Ben & Spencer pose with their MAX Award

Amplify Interactive was awarded the “best single medium advertising campaign” at the 2010 AMA MAX Awards. Amplify Interactive’s work on a campaign for our client SawStop was recognized as the best among 8 entries in the category from other Portland area agencies & companies including a campaign from our office-mates Grady Britton as well as our partner eROI, and Intel (with whom we tied for 1st place) among others.

Great job on the AWARD WINNING work guys!

Links to related info:

• Press Release: Amplify Interactive wins a 2010 AMA MAX Award
• Our entry/case study: PPC Campaign Domination – Launching SawStop’s New Professional Cabinet Saw with PPC Advertising
• AMA MAX Awards
• Pictures from the 2010 AMA MAX Awards Ceremony
• Our series of posts on how to  “PPC Campaign Domination“

We’re always looking for clients who want to do award winning campaigns. Follow the link to find out more about our PPC Management Services.

Here we go…

1. Make sure every page within a website possesses the functionality for customized page titles and meta descriptions or at the very least (for larger sites) the ability to assign unique business rules to these fields.
2. Each page should contain at least a single H1 header and if plausible, corresponding H2, H3, etc… headers as well. There should only be a single H1 per page which acts as the “title” for that page. The corresponding H2, H3, H4, H5 and H6 tags should be used to identify related sub-pages. Linking to the sub-pages via the headers is recommended.
3. Images on the website should possess a customizable alt tag field especially if that image is being linked to another page. As any developer knows, the alt tag field is used to describe what an image is depicting but it also acts as the anchor text (of sorts) for hyperlinked images so consult with whoever is responsible for optimizing the site to ensure the alt tags are search term enriched.
4. Choose a primary domain and apply 301 redirects (a permanent redirect) to all other domains and point them to the primary domain. 302 redirects (a temporary redirect) will not pass along any search engine value nor will any other type of redirect.
5. For redesigns or overhauls apply 301 redirects for every moved sub page to tell search engines that “this page has permanently moved here”. When redirecting sub pages make sure to point them to their replacement page and not the homepage. The only time you want to point a sub page to the homepage is when it no longer exists.
6. Each page should be named after the targeted search term assigned to represent it (or at least a portion of the term) and should be displayed that way within the URL.
7. URL’s should be structured in a way where there are multiple tiers. Websites with depth are seen by search engines as more relevant (if they are properly optimized) because it shows them that there is a wealth of supporting content on a particular subject matter.
8. The website should possess an auto-populated site map that is less than 150 links and is linked to from every page on the site. If there is a need to represent more than 150 links simply create a second site map page or as many pages needed to encompass the entire site. A quick note, larger sites with a lot of authority (link juice) and history can get away with simply linking to the high level landing pages.
9. Reference CSS and JavaScript code through an include file. This will lower the page size, move the relevant body copy further up the page and lessen the chances of search engine spiders receiving an error.
10. Create a customized 404-Error page that closely resembles the site map.
11. Every page should posses a single dedicated URL no matter how many different ways there are to navigate to the page or how many places the page appears.
12. Ensure that there are not any broken links within the site.
13. Assign the nofollow attribute to links that point to “irrelevant” pages like the privacy policy, terms of use, etc… You may want to consult with whoever is responsible for optimizing the site.
14. Create a robots.txt file and block search engine spiders from indexing pages not meant to be visible in search results such as the shopping cart. THIS ALSO INCLUDES STAGING SITES.
15. Do not use iFrames to display any information meant to be spidered and indexed by search engines.
16. For all of you dot net nukers, reduce your Viewstate code.
17. Place analytical script just above the closing body tag.
18. Direct users to a “thank you” page after they perform a conversion on the site.
19. Hook up separate RSS feeds for press releases, blog posts, articles, etc… Basically any content that can and should be syndicated.
20. Create xml feeds for sites that sell products, real estate or anything that can be uploaded to Google’s Merchant Center and related portals.

Obviously there’s more so what’s missing? Share additional SEO development tips below.

TMMPDX.COM’s SearchFest Preview: Q&A with Ben Lloyd, SEMpdx President

SEMpdx President, Ben Lloyd, took some time out for a Q&A with TMMPDX to talk about SearchFest and give us a preview of the upcoming conference happening March 9, 1010 at the Governer Hotel

1. Make it compatible to any feed reader. If it’s not activated, you should browse to the Optimize tab and activate the SmartFeed option.
2. Give your readers the tools to share your content easily. You can include options to allow the reader of your feed content to email it to others, email the author, share it on Facebook and more. To look at all of the built-in options, navigate to the Optimize tab and then to FeedFlare.
3. Allow readers to subscribe to your content via an email subscription. Not everyone “gets” what an RSS feed is (or what the heck to do with it!). In this case, giving those users the option to subscribe to your content via an email that automatically gets sent out whenever you publish new content is preferable. You can even enable options to customize the email address that sends out the emails, the font and color of the email text and more. To see all of the options available for email, click on over to the Publicize tab then Email Subscriptions.
4. Make sure your feed is branded! When someone is searching for feeds to subscribe to, make sure yours stands out with your company or blog logo. To add a logo to your feed, you can go to the Optimize tab then select the drop down menu option “Specify custom image URL” in the Feed Image Burner section.

With some quick changes here and there, you can truly make your Feedburner feed stand out above all others!

From the PSU site:

“This breakfast is part of a quarterly discussion of digital marketing with industry professionals, moderated this time by the Portland search engine marketing association, SEMpdx.”

Our panel should be really great. There’s several folks from the SEMpdx board speaking about Universal Search (see my earlier post “SEO Tips for Universal Search“) + we’ll have analytics expert Aaron Gray on hand. We’ll each be presenting a few key points and then taking Q&A.

The session is totally free. Just register. Here’s a link for more information on the PSU Digital Marketing Breakfast at PSU. Hope to see you there!

“The U.S. core search market grew 16 percent in 2009, driven by a 6-percent gain in unique searchers and a 10-percent gain in search queries per searcher. Google and Bing led among the core search engines in terms of increases in market share.”

The 10% gain in search queries per searcher is interesting: are people not finding what they want and need to refine their search or are they just using search engines more?

“Social networking continued to gain momentum in 2009 with nearly 4 out of 5 Internet users visiting a social networking site on a monthly basis and Facebook and Twitter propelling much of the growth in the category.”

This comes as no surprise, especially specifically highlighting Facebook and Twitter as the two major social networking traffic drivers.

I’m thinking we’ll only see these trends continue in 2010.

(note – the presentation isn’t visible in the feed if you’re reading via email/rss/facebook – you have to click through to see it)

A summary of the “Optimizing Alternate Content” tips in the presentation:

• Filenames should match the content

• Optimize the HTML to provide contextual clues

• Make sure it’s crawlable

• Use proper formatting

• Leverage ‘attributes’

• Leverage syndication/distribution channels to get your content “out there” and found

Share your tips below or contact Amplify Interactive regarding our search engine optimization (SEO) services

Here is what the team from Amplify Interactive thinks will happen with SEM in 2010:

Ben

It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon here and just say the words “social media” – everyone is in a frenzy about this, and I think it’s valuable and a must-do – but replacing search? You’re crazy. The current state of social media marketing reminds me of when search started to gain widespread acceptance – marketers are just frazzled with trying to figure out what they should be doing.  That being said:

1. Definitely more convergence of search & social. Search engines will continue to work on ways to incorporate signals from social media. And this is badly needed – harnessing real time data from twitter & facebook status updates is a pretty great way to catch ‘breaking’ news. However – I think it’s ludicrous to assume that social can or will handle the same functions that search can. Yes – you can find a brand and interact with them. Hell, you can even ask your friends/followers for recommendations or help with a problem – is this the same as search? No.
2. Continued emergence of Bing and hopefully some improvements to their algorithm. Assuming this Yahoo/Bing deal goes through, the search engine space will get a lot more interesting.
3. More emergence of vertical search. Whether Google starts to incorporate tabs for travel, restaurants, etc, or whether Google “killer-ettes” (Danny Sullivan’s term) continue to emerge and serve a specific market much better than Google does (like urbanspoon) – I think we’ll all be better off…. please don’t let Google acquire you.
4. On my wishlist?: Bing, Yahoo & Facebook need to step up their game for making their advertiser interface better and easier to use. Also – more editor tools for Mac users please.
5. Another wish list item: Better education and understanding and acceptance of content as a driver for search and social.
6. Another wish list item: Better understanding of Web analytics and what measurements matter to you… and how to act on the right KPIs. If I hear “our hits are down” one more time…

Blu

In 2010 I do not see a whole lot changing as far as search engines adjusting their algorithms however I do foresee a continued push for companies and individuals to own more of a share of their targeted results through interactive media, social media and content syndication. These days search is so much more than simply optimizing a website or managing bids, it is migrating so that search marketers need to effectively be able to setup and manage multiple third party platforms to achieve their goals.

Christian

I think there will be even more of a convergence between social media and SEO. After all, the goal of having an optimized website is getting found by your ideal customer… this will be the same objective for social media as well (without being too pushy). While it definitely is now, it’ll be more of a focal point for search engine marketers in 2010.

I also believe more and more websites will be “doing the right thing” (i.e. be optimized for their specific target audience) which will only make it even more important to continue creating optimized content to have a dynamic and organic website. More competition is fine if you’re on top of optimized content creation.

And lastly, online reputation monitoring will be even more needed in 2010, as social review websites, Twitter, Facebook and more continue to harvest conversations about you and your brand. If you pretend that the conversations aren’t happening and do not address them head-on, then you’ll be missing out on making relationships with the main “influencers” for your brand and identity.

Spencer

Considering SEO and SEM are dead, Team Amplify must be zombies because we are still around. This makes trends 1,2, and 3….BRAINS!

Seriously though, while staying away from mobile and local search (which are increasingly becoming one in the same), and staring deep into my crystal ball these are my predictions for SEM 2010:

1.) Rise of interactive advertising for streaming web-based content: Perhaps this is more of 2011-12 prediction, but the recent deal struck between Comcast and NBC Universal’s parent company General Electric shows that high quality entertainment is continuing its migration to web. Contrary to what disgruntled Comcast customers may think, Comcast is not stupid. Comcast sees a vast arena to market products through interactive advertising via the web content, whether they are saying it or not.

Just imagine you are watching a live streaming game (using Comcast’s high speed service) on ESPN360, and during the scheduled commercial break, a Nike ad appears. An ad serving system, or Nike’s media buyer, recognizes that you would probably be more receptive to this ad since you are already watching a sporting event. Sounds like TV right? Wait though, at the end of the ad, you as an engaged audience member are given the option to buy it from, say, Zappos, Foot Locker or Nike themselves without having to leave your seat. The best part is, for Nike or its retail partner it is measurable, highly targeted, efficient and featured along side high quality entertainment that has helped sell products for years. This is a very basic example, as product placements, and promotional tie-ins make possibilities endless. Combine these benefits with localized advertising results for big-ticket items such as cars or dishwashers this could be a match made in e-commerce heaven.

Comcast is already the only major cable television and high speed internet provider in many large markets. It has the customer base and infrastructure through these channels to deliver content, now their own, with targeted spots on a customer to customer basis.  They can now charge for the content, and possibly charge on a CPC or CPA basis for its advertisers to get interactive. Get ready for it.

2.) Social Media aggregation: I highlighted this in a recent interview I did for my friends at Idea Mensch, and I stole it from the very bright Jeremiah Owyang. The jist of it is for even web savvy people it is difficult to maintain more than 3 three social media profiles, and for businesses it is even more difficult. What aggregation gives users and businesses (especially) is a one-stop shop to manage all of their social media profiles, no matter how niche the segment is. Scaling social media is difficult, and aggregation is the first of many steps in solving this scaling dilemma.

3.) Amplify Interactive kicking ass and taking names: Because that’s what we do around here.

Check with me around this time next year, and tell me how foolish I was, but rest assured number 3 is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Care to share what you think how SEM will evolve in 2010? Feel free to leave us a comment!

Previously, this feature was an “opt-in” feature where you had to manually go and set this feature up. Now, Google is turning it into an “opt-out” feature.

Why this is something to take note of?

1. It influences your perception of search engine rankings. When this feature is on, actual search engine rankings become distorted due to your search history and previous search behavior.
2. This being “opt-out” means, more than likely, more individuals will be using this feature (whether knowing about it or not). With Google serving personalized results, it’ll be even more important for your website to show up from the onset so that a user’s personalized results doesn’t shut your website out of their results just because they’ve clicked on your competitor’s websites.

It’ll be important to know whether this feature is turned on in your Google account settings so you can accurately depict unbiased search engine result pages.

It’s probably best to back up here and give a little background. If you don’t follow football or know who Terry “Tank” Johnson is – you may not know that he started his NFL career as a defensive lineman with the Chicago Bears after an outstanding couple of years playing for University of Washington, where he got the nickname Tank. While with Chicago, Tank Johnson got into a little (lot of) hot water with a few gun related arrests, which ultimately led to him putting a little time in behind bars, getting suspended by the NFL, and being kicked off of the Chicago Bears in the process. Now, depending on the search you use, it isn’t hard to find less than flattering results in Google for his name. You’ll find mug shots and news stories about his “Chicago troubles”, arrests, and testifying in a murder trial.

So what could Tank Johnson do to “fix” the Google results for his name? Here’s some

Online Reputation Management Tips for Terry “Tank” Johnson

Have a Good Reputation Offline

The first rule of Online Reputation Management is that you have to have a good reputation offline. You can employ all the smartest tactics and make short term fixes, but if you’re a disaster of a person in real life – there’s no way that they’ll stick because the next negative news item or comment or review will lay all your hard work to waste. So, the first thing that Tank Johnson needs to do is stay out of trouble and start doing positive things with his life that he can publicize online.

Highlight the Positive Online

Now that you’re keeping your nose clean, improving your performance on the field, and maybe even doing some charity work – you’ve got to let people know about it. This might manifest itself online in the following ways: positive news coverage, player profiles, press releases from the team or from your own publicity, multimedia (photos & videos). So the question becomes – how to get those things to show up in Google for your name instead of the “bad” items? The key lies in building links to the positive items, and encouraging other people to link to them as well. Link to them from your blog, from your Twitter account, from press releases, from your Facebook page, from your team site, etc.

Do Some Blocking & Tackling Online

You’ll notice in the item above that I recommended building links to the positive items. In order to really make that work – you need to generate some authority online. One – you’ve got to have a Web presence or two or three that you own. A popular place is Twitter and/or Facebook, but these work best if you’ve got a site or blog to act as a central location for your online presence. From here – you can use Twitter and Facebook as extensions of your primary site. After all – Twitter or Facebook may go the way of MySpace or Friendster someday. Once you link Twitter and Facebook to your blog – and “optimize” them for your name, all of a sudden you’ve got three Web properties that can show up on page 1 in Google for your name. When that happens, you may find that some of those negative items get “pushed” to page two – effectively making them “disappear”. Use these tools to create links to the positive items that you’d rather see show up in search results for your name. You can take this strategy even further by creating profiles on other sites like Flickr, LinkedIn, Google Profiles, YouTube, etc.

Continue to Generate Positive Publicity

While there may be some more sensational publicity stunts you can do to generate a lot of buzz and coverage in a short amount of time – simple things like taking advantage of photo opps, granting interviews, and donating your time and money to worthy causes will pay off in the long run. The key is to be savvy about promoting those items online.

These are just a few tips that any person or company could employ to improve their online reputation.  Google even gives some advice for managing your reputation through search results. Amplify Interactive offers online reputation management services as well. Feel free to share any online reputation management tips you may have for Terry “Tank” Johnson below.