San Mateo, Calif – BrightEdge, the leading global SEO platform, today released analysis showing that brands in the Retail, Financial Services and Technology verticals are leaving upwards of $112 Million in unrealized sales on the table, that could be secured by more aggressive or effective search optimization activities.

BrightEdge analyzed terabytes of page rank, social signals, keyword, backlinks, ranking and CPC data from their cloud database to identify the real dollar opportunity available to specific vertical market segments. BrightEdge found that on average, Retail companies could drive more than $51 Million in potential revenue, followed by Financial Services at $51 Million. Hardware and software solutions are coming closer to the mark with leaving more than $5.4 Million in potential annual revenue.

“Search marketers are a part of the revenue generating organization, but they have lacked a forecasting tool to define the revenue opportunity for their company. Our research shows that there is a tremendous opportunity for brands to grow their revenue through search engine optimization,” said Jim Yu, CEO of BrightEdge. “With the unveiling of these findings BrightEdge is excited to announce that we are also introducing the ability to accurately forecast the business opportunity for SEO as part of our S3 platform.”

BrightEdge’s search opportunity forecasting, which is currently available in limited release to BrightEdge clients and agency partners provides a complete solution to allow search marketers to build a solid forecast for themselves.

To join the discussion about BrightEdge’s data, please visit www.facebook.com/seoplatform, or follow BrightEdge on Twitter at www.twitter.com/brightedge.

About BrightEdge
BrightEdge is the leading global SEO platform helping more than 1,100 of the world’s largest brands stay ahead in the rapidly evolving Internet landscape. BrightEdge S3 drives more than $4 billion in organic search across industries, harnessing the power of analytics to drive revenue from web sites, search engines and social networks across the globe in a measurable, predictable way. BrightEdge is based in San Mateo, CA and is privately held with financing from Battery Ventures, Altos Ventures and Illuminate Ventures.

For more information, please visit www.brightedge.com, friend BrightEdge on Facebook at www.facebook.com/seoplatform or follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/brightedge.

New York, NY – Yodle, a leader in local online marketing, announced it has completed a transaction to acquire ProfitFuel, Inc.  ProfitFuel, based in Austin, TX, is the largest and fastest growing provider of local search engine optimization (SEO) services to small businesses across the United States.  With over 11,000 clients, ProfitFuel has achieved breakout growth serving small businesses that have a moderate marketing budget.  Outrank, the company’s main service, is designed to generate inbound phone calls and emails cost effectively by delivering prominent rankings on top search engines for clients.

Historically, Yodle has focused its local online marketing services on small business advertisers that typically spend larger budgets of $1,000+ monthly and national brand advertisers; Franchise, Multi-location, and Manufacturer/Dealer organizations that advertise locally across hundreds of locations.  With the acquisition of ProfitFuel, Yodle now adds a product and a sales force capable of serving a much broader set of clients who have smaller marketing budgets, but who still want the accountability of measuring their marketing performance.

“With ProfitFuel, Yodle is doubling down on its approach of providing a clear ROI to the local advertiser, delivered through a combined 450 person sales and client service team,” said Yodle CEO Court Cunningham.  “ProfitFuel’s dedication to customer results and sales excellence made it a natural fit with Yodle.  I look forward to bringing Yodle’s expanded suite of SEM, SEO, Social and Display marketing products to market more quickly in collaboration with ProfitFuel’s world class team.”

David Rubin, previously CEO of ProfitFuel, will join Yodle as SVP of Sales. Mr. Rubin has a proven 20 year track record as a successful CEO and sales leader in the technology space.   Prior to ProfitFuel, Mr. Rubin was founder and CEO of HomeCity, an online real estate brokerage that pioneered utilizing web-based content to acquire clients. Before founding HomeCity, David held leadership positions at various companies including Intraware as Vice President of New Services Development, BITSource as founder and CEO and Computize as National Sales Director.

“We felt Yodle was the perfect choice to maximize our future potential for our clients, employees and shareholders,” said Mr. Rubin.  “We spoke to many companies in the industry and felt that Yodle offered the best set of products, highest caliber talent and the most comprehensive vision to outperform the competition and transform this industry for many years to come.”

Founded in 2000, ProfitFuel has 220 employees and is consistently recognized as one of the best places to work by multiple sources, including Austin Business Journal and Texas Monthly.  Yodle will now boast a 300-person sales force and many more talented staffers across marketing operations, client services and corporate departments.

Yodle plans to grow ProfitFuel’s Austin, TX office, making it a major hub, and to fully integrate the company’s infrastructure and technology by year’s end.

About Yodle: Yodle, a leader in local online marketing and named #35 on the INC 500 List of fastest growing private companies in the U.S., connects thousands of local businesses with consumers in a process so simple and cost-effective that business owners can’t imagine any other way to advertise. Yodle has developed an integrated approach to signing up and serving local businesses that are transitioning their marketing budgets online. Yodle is headquartered in New York, NY.

SES Toronto 2011
TORONTO – During SES Toronto at the Hyatt Regency Toronto June 13-15, 2011, Canadian marketers will have the opportunity to hear from their peers on the latest trends in search engine optimization (SEO), social media, local, mobile, link building, video optimization, pay-per-click (PPC), usability and more.

“We know that our Canadian friends have many of the same social media and search marketing challenges and opportunities that we have in the U.S., but there are slight twists and variations,” said Matt McGowan, Managing Director of Americas for Incisive Media. “That’s why we programmed SES Toronto to include the leading voices in all aspects of Canadian marketing. This gives attendees the opportunity to mingle with their fellow-country marketers, share experiences, and go away briefed on the latest Canadian-specific trends that can immediately benefit their marketing programs.”

Now in its eighth year, the SES Toronto conference includes two days of search marketing sessions, vendor exhibitions, and networking events on June 13 and 14, and one day of training on June 15. Throughout the conference, there are informal opportunities for attendees to mingle, including a networking reception at the end of the day on June 13. From now through May 18, marketers can register for SES Toronto to receive an early-bird savings of up to $200.

The two Canadian keynote speakers are Amber Mac, technology journalist, best-selling author and columnist, and Tracy Smith, Vice President, Performance Marketing and Go-To-Market, Yellow Pages Group.

Canadian experts included in the SES Toronto program are:

Speakers:
Kerstin Baker-Ash, Head, Performics Canada
Guillaume Bouchard, Co-founder and CEO, NVI
Laura Callow, Senior Search Marketing Manager, Intuit Canada, Global Business Division
Dave Davies, CEO, Beanstalk SEO
June Li, Founder and Managing Director, ClickInsight
Steve Mast, President, Delvinia
Jeff Quipp, Founder and CEO, Search Engine People Inc.
Ezra Silverton, President and Founder, 9th sphere

Moderators:
Andrew Goodman, SES Advisory Board and President, Page Zero Media
Jim Hedger, writer and broadcaster
Robert Rock, Account Manager, Search Engine People

Register now to attend the SES Toronto conference, including all conference sessions, keynotes, the expo hall, training sessions and partnered events.

About SES

Incisive Media’s SES is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include ClickZ for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch, which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Risk, and SES Conference and Expo. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com

For more news and event updates visit the SES press room at http://media.searchenginestrategies.com.

COLUMBIA, Md. – Merkle (www.merkleinc.com), the nation’s fastest growing customer relationship marketing (CRM) agency, announced its acquisition of Pittsburgh-based IMPAQT, a recognized leader in search marketing. IMPAQT’s expertise in SEM, SEO, bid management and search analytics complements Merkle’s extensive analytics, database and digital marketing capabilities and expands its integrated customer marketing solutions. The combination of search with Merkle’s CRM assets is unique in the marketplace and will provide a lens into customer behavior that will allow brands to further optimize conversion, media measurement, keyword and bid strategy at the intersection of search and database marketing.

In February 2011, The Forrester Wave recognized IMPAQT as a market leader among search marketing agencies. Its roster of clients includes world-class brands such as Mercedes, Office Depot, Chase, Tiffany & Co. and Penske. IMPAQT is a formidable force in the search marketing arena and has experienced significant growth, now with over 80 employees and projected gross revenue in 2011 to exceed $90M. IMPAQT’s proficiency in search combined with Merkle’s longstanding expertise in CRM strategy, data management and analytics will give marketers the opportunity to enhance both customer acquisition and engagement.

“This acquisition brings together two standout companies,” said Merkle CEO David Williams. “This is an exciting time for us, and we are looking forward to putting this unique combination of competencies and capabilities that search and CRM bring together to work for our existing and future clients. The fusion of both organizations unites our mutual drive for innovation, entrepreneurialism, analytics and market leadership.”

Merkle’s acquisition of IMPAQT signals its ongoing commitment to accelerating its digital strategy to include investments in digital acquisition and engagement capabilities, focusing on e-mail, mobile, social, site optimization, performance display and search. In addition, Merkle continues to expand its staff and capabilities and is evaluating acquisitions in digital creative, analytics, technology and strategy. Through the integration of these existing competencies, new digital technologies and the skills of its industry experts, Merkle provides its customers access to best-in-class CRM across media and channels, both online and off.

“IMPAQT’s acquisition by Merkle will greatly expand our growth opportunities in the coming years,” says Richard Hagerty, IMPAQT’s CEO. “We look forward to our two companies working together on innovations within areas of marketing that have yet to be targeted by our competition, defining new relationships between CRM and Search and expanding our already extensive analytics capabilities.”

Merkle Inc.

Merkle is the nation’s largest and fastest growing customer relationship marketing agency. For more than 20 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. By combining a complete range of marketing, technical, analytical and creative disciplines, Merkle works with clients to design, execute and evaluate Integrated Customer Marketing™ programs. With more than 1,400 employees, the privately held corporation is headquartered near Baltimore in Columbia, Maryland with additional offices in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Little Rock, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Hagerstown, MD and Shanghai. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.

IMPAQT

IMPAQT is a privately held Search Marketing agency helping Fortune 1000 marketers gain revenue, branding, awareness and top Internet rankings through Search-based Paid Placement campaigns and Organic Web site optimization, as well as social media marketing and data integration.

IMPAQT’s customized client consulting, coupled with powerful analytics tools and analysis, has catapulted it to the top tier of Search Marketing agencies worldwide. IMPAQT manages millions of keywords for more than 100 brands and has managed more than 500 campaigns since its launch in 1999. IMPAQT has doubled its annual growth rate over three years, ranking as one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing companies. Please visit www.IMPAQT.com to learn more.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Search Engine Academy, provider of search engine optimization (SEO) trainings at locations across the United States, Canada, Asia and Australia, announced that it has opened an Academy in Las Vegas. Since its inception, SEA educators have held a SEO training in Las Vegas every January. These trainings generally sold out in a matter of weeks. To meet this growing need in the Las Vegas market, SEA will be opening an Academy offering year round trainings.

Educators from Search Engine Academy’s Southwest branch, located in Phoenix, Arizona will lead the Las Vegas workshops and off to a strong start with the upcoming June 28th workshop featuring successful businessman, advertising legend and best-selling author Joe Sugarman. Sugarman is probably best known for his successful BluBlocker Sunglasses empire and books including Triggers, The AdWeek Copywriting Handbook and Advertising Secrets of the Written Word.

“In the past our once a year SEO trainings in Las Vegas sold out in a matter of weeks. We decided to officially open an Academy there to provide year round high quality, personalized SEO training,” said John Alexander, Search Engine Academy co-founder and director. “Las Vegas is such a popular destination for business people from all over the world, so it makes perfect sense for Search Engine Academy to offer our workshops there.”

In addition, SEA announced its summer SEO training schedule for all Academies. Timely topics for 2010 include:

Professional Blogging
Social Media Marketing
Keyword forensics using Google data
Advanced and exact competitive intelligence
Learning to work with real world news
Working with Video
Search Engine Academy’s Basic, Advanced and Mastery SEO Training Workshops are being held throughout the US and Canada this summer. See below for upcoming dates and locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada – June 28th
Montreal, Canada – June 7th
Orange County, CA – June 7th
White Plains, NY – June 14th
Phoenix, Arizona – June 14th
Portland, Oregon – July 19th, July 26th
Raleigh/Durham, NC – July 26-30
Tampa, Florida – June 14th, July 26th,
Toronto, Canada – June 25th
Vancouver, BC – September 20th
Washington, D.C. – June 21st, June 23rd, July 19th, July 21st, August 23rd, August 25th
For a complete listing of academies and sessions, visit http://www.searchengineacademy.com/.

Founded by search engine optimization pioneers and leading industry educators Robin Nobles and John Alexander, Search Engine Academy offers intense, personalized, one-on-one SEO training and consultation to small groups of students via 2-day, 3-day and 5-day workshops. Each of the Academy’s 16 branches is led by a nationally recognized SEO professional with real-world experience and a dedication to educating students on how to successfully optimize a web page.

One key differentiator for Search Engine Academy is the small size of its classes, which are limited to 20 students and filled on a first come, first serve basis. Students receive one-on-one attention and support, a personalized web site audit with daily progress evaluations, and the opportunity to earn certification that is recognized and approved by the US educational system for Continuing Education Units. Following the workshops, students continue to benefit from Search Engine Academy’s mentoring program and online resource center.

About Search Engine Academy (SEA)

Search engine optimization pioneers Robin Nobles and John Alexander have set the industry standard for SEO education with first-to-market online training and on-location workshops. In 2005, they brought together some of the industry’s leading SEO professionals to launch Search Engine Academy and deliver individualized, hands-on SEO workshops in business communities throughout the world.

Search Engine Academy was the first to offer certification for SEO training and today is one of the few organizations to offer certification that is recognized and approved by the US educational system for Continuing Education Units. The Academy’s 2-day, 3-day and 5-day workshops are held in cities across the United States, Canada, Asia and Australia. To find the Academy nearest you, please visit www.searchengineacademy.com.

BOSTON – WordStream, an Internet marketing software company, has secured $6 million in series B financing from Egan-Managed Capital, a new investor in the company that led the round, and was joined by existing investor Sigma + Partners. The company will use the funding for continued growth and expansion of its search marketing tools for search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. WordStream also appointed Frank Andrasco, a Partner at Egan-Managed Capital, to its board of directors.

Since the company’s launch in early 2009, WordStream has grown from four founding employees to more than 35, and already more than 500 businesses worldwide rely on WordStream software to help power their PPC and SEO marketing efforts.

Andrasco, a Partner at Egan-Managed Capital and a new member of the WordStream Board of Directors, says, “I’ve followed WordStream closely since its initial funding 18 months ago and have been delighted with their pace of product innovation and the growth in their customer base. I’m looking forward to joining with Sigma and the WordStream management team to help build a company that can make the power of search marketing accessible to small and medium-sized businesses.”

Paul Flanagan, a Managing Director at Sigma Partners and a member of the WordStream Board of Directors, says, “We’re thrilled to have Egan join us in backing WordStream. We find SaaS business models a very attractive investment opportunity, and WordStream is a particularly compelling SaaS company because of the high degree of product innovation and the simple, powerful nature of their tools.”

CEO Rob Adler is no stranger to sales growth as rapid as WordStream’s. As co-founder of Boston-based CCBN, Adler oversaw that company’s growth from inception to nearly $80 million in subscription revenues in less than seven years, and is now applying a similar approach to carving out market share for WordStream in the search engine marketing space.

“What I find most exciting about WordStream is how large the market opportunity is relative to most I’ve looked at in my 20 year career as an entrepreneur,” Adler says. “With software that delivers real ROI results and millions of businesses worldwide looking for help, this is a huge opportunity for WordStream. With the financial backing from Egan and Sigma, we can ensure that we are well positioned to scale to meet this rapidly growing demand for our products.”

WordStream was recently selected by Google as an Editor’s Pick in their Application Gallery, as well as being named to the AlwaysOn Top 100 SaaS businesses. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA.

About WordStream

WordStream is a provider of SEO and PPC solutions for continuously optimizing and expanding search marketing efforts, involving large numbers of keywords. WordStream provides a scalable, private, online keyword workbench for conducting keyword discovery, keyword research, keyword grouping, keyword optimization, search marketing workflow and for turning research into action.

About Egan-Managed Capital

Egan-Managed Capital is a New England focused venture capital firm that provides funding for early-stage high-technology start-ups. Some of the region’s most promising start-ups have been funded by the firm, including Currensee, OnePIN, OwnerIQ and uTest. Founded in 1997, the firm currently manages funds with $233 million in committed capital.

About Sigma Partners

Founded in 1984, Sigma Partners is a leading early-stage venture capital firm. Some of the market leading companies in which Sigma has invested include Atria, Cascade, Clarify, EqualLogic, Internet Security Systems, KLA-Tencor, m-Qube, Octel, Topio, VeriFone, Vermeer, Vignette and Virtusa.

SAN DIEGO & SALT LAKE CITY – Sorenson Media announced a strategic partnership with SEO.com, one of the world’s leading search engine optimization (SEO) companies, to optimize both the quality and searchability of online video content. The partnership will provide Sorenson Media customers with access to the industry-leading search optimization expertise from SEO.com, while SEO.com customers will benefit from the best-in-class online video expertise of Sorenson Media.

“This partnership — the first of its kind between two best-of-breed companies — will provide tremendous advantages for customers of both Sorenson Media and SEO.com and have a powerful impact in every market segment, from enterprise to small business,” said Eric Quanstrom, vice president of marketing for Sorenson Media. “We are committed to empowering our customers with the best solutions for creating and delivering high-quality video content online, and helping ensure that the content they create reaches its intended audience. We want them to be on page one, not buried on page 50.”

Online video content provides significant, inherent advantages for organizations looking to achieve leadership on the Internet. Online searches often yield exponentially less searchable video than text content. For example, an April 6, 2010 examination of Google Trends shows the top 10 Hot Topic searches generated more than 858 million text results, but only 158,101 video results—a ratio of 5,348-to-1. This relative lack of video competition within Google search results is balanced with the growing importance of blended or universal search, where Google presents video results alongside all other search results. In addition, there is strong and growing demand for video content and its generally-recognized strong emotional connection with viewers.

The Sorenson 360 online video platform provides automated methods for optimizing their video content for search engines, with the ability to add targeted metadata such as titles, descriptions, tags and keywords. To add SEO.com team expertise to the platform, customers need only contact a member of the Sorenson Media sales team to get started. Company team members will help refine focus and objectives. Likewise, SEO.com encourages customers interested in optimizing the quality and ease of use in their video content development, management and delivery to contact an SEO.com agent, who will offer counsel and introduce them to the appropriate Sorenson Media contacts.

“Our partnership with Sorenson Media will provide our core high-end enterprise customers with the highest-quality, most intuitive and flexible online video platform and solutions in the industry, which will in turn maximize the impact of their content on the rapidly growing viewer segment clamoring for online video,” said Dave Bascom, president and CEO of SEO.com.

SEO.com, an SEO firm founded in 2003, is an international leader in the interrelated disciplines of search engine optimization, paid search marketing, search-optimized Web design, social media and conversion optimization. In the depth of the recession, the company achieved record sales growth, including 300-plus percent monthly revenue increases in 2009. In April 2010, Website Magazine ranked SEO.com No. 2 in their list of the Top 50 SEO Firms in the world.

Sorenson Media, founded in 1995, is on the forefront of Internet video innovation. Together, the company’s total video solutions—the Sorenson 360 online video platform, the award-winning Sorenson Squeeze encoding solution, the Sorenson Spark Software Developers Kit, the Sorenson Squish browser-based encoding tool, and Sorenson SquishNet user-generated content solution—comprise the most comprehensive end-to-end platform for the creation, management and delivery of online video content. Sorenson Media’s strategic partnership with SEO.com reflects the company’s determination to keep itself and its expanding customer base on the vanguard of the online video market.

“I have no doubt that this partnership will generate and leverage tremendous synergies for both companies and for the customers we serve,” said Quanstrom. “The bottom line is that while competitors focus on siloed efforts, Sorenson Media and SEO.com are going to the heart of the issue to ensure that the highest-quality, most impactful video reaches the largest, most relevant audience.”

About Sorenson Media

Sorenson Media (www.sorensonmedia.com) offers comprehensive, award-winning solutions that empower businesses and video professionals to easily and affordably publish the highest-quality video to the Internet and other media. Included among its products and services are the Sorenson 360 Video Delivery Network (VDN), Sorenson Media’s re-imagined video publishing platform; Sorenson Squeeze, the gold-standard for video encoding applications; Sorenson Squish and SquishNet, which together create an easy-to-use browser-based video publishing platform for user-generated content; and Sorenson Spark, the industry’s most widely used video codec, which enables mobile devices and other consumer products to playback the largest selection of video on the Internet today. Since its inception in 1995, Sorenson Media has been instrumental in bringing Internet video to mainstream applications and is committed to dramatically improving the online video experience for both content creators and consumers.

About SEO.com

SEO.com is a search marketing firm that makes its clients money by driving traffic to their websites through aggressive search engine optimization, pay per click management, social media marketing and other search engine marketing services. SEO.com then turns those visitors into sales through search-optimized Web design and conversion optimization. Clients range from small startups to Fortune 100 companies.

“We’ve achieved more than 400 percent traffic growth over the last year, and the biggest key to continuing growth for our company is ensuring our search marketing efforts match that type of growth,” said Jerry Ropelato, chief executive officer of TechMediaNetwork. “We are pleased to have such an experienced search marketing expert as Eric to lead these efforts, so our users can efficiently find our content to educate themselves about technology and help them make informed purchasing decisions.”

TechMediaNetwork has achieved 445 percent traffic growth in the past 12 months, according to comScore’s Panel-only Key Measures Report from February 2009 to February 2010. TechMediaNetwork ranked No. 6 on comScore’s Panel-only February 2010 Tech-News Category report.

“TechMediaNetwork is a very unique network that can serve the technology information needs of consumers and advertisers,” said Mr. Richmond. “They have an excellent search engine optimization track record, and as we build our team, we’ll be able to expand the search engine optimization efforts and capitalize on the latest trends in social networking to extend the value we provide to our users.”

Prior to 360i, Mr. Richmond was vice president and director of strategic accounts at RichFX – an application service provider (ASP) that provides marketers a way of making fully interactive versions of their print catalogs. In this role, Mr. Richmond was responsible for managing relationships with the company’s marquee accounts: Wal-Mart Stores, Sam’s Club, Home Depot, Safeway and Williams Sonoma.

Mr. Richmond has also been vice president, global account director for Viewpoint Corp.; vice president, interactive services and acting Global CIO for the 33 worldwide offices of Grey Interactive and Grey Ventures; and vice president, digital technology for APLDigital, the interactive arm of IPG’s Ammirati Puris Lintas.

TechMediaNetwork plans on expanding its search marketing and social media team in the next few months by hiring as many as 15 additional employees with experience in search optimization, data analysis and social media. These jobs will be available in both the Utah and the New York locations.

TechMediaNetwork is a network of world-renowned technology and entertainment sites, including TopTenREVIEWS.com, SPACE.com, LiveScience.com and Newsarama.com. To learn more about TechMediaNetwork, visit: www.techmedianetwork.com. For more information about TopTenREVIEWS, visit: www.toptenreviews.com. For more information on LiveScience, visit: www.livescience.com; SPACE.com, www.space.com; and Newsarama, www.newsarama.com.

TechMediaNetwork is a trademark of TopTenREVIEWS Inc. All other names are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

“Search Engine Academy focuses on teaching how to move beyond SEO ‘tips, tricks and best practices’ and empowers students to create successful SEO strategies with accuracy and exactness based upon mathematical methods of optimization. Students gain a true understanding of how search engines work and what makes a web page relevant,” said John Alexander, Search Engine Academy co-founder and director. “Armed with this knowledge, students are able to achieve their SEO goals in the least amount of time while knowing exactly what works and why.”

One key differentiator for Search Engine Academy is the small size of its classes, which are limited to 20 students and filled on a first come, first serve basis. This ensures instructors are able to give each student individual attention and the support needed to help them achieve their own unique goals. Instructors perform individualized web site audits for each student and give them daily progress evaluations. In addition, students have the opportunity to earn certification that is recognized and approved by the US educational system for Continuing Education Units. Following the 3-day and 5-day workshops, students continue to benefit from Search Engine Academy’s six-month SEO focused mentoring program and its online resource center.

Gail Wright, a Search Engine Academy graduate and webmaster for a publicly traded company noted, “To keep my SEO skills up to date, I have attended several Search Engine Academy workshops including the ultra-advanced SEO training. I learn so many new concepts in every class; each one is different and gives me the skills I need to be successful in the ever-changing world of search engine optimization and web marketing.”

“Once people equip themselves with the latest SEO skills, they have multiple career options. Search Engine Academy workshops are available throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Australia. This makes getting educated as well as staying up to date on the latest methodologies easy for students everywhere,” said Robin Nobles, co-founder of Search Engine Academy.

About Search Engine Academy (SEA)

Search engine optimization pioneers Robin Nobles and John Alexander have set the industry standard for SEO education with first-to-market online training and on-location workshops. In 2005, they brought together some of the industry’s leading SEO professionals to launch Search Engine Academy and deliver individualized, hands-on SEO workshops in business communities throughout the world.

Search Engine Academy was the first to offer certification for SEO training and today is one of the few organizations to offer certification that is recognized and approved by the US educational system for Continuing Education Units. The Academy’s 2-day, 3-day and 5-day workshops are held in cities across the United States, Canada, Asia and Australia. To find the Academy nearest you, please visit www.searchengineacademy.com.

BUDD LAKE, N.J. – CoolerAds, the industry-leading local online advertising platform for community newspapers and their local advertisers, announced the acquisition of Atricity, a full-service Internet marketing company based in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Atricity specializes in providing online advertising services such as web site design, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, and social media marketing by developing a robust fulfillment supply chain with an emphasis on the hyperlocal market.

“We’re absolutely thrilled that the entire Atricity team will be joining CoolerAds and leading our sales and fulfillment efforts for our new web solutions division,“ said Peter Previte, CEO of Coolerads. “With the deep management background and experience of Atricity’s team delivering Internet marketing solutions, we are confident the new CoolerAds Web Solutions group will quickly become a leading provider of Internet marketing services to locally-based, small businesses nationwide,” added Previte.

Josh Ehrig, CEO of Atricity, a seasoned entrepreneur and experienced Internet professional, sees intrinsic value with the CoolerAds platform and distribution channel strategy. “CoolerAds clearly sees the value in leveraging community-based, local marketing through their experience working with community newspapers. With this acquisition, we will expand their long-standing advertiser relationships by delivering local marketing results to all of their channel partners. Small businesses need a trusted partner to help them navigate online advertising options and create a comprehensive Internet marketing program that will attract new customers. CoolerAds Web Solutions is that partner,” added Ehrig.

According to Borrell Associates, local online advertising is expected to grow to over $14 billion in 2010., CoolerAds expects heightened demand for these new solutions. “The timing of this acquisition fits perfectly with the launch of our new suite of business tools,” continued Previte. “We’ve tracked increased demand for our services from small and medium sized businesses, and the addition of Atricity will accelerate our ability to exceed that demand.”

Locally based businesses interested in leveraging the expertise of the CoolerAds Web Solutions team to establish a complete Internet marketing program should visit www.coolerads.com or call 908-698-4357.

About CoolerAds

CoolerAds is the industry-leading local online advertising platform for community newspapers and their local advertisers. The CoolerAds platform provides back office productivity tools for publishers, including its patent pending display ad archiving system, electronic proofing, electronic tear sheets and a suite of communication tools that help reduce costs and generate more revenue. CoolerAds.com provides affordable online advertising packages for small businesses which enable them to attract local customers with content publishing tools, online deals and social networking features. Structured content from advertisers is disseminated out to the web helping the small business owner get exposure in multiple places on the Internet, including their local newspaper’s web site. www.coolerads.com

About Atricity

Atricity is an Internet marketing company that helps unleash the power of the Internet and puts technology to work for businesses. The company’s seasoned industry professionals have the passion and drive to build great websites and customize web marketing solutions for the hyperlocal market. Recognizing that businesses need a complete web strategy, the company takes a comprehensive approach, marshalling its diverse resources to position each client at their customers’ fingertips, establish credibility, foster goodwill and build confidence in clients’ products and services. www.atricityonline.com

SAN DIEGO – Covario, Inc., the leader in search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) software and services for Fortune 500 companies, announced the program and keynote speakers for INFLECTIONPoint 2010, the company’s invitation-only customer conference. The two-day conference begins Wednesday, February 3, 2010 in San Diego.

INFLECTIONPoint 2010 will bring together senior executives in search and digital marketing to discuss critical business and industry issues, as well as new opportunities and challenges facing large advertisers today and in the future. A myriad of industry experts, keynote guest speakers and interactive panelists in marketing roles with top Fortune 500 companies will share their digital advertising best practices.

Shar VanBoskirk, VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, will deliver the first keynote address. Shar is a leading expert on how businesses can leverage interactive marketing channels and technologies to drive sales and deepen customer relationships. During her 12 years with Forrester, she has been instrumental in the development of many of the company’s interactive marketing program evaluation methodologies, training courses, and marketing planning tools. Shar’s research focuses on overall interactive marketing strategies, crafting efficient and effective interactive programs, organizing for interactive marketing, and integrating interactive channels into the rest of the marketing mix.

On Thursday morning at 9:30am, Penny Baldwin, SVP of Integrated Marketing at Yahoo!, will deliver the conference’s second day keynote address. Penny is a 20-year veteran of global brand strategy development and execution across all internal and market-facing touch points. Most recently, she served as Managing Partner of Young & Rubicam Brands, Y&R Advertising and Wunderman Direct Marketing. As agency leader and manager, Penny was responsible for leading the efforts of large global teams across industries. Her experiences span technology, retail, packaged goods, finance, travel, gaming, wireless communications, entertainment, healthcare and sports marketing.

In addition, there will be a series of moderated panel discussions and backstage showcases with senior marketers from large brand advertisers. The panelists and backstage showcases’ presenters will include executives from Adobe, Apollo Group, Autodesk, Cabela’s, Cisco, IBM, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Sony Pictures, T-Mobile and Yahoo!.

Furthermore, Covario will showcase its new product, a solution for display advertising that provides comprehensive reporting in a simple and scalable way. In addition, Covario’s executive team will talk about its recent acquisition of Netconcepts. The former Netconcepts had great success with many large consumer brand retailers and etailers through the management of natural search engine rankings using its GravityStream technology software solution.

“We are very excited to host INFLECTIONPoint for our valued business partners. This event allows our clients to showcase successes they have achieved and challenges they have overcome in search and online marketing,” says Russ Mann, CEO of Covario. “With our recent Netconcepts’ acquisition and the launch of Display Ad Insight, Covario is now poised to offer our business partners a complete set of search and online marketing and analytic solutions, which will showcase their brands and products online and via mobile in the most effective, scalable ways.”

To learn more about INFLECTIONPoint 2010, Covario’s invitation-only conference, please visit http://www.covario.com/inflectionpoint. If you would like to request an invitation to this exclusive event, please contact marketing@covario.com.

About Covario, Inc.

Covario, Inc. is the leader in SEM and SEO software and services. The Covario portfolio provides global organizations with robust interactive and search marketing analytics solutions for paid search advertising and organic search engine optimization (SEO). Covario enables complex and distributed organizations to control brand integrity, ensure budget transparency and deliver quantifiable results across business units, distribution channels and languages. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Covario’s growing customer list include some of the world’s best known brands in high tech manufacturing, retail, ecommerce, financial services, consumer electronics, media, entertainment, publishing and consumer packaged goods. For more information on Covario call 858.397.1500 or visit http://www.covario.com.

Search Engine Strategies London 2010
LONDON – Search Engine Strategies (SES) announced the newcomer programme for the 2010 SES London Conference & Expo. The programme has been designed specifically for people with a fundamental knowledge of online marketing and advertising.

Matt McGowan, Vice President and Publisher for Incisive Media’s Interactive Marketing Group, including Search Engine Strategies, Search Engine Watch and the ClickZ Network, said,

“The percentage of first-time attendees at SES expos throughout the world has grown significantly. These are people with a very basic understanding of search engine marketing (SEM) including pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO)). Our research has shown that the global increase in online marketing activity is proportionate to the number of newcomers attending the expos. Businesses are expanding their online marketing teams. They are using SES as a platform for improving the skills of their experienced staff, as well as encouraging newcomers to explore the processes and apply them to their business marketing strategy. This schedule will enable delegates new to online to select the right session and maximize their time at SES London.”

The beginner’s schedule for SES London (16th-18th February 2010) includes the following tracks:

Day 1

Introduction To Search Engine Marketing
This session will provide a clear and concise overview of the key concepts involved in search engine marketing.

SEO 101
Learn what’s available in this session that is especially geared toward beginners, with details on programs from major providers and advice on how to succeed.

Day 2

Successful Information Architecture
This session will provide a fresh look at how to successfully architect your site for search engines and how specific page elements and design technologies may impact your ability to gain good organic listings.

Paid Search 101
Paid Search is one of the quickest and most efficient ways to gain visibility on the search engines. This informative session will familiarize attendees with the key players and cover a variety of paid search advertising topics including writing effective ad copy, creating targeted landing pages and auditing paid listings.

Developing Great Content
Without meaningful content and compelling copy, your website is not grabbing the attention it deserves. In this session, we’ll explore a diverse range of Web content development strategies along with innovative techniques for dramatically boosting the visibility and interactive appeal of your site.

Further details of these sessions, including keynote presentations and the full programme can be found at http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/london. More advanced marketers can attend sessions on search advertising tools, web analytics and advanced paid search tactics.

SES London is the leading UK event for education in interactive marketing. The SES Conference & Expo is designed to ensure that delegates are given the skills and knowledge to help them maximize search marketing for their business. It also provides a forum for delegates to communicate with the search engines themselves as well as connect with collegues and friends.

SES London will feature sessions that will help marketers at all levels of understanding to maximize success online – whether they are new to online marketing or have advanced skills and experience. Intermediate workshops and panel debates cover key applications such as video, podcasts and blogs as well as design and writing for search engines. More advanced marketers can attend sessions on search advertising tools, web analytics and advanced paid search tactics.

All sessions are uniquely ranked according to content and degree of understanding, making SES a crucial event for anyone interested in search marketing.

About SES
Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Risk, and Search Engine Strategies. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

FERNDALE, Wash. – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and social media professionals are invited to put their skills to charitable use this holiday in a program sponsored by PeoplePond.

SEO Santa 2009 is a collaborative effort by the SEO & Social Media community to drive charitable giving through increased visibility of Santa’s PeoplePond profile.

While PeoplePond staff have selected an initial slate of charities to benefit from this effort, other non-profit causes will be considered. Current beneficiaries include Toys for Tots, Angel Trees, Salvation Army – Red Kettles, Trees for Troops, Make-A-Wish Foundation and American Lung Association – Christmas Seals.

Any SEO and social media experts who can help give Santa Claus’ PeoplePond profile a boost before Christmas Day will be rewarded with a free PeoplePond profile of their own including a free one-year subscription to the PeoplePond SEO and identity verification services (a package worth $99). Complete information is available at http://www.peoplepond.com/SEOSanta2009.php.

“There are plenty of commercial search results for Santa. Our goal is to boost Santa Claus search traffic for non-profit causes,” said PeoplePond CEO and founder, David McInnis. “We are excited to provide the SEO and social media community with a means to come together to help worthwhile charities this way.”

PeoplePond also announced a new tool embedded into the PeoplePond online profile. Customers subscribing to either the SEO or Identity Verification packages can now embed their Google Analytics UA number into their PeoplePond profile. This enables the ability to easily track the volume, source and outbound direction of visitors using Google’s Analytics service.

About PeoplePond

PeoplePond (www.peoplepond.com) and CompanyPond (www.companypond.com) are part of the Cranberry Venture Partners, LLC network of Web sites. Cranberry is home to an unmatched team of innovative developers led by Internet visionary David McInnis. McInnis is best known for founding the first direct-to-consumer news service, PRWeb, which changed the way the world uses press releases. For more information about PeoplePond, LLC and the Cranberry Venture Partners, LLC network of Web sites visit www.cranberryventurepartners.com.

LONDON – Incisive Media announced that Avinash Kaushik, author of Web Analytics 2.0, co-founder of Market Motive Inc and analytics evangelist for Google will be a keynote speaker at the London SES Conference and Expo 2010.

Avinash works with some of the largest companies in the world to help them evolve their online marketing strategies to become data-driven and customer-centric organisations. He recently received the 2009 Statistical Advocate of the Year award from the American Statistical Association and is in great demand as a speaker at major industry conferences in the U.S. and Europe.

Now celebrating its 11th year in the capital, the UK’s biggest event for online marketing will take place on 16-18 February 2010 at the Business Design Centre, Islington. Organized and hosted by Mike Grehan, recognized globally as a leading authority on search, SES London will focus on search engine marketing (SEM) (including pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO)). For more details, go to http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/london

Avinash will be focusing his keynote presentation on Web analytics, looking specifically at how to unlock the value of Web data to achieve long term success for your business online.

Mike Grehan, VP and Global Content Director, said:

“Web analytics is crucial to the success of any online marketing campaign. In addition to the dedicated sessions we have scheduled within the programme I am thrilled to welcome Avinash as a keynote speaker on this subject. As a thought leader, Avinash makes sense of what is often a frenetic discipline. This is a tremendous opportunity for delegates to hear from the world’s leading analytics evangelist.”

SES London is the leading UK event for education in online marketing and. The SES Conference & Expo is designed to ensure that delegates are given the skills and knowledge to help them maximize search engine marketing and optimization for their business. It also provides a forum for delegates to communicate with the search engines themselves.

SES London will feature sessions that will help marketers at all levels of understanding to maximize success online – whether they are new to online marketing or have advanced skills and experience. Intermediate workshops and panel debates cover key applications such as video, podcasts and blogs as well as design and writing for search engines. More advanced marketers can attend sessions on search advertising tools, web analytics and advanced paid search tactics.

All sessions are uniquely ranked according to content and degree of understanding, making SES a crucial event for anyone interested in search marketing.

About SES
Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Risk, and Search Engine Strategies. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

For more news and event updates visit our SES Blog at: http://blog.searchenginestrategies.com/

LOS ANGELES – CrownPeak, the market leader in Web Content Management for online marketers, announced the launch of its Online Marketing Management Suite, with unique content management and marketing tools designed to enable online marketers to more easily and effectively engage target audiences. The completely new Suite of tools empowers business managers to easily test, target and measure content relevance in Web sites, landing pages, banner ads, mobile devices, social media and other online channels.

The CrownPeak Online Marketing Management Suite provides marketers with content targeting segments without the requirement of new code or IT Support. Users can easily create “playlists” of persona segments based on implicit data such as referring URLS, external marketing campaigns, paid vs. organic search, geography or even specific IP ranges. Additionally, CrownPeak enables the creation of explicit segments based on what is “known” about each visitor from online registration or other forms (e.g. Webinar or white paper sign ups, polls and/or survey results). Leveraging CrownPeak’s renowned easy-to-use interface, content targeting playlists can be created in real time and incorporated into the Web site in minutes.

In addition to content targeting tools, CrownPeak now enables codeless creation of content testing–from simple A/B to more complex multivariate testing–built right into the CMS interface. Marketers no longer need to copy and paste snippets of Javascript code into pages to create A/B tests. CrownPeak customers can simply create, edit and publish their new tests within the standard interface. And, unlike other systems, CrownPeak enables users to automatically publish the “static” version of a content snippet once a test is completed, ensuring that it can now be indexed by Google for search engine optimization purposes. Also introduced within the new Suite are new form building tools to make it easier for CrownPeak customers to create any type of data collection form – and use that data for content targeting purposes.

“Today’s marketers need to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. One unified solution to create, manage, target and improve their content for conversion isn’t just easier, it makes good business sense.” said Jim Howard, CEO of CrownPeak. “Our single-minded goal is to make digital marketers more successful and, paired with our recent integrations with Omniture and Google, CrownPeak customers now have many fewer steps from point A to point Z. After two years in development, the Online Marketing Management Suite provides the only unified management tool with the economics and scale enabled by cloud computing. With this release, we’ve taken a huge step forward towards meeting our goal–and this is only the beginning.”

Content targeting and testing are also directly measurable within the Online Marketing Management Suite. The product includes a full set of reporting tools for marketers, down to the “snippet” level. What’s more, users can measure everything from visits to conversions, and compare this data to other campaigns and content to understand which content is resonating with target customers. This provides the online marketer with a real-time understanding around which of their personas are converting at a higher rate, and which variant of content is providing more value. Users can leverage this insight to not only understand how their content is performing at each call-to-action, but also drive strategies for content and campaigns that may go well beyond the Web.

CrownPeak’s new tools are completely integrated into other online marketing solutions and social media programs that customers may have in operation. From CRM solutions such as Salesforce.com, email solutions such as ExactTarget, and Web analytics solutions such as Omniture’s Site Catalyst and Google Analytics and Website Optimizer, CrownPeak provides pre-integrated solutions to provide a complete solution for data collection, lead management and nurturing and Web analytics.

The new CrownPeak capabilities are immediately available to users. To view a demonstration of CrownPeak and its online content testing and targeting capabilities please visit CrownPeak at www.crownpeak.com.

About CrownPeak

CrownPeak is the market leader in on-demand Web content management for online marketers. CrownPeak’s unique combination of software and services enable marketers to create, manage and optimize Web content to drive measurable results and maximize the effectiveness of their marketing budgets. Hundreds of diverse organizations such as Skype, Hyundai, Sallie Mae’s UPromise, Home Depot, Progress Software and the State of Virginia have realized the value in CrownPeak software’s renowned ease-of-use, its 24×7 customer support and strategic marketing services. CrownPeak has been named to EContent’s 100 most influential companies list, has won eWeek’s prestigious Analysts Choice Award and InfoWorld’s Product of the Year Award and has been named a finalist for Best Customer Service from the American Business “Stevie” Awards for the last three years.

LONDON – Incisive Media announced that Jim Sterne, producer of the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit and chairman of the Web Analytics Association will be a keynote speaker at the London SES Conference and Expo 2010.

Jim is an international speaker on electronic marketing and customer interaction and a consultant to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs. His keynote presentation will focus on Web analytics by drilling down on traffic – what makes good traffic, how to identify it and how to attract the right traffic to your site.

SES London will take place on 16-18 February at the Business Design Centre, Islington. It will focus on search engine marketing (SEM) (including pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO).

SES is the leading global event for education in online marketing and advertising, including Search (SEM/SEO). Organized and hosted by Mike Grehan, recognized globally as a leading authority on search, the SES Conference & Expo is designed to ensure that delegates are given the skills and knowledge to help them maximize search engine marketing and optimization for their business. It also provides a forum for delegates to communicate with the search engines themselves.

SES London will feature sessions that will help marketers at all levels of understanding to maximize success online – whether they are new to online marketing or have advanced skills and experience. Intermediate workshops and panel debates cover key applications such as video, podcasts and blogs as well as design and writing for search engines. More advanced marketers can attend sessions on search advertising tools, web analytics and advanced paid search tactics.

All sessions are uniquely ranked according to content and degree of understanding, making SES a crucial event for anyone interested in search marketing.

Mike Grehan, VP and Global Content Director said:

“I am delighted to secure Jim as a Keynote speaker for London. He is one of the most knowledgeable and influential people focused on how to achieve successful marketing online. Delegates attending his session will walk away with a framework for measuring their online success. They will be able to better see the path in front of them and have confidence in their ability to travel that path.”

About SES
Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Risk, and Search Engine Strategies. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

For more news and event updates visit our SES Blog at: http://blog.searchenginestrategies.com/

NEW YORK – The presence of organic listings on a search engine positively impacts the click-through rates of paid search advertisements, and vice-versa, according to a new study by NYU Stern Professors Anindya Ghose and Sha Yang. This is the first empirical study to assess the impact of search engine advertising on all three entities involved in the process – consumers, advertisers and search engines – in the presence of both organic listings and paid advertisements.

Using a unique panel dataset of consumer responses to keyword ads on Google, Professors Ghose and Yang found:

On average, the impact of organic listings on paid advertising is 3.5 times stronger than vice-versa, possibly because of the tendency of consumers to trust organic listings more than paid ads.
The positive association between paid and organic listings increases advertisers’ profits by at least 6.15% when compared to profits in the absence of either of them. The positive association is strongest when advertiser-specific keywords are used and weakest when brand-specific and generic keywords are used.
Click-through rates, conversion rates and total revenues are higher when both paid and organic listings are present simultaneously than when paid search ads are absent.
The combined click-through rates are 5.1% higher when paid and organic listings are present simultaneously than when only the organic listings are present.
The combined conversion rate increases 11.7% when paid and organic listings are present simultaneously than when organic listings alone are present.
Paid search advertising drives up to 54% of total revenue growth.
“These findings have important implications for the incentives of search engines to strategically modify the rankings of their organic search listings in order to boost their revenues from paid search advertisements,” explained Professor Ghose.

The paper, “Analyzing the Relationship between Organic and Sponsored Search Advertising: Positive, Negative or Zero Interdependence?” is forthcoming in Marketing Science and is available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1491315.

Professor Ghose is an expert in Web 2.0, user-generated content, online advertising and e-commerce, and Professor Yang’s research focuses on understanding household purchase behavior and market competition.

To speak with Professor Ghose, contact him directly at 212-998-0807, aghose@stern.nyu.edu (e-mail is best); or contact Jenny Owen in NYU Stern’s Office of Public Affairs at 212-998-0561, jenny.owen@stern.nyu.edu.

NEW YORK – Global Advertising Strategies, an international full-service marketing and advertising firm, acquired a 41% stake in Blueliner Marketing LLC, an internet marketing company specializing in search engine optimization (SEO), digital advertising strategies, web analytics, email marketing, interactive PR, web design and web video production.

The acquisition merges two culturally and internationally sensitive agencies with clients and experienced professionals from across the globe. It also expands both companies’ dynamic digital offerings providing their portfolio of leading industry clients with integrated cost-effective marketing solutions.

With Blueliner retaining offices in Bangladesh and India, this investment further increases Global’s presence into new and emerging markets, while Blueliner clients will also have access to Global’s full-service and cross-cultural multimedia offerings.

“This investment increases Global’s ability to offer additional and more cost-effective digital solutions to our clients,” stated Givi Topchishvili, President & CEO of Global Advertising Strategies. “Blueliner’s advanced digital technologies, and our companies’ combined global presence will help us to further grow our interactive practice worldwide.”

Arman Rousta, CEO and co-founder of Blueliner, and the pioneer behind the company’s 7 Pillars of Internet Marketing, also described the benefits of the new alliance. “Blueliner and Global will complement each other’s current client offerings in ways key to the growth of both companies. We are looking forward to the synergy created in this fusion of expertise and capabilities, across creative, technical and marketing disciplines.”

Blueliner has a proven track-record of delivering measurable results, growing significantly in the U.S. and Asia. The company has garnered media recognition for its ROI-driven marketing strategies and for its development of innovative social networks on behalf of its clients. Global now celebrating its 10th year anniversary was listed in Inc. Magazine’s 2008 edition of 5,000 fastest growing companies in the U.S.

ABOUT: Global Advertising Strategies (www.globaladvertisingstrategies.com) is an international full-service marketing and advertising agency dedicated to helping its clients bridge gaps between borders and cultures. For over ten years its passion and understanding of the global marketplace has been growing market share for its clients. The agency provides a full suite of integrated digital and traditional marketing, advertising, event management, public relations.

SAN MATEO, Calif. – Yield Software (http://www.yieldsoftware.com/) announced the launch of the Yield Web Marketing Suite for Agencies and the introduction of a range of new services at ad:tech New York 2009 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

By combining and automating the three key elements of search marketing – paid search, natural search and landing page optimization – within a single, secure system, the Yield Web Marketing Suite for Agencies enables agencies to lower costs, increase efficiency and improve margins.

The system addresses the unique needs of digital, new media and interactive agencies, enabling them to optimize search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns across Google, Yahoo! Search and Microsoft’s Bing. For agencies offering services for just one of the three elements of SEM – pay-per-click (PPC) campaign management for instance – the Yield Web Marketing Suite for Agencies enables them to expand their offering to include search engine optimization (SEO) and landing page optimization (LPO) with little or no staffing consequences.

“As a small agency, we know that every single minute counts,” said Dan Kaplan, principal at PeriscopeUp, a search engine marketing agency serving small and medium-size businesses. “By automating much of the day-to-day minutiae associated with SEM through the Yield Web Marketing Suite, I’ve been able to maintain maximum control over my clients’ PPC and SEO campaigns – and deliver the results they need – while keeping our agency lean, efficient and profitable.”

In addition, Yield Software announced the introduction of a full range of services. These services include Yield JumpStart and Yield Managed Services packages designed to meet both the one-time and longer-term needs of businesses and agencies short on time or resources.

“Since our launch last spring, we’ve been very responsive to the input and needs of our customers,” said Matt Malden, founder and CEO of Yield Software. “Our new product for agencies and service packages each have been designed with this input in mind.”

Yield Software offers new subscribers a free 15-day trial. No downloads or systems integration work are required. Following the trial period, pricing starts as low as $129 per month. For more information or to subscribe to the free 15-day trial, visit www.yieldsoftware.com.

About Yield Software, Inc.

Yield Software develops powerful technology that automates, simplifies and integrates key Web marketing strategies. The Yield Web Marketing Suite is a secure, cloud-based system that relies on advanced algorithms and a simple, intuitive interface to optimize paid search, natural search, and landing pages for improved return on Web marketing investment. www.yieldsoftware.com – Web Marketing Made Easy.

As the recession forces many customers to buy less—and be pickier about what they do buy—search is becoming ever more important to marketers. It is the best customer acquisition tool online. The Search Marketing Trends report analyzes the factors

The Search Marketing Trends report analyzes the factors that are driving consumers, followed by marketers, to online search engines.

When money is tight, consumers are constantly looking for deals. And, today, that means they are going online to search for better prices, selection and services. If they find them—forget brand loyalty—they will switch to new products or vendors in a clickbeat.

Marketers have four basic search options: paid search, contextual advertising, paid inclusion—all three are types of advertising—and search engine optimization (SEO).

While paid search gets most of the attention and money, marketers are increasingly turning to SEO to acquire new customers.

All four options will experience increased spending through 2013. By then total US search marketing outlays will reach nearly $23.4 billion, and marketers will be spending more on SEO than on contextual advertising.

Key questions the “Search Marketing Trends” report answers:

What elements of search marketing perform best in a recession?
Why will SEO get more attention over the next five years?
How does search marketing complement e-mail marketing?
Which metrics make the most sense for search marketers?
How can Web analytics help marketers make better buying decisions?
How do users’ search habits influence where marketers should focus their search activities?
And many others…

Executive Summary

US Search Engine Marketing Spending, by Type, 20082013 (millions)

Key Questions

Key Numbers Search Marketing Trends

Search Tactics: Paid and Organic

US Search Engine Marketing Spending Share, by Type, 20082013 (% of total and millions)

Types of SEM Programs Engaged in by Search Advertisers Worldwide, by Company Size, December 2007January 2008 (% of respondents)

US Search Engine Marketing Spending, by Type, 20082013 (millions)

US Search Engine Marketing Spending Growth, by Type, 20082013 (% change)

Agencies

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Spending in North America, by Tactic, 2007

Average Amount that Clients of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Agencies Worldwide Spend on Search Engine Marketing Programs, 20052007 (% of total and thousands)

Attitudes of US Online Marketers Toward Paid Search* Marketing vs. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), 2008 (% of respondents)

ROI in 2009 for Select Online Marketing Tactics According to US Online Marketers (% of respondents)

SEO Features

Growth of Organic vs. Paid Clicks for US Online Retailers, by Retail Category, Q2 2008 (% change vs. Q2 2007)

Search Results Most Relevant to Query* According to US Internet Users, by Type, 2004 (as a % of respondents)

Attitudes of US Internet Users Toward Sponsored Links that Appear in Their Search Results, September 2008 (% of respondents)

Types of Ads/Promotions that US Internet Users Find Acceptable or Annoying, SeptemberOctober 2008 (% of respondents)

Most Important Marketing Tactics According to US Marketing Executives, 2008 & 2009 (% of respondents)

Attitudes of Search Marketers Worldwide* Toward Search Engine Optimization During the Economic Crisis, 2008 (% of respondents)

Search Marketing Objectives

Objectives of SEM According to Search Advertisers Worldwide, by Company Size, December 2007January 2008 (% of respondents)

Branded Trademark Search Among US Internet Users Exposed to Online Display Ads, 2008

Advertising Goals for 2009 According to Marketers Worldwide, by Level of Importance (% of respondents)

Metrics and Analytics

Average US Search ClickThrough Rate (CTR), by Search Engine, Q4 2007Q4 2008

Average US Search Cost per Click (CPC), by Search Engine, Q4 2007Q4 2008

Metrics Used by Search Engine Advertisers and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Agencies Worldwide to Measure Success of SEM Campaigns, December 2007 (% of respondents)

Projections

US Paid Search Metrics, 20082013

US Paid Search Metrics, 20082011

Search Analytics

Marketing Technologies/Services that US CMOs Use or Plan to Use, October 2008 (% of respondents)

US Online Marketers Who Have Set Aside a Budget for Select Online Marketing Tactics, 20062008 (% of respondents)

Companies and Agencies Worldwide* that Have a Companywide Strategy that Ties Data Collection and Analysis to Business Objectives, MarchApril 2008 (% of respondents)

Purpose of Web Analytics in Organizations According to Web Analytics Users Worldwide*, OctoberDecember 2008 (% of respondents)

Usage of Predictive Analytics Among Search Marketers Worldwide, by Performance Level, SeptemberOctober 2008 (% of respondents)

Areas of Knowledge that Web Analytics Users Worldwide* Would Most Like to Improve, OctoberDecember 2008 (% of respondents)

Analytics Solutions Used by Web Analytics Users Worldwide*, OctoberDecember 2008 (% of respondents)

Search Analytics Programs Used Most by US Search Marketers, May 2007 & May 2008 (% of respondents)

Search Analytics Programs Used by Search Marketers Worldwide*, 2008 (% of respondents)

The Search Audience

Daily Online Activities of US Internet Users, AprilMay 2008 (% of respondents)

US Search Engine Users* and Search Ad Users**, 20072013 (millions)

US Search Engine Users* and Search Ad Users** as a Percent of Total Internet Users, 20072013

US Search Engine User* and Search Ad User** Growth, 20072013 (% change)

US Search Engine Marketing Spending per Search Engine User, 20082013

Growth of US Search Engine Marketing Spending per Search Engine User, 20082013 (% change)

Search Engine Usage

Search Queries per US Internet User, 20062011

Comparative Estimates: Top Five Search Engines in the US, Ranked by Share of Searches, December 2008

Search Advertising Spending by US Companies, by Search Engine, Q4 2007Q4 2008 (% share)

US Customer Satisfaction with Web Portals and Search Engines, Q2 2002Q2 2008 (based on a 100point scale*)

Reasons that US Internet Users Would Switch Search Engines, by Search Engine Used Most Frequently, November 2008 (% of respondents)

Conclusions

Endnotes

101258 | 101259 | 101260 | 101261 | 101262 | 101263

Key eMarketer NumbersSearch Marketing Trends

US Search Engine Marketing Spending, by Type, 20082013 (millions)

US Search Engine Marketing Spending Growth, by Type, 20082013 (% change)

US Search Engine Marketing Spending Share, by Type, 20082013 (% of total and millions)

US Search Engine Marketing Spending per Search Engine User, 20082013

Growth of US Search Engine Marketing Spending per Search Engine User, 20082013 (% change)

101321

Comparative Estimates: Top Five Search Engines in the US, Ranked by Share of Searches, December 2008

Related Information and Links

Related Links

Contact

Report Contributors

To order this report:

Search Marketing Trends: Back to Basics

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0128125/Search-Marketing-Trends-Back-to-Basics.html

Search Engine Strategies Berlin 2009

BERLIN – Incisive Media and BBP announced the schedule for this year’s SES Berlin Conference & Expo which has been designed specifically for people with a fundamental knowledge of online marketing and advertising. The announcement follows the rise in the number of newcomers to Search Engine Strategies Events in the last year.

Matt McGowan, Vice President and Publisher for Incisive Media’s Interactive Marketing Group, including Search Engine Strategies, Search Engine Watch and the ClickZ Network, said:

“We have seen a significant increase in the number of first-time attendees at recent SES conferences with a very basic understanding of search engine marketing (SEM), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO). The global increase in online marketing activity has encouraged more companies to send their people to explore the processes and apply them to their business marketing strategy. As SES covers all areas from beginners to advanced, with multiple tracks, we have created a fundamental schedule which makes it easy for newcomers to select the right session and maximize their time at SES Berlin.”

The fundamental’s schedule for SES Berlin (24th-25th November 2009) is outlined as follows:

Day 1

• Introduction To Search Engine Marketing
This session will provide a clear and concise overview of the key concepts involved in search engine marketing.
• Successful site architecture
This session will provide a fresh look at how to successfully architect your site for search engines and how specific page elements and design technologies may impact your ability to gain good organic listings.
• Search Advertising 101
Learn what’s available in this session that is especially geared toward beginners, with details on programs from major providers and advice on how to succeed.
• Keywords & Content: Search Marketing Foundations
Learn how to target the right terms in your paid and organic search marketing, and where your keywords should be used.
• Link Strategies 2009
This session will explore everything from white hat to greyish and black hat link building techniques thanks to a top panel of top link building experts.

Day 2

• SEO Mythbusters
Our panel of experts debunks common misperceptions and misleading practices about SEO.
• Extreme makeover – live site clinic
This interactive session takes volunteers from the audience and examines their websites live delivering general feedback about improvements necessary to gain more traffic from search engines.
• Turning the Social Web into ROI
This session will take a look at the marketing opportunities available through social media and how best to begin building an overall strategy.
• SEO expert Q&A
Join us for a no-holds-barred interactive session in which veteran search engine marketers disclose some of their favorite search engine optimization and marketing tips, tricks, and secrets.
Further details of these sessions can be found at http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/berlin. More advanced marketers can attend sessions on search advertising tools, web analytics and advanced paid search tactics.

SES Berlin will be held at the Crowne Plaza Berlin City Centre on 24-25 November 2009. Organised and hosted by Thomas Bindl, one of Europe’s leading authorities on search, SES Berlin Conference & Expo will teach delegates everything they need to know to help them maximize search engine marketing and optimization for their business and provide a forum for delegates to communicate with the search engines themselves.

Register early and save money. For more information about Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo 2009 visit http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/berlin

About BBP
BBP is a European multimedia company with a strong focus on online marketing, e-commerce and customer contact. These topics are presented in trade magazines, newsletters and websites as well as events and awards. Both the events and the magazines are leaders in their respective fields. The events attract over 15.000 visitors every year and the publications inform well over 100.000 professionals every month.

About SES
Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Risk, and Search Engine Strategies. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

LONDON – Incisive Media announced the dates for the London SES Conference and Expo in 2010. Now celebrating its 11th year in the capital, the UK’s biggest event for online marketing will take place on 16-18 February at the Business Design Centre, Islington. SES London will focus on search engine marketing (SEM), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO). For more details, go to http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/london

SES is the leading global event for education in online marketing and advertising, including Search (SEM/SEO). Organised and hosted by Mike Grehan, recognized globally as a leading authority on search, the SES Conference & Expo is designed to ensure that delegates are given the skills and knowledge to help them maximize search engine marketing and optimization for their business. It also provides a forum for delegates to communicate with the search engines themselves.

SES London will feature sessions that will help marketers at all levels of understanding to maximize success online – whether they are new to online marketing or have advanced skills and experience. Intermediate workshops and panel debates cover key applications such as video, podcasts and blogs as well as design and writing for search engines. More advanced marketers can attend sessions on search advertising tools, web analytics and advanced paid search tactics.

All sessions are uniquely ranked according to content and degree of understanding, making SES a crucial event for anyone interested in search marketing.

Mike Grehan, VP and Global Content Director said:

“Global spend on search marketing has continued to grow as businesses explore the many opportunities online marketing offers. With this growth comes change in methodology, tools and techniques and successful marketers need to learn and understand these – whether they are first-timers or very experienced in online marketing. That’s the only way to ensure continued success and stay ahead of the competition. SES London will enable delegates to achieve their online marketing objectives.”

About SES
Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Risk, and Search Engine Strategies. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

PHOENIX – Join the Business Marketing Association (BMA) Phoenix and the Arizona Technology Council on September 15, 2009, at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa for the Marketing Technology Summit 2009. The event was created to educate business marketing professionals on technologies that can cost-effectively make a positive impact on customer engagement and ultimately, sales.

The five-hour event features a keynote presentation, two panel discussions, and a networking and technology showcase – all designed to help Arizona marketers build their plans for the future. Event speakers represent media, agencies, technology giants and online marketing experts, all of whom can provide attendees with real-life perspectives on what’s working, what’s not, and how to measure success in the emerging world of digital and social marketing.

“Effective use of marketing technologies such as online video, search engine optimization and social media platforms can help businesses grow faster, and more profitably, than the competition,” said Al Maag, president of the Business Marketing Association, Phoenix chapter, and chief communications officer at Avnet, Inc. “According to an exclusive survey of b-to-b and b-to-c marketing professionals by BtoB Magazine and the Association of National Advertisers, 66% of the marketers surveyed said they are now using social media, up from 20% of respondents to the 2007 survey. This first-of-its-kind event will help marketing professionals learn more about these technologies that can bring true return on investment to their companies’ marketing efforts.”

Event Overview:
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa

Summit Sessions:
Keynote Session: The New Paradigm for Digital Marketing, Search Marketing and Brand Success; Understand the convergence of search and display, and how digital agencies will support the migration of search to other media. Featured speaker: Jeffrey Pruitt, chairman, SEMPO and CEO, Acendant
Panel 1: Social Media — Show Me the Money! What’s really working in social media? Moderated by: Ellis Booker, editor, BtoB Magazine
Panel 2: Marketing ROI – The Dream is Alive; Lead generation and brand building in an increasingly sophisticated marketing tracking world. Moderated by: Sheila Kloefkorn, president, KEO Marketing

Networking/Technology Showcase:

Network with peers in business marketing and connect with more than 30 business-to-business and technology companies to learn about products and services designed to help marketers cost-effectively engage new and existing customers.

Cost to attend:
AZ Tech Council and BMA Members: $35
General Admission: $50

To register, visit http://www.aztechcouncil.org/ and click on Phoenix Events.

About the Arizona Technology Council

The Arizona Technology Council is a private, not-for-profit trade association founded to connect, represent and support the state’s expanding technology industry. To promote economic growth and professional development in Arizona’s technology sector, the Council provides members networking opportunities, business support and access to educational forums. The Council strives to distinguish Arizona as a leader in the technology community and offer resources that are exclusive to its members. To become a member or to learn more about the Arizona Technology Council, please visit http://www.aztechcouncil.org.

About the Business Marketing Association Phoenix

Begun in 1922 as the National Industrial Advertising Association, today’s Business Marketing Association represents a lifetime of expertise in business-to-business marketing and communications strategy and tactics. The Phoenix chapter was established in 2008. They meet every third Tuesday afternoon with workshops and programs that enhance members’ marketing knowledge and careers.

SAN FRANCISCO – LookSmart, Ltd. (NASDAQ:LOOK), the search advertising network and management company, announced that LookSmart’s AdCenter platform has been named a finalist in the annual SEW Awards’ “Best Search Engine Ad Platform” category for the second year running. LookSmart took the SEW award home in 2008.

“LookSmart has been recognized for its innovation for two years in a row by a panel of industry experts and thought leaders in the search advertising community,” said Ted West, CEO at LookSmart. “We have pushed the scalability and performance of our ad serving and keyword auction platform in order to create better return for the advertisers and publishers who work with us.”

The award winners were announced at SES San Jose throughout the day on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 11th and 12th. The mission of the SEW Awards is to recognize excellence, as well as inspire innovation and encourage new ideas in search marketing. Now in its 11th year, SES San Jose is organized and programmed by the SES Advisory Board and SearchEngineWatch.com, the leading authority on Search Engine Marketing (SEM). LookSmart was showcased at booth #609 in the exhibition hall. For more information about SES 2009 San Jose, please visit: http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/sanjose/

For more information, please contact sales@looksmart.net or 888-403-5665. Follow LookSmart on Twitter @LookSmartSearch.

About LookSmart, Ltd.

LookSmart (NASDAQ:LOOK) is a premier search advertising network and management company. A trusted provider of quality search advertising products and services to advertisers, LookSmart offers targeted pay-per-click search and contextual advertising via its proven Search Advertising Network. Dedicated to the quality of PPC search advertising, LookSmart is one of the five founding members of the IAB Click Measurement Panel. For more information call 888-403-5665.

NEW YORK – Forbes released results of its “Ad Effectiveness Survey,” conducted among senior marketing executives during February and March 2009 to better understand their behaviors and beliefs regarding digital marketing, and to forecast where the major areas of growth – and weakness – will be over the next six months. The complete survey results are available at www.forbes.com/adinfo/research.html

Among the study highlights, when it comes to influencing brand perception, the most effective tactics were site sponsorships and pay-per-impression programs on digital publications. Ad networks and pay-per-click-search were identified as the least effective tactics. For garnering conversions, search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click and e-mail tactics were seen as the top three most effective tools, while ad networks, video ads and “other” tactics were cited as least effective.

“Ad network spending is all about demand fulfillment while direct-to-publisher display is much aligned with the traditional advertising goals of demand creation,” said Forbes.com President and CEO Jim Spanfeller. “It is interesting to see the shift of dollars toward demand creation as we see signs of life in the economy.”

Marketers are measuring success as follows:

* 82% say they are using conversions or sales data
* 55% use registrations
* 51% use click-throughs
* 51% use impressions
* 39% use search rank
* 31% use brand perception
* 16% use customer feedback
* 14% use reach to target

When respondents were asked about their expected changes in digital media tactic allocation over the next six months:

* Overall respondents plan to allocate a higher percentage of their digital media dollars to viral marketing (42%) and SEO (40%), while 53% stated they would spend less on Ad networks.
* Behavioral Targeting was the tactic to see the least change (57% plan to allocate the same).
* Among $1MM+ Digital spenders, Viral Marketing (54%) and SEO (50%) will also see expected increase allocations, with Ad networks seeing the highest percentage of expected decreases at 52%.

“It’s amazing that less than one-third of marketers are using brand perception metrics, despite the fact that the digital world makes brand perception research readily available and measurable,” added Spanfeller. “Additionally, the need to build a trusted relationship with customers as part of an overall marketing strategy may in turn increase the need for contextual ad environments that align the advertiser’s message with trusted, branded media.”

Methodology:

The online survey was fielded between February 19, 2009 and March 19, 2009 among the following audiences:

* CMOs, C-suite professionals and senior-level executives (defined as Director or above) who hold roles in advertising, marketing and/or media.
* Senior-level executives (defined as Director or above) who hold roles in advertising, marketing and/or media from the Forbes Advisory Panel, an opt-in panel of senior executives.

Respondents were invited to participate in the survey via email. A total of 112 responses were received.

Forbes Media:

Forbes Media encompasses Forbes and Forbes.com, the #1 business site on the Web that reaches 18.6 million people monthly. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia, which together reach a worldwide audience of more than 5.5 million readers. It also publishes ForbesLife and ForbesWoman magazines, in addition to licensee editions in China, Croatia, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia and Turkey. Other Forbes Media Web sites are: ForbesTraveler.com; Investopedia.com; RealClearPolitics.com; RealClearMarkets.com; RealClearSports.com; and the Forbes.com Business and Finance Blog Network. Together with Forbes.com, these sites reach nearly 40 million business decision makers each month.

“There is a big difference between advertising on social sites and really getting in there and interacting with your customers,” said G5 CEO Dan Hobin. “The G5 platform now handles the advertising piece and our tool kits provide direction on how to get in there and interact with your customers. You cannot automate the interaction piece as the conversation has to be authentic.”

The way people find local information is changing. Currently, algorithmic relevance through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the most important factor in finding a local company. However, as the Web moves to a more social setting, social relevance through channels such as Facebook and MySpace will play a key role in local search.

G5 is leading the way by equipping its clients with a full social tool kit – advertising, tracking, measurement, analysis and training which includes G5’s Quick Start Guide: Finding Local Customers with Social Media. This tool kit increases clients’ presence in selected social media communities while delivering effective reach to existing and potential customers.

“Targeting social communities which are highly relevant to your business and popular with existing customers increases the likelihood of conversion,” Hobin said. “Most people tend to form stronger social ties with those similar to themselves; members of these groups tend to influence each other through word-of-mouth communication and engage in collective purchasing behaviors.”

G5 has provided client Collegiate Management Group, which focuses on the student housing market, with a social media outreach and interaction program aimed at current customers and prospects.

“Social media is a great way to touch the college market in an unobtrusive way,” said Collegiate Management Group Marketing Director Cliff Sandlin. “With students, social media recommendations from friends are second nature. There is an inherent amount of trust in interactions on Facebook.”

G5’s addition of social media to its Local Marketing Platform supports the company’s leadership position in local Internet marketing. Algorithmic relevance is today’s leading way of optimizing local search but as social relevance plays a greater role, G5 will be there.

About G5 Search Marketing

G5 Search Marketing is reinventing Local Marketing by giving business owners visibility into what advertising efforts produce their most profitable customers. U.S. businesses spend over $100 billion annually targeting local and regional customers. As consumers shift from more traditional types of media consumption to the online world, there are significant opportunities to measure and improve the efficiency of local marketing and advertising. The G5 Marketing Platform was developed to help manage the shift from off-line to online advertising, measure what works, and optimize to the sources that provide the best return on marketing. For more information, please visit www.g5searchmarketing.com.

Is your company taking full advantage of the social media phenomenon? Do you know what is already being said about your company online? How far ahead of you are your competitors with their social media strategies? These are some of the questions that global public relations firm Calysto Communications is asking companies in the communications-technology industry today. Calysto recently launched a new social media marketing practice for companies in the broadcasting, telecommunications and wireless industries.

“An effective social media campaign can have a huge impact on the publicity your brand receives and its success – for both business-to-business and business-to-consumer organizations,” said Laura Borgstede, CEO of Calysto Communications. “With social media, we can create a storm of interest in a story, bring customers to you and help build your brand and sales. As PR professionals, we know how to not only do the research, but also analyze and make strategic recommendations on social media programs.”

The social networking phenomenon is exploding. According to Forrester Research, three in four of U.S. adults who are online now use social media tools to connect with each other, compared to just 56 percent in 2007. And the marketing research firm Netpop estimates that social networking has grown 93 percent since 2006.

As people try to sift through the vast array of news around them, they are moving away from placing their trust solely in “traditional media” and are migrating toward content created by online communities such as Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, digg, the blogosphere, and more.

Businesses across the globe are beginning to recognize the importance of harnessing this trend as part of their marketing efforts. In fact, 44 percent of Inc. 500 companies now rank social media as “very important” to their business strategy, compared to only 26 percent in 2007, according a study by The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research.

But many companies are still unsure how to effectively use social media to promote their products and services, and that’s where Calysto can help. Calysto has already helped its existing clients implement strategies that allow them to take advantage of the social media phenomenon.

For instance, Calysto has used advanced analytical tools to analyze clients’ web sites and other communications – including press releases, company backgrounders, bylined articles and many other marketing materials that get posted on the Internet — to identify which keywords are attracting traffic and which keywords are not.

Calysto has identified the top blogging sites for several clients and has developed a strategy to get their products noticed by this group. And Calysto has helped one client develop a podcast series that it posted both on its web site and on social media platforms such as YouTube.

Calysto has also recently ramped up its own social media marketing activities. For instance, it recently launched its own blog (http://blog.calysto.com) that discusses trends, editor/analyst moves around the industry and trade shows in the telecommunications, wireless and broadcasting industries. This blog goes a step beyond the company’s popular PRVibes™ newsletter.

“According a recent survey of 1,086 professionals by Enquiro, 85% of potential business-to-business buyers agree that online research is important in their purchasing decisions,” said Borgstede. “That’s why having a strategic approach to social media can directly boost a company’s bottom line. Even using the wrong words in your press releases can result in your company name being absent when potential buyers do search online. And that can cost you sales.”

With the launch of its new social media marketing practice, Calysto is now extending its social media services to make them available even to companies that are not clients of Calysto’s existing public relations business.

To make it affordable for businesses in the broadcasting, telecommunications, and wireless industries to “get their feet wet” in the world of social media, Calysto has developed a phased budget program. Companies can start with a baseline program that costs as little as $500 – $1,000 and includes:

1) An analysis of the company’s PR-related search engine optimization (SEO)/keyword strategy;

2) the creation of a blogging strategy, including a “media” list of the top bloggers that your company cannot afford to ignore;

3) and development of a social networking strategy for your marketing department.

Companies can then build on their social media success by adding additional program elements such as: the development of an SEO optimized online media kit; a more in-depth SEO analysis of the Web site and other materials; the development of an RSS syndication strategy; a microblogging strategy for sites such as Twitter; as well as many, many additional programs.

To find out more about the social media phenomenon and how your company can use it to sell products and strengthen its brand, you can download a copy of Calysto’s free white paper, “The Changing Role of Marketing and PR in the New Age of Social Media” by visiting http://www.calysto.com/survey.html.

About Calysto Communications

Founded in 1999, Calysto Communications (www.calysto.com) is a global public relations and social media marketing firm focused solely on the specialized needs of the technology industry in the broadcasting, telecommunications, and wireless sectors. We provide a full suite of services to emerging and established business-to-business and business-to-consumer organizations. Unlike general technology PR firms, Calysto leverages its deep industry knowledge and intimate relationships with market influencers to deliver unmatched industry mindshare, analyst coverage and media publicity to our clients. Our all-senior management team uses a strategy-driven approach proven to help Calysto clients drive sales, create value for shareholders, move toward liquidity or raise overall awareness. Calysto also publishes a free e-newsletter, PR VibesTM (www.prvibes.com), which provides industry players with insight into media and analyst moves around the industry; industry events and tradeshows; and trends in marketing and public relations.

Business Wire is the official news wire for Search Engine Strategies London 2009. Breaking news releases, advisories, photos, and multimedia are available at Tradeshownews.com, Business Wire’s trade show, conference, and event news resource.

Listed below are Search Engine Strategies London 2009 exhibitor profiles.
Company:           ACQUISIO
Stand:         305
Media Contact:         MARC POIRIER
Phone:         450.465.2631 x210
E-mail:         mpoirier@acquisio.com
Web:         www.acquisio.com

Montreal-based Acquisio is a SaaS (software as a service) company that offers a pay-per-click (Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, MSN AdCenter) management software designed specifically for advertising agencies. The tool, Acquisio SEARCH, allows campaign managers to launch, manage, and optimize all of their client’s campaigns from a single interface, without the need to log into Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, or MSN AdCenter. Additionally, it provides integrated reporting for designing and building beautiful client-ready PDF reports to help you save even more time.

Company:         Efficient Frontier
Stand:         Track Sponsor
Media Contact:         Merinda Peppard
Phone:         2071665220
E-mail:         sales-europe@efrontier.com
Web:         www.efrontier.com/uk

Efficient Frontier is the market and technology leader in providing paid search marketing solutions. The company provides the most powerful, most effective search engine marketing technology and comprehensive strategic and tactical services, to ensure that clients with large-scale, complex search marketing campaigns can achieve the highest possible return on investment. The largest advertisers in the most competitive markets use Efficient Frontier to achieve unprecedented levels of search marketing efficiencies, scalability, risk reduction and campaign growth. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, USA with offices in New York, the United Kingdom, France and India and licensing partnerships in Japan and Australia. Please visit www.efrontier.com/uk and blog.efrontier.com.

Company:         The Search Monitor
Media Contact:         Laura Nolte
Phone:         321-206-9705
E-mail:         laura@greentheoryinteractive.com
Web:         www.thesearchmonitor.com

The Search Monitor provides real-time competitor monitoring software. TSM crawls and monitors Google, Yahoo, MSN, social media, and shopping engines daily and can be geo-targeted. Interactive agencies, search marketers, and affiliate marketers use The Search Monitor for several reasons (1) to acquire competitive intelligence on paid and organic search including market share, keyword research, ad copy research, discovery of competitive promotions/offers, rank, and budgeting strategies; (2) to police brand use in ad copy, display urls, and branded keyword sponsors; (3) to identify and measure brand buzz; and (4) to police affiliate marketers for compliance with affiliate programs.

Company:         WebTrends
Stand:         309
Media Contact:         Thomas Flischer
E-mail:         Thomas@octopuscomms.net

About WebTrends Inc.

WebTrends provides web analytics and online marketing solutions to optimise marketing campaigns and customer engagement. WebTrends Marketing Lab delivers the industry’s most recognised analytics, SEM, and visitor intelligence solutions to enable companies to understand their customers, drive customer engagement, and enhance marketing and brand awareness. Thousands of leading global organisations, including HSBC, Microsoft, Reuters, General Mills, and Ticketmaster have chosen WebTrends business solutions and client services expertise to optimise their customers’ online experiences.

For more information, visit: www.webtrends.com

About Business Wire

Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is utilized by tens of thousands of member companies and organizations worldwide to functionally enhance and communicate investor relations and public relations content to target audiences. As a recognized disclosure service in the United States, Canada and a dozen European countries, Business Wire facilitates the simultaneous flow of market-moving press releases from corporations to financial markets and their audiences, including regulatory authorities, media, investors, financial information systems and consumer news services. Business Wire also handles XBRL tagging, document formatting and regulatory filing into EDGAR, SEDAR, FSA and other systems.

Communications professionals turn to Business Wire to optimize and issue press releases, photos and multimedia to news organizations, journalists, trade publications, search engines, and individuals, with full-text posting to web sites, online services and databases. A range of distribution options enables members to target by geography, industry, news theme and audience demographics.

Founded in 1961, Business Wire has dual headquarters in San Francisco and New York, with 30 bureaus in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Miami, Paris, Frankfurt, London, Brussels, Tokyo, Toronto and Sydney and reciprocal offices throughout the world. Business Wire’s patented NX data platform supports XML, XHTML and XBRL code that enhances news release interactivity, social media sharing and search engine optimization. More information about Business Wire and its services is located on its website at www.BusinessWire.com.

TAMPA, Fla. – In today’s turbulent economy, companies require more accountability for marketing dollars than ever before – prompting a significant advertising shift from traditional media to an ever-evolving array of interactive strategies that offer immediate, quantifiable results. According to a recent study by marketing services firm Epsilon, 6 out of 10 Chief Marketing Officers plan to increase their spending on interactive marketing this year.1 Industry analysts support that move, with the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers noting the online ad sector is “poised to weather the [economic] storm perhaps better than other advertising sectors due to its cost-effectiveness and measurability.”2

These dramatic changes in the media landscape have created a huge demand for professionals and organizations with digital marketing expertise and search engine marketing training. Major job sites list thousands of openings – from interactive data analyst to director of Internet marketing – for candidates with these specialized skill sets. To fill this urgent need, the University of San Francisco created the industry’s first and only Internet marketing certificate program offered 100% online. In just a matter of weeks, students will master the strategies and techniques they need to survive – and thrive – in this complex, dynamic marketing environment.

USF’s Master Certificate in Internet Marketing provides a “big picture” view of essential Internet marketing tools and techniques, including creative development, blogs, Web 2.0, search engine optimization (SEO), web analytics, A/B testing, affiliate marketing, viral video, social media and more. Developed by practicing interactive marketing experts, this unique, end-to-end program consists of three online certificate courses: Integrated Online Strategies, Search Engine Marketing and Usability, and Advanced Interactive Marketing and Measurement.

“Until now, professionals who wanted interactive marketing training had to choose between a few expensive, time-consuming degree programs and more limited, subject-specific workshops,” said Jay Berkowitz, CEO of Ten Golden Rules and one of the instructors in USF’s online faculty. “Our new Master Certificate in Internet Marketing is unique in that it covers all facets of digital marketing in a condensed and convenient online format. Students will gain the knowledge and credentials they need to land a position or promotion in interactive marketing, while entrepreneurs and marketers alike will come away with the skills to develop a successful Internet strategy and maximize e-commerce revenues.”

In addition to teaching students how to develop, implement and evolve integrated online marketing strategies, the master certificate program also prepares them for certification from two leading industry organizations. Participants will master the Google AdWords concepts along with the tracking and measurement techniques featured on the Google Advertising Professionals and Web Analytics Association certification exams.

Registration is now open for the Master Certificate in Internet Marketing program. Classes begin February 1 for the Integrated Online Strategies course, continuing with Search Engine Marketing and Usability on April 1 and Advanced Interactive Marketing and Measurement on June 1. For more information, call 800-436-1713 or visit www.USanFranOnline.com.

About the University of San Francisco

Acclaimed as one of America’s best universities by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, the University of San Francisco has earned a reputation for academic excellence that dates back to its founding in 1855. It is committed to becoming internationally recognized as a premier Jesuit Catholic, urban university with a global perspective. USF’s online programs are offered through its School of Business and Management, which includes the Masagung Graduate School of Management and the McLaren Undergraduate College of Business.

About University Alliance Online

The University Alliance (UA) facilitates the promotion and online delivery of associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as professional certificate programs from the nation’s leading traditional universities and institutions. Powered by UA’s technology and support services, our university partners have surpassed 300,000 online enrollments — making UA the largest facilitator of e-learning in the country. University Alliance partners include Villanova University, the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business, Thunderbird School of Global Management, the University of San Francisco, the University of South Florida, Florida Institute of Technology, The University of Scranton, Dominican University and Jacksonville University.

1 “Marketing Spending Priorities Shift”; published on eMarketer.com, October 7, 2008.

2 “Internet Advertising Revenues in Q3 ’08 at Nearly $5.9 Billion”; published on IAB.net, November 20, 2008.

SAN DIEGO – Though most signs point to a downward economy, interactive advertising, including local search, display ads and e-mail marketing, is expected to grow from 7.4 percent of the global advertising market at the end of 2007 to 21 percent by 2012 (source: The Kelsey Group). Encouraging further growth, ClickZ presents the Online Marketing Summit (OMS) San Diego, the only purely educational event of its kind – built around content that drives action and delivers insight that online marketers can build into their marketing plans immediately. The ClickZ Network is the world’s largest online resource of interactive marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion, research, and reference.

Set at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, California, from February 4-7, 2009, the Online Marketing Summit attracts marketers from leading companies who will gather to share best practices and learn from expert online practitioners. Leading educators in online marketing will facilitate a world-class forum of best practices in interactive marketing. Hands-on workshops, thought leadership panels, one-on-one usability and search engine optimization (SEO) classes and peer work groups are conducted by best-of-breed speakers and organizations.

The only objective of the OMS Summit is to educate attendees on how to execute the best known practices in online marketing. By incorporating feedback from past events, new “Acumen Tracks” will address various levels of expertise. Designed to meet the unique needs of beginner, intermediate, and expert-level practitioners, the content of the summit will allow attendees to educate themselves at a foundational level on a topic unfamiliar to them or dive deeper into a topic they want to learn more about.

The 2009 OMS Summit includes sessions on:

* Social Media Business Strategies
* Search Engine Marketing in-depth education
* Website Usability Primers
* Customer Experience Best Practices
* Web Analytics & ROI Tracking
* Planning & Budgeting for Online Success
* Email Marketing & Landing Page Tactics
* Website Strategy Thought Leadership
* Behavioral Targeting & Testing

“OMS is exclusively for marketing professionals interested in learning and networking,” said Aaron Kahlow, founder of Online Marketing Summit. “We’re sort of an ‘anti-conference’, and it’s working out for us. There is no expo hall, no conflagration of sponsor logos, and no sales-folk to interfere with the world-class education and networking opportunities on which we’ve built our reputation. It’s 100% peer to peer knowledge sharing. Can’t get any more direct than that.”

“No marketer knows it all. And if they do, they’re probably speaking at OMS,” noted Matt McGowan, Vice President and Publisher for Incisive Media’s Interactive Marketing Group, including Search Engine Strategies, SearchEngineWatch.com and the ClickZ Network. “If there’s a question you have, there’s likely a session that will answer it. Attendees will not only receive invaluable education and direction from each session, but they’ll also have the opportunity to network, collaborate and share ideas with interactive marketers from leading companies around the world.”

Discounted passes are still available and include access to the 2009 Resource Center to download the slide decks, professionally video recorded session and media from all the presentations. To register, visit https://www.onlinemarketingsummit.com/registration/default.php. For more details on the Online Marketing Summit event and other ClickZ events including free online marketing webinars visit www.ClickZEvents.com.

About the Online Marketing Summit (OMS)

The Online Marketing Summit (OMS) is truly unique from any other conference. There are no vendors, no salesmen, no exhibitors/booths and no pitching allowed. The application process ensures only attendees who are serious about trying to gain a competitive advantage through education. The environment facilitates networking and collaboration amongst like-minded marketing peers. This summer tour will be attended by at least 2000 professionals who are passionate about marketing. OMS is a not-for-profit organization with the simple mission to educate marketers on the emerging best practice of online marketing

About Incisive Interactive Marketing LLC — A Division of Incisive Media PLC

Incisive Media’s The ClickZ Network is the largest resource of interactive marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion, research, and reference in the world, online or off-. From search to e-mail, technology to trends, our coverage is expert, exclusive, and in-depth. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the Search Engine Strategies global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, LegalTech, Post, Real Estate Forum, Risk, Search Engine Strategies and The American Lawyer. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

SES is the leading global search marketing event series for education in digital marketing and advertising with specific emphasis on Search Engine Marketing (SEM), PPC and SEO. SES Amsterdam will teach delegates everything they need to know to maximize their advertising reach online whilst providing a forum for delegates to network with their peers, expert practitioners and representatives from the search engines themselves.

The Chair of this event will be Henk van Es and the Programming Director for it will be Joost de Valk.

SES Amsterdam will feature a number of workshops designed to educate the beginning SEO/SEM in addition to advanced maximizer sessions for those with years of experience. Topics such as Web 2.0 trends, social media and blogging will also be covered.

Paul Petermeijer, CEO BBP, said, “SES Amsterdam is the leading event in Holland for Search, with a mix of national and international cases and speakers we have created an event where starters and pro’s can find their way. With the combination of Incisive media and BBP we have a lot of marketing power in and outside the Netherlands.”

SES Amsterdam is actively supported by Taskforce Search the Dutch branch of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). “Search Engine Strategies is globally recognized as the leading search marketing conference and expo series. We encourage our members, advertisers as well as agencies, to attend SES Amsterdam and learn all about the latest tactics and best practices from Dutch and international top experts in the industry” said Wolter Tjeenk Willink, chairman of the Dutch Taskforce Search, IAB.

Matt McGowan, Vice President and Publisher of the global SEM conference series in addition to its sister sites ClickZ and Search Engine Watch said:

“Incisive Media is proud and excited to extend our global SEM conference and expo series to Holland in partnership with BBP. Search continues to show resilience as a must have channel to market and SES is the most trusted event series that CEOs, CMOs, business owners, marketers, web developers attend year after year to learn the trade.”

Register early before the 13th of February and save up to 150 Euros. For more information about the 2009 Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo series please visit http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.nl

About SES

Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, LegalTech, Post, Real Estate Forum, Risk, Search Engine Strategies and The American Lawyer. For more information, visit http://www.incisivemedia.com

About BBP

BBP is a leading and innovative Dutch publisher, in print, in person and online. The company’s Principal markets include, Document Management, Customer service, Call Centers, E-commerce, Online marketing. BBP’s market-leading brands include Telecommerce, Twinkle, Document Manager, TCD, IDMK, Global E-commerce Summit, E-mail marketing Conference. For more information, visit http://www.bbp.nl

LOS ANGELES – Infuse Creative CEO Gregory Markel spoke at the annual MLRC/Southwestern Law School Media and Entertainment Law Conference on Thursday, January 15.

The panel, titled “What Happens When Protected Speech Meets Embedded Promotions? Product Integration, Sponsorship and Ad Linking,” dealt with the current and potential legal issues surrounding television, film, videos games, online gaming, and online video product placement, search engine marketing or PPC, copyright and trademark issues.

Other panel members included: Pratheepan Gulasekaram, an Assistant Professor at Santa Clara University School of Law; Daniel O’Connell Offner from Nixon Peabody, LLP; and Jennifer Dominitz, Vice President of Legal Affairs at NBC Universal Television.

Markel’s experience in the field of search engine marketing, social media, and digital communication strategies and advisement was a powerful and dynamic addition to the legal experts, providing a digital and social media marketing vanguard view on the effects of advertising law, FTC concerns, and trademark and copyright law on SEM/paid search, SEO, social media marketing, and online video.

Recalling the evolution of Pay Per Click advertising lawsuits and FTC rulings that resulted in Google and Yahoo having to display their PPC ads along side the word SPONSORED, Markel asked, “How will it affect the industry if you have to place a disclaimer such as, ‘this blog comment is paid advertising’ as a preface to every blog or bookmark/tagging post? How will these copyright laws affect the sort of community, influence and stealth marketing approach that is currently so popular? These are all important questions to ask,” said Markel.

Gregory Markel has been involved in search engine and online marketing for over 13 years and is an expert on SEM, SEO, video, 2.0 social media marketing and more.

About Infuse Creative: www.infusecreative.com

Infuse Creative, founded by Gregory Markel, has provided search engine optimization and marketing services and technology to a diverse range of clients, including; Mazda, Gibson Musical Instruments, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., Pacificare, The BBC, Ed Hardy, Led Zeppelin, CBS, FOX, The National Geographic Channel, Reality Executives International, Sony, Universal Vivendi and many more.

LONDON – SES London, the leading global search marketing conference series announced today that a unique roundtable session will open proceedings on day two of the conference.

Brett Tabke, founder of WebmasterWorld, Rand Fishkin, founder of SEOmoz.com, Chris Sherman, Executive Editor, Search Engine Land, Jill Whalen, founder of HighRankings.com and Kevin Ryan, Chairman of the Search Engine Strategies Board of Advisors will, for the first time, join together for the Keynote Orion Panel, SEO, Where to Next?!, a special strategy session moderated by SES host, Mike Grehan, Global KDM Office at Acronym Media.

The all star line-up has collectively been responsible for generating £billions of business for some of the world’s most recognised brands through expert consultancy and creative digital marketing solutions. The Orion Panel on 18th February will enable members of the audience to share issues and problems faced by their own businesses with practical advice provided by the best and most respected minds in search on how SEO will develop this year. It’s a not to be missed session for any businesses looking to build an effective marketing plan to maintain stability and growth through a tough year ahead.

Each member of the panel has been monitoring the flow of conversation in the SEO world for up to ten years and has heard opinions on everything from Black hat/White hat SEO, dynamic delivery, Flash, Google index updates and universal search.

Matt McGowan, Publisher of the conference series in addition to its sister sites ClickZ and Search Engine Watch said:

“This panel has been brought together for the first time to give delegates the unique opportunity to seek business advice from the world’s most experienced experts in digital marketing. The key questions on everyone’s lips this year will undoubtedly be “where is SEO going? How will the market develop? And how can developments in SEO help my business?” The expert panel will discuss these issues, then throw the session over to the audience to help individual cases with valuable and practical advice for their business.”

SES London is Europe’s leading event for education in online marketing and advertising, including Search (SEM/SEO). Marketers, consultants and industry leaders from the world’s leading businesses gather to review the very latest search engine marketing and optimization techniques.

With more than 50 sessions and 60 expert speakers covering hundreds of topics on how Search Engine Marketing can grow your business, SES London is the definitive opportunity for delegates to learn most everything they need to know to help them maximize their business’s return on search engine marketing and optimization. SES attracts the recognised leaders in search marketing providing the largest forum for delegates to communicate and network with expert practitioners.

SES London will feature a number of sessions designed to help marketers maximize success in a Web 2.0. Intermediate workshops and panel debates consider applications such as video, podcasts and blogs while more advanced marketers can attend sessions on search advertising tools and advanced paid search tactics.

With all sessions uniquely ranked according to content and degree of understanding, SES London is a crucial event for beginners as well as experienced search marketers who return year after year to keep up to-date with new innovations.

The conference will be hosted by SEM expert Mike Grehan.

SES London will be held on 17-19 February 2009 at the Business Design Centre in Islington. See www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/london.

For more information about Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo Conference & Expo, the premier event for search engine marketing and optimization 2009 visit http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/london.

About SES

Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, LegalTech, Post, Real Estate Forum, Risk, Search Engine Strategies and The American Lawyer. For more information, visit http://www.incisivemedia.com.

NEW YORK – If bringing more relevant traffic and qualified visitors to your company’s web site is on your plate for 2009, listen up: Popular search marketing conference Search Engine Strategies New York is the place you want to be. The event is set for March 23-27, 2009, at the Hilton New York. Those who register by Friday, January 9, 2009 for SES New York will save $700.

Marketers, corporate decision makers, web developers, search engine marketing (SEM) specialists and rookies, and search engine optimization (SEO) consultants gather for the industry’s definitive event to delve into the latest developments in search. SES New York is unmatched as far as the number of sessions devoted to understanding how search engine marketing relates to digital and online marketing.

Programmed by the team of search experts at Search Engine Watch, SES New York is the industry’s must-attend major search marketing conference. SES New York is host to over 70 sessions, multiple keynotes and Orion Strategy sessions, exhibitors, networking events and parties. Last year’s show brought together approximately 7,000 search and digital enthusiasts.

“SES is the best networking opportunity, period. The sought-after experts along with thousands of like-minded peers are here,” noted Matt McGowan, Vice President and Publisher for Incisive Media’s Interactive Marketing Group, including Search Engine Strategies, SearchEngineWatch.com and the ClickZ Network. “The money spent to attend SES and then implementing what you’ve learned definitely pays off with more qualified, relevant traffic.”

“In terms of value, the global Search Engine Strategies Conference and Exposition series is one of the best as it delivers an excellent ‘bang for your buck’ compared to the other events we have attended,” said Alon Sheafer, V.P. Products and Marketing, Kenshoo. “Their seminars and panels consistently deliver literally hundreds of tips, tactics and strategies around improving your paid search and display campaign performance while offering up tons of info on optimizing your websites. In addition, the networking is second to none resulting in us taking home numerous qualified leads.”

For more information on SES New York ’09 and other shows in the series, see www.SearchEngineStrategies.com.

About Incisive Interactive Marketing LLC — A Division of Incisive Media PLC

Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, LegalTech, Post, Real Estate Forum, Risk, Search Engine Strategies and The American Lawyer. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

-  Derek Edmond Becomes Partner in Massachusetts-Based Search Engine Marketing Firm, KoMarketing Associates, LLC
KoMarketing Associates, LLC is pleased to announce that Derek Edmond, currently the Director of Search Engine Optimization & Search Marketing Strategies at the firm, has now become an equity Partner and Manager at the company.
“I am very excited about Derek becoming a Partner. It has been a long time coming and will strengthen the company as we continue to grow,” said Andy Komack, President of KoMarketing Associates. Komack adds, “Derek has already established himself as an expert in the fields of search engine optimization and social media marketing. By taking an ownership stake in the company, Derek is putting his expert reputation behind the growth of the company for the long term.”

AUSTIN, Texas – ArteWorks SEO at http://www.arteworks.biz has been recognized as the #1 Video Search Engine Optimization firm in the world. The SEO company rankings published by TopSEOs is the trusted guide used by those seeking the best in the internet marketing and search engine optimization industry.

ArteWorks SEO is included in this list for its consistent performance and the superior services rendered to its clients. TopSEOs performs an in depth evaluation of the leading search engine optimization firms in the industry to determine their rankings.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from TopSEOs for video search engine optimization. All indicators are showing the increasing importance of video search engine optimization. We are delivering powerful results for our clients with our proprietary vFlood™ video SEO technology,” said Matt Foster, CEO of ArteWorks SEO.

ArteWorks vFlood™ video SEO technology is a complete video search engine optimization solution, from start to finish. It is not an out of the box product, rather each video search engine optimization campaign is customized with a strategy specific to the client and target industry. vFlood™ includes (but is not limited to):

* scripting, casting and talent
* procurement of location
* filming, production, lighting, professional editing
* special effects and audio effects
* video compression and export into web friendly formats
* embedding of video meta information
* video syndication and provision of “embed video” code for use on third party websites
* clickable links inside of videos are available, including purchase product links
* video interactivity (multiple endings based on user selections, quizzes, etcetera)
* video social media optimization and promotion

For the complete list of the Top 5 Video Search Engine Optimization Companies for December 2008 go to: http://www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-video-seo-companies.

About ArteWorks SEO

ArteWorks SEO, www.arteworks.biz, is an internationally recognized search engine optimization and Internet marketing firm headquartered in Austin, Texas with a satellite office in Seattle, Washington. ArteWorks SEO is ranked in the top 5 search engine optimization firms in the world by several different Internet marketing organizations. For more information, please visit http://www.arteworks.biz.

About TopSEOs

Since its introduction in 2002, TopSEOs has been identified as an independent authority on vendors who supply internet marketing products and services ranging from the best search engine optimization companies to the best pay per click management tools.

LONDON – Greenlight’s brand defense platform, SearchSentry™, has been highly commended at the inaugural E-consultancy Innovation Awards 2008. The product was entered into the Innovation in Paid Search and PPC category.

Specialist search marketing agency Greenlight developed SearchSentry™ in May 2008 in response to Google’s decision to allow UK and Ireland advertisers to bid on trademarked keywords. The platform works to protect brands online by monitoring competitor and affiliate activity by providing brand managers with detailed information on who is bidding on their brands. It then mines the data collected so that a plan of action can be drawn up to help brand managers defend and control their brand.

This most recent success is the latest in a string of awards for the agency. Last month, Greenlight was ranked 14th in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50, which lists the fastest growing technology companies in the UK. In addition, Greenlight came 21st in The Sunday Times Technology Track 100 2008 and came 88th in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA.

Greenlight works with over 50 of the UK’s leading brands, providing specialist SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (Pay Per Click) services, for the likes of Asda Walmart, Lastminute.com and Alliance & Leicester. Recent wins include NatMags and ghd.

Warren Cowan, CEO and founder of Greenlight said: “SearchSentry™ has been an incredibly successful tool. All of Greenlight’s technologies are developed in-house and we are really proud to add this one to our growing portfolio. It is great to be recognized in this way, especially when it is by a well regarded digital resource like E-consultancy.”

About Greenlight

Greenlight is an award winning, specialist search engine marketing agency providing targeted and accountable organic and paid search solutions. The agency has helped numerous companies to succeed in search marketing over the years by improving its clients’ positioning and website visibility in the top search engines, and driving traffic to their websites.

Greenlight provides a full range of search marketing services from offices in London and New York, including search engine optimisation, pay per click management, link building, consultancy and SEM training.

Clients include FTSE, NASDAQ and NYSE listed companies as well as charitable organisations and government bodies. Greenlight works with SMEs, global brands and top interactive agencies across vertical markets as diverse as publishing, financial services, retail, travel, hospitality, property and entertainment.

Aimed at consultants, site designers, website owners, in-house marketing professionals, among others, this in-depth training occurs in a small class setting so that instructors are readily accessible for informal one-on-one or small group discussions.

“Regardless of skill level in SEO and SEM, people will come away from this intensive training with techniques that they can immediately implement,” said Matt McGowan, Vice President and Publisher for Incisive Media’s Interactive Marketing Group, including Search Engine Strategies, SearchEngineWatch.com and the ClickZ Network. “Expert search engine marketers Jennifer Laycock, Matt Bailey, Debra Mastaler, Greg Jarboe, Amanda Watlington Brad Geddes and Shari Thurow who are leading the sessions live and breathe SEO and SEM. They’ll ensure that participants leave with the latest knowledge and action plans for real-world applications.”

Training sessions include:

* Search & Analytics Workshop: Using Analytics to Increase Search Effectiveness — Analytics are a gold mine of information, just waiting to be uncovered. The results of campaigns, effectiveness of the website, and the efficiency of your rankings can all be measured with a good analytics program. Unfortunately, many site managers do not make changes to the website without prior measurement, nor do they measure after the changes. As a result, there are many changes to sites that are not based on facts, merely assumptions. Similarly, if changes are not analyzed, then there can be no clear understanding of whether or not improvements made a difference on the site or to the bottom line.
* Viral Marketing & Link Baiting — Attendees will gain a better understanding of the concepts, ideas and implementations that are required to launch a viral marketing or link baiting campaign. They will learn why the Internet has created a unique environment that allows for rapid, inexpensive word of mouth marketing and how they can harness that environment to promote their own products and services. The workshop will give real life examples of both good and bad viral marketing campaigns and will share insight on how your business can capitalize on your competitor’s viral disasters. This workshop will also focus on how you can make use of consumer generated media environments like social media outlets, blog marketing, discussion forums and more to both monitor and expand your company’s online persona. Consumer generated media (the very core of viral marketing) is the fastest growing form of media online today. It’s only a matter of time until someone online talks about your business. This course will not only help prepare you in the ways to respond to the conversation, it will help you learn how to shape that conversation to your advantage.
* Link Building Tactics, Tools & Techniques — Need links? In order to rank well and successfully promote your online business, you need an effective link building program as part of your overall SEO strategy. This link building workshop will help you to better understand and manage your link building campaigns by providing you with the knowledge to create proven, practical and creative link marketing campaigns. You’ll walk away understanding why you need certain links, how to find them, and how to effectively use links to promote your brand and your search engines rankings.
* Advanced AdWords — This session is broken down into two sections. The first section examines how to effectively use keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and the search and content networks to effectively reach your target audience based upon where consumers are in the buying cycle. The second section will examine different bidding strategies you can employ to maximize your campaign’s goals.
* Search Engine Optimization Workshop — A search-engine friendly Web site is a user-friendly, search-friendly, and persuasive site that converts visitors into buyers. In order for a site to be search-engine friendly, it must meet the terms and conditions set forth by the search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, Ask, etc). Additionally, the site must satisfy the needs of site visitors. Ultimately, the site must be profitable for the Web site owner. Can a single site satisfy all of these groups? This workshop will demonstrate that these skills are essential for building a user-friendly, search-friendly, and persuasive site that converts visitors into buyers.
* Optimizing for Universal Search — Universal search changes everything! The advent of Google’s Universal Search has been called “the most radical change to its search results ever.” So, how do you take advantage of Google’s new approach that blends listings from news, maps, video, and image search among those it gathers from web search? This training session will help you get found in all the right places.

SES SEM Training can be taken in addition to the SES Chicago conference or independently, as workshops are on the Friday following the event. The full-day training session is $1,345 and half-day is $745. Register for SES SEM Training at http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago/training.html.

To register for the SES Chicago conference or for more information, see http://searchenginestrategies.com/chicago. SES Chicago Expo-only passes are free in advance.

About SES

Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

About Incisive Media

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, LegalTech, Post, Real Estate Forum, Risk, Search Engine Strategies and The American Lawyer. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

Pay-per-click fraud, otherwise known as click-fraud, is an internet crime. It occurs anytime an individual, automated script, or computer program clicks on a business’s ad multiple times for the purpose of generating a charge per click. Click-fraud allows competitors to prevent their competition from making sales online, thereby significantly reducing a business’s profit and potentially running their competitors out of business altogether. Due to the competitiveness of the credit card processing industry, BankCard USA has experienced first-hand the financial impact of click-fraud.

In response, BankCard USA has commissioned Connection Marketing to create a universal protocol to catch, identify, and deal with perpetrators of click-fraud. The findings will be made public and free-of-charge at BankCard USA’s website. Currently, Bankcard USA has made available on its website Connection Marketing’s Click Fraud Defense 101 manual that online advertisers can use to reduce their exposure to click fraud. This can be found at http://www.BankCardUSA.com/ClickFraudDefense101.

“Internet marketing is a large source of revenue for many businesses today,” notes Alan Griefer, President of BankCard USA. “Click-fraud is more prevalent than what we can currently measure, and appears to be increasingly problematic for businesses. While it is unfortunate that this type of internet fraud is not more aggressively investigated and prevented, companies like Connection Marketing help keep advertisers from losing their advertising budget to dollars to internet click-fraud thieves.”

About BankCard USA:

Founded in 1993 by Shawn Skelton and Alan Griefer, BankCard USA is a registered merchant service provider. BankCard USA specializes in credit card processing for new or existing businesses. They offer payment solutions for all types of businesses, including internet, retail store-front, mail-order, phone-order, trade shows, professionals, service industry and home-based businesses. For more information visit us at http://www.BankCardUSA.com.

About Connection Marketing:

Founded in 2005 by Michael Stein, Connection Marketing, Inc. is a full service search-engine marketing agency that specializes in click-fraud protection, pay-per-click management (PPC), and search-engine optimization (SEO). For more information visit us at http://www.ConnectionMarketing.net.

CHICAGO – Over 2,000 marketers scouting out sure-fire ways to boost their companies’ online presence are gathering to kick off this year’s Search Engine Strategies (SES) Chicago 2008 Conference & Expo . In its tenth year, SES Chicago (http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago) gives attendees an unmatched combination of high-profile speakers, four-star rated sessions, and specialized educational tracks. The digital marketing conference takes place at the Chicago Hilton and runs December 8-11, 2008.

This year’s conference hones in on current issues facing marketers—from social media to search privacy to click fraud. Marketers will learn from noted search industry experts and gain practical knowledge for issues such as mobile search, web analytics, and global search.

SES Chicago highlights include:

* Keynote addresses by Professor Lawrence Lessig, an expert on law and technology, Omniture president and CEO Josh James, and Hitwise general manager of Global Research Bill Tancer.
* Introductory courses on Search Marketing, SEO Tools, Link Building Basics, and Search Advertising
* Intermediate sessions—including Universal and Blended Search, Igniting Viral Campaigns, Site Clinic, and Social Media Optimization
* Advanced sessions focused on issues ranging from Advanced B2B to Duplicate Content and Multiple Site Issues to Black Hat, White Hat & the Best Kept Secrets to Search

Organized and hosted by search authority Kevin Ryan, SES Chicago arms attendees with the latest knowledge in the search industry. The world’s most comprehensive gathering of search engine marketing and optimization-related providers, partners and affiliates, SES Chicago offers more than 60 sessions for everyone from newbies to the savviest marketers.

“Each year, marketers return and rave about how they’ve applied knowledge at our sessions to drive site traffic and vastly enhance conversion rates,” said Ryan, Chair of the SES Advisory Board. “We’re exceptionally proud of our 98 percent satisfaction rate year after year, based on the immense wealth of knowledge sharing at this unique event.”

For more information on SES Chicago and other shows in the series, see http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/chicago.

About Incisive Interactive Marketing LLC — A Division of Incisive Media PLC

Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, LegalTech, Post, Real Estate Forum, Risk, Search Engine Strategies and The American Lawyer. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

Jennifer Black, Local.com vice president, marketing, will be a featured presenter on the “Think Local: Online Marketing Tactics for Small and Medium Sized Businesses” panel on Thursday, December 11, at 9:00 a.m. The panel will examine local marketing tactics and the most effective advertiser strategies for reaching local consumers.

Now in its 10th year, Search Engine Strategies is the premier global event series for search engine marketing and optimization. SES is produced by Incisive Media. For more information on SES Chicago, visit: http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago/.

About Local.com

Local.com (NASDAQ:LOCM) is the largest local search network in the United States. The company uses patented technologies to provide over 19 million consumers each month with the most relevant search results for local businesses, products and services on Local.com and over 700 regional media sites. Businesses can target ready-to-purchase consumers using a variety of advertising products. To advertise, visit http://corporate.local.com/advertisewithus or call 1-888-857-6722. For more information visit: www.local.com or http://corporate.local.com/.

About SES

Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, LegalTech, Post, Real Estate Forum, Risk, Search Engine Strategies and The American Lawyer. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

CHICAGO – The 2008 SES Chicago Conference & Expo (http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago) announces a lineup of sessions that cover intermediate-level and advanced tools and strategies to improve campaign performance, optimize website content, and take existing SEO and digital marketing knowledge to the next level. This year’s SES search conference takes place at the Chicago Hilton, December 8-12, 2008.

This year’s program, developed with feedback from SES alumni, provides intermediate and advanced attendees with new ways to boost their organizations’ profitability, which is more important than ever in the current economic climate. SES also provides the ultimate atmosphere to network with peers, connect with clients and prospects, and share compound strategies to strengthen their business’s visibility online. For the intermediate attendee, SES offers the following sessions:

* Universal & Blended Search – Industry gurus will describe how search, marketing and information seeking is changing the industry that follows the search. This ongoing series on universal search will include research data available only at SES.
* Igniting Viral Campaigns – In a world dominated by behemoths like MySpace and YouTube, small- and mid-sized companies must break through to generate online destinations that create buzz, encourage word of mouth and establish relationships with buyers. This session unveils the secrets of Web 2.0 techniques that enable companies to stand out.
* Social Media Optimization – Community-built web sites, Facebook, YouTube, Microsoft Tagspace, Wikipedia and new sites allowing content to be shared through “tagging” can be a great way to tap into links and search-driven traffic. Hear tips from search marketers who have discovered what works today and what to avoid.

Advanced search marketers will whet their craving for fresh insights by attending:

* Advanced B2B – This seasoned panel of B2B marketing professionals will share the latest tips and trends in using search to find those niche decision-makers that drive your business.
* Duplicate Content & Multiple Site Issues – More and more site owners are concerned that they might get penalized accidentally or overtly because of duplicate content. If you run mirror sites, will search engines ban you? What if you have listings that are similar in nature? What happens if you syndicate content through RSS? Will other sites be considered the “real” site and rob you of a rightful place in the search results? This session looks at the issues and explores solutions.
* Advanced Link Building – How far is too far in optimizing your internal link structure? If you operate a network of sites, can natural interlinking be perceived as link spam? How should you handle affiliate links? Advanced linking issues like these and more will be explored during this session.
* Black Hat, White Hat & the Best Kept Secrets to Search – Some say that “black hat” search marketers will do anything to gain a top ranking and others argue that even “white hat” marketers who embrace ethical search engine optimization practices are ultimately trying to game the search ranking system. This no-holds-barred interactive session will include an exploration of the latest black and white issues.

Organized and hosted by SES Advisory Board Chair Kevin Ryan, SES Chicago delivers new, actionable information needed to grow your site’s online visibility immediately. Intermediate and advanced attendees at SES will quickly learn how to enhance their existing search engine marketing and search engine optimization knowledge and to ensure they are well-versed in the most complex and advanced search developments.

For more information on SES Chicago and other shows in the series, see http://searchenginestrategies.com/chicago.

About SES

Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, LegalTech, Post, Real Estate Forum, Risk, Search Engine Strategies and The American Lawyer. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

AUSTIN, Texas – ArteWorks SEO at http://www.arteworks.biz has been recognized as the #1 provider of SEO site audits in the world. The SEO company rankings published by TopSEOs is the trusted guide used by those seeking the best in the internet marketing and search engine optimization industry.

ArteWorks SEO is included in this list for its consistent performance and the superior services rendered to its clients. TopSEOs performs an in depth evaluation of the leading search engine optimization firms in the industry to determine their rankings. Numerous criteria are considered and clients of ArteWorks SEO were asked to provide feedback on their overall experience with the company as part of the search engine optimization evaluation process.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from TopSEOs which affirms for us and our search engine optimization clients that the in-depth site audit we do is considered the best in the industry. These audits are extensive, we literally review all factors related to search engine optimization and internet marketing and develop a comprehensive strategy for the client,” said Matt Foster, CEO of ArteWorks SEO.

ArteWorks SEO site audits include interviews of key personnel, keyphrase research, competitive intelligence, reviews of on page code, specific page analysis, back end architecture, analytics and usability. Existing social media campaigns are reviewed and existing and potential sources of inbound link bait are examined. A report is provided which includes a comprehensive internet marketing strategy.

For the complete list of the Top 5 Site Audit Companies for November 2008 go to: http://www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-site-audit-companies

About ArteWorks SEO

ArteWorks SEO, www.arteworks.biz, is an internationally recognized search engine optimization and Internet marketing firm headquartered in Austin, Texas with a satellite office in Seattle, Washington. ArteWorks SEO is ranked in the top 5 search engine optimization firms in the world by several different Internet marketing organizations. For more information, please visit http://www.arteworks.biz.

About TopSEOs

Since its introduction in 2002, TopSEOs has been identified as an independent authority on vendors who supply internet marketing products and services ranging from the best search engine optimization companies to the best pay per click management tools.

LONDON – Incisive Media announced the agenda for the Search Engine Strategies London 2009 Conference & Expo, the premier UK event for search engine marketing and optimization. To view the agenda, visit www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/London.

SES London will be held on 17-19 February 2009 at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

The SEM and SEO conference is being organized by Kevin Ryan, recognized globally as a leading authority on search engine marketing, and hosted by SEM expert Mike Grehan. All sessions are uniquely ranked according to content and degree of understanding, which is why SES London is recognized as a crucial event for beginners as well as experienced search marketers.

With businesses facing difficult challenges and having to make tough decisions in the current economic climate, SES London 2009 has developed a programme designed to help search engine marketing decision makers maximize their search engine marketing and optimization projects. In addition to the popular and must-have sessions covering online marketing, the agenda has been devised to help businesses explore, understand and consider new marketing opportunities. Intermediate workshops and panel debates with leading experts will consider a range of applications, including:

* Online video. As more people are watching, sharing, and finding online videos, this session will provide tips on how to navigate the new wave of online video.
* Mobile search. This session will enable search industry professionals to understand opportunities in mobile search.
* Blogs and feeds. Attendees will learn more about the unique advantages blogs and feeds offer to search engine optimization.
* International search marketing. Eastern and Western companies are pushing out internationally, but does anyone really understand the marketplace? Leading experts will discuss the marketplace and the impact it is having on the world.

The full agenda can be seen at www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/London/agenda.html.

Kevin Ryan, Chairman of the Search Engine Strategies Board of Advisors, said, “Businesses must not lose sight of the importance of online marketing. It’s highly targeted and accountable with scope for tremendous return on investment. We have developed a programme for London which not only advises on the fundamental levels of search marketing but also helps attendees understand the applications made possible through Web 2.0. We have selected leading experts to help delegates make informed and considered decisions about the future of their business marketing strategy.”

Register early and save money. For more information about Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo 2009, visit http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com/London

For sponsorship and exhibition information, please call Chris Lucas at +44(0)20-7316-9609 or +44(0)7834-849-957. Outside of Europe please call Matt McGowan at +1 (212) 925 6990.

About Search Engine Strategies

Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include commercial real estate, financial services, legal services, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Real Estate Forum, Search Engine Strategies and The American Lawyer. For more information, visit www.IncisiveMedia.com.

NEW YORK – Search Engine Strategies (SES), the leading digital marketing conference series geared toward search engine marketing (SEM) and optimization (SEO), announces that Kevin Ryan, chairman of the SES Advisory Board will bring his principled approach and insights in online marketing to ad:tech New York, an interactive marketing conference, taking place this week. The panel, “Search Marketing Tactics and Strategies: Best Practices Across Current and Emerging Digital Search Platforms,” will profile some of the most useful online advertising marketing tactics and best practices across current and emerging digital platforms.

Conference coordinators from the SES advertising marketing conference are preparing for the Midwest’s only search marketing conference and expo, taking place at the Chicago Hilton on December 8-11, 2008. SES Chicago (http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago) will feature an intriguing lineup of sessions and new content covering search marketing, interactive advertising, social media and the best kept secrets in search. Led by the industry’s most notable visionaries, SES Chicago draws thousands of marketers each year, and boasts a 98 percent satisfaction rate from attendees.

This year, SES Chicago offers up-to-the-minute, practical information in over 60 sessions that marketers can use immediately to grow their businesses through search marketing and interactive advertising. Additionally, the interactive advertising conference is followed by a full-day of search engine training sessions. These thorough workshops take place in a small classroom setting, giving attendees the opportunity to work closely with instructors, who provide the practices, applications, and hands-on exposure needed to become – and remain – a top performer in the field.

SES Chicago attendees who stay one day or the entire week will walk away with the knowledge and skills needed to be a successful search engine marketer, and will enhance their professional know-how by keeping their marketing acumen up-to-date with the latest developments in search engine marketing and optimization.

For information on SES Chicago or to view the 2008 Chicago conference schedule, see http://searchenginestrategies.com/chicago.

About SES

Search Engine Strategies (SES) is the leading global conference series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing (SEM). SES, ClickZ, Search Engine Watch, and their associated conference series ClickZ Events are part of the Interactive group of Incisive Media.

About Incisive Media

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include commercial real estate, financial services, legal services, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Real Estate Forum and The American Lawyer, in addition to ClickZ, Search Engine Watch and their associated conference series. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

NEW YORK – As companies realize the benefits and accountability of online advertising, more ad dollars are being focused on search engine optimization (SEO) and related initiatives. Each year, thousands of marketers and web developers flock to the popular Search Engine Strategies search engine marketing (SEM) training sessions to learn the latest techniques for excelling in this field.

The next SES Search Engine Marketing Training Workshop takes place on November 6, 2008. The in-depth training sessions are conducted in a small class setting, allowing instructors to be readily accessible for informal one-on-one or small group discussions. The full-day event includes the following sessions:

* Optimizing for Universal Search

Learn strategies and tactics for expanding the audience for content through Google News, Yahoo! News, Google Maps, Google Product Search, Technorati, Google Image Search, Flickr, YouTube, Yahoo Video, and a growing variety of other sites.

* Landing Page Testing Hands On: Developing your Action Plan

Changes in landing page efficiency can dramatically improve the profitability of online marketing programs. This fast-paced and practical hands-on training will provide a crash course in landing page optimization and testing and will give attendees a personal action plan tailored to their specific business.

* Advanced Keyword Research

This session will cover the tools available for identifying, researching, and zeroing in on the right keywords for an SEO or PPC campaign. Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptops to this session.

* How to Effectively Use Social Media for Search Marketing Campaigns

Attendees will leave this session with a full understanding of social media and its role in a holistic marketing campaign. This course will address everything from capturing traffic and links, to effectively converting the traffic.

“Consultants, site designers, website owners and in-house marketing professionals will have an opportunity to dig into the most important aspects of online marketing,” said Matt McGowan, Global VP of Marketing for Search Engine Strategies and SearchEngineWatch.com, properties of Incisive Media. “Each year, participants tell us this forum is an ideal way to learn the most relevant skills for ensuring that their online presence pays off.”

Location:
Hilton Boston Back Bay
40 Dalton Street
Boston, MA 02115

Date:
Thursday, November 6, 2008

Training Cost:
Half-day session: $745; full-day session: $1,345

For additional information and to register, visit www.searchenginestrategies.com/training/boston/.

For details on the upcoming SES Chicago, please visit http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/.

About SES

Search Engine Strategies (SES) is the leading global conference series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing (SEM). SES, ClickZ, Search Engine Watch, and their associated conference series ClickZ Events are part of the Interactive group of Incisive Media.

About Incisive Media

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include commercial real estate, financial services, legal services, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Real Estate Forum and The American Lawyer, in addition to ClickZ, Search Engine Watch and their associated conference series. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

CHICAGO – Search Engine Strategies (http://www.SearchEngineStrategies.com) educates tens of thousands of delegates each year. With more than 60 sessions designed for every skill level, SES Chicago 2008 provides the ultimate atmosphere for those seeking opportunities to grow their knowledge of SEO/SEM, network, further their career development and strengthen their business’s visibility online. The SES event takes place at the Chicago Hilton, December 8-12, 2008.

For those professionals new to search engine marketing, SES provides a lineup of introductory sessions that aim to cover the most basic tactics, answer questions, and provide insight on must-have SEO skills. New in this year’s agenda is the First Timer’s Guide to SES and SEM. This session will walk attendees through the “SES experience,” including the logistics, networking opportunities and special event details, thoroughly preparing participants for a whirlwind week. Additionally, this session will present a sneak peek to the Introduction to Search Engine Marketing session that will be held on Tuesday.

Additional sessions geared toward newbies include:

* Landing Page Testing & Tuning: This session looks at ways to test and tweak landing pages to convert visitors into buyers. The session is designed for those who are already familiar with how paid placement works.
* Link Building Basics: Discover how search engines rely on link analysis as an important component for rank web pages, and how building quality links appropriately will increase traffic to your site.
* SEO Tools: This session will outline the tools to help search marketers accomplish tasks including indexing, competitive analysis, site ranking, diagnosing and remedying problems, page level information, site level information, on-page optimization and much more.
* Social Media Optimization: Community-built web sites, Facebook, YouTube, Microsoft Tagspace, Wikipedia and new sites allowing content to be shared through “tagging” can be a great way to tap into links and search-driven traffic. Hear how-to’s and tips from search marketers who have discovered what works today and what to avoid.
* Search Advertising 101: Every major search engine offers a paid placement program. Learn what’s available in this session that is especially geared toward beginners, with details on programs from major providers and advice on how to succeed.
* Search Advertising Tools: In order to get a leg up on the competition, successful search engine marketers need to be armed with the latest tools of the trade. This session will explore a range of popular search engine advertising tools – both free basic tools and advanced paid offerings – along with some important features to be aware of.
* Site Clinic and Contextual Ads & Ad Sense Clinic: These interactive sessions take volunteers from the audience and examine their web sites live to provide general feedback about improving them to do better from Google AdSense and other contextual ad placements, and to gain more traffic from search engines.
* Ad Copy Continuity Clinic: Ad copy and landing page content must be in alignment with each other to ensure a smooth and profitable visitor experience. This clinic will examine actual ads and landing pages offered up by volunteers from the audience.

Organized and hosted by search authority Kevin Ryan, SES Chicago delivers real-time actionable information you need to grow your business. SES beginners will quickly learn how to maximize the search engine marketing and search engine optimization opportunities to ensure they are well-versed of the latest search developments and solutions in this area.

To register for the conference and pay the early bird rate of $1,795 by November 21, visit www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago/registration-details.html. SES Chicago Expo-only passes are free in advance.

For more information on SES Chicago and other shows in the series, see http://searchenginestrategies.com/chicago.

About SES

Search Engine Strategies (SES) is the leading global conference series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing (SEM). SES, ClickZ, Search Engine Watch, and their associated conference series ClickZ Events are part of the Interactive group of Incisive Media.

About Incisive Media

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include commercial real estate, financial services, legal services, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Real Estate Forum and The American Lawyer, in addition to ClickZ, Search Engine Watch and their associated conference series. For more information, visit www.incisivemedia.com.

SAN FRANCISCO – LookSmart, Ltd. (NASDAQ:LOOK), a pay-per-click (PPC) search advertising network and technology solutions provider, today announced the launch of its Thought Leadership Series, a blog featuring online advertising industry visionaries such as John Battelle, Danny Sullivan, Charles Knight and Anita Campbell.

“We are proud to sponsor this educational series in the hopes that the insights provided will help advertisers make smarter choices in online advertising,” said Ted West, chief executive officer and president of LookSmart. “Providing value to advertisers is our top priority and doing that through great service and lower cost-per-click on a quality network isn’t enough – we need to provide them with the best insights in the business.”

The Thought Leadership Series will feature some of the most influential voices in the online advertising industry covering a diverse range of topics including search advertising, search engine optimization, alternative search engines, small business trends and the conversion of media and online communities. Among the contributors are:

- John Battelle, founder/chairman/CEO of Federated Media Publishing, Inc.
- Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land
- Charles Knight, editor of AltSearchEngines
- Anita Campbell, editor-in-chief of Small Business Trends

You can follow LookSmart’s Thought Leadership Series at: http://blogs.looksmart.com/thought_leadership.

About LookSmart

LookSmart (NASDAQ:LOOK) is the premier search advertising network and management company. A trusted provider of quality search advertising products and services to text advertisers, LookSmart offers targeted pay-per-click search and contextual advertising via its proven Search Advertising Network. For publishers seeking to create their own vertical advertising networks, LookSmart licenses and manages its award-winning AdCenter platform to companies such as Ask.com. Dedicated to the quality of text advertising, LookSmart is one of the five founding members of the IAB click measurement panel. For more information, visit www.LookSmart.com or call 415-348-7500

Epiar is Introducing the Service at the New York Search Marketing Expo Conference Oct. 6-8

EDMONTON, Alberta – Epiar, a global leader in Internet market research, has introduced a new pay-per-click (PPC) advertising service, Epiar negative keywords®, to complement its search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing (SEM) services. The new PPC negative keywords service is now available to the general public after several noteworthy and successful trials with various clients and companies during the past six months of a pilot project.

Epiar negative keywords® – which can save companies up to 40 percent of their paid search marketing budget – is being formally launched at SMX East, the Search Marketing Expo in New York, held October 6-8.

Negative keyword targeting is becoming increasingly popular to weed out worthless impressions and clicks in pay-per-click campaigns. This reduction of wasted traffic can decrease costs by avoiding unwanted clicks and by increasing the campaign’s average Quality Score, a measure Google AdWords uses to determine ad placement and costs.

Epiar has spent years developing advanced keyword research and analysis software allowing them the ability to create lists of negative keywords for any topic or industry. Using unique technology not currently available on the marketplace, Epiar negative keywords® offers custom lists of up to 10,000 negative keywords (the maximum number currently permitted by Google) to companies for their PPC campaigns.

Many online advertisers already use a handful of negative keywords to increase the efficiency of their advertising campaigns. Epiar offers an extension of this principle, and clients have found the results extraordinary.

Allan Dick, Chief Marketing Officer of Vintage Tub & Bath (a top 500 Online Retailer), said: “Epiar saved us 20% of our PPC ad spend while maintaining the same sales volume. We love their aggressive and comprehensive methodology and customer service!”

Consult Sales, Inc. saw similar outstanding results. In the six weeks prior to using Epiar Consult Sales saw its cost-per-sale go down, while pageviews and average time on site went up.

Jeff Hughes, president of Consult Sales, Inc., said: “The bottom line is that in the first seven weeks we paid for the Epiar investment, and increased our profits by over 40%. You can’t argue with that!”

But Terry Orsten, owner of Clear Haven Center, may have said it best: “This is a no-brainer.”

For more information about negative keywords and how they work, visit www.epiar.com or call 888-428-5545.

About Epiar

Founded in 2001 by partners Ken Jurina and Bob Vaasjo, Epiar is a strategic Internet marketing firm specializing in keyword research services for search engine marketing and optimization (SEM & SEO), web site usability, inbound link building, SEO copywriting, and online marketing consultancy.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., October 14, 2008-Brightcove Inc. today announced the general availability of the Brightcove 3 online video platform, which transforms the way video is published and consumed on the Web. Built from the ground up, the new platform empowers website producers to be successful in the era of pervasive video.

“Video has gone from being a consumer-driven entertainment experience on the Web to being a basic feature of any professional website across all media and corporate sectors,” said Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove chairman and chief executive officer. “While online video is becoming ubiquitous, one size does not fit all. Built as an extensible SaaS application, Brightcove 3 provides tremendous flexibility to online publishers to meet the needs of the full spectrum of different end-user scenarios.”

Today, online media businesses and marketers need to do more than just put video on websites. Organizations need scale, efficiency, reach and audience engagement to operate successful online video initiatives. To address this, Brightcove 3 has four major new areas of functionality that provide tremendous flexibility to online publishers:

* Workflow – New media management and publishing tools that can be used by everyone from small businesses to the largest media companies in the world to vastly accelerate the publishing workflow
* Player Framework – Breakthrough new way to create and publish Flash-based online video players that are easily customized and tailored to the needs of a website and brand and are further extended through third party technology and services
* Media APIs – Rich suite of APIs that enable a new contextual publishing model, allowing producers to tightly integrate video with other editorial content and social media for improved SEO and increased viewer engagement and ad inventory
* Dynamic Delivery – Powerful new way of dynamically adjusting the bit rate of the video streams to ensure the highest quality video given the user’s bandwidth conditions

Brightcove 3 is an open platform designed to ease integration with third-party Web technologies. The company plans to fuel further innovation in online video and rich media publishing through its fast-growing ecosystem of development partners and services. These companies add to the flexibility of Brightcove 3 by giving customers more ways to address their unique challenges and needs.

Brightcove 3 has enabled Showtime Networks to launch ad-supported video clips as well as offer full-screen, broadcast-quality access to its award-winning programming on Sho.com.

“We were one of the earliest users of Brightcove 3, as we are constantly looking to evolve our online video offerings to create the best user experience possible,” said Rob Hayes, senior vice president and general manager of Showtime Digital Media. “We immediately recognized the value of infusing video throughout all the components of our website to help improve SEO and increase viewer engagement. This strategy has paid off, with a 200 percent growth in page views within two months of launching and continued strong results.”

Lifetime Networks was another early Brightcove 3 beta customer and has seen solid results since rolling out the new platform in June.

“Since launching phase one of our video platform with Brightcove 3, our video streams have increased 158 percent,” said Evan Silverman, senior vice president, digital media, at Lifetime Networks. “The new platform makes our video content more visible to search engines and we are looking forward to phase two of the project and leveraging more of Brightcove 3′s APIs to continue to grow our online video business.”

FEARnet, a Video on Demand service owned by Comcast, uses Brightcove 3 to publish clips and feature-length movies on its website.

“Brightcove provides an exceptional platform for FEARnet.com to maximize the user experience and provide our extensive community of fans with the highest broadcast quality video available online,” said FEARnet president Diane Robina. “With this recent partnership, Brightcove further enables us to offer a scalable, flexible and commercial grade video platform to increase our engagement with consumers.”

Canoe Inc., which is owned by Quebecor Media, is launching a new video initiative across many of its online properties, including its Internet television portal, Canoe.TV.

“We truly believe we chose the best technology partner to support our online video needs,” said Dominique-Sebastien Forest, general manager, digital media and e-commerce at Canoe. “Brightcove 3 is simply in a different class from other platforms when it comes to user experience, ad formats and search engine optimization.”

Rainbow Media is leveraging Brightcove 3 to extend its online video capabilities across its wide range of network websites.

“We’re always looking for ways to enhance the online user experience and are excited by the Brightcove 3 platform, particularly the Dynamic Delivery capabilities which support our ability to provide broadcast-quality online video across all of our websites,” said Rainbow Media’s Michael Cagnazzi, VP, Product Development, Digital Media.

Sun Microsystems has also tapped Brightcove’s platform to provide Sun’s corporate website producers with full access to the Brightcove online video platform for managing video content, publishing video players and accessing reports on viewing behavior.

“Using the network to market and to bring a richer content experience to our customers and communities is what we strive to do. We are continually looking for new and better ways to build our community interactions and to enhance the online experience of our developers, customers, partners, students and employees. Sun uses online video extensively for product education, corporate communications, and product launches through Channel Sun, our newly launched multimedia online experience,” said Ingrid Van Den Hoogen, senior vice president, Brand, Global Communications and Integrated Marketing, Sun Microsystems. “Brightcove 3 has enabled Sun to bring new video content to market quickly, while also giving all of our audiences a framework to extend the video experience with other website applications that help us build community and drive traffic.”

Brightcove 3 will be offered in three different pricing and packaging options: Basic, Pro and Enterprise to meet the online video publishing and distribution needs of any size organization or business strategy. For more information, visit http://www.brightcove.com.

About Brightcove
Brightcove is an online video platform. Media companies, businesses and organizations worldwide use Brightcove to publish and distribute video on the Web. Founded in 2004, Brightcove is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business with offices across North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.brightcove.com.