the SERPs and the site suddenly begins to see an increase in traffic. A high volume of traffic, however, does not necessarily translate into an increase in conversions of the site goals.

The Web analyst should know the keywords that are working well for PPC and those that work well for SEO. If it works well for PPC, then it’s probably worth trying for SEO purposes. The same holds true for keywords that are working well for SEO. If you have a set of keywords that you rank highly both organically and in PPC, then there is another task that the Web analyst needs to work on.

That task is finding the right position for the PPC ad based on where the site ranks organically. It may be that the #2 spot in PPC generates the highest return, but it could also be taking away sales that otherwise would be coming through organically. Understanding what position for PPC generates the highest overall (both organically and paid) return will allow your company to realize the greatest return.

That is just the beginning, but this would go on forever if I began getting into the importance of multivariate testing and the full analysis of user behavior for organic and paid visitors that should continually be taking place.

Instead, I’ll hopefully be leaving you with an understanding that a truly integrated SEO and PPC effort requires more than just the SEO and PPC teams working together. It requires the Web analytics team to also provide insights and advice to help take it to the next level.

So, while SEO and PPC can get into the party that is the first page of the SERPs, they really should enlist the help of Web Analytics to take the party up to the next level and really begin to drive the highest level of sales while delivering the best overall return.

…You’re supposed to say “Wednesday”… you know… so I can say “Webinar!” and then… Oh forget it.

Throughout the month of August, Serengeti Communications will present a weekly, one-hour Webinar every Wednesday (say that five times fast). We’ll be covering various Web 2.0 and marketing strategies each week and helping your business get just a little bit better at using that new-fangled thing called the “Internet.” (All the cool kids say it’s going to be the next “sliced bread.”)

So, what are these Webinars going to cover? I’m glad you asked.

And, all this for only twenty-seven easy payments of nothing. But wait, there’s more…call right now and you can get your whole team to attend for nothing. That’s right just twenty-seven easy payments of nothing. That’s nothing for you, nothing for your co-worker, and the extra special low price of nothing for your great-uncle Ted.

So, invite your co-workers, your bosses, and obscure relatives to The Wednesday Webinar Series. Operators (i.e. Stacy) are standing by so Register Today.

This is Part Two of a three part series on SEO and PPCs quest to have an amazing night out on the town.  If you have not already read Part One, check it out before reading on. 

Once SEO and PPC finally meet up a new set of issues arise. Neither of them can manage to get past the crowds and up to the bar to get drinks. To make matters worse, the cocktail waitresses seem to be ignoring them. Frustrated, they decide they will instead mingle and see who they meet. They each go their separate ways, but after a while they both begin to get frustrated. While everyone seems to be out for attention tonight, neither SEO nor PPC is having much luck. Both of them seem to be getting ignored or shot down more often than not which is quickly making the night a disappointment.

Just then, an old friend who neither SEO nor PPC has seen in ages shows up. The old friends name is Web Analytics. SEO and PPC explain the frustration each is having with how the night is going and seem a bit upset as a smile comes across the face of Web Analytics.

Web Analytics explains that he can help turn the night into the type of party that SEO and PPC thought they were going to at the outset. He explains that PPC and SEO need to work together to have the night they envisioned and once they find out how best to play off each other then everything else will fall into place.

Armed with their new advice - they again try their luck. After a bit of experimenting with different tactics, their luck starts to change. Suddenly, they seem to be the center of attention with each generating their fair share of interest from almost everyone they come in contact with.

There is still one area, however, that SEO and PPC have yet to master and that is the ability to get a drink. Seeing that, Web Analytics sends over a cocktail waitress to SEO and PPC who are laughing and having a great time with a couple of new friends. After taking their order, the cocktail waitress tells them that she will keep an eye on them and makes sure they are taken care of for the rest of the night.

While both SEO and PPC are now having an amazing time, they both feel like it can still be taken to the next level. Just then, Web Analytics reappears – but he is not alone this time.

Find out who Web Analytics has brought with him in the conclusion next week.