In large organizations, development teams don't always retain what they've learned about SEO. Without regular communication about SEO issues, you're destined to repeat past mistakes. In today's Big Brand Search Marketing column, "Keep the Lines of SEO Communication Open," Aaron Shear discusses the importance of training your employees about SEO.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
A position as an in-house search marketer is not necessarily a quick path to riches, but it's worth considering, according to a new survey from SEMPO. In today's SearchDay, "Search Marketing: A Rewarding Career Path" We take a look at the results. Are you getting paid what you're worth? Share your thoughts in the SEW Forums.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 4:56 PM | Permalink
There's a tradeoff most people face in the process of hiring a search marketing team: hire people with less business experience who are likely more familiar with search (even if only from their own personal use), or hire people less familiar with search who have more business experience. In today's Search Ads column, "Search Marketing Staffing Crisis," Matt Spiegel offers a solution to the search marketing staffing crisis, but it's going to require some outreach on all our parts.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
While the search marketing industry has done much growing in the last few years, it's also lagging behind other industries in certain areas. One thing the industry lacks is credible information about salary and structure of in-house search marketing teams. Part of this is due to the esoteric nature of the job compared to other corporate functions, and part of it is just the relative newness of in-house search marketing and myriad ways in-house teams can be structured.
To help shed some light on the compensation and common reporting structures of in-house search marketers, SEMPO, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, is conducting an online survey of in-house marketers.
"There's no firm grasp on what's out there. You have people who have heard stories, but it's all third-hand information," said Duane Forrester, co-chair of SEMPO’s In-House Committee and search marketing manager of Sports Direct. "For most other positions, you can find out the average compensation for that position, including bonus packages, broken down by geographic area. None of that exists for search."
Forrester came up with the idea for a survey after returning from SES New York earlier this year. He had spoken to several in-house marketers at the event, and inevitably the topic of salary came up. Urban legends of someone who knew someone who got a $300,000 a year job mixed with stories of large companies looking to hire a director of search marketing for $80,000 a year, he said.
The survey began running among SEMPO members earlier this week, and so far the results do not seem to be tied to geography or size of company, he said. What does matter is how vested in an online presence a company is – those who rely on search traffic for their business know the value of a top-shelf SEM and SEO team.
The 20-question survey is open to in-house search marketers, both on the organic and paid search sides. Results will be tallied anonymously after the survey is completed at the end of October. A preview of the survey can be downloaded here (PDF).
"SEMPO's goal is to go beyond anecdotal material and obtain data points that will add some clarity to the entire topic of compensation of in-house SEM professionals," Forrester said. "We want to provide professionals with a sense of their value in the marketplace, and businesses and employers with a greater understanding of SEM's valuation as they recruit for SEM professionals."
Join the discussion in the SEW Forums.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 4:00 PM | Permalink
In today's In-House column, "Don't Be An SEO Alien," Rob Kerry has some practical advice for in-house SEOs, and it doesn't have to do with following Best Practices.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
In today's In-House column, "Stop In-house SEO Disasters Now!," Kevin Ryan pens an ode to the in-house SEO practitioner, with a few best practices and a guide to identifying problematic personalities.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:01 AM | Permalink
A new study from iProspect and Jupiter Research finds that more search marketers are able to measure ROI than could two years ago, and more search marketers' jobs are being measured against both search metrics and overall business results. Get all the details in today's SearchDay, Measuring Search Marketers' Job Performance.
According to the iProspect Search Marketer Measurement & Performance Study, more search marketers' job performance is being measured by the results they produce, both in terms of search-specific metrics and overall business results.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 4:32 PM | Permalink
In today's In-House column, Nobody Likes to Hear Their Baby is Ugly, Jessica Bowman tells you how to make an SEO presentation that won't ruffle any feathers by gaining prior buy-in along the way.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 5:53 AM | Permalink
Creating a search marketing strategy for any company can be a daunting task. That's especially true when the company has more than 50 different brands and products, hundreds of millions of Web pages, different conversion metrics and different strategies.
In today's SearchDay, Handling Search Marketing in Large Organizations, Melanie Mitchell, VP of SEO/SEM at AOL, offers the first of a three-part series about her experience building the in-house search practice of AOL.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 4:30 PM | Permalink
This was a hot topic of conversation at last week's SES - companies are having extreme difficulties finding an hiring qualified SEO talent, and paying higher premiums for an experienced SEO is intimidating to many businesses.
Our resident in-house expert, Jessica Bowman, offers tips on how to go about hiring the right SEO people for your organization in her latest column: You Can't Afford Michael Jordan, But You Can Get a Strong SEO Leader.
Posted by Elisabeth Osmeloski at 1:22 PM | Permalink
Just because search marketers and programmers happen to speak the same language, doesn't mean they are communicating. In today's SearchDay, "Beware of In-House Communications Breakdowns," in-house SEM Duane Forrester tells his sad tale of mis-communication, and the impact that had on a major project.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 1:23 PM | Permalink
A common question for any company doing search marketing is whether to bring those efforts in-house. In today's SearchDay, in-house SEM Duane Forrester takes a look at what goes into making that decision, and offers some tips on how to go about putting together a team once you decide to take the plunge.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 4:00 PM | Permalink
After Peace for all mankind, what do web publishers really want for the Holidays?
Harmony: buying that truly works the same way, across all engines. Understanding: the ability to see how keyword buys relate to each other. Brotherhood: some way to take that Understanding into my banner buys. Love: that targeters and branders all get along.
Posted by debbyr at 10:13 AM | Permalink
Another leftover from Chicago SES. SEMPO's In-House group held a quick get-together in Chicago. For those who figured out where this meeting room was located, they were able to gather away from the vendors and consultants. They heard about the steady rise in company-managed SEM efforts from Duane Forrester. SEMPO is seeking to extend its training efforts and incorporate more practical training for company insiders, check out the training group at SEMPO.org.
Posted by debbyr at 1:21 PM | Permalink
Rand at SEOMoz has another excellent post named SEO Salaries - How Much Should You Make. He details what he believes SEOs of all calibers should make. Here is a quick snap shot:
In-House SEOs:
SEO Agency Employees:
Posted by Barry Schwartz at 8:29 AM | Permalink
As reported in ClickZ today, SuperPages, which is itself up for sale, has acquired SEM firm Inceptor for an undisclosed amount. Verizon has been the most forward thinking and acting of the yellow pages publishers when it comes to offering performance-based products and leveraging search. This acquisition gives SuperPages more range in what it can offer and how the company can implement it -- and brings that cost in house.
For more on this deal see my blog post.
Posted by Greg Sterling at 8:36 AM | Permalink
SuperPages Buys InceptorAs reported in ClickZ today, SuperPages, which is itself up for sale, has acquired SEM firm Inceptor for an undisclosed amount. Verizon has been the most forward thinking and acting of the yellow pages publishers when it comes to offering performance-based products and leveraging search. This acquisition gives SuperPages more range in what it can offer and how the company can implement it -- and brings that cost in house.
For more on this deal see my blog post.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:36 AM | Permalink
SuperPages Buys InceptorAs reported in ClickZ today, SuperPages, which is itself up for sale, has acquired SEM firm Inceptor for an undisclosed amount. Verizon has been the most forward thinking and acting of the yellow pages publishers when it comes to offering performance-based products and leveraging search. This acquisition gives SuperPages more range in what it can offer and how the company can implement it -- and brings that cost in house.
For more on this deal see my blog post.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:36 AM | Permalink
SuperPages Buys InceptorAs reported in ClickZ today, SuperPages, which is itself up for sale, has acquired SEM firm Inceptor for an undisclosed amount. Verizon has been the most forward thinking and acting of the yellow pages publishers when it comes to offering performance-based products and leveraging search. This acquisition gives SuperPages more range in what it can offer and how the company can implement it -- and brings that cost in house.
For more on this deal see my blog post.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:36 AM | Permalink
There's still the occasional person who I encounter who thinks that SEO overall is somehow wrong to do or something the search engines frown upon. Yahoo!, MSN & Ebay recruiting - SEO hits the big time is an example of why this isn't so. It covers how Yahoo, MSN and eBay in the UK are all recruiting internal SEO people to help promote their own sites.
Such hirings aren't new. We've long had search companies themselves trying to rank well in other search engines, to the point of hiring people internally or externally to make it happen. But it's a nice reminder for everyone to keep in mind.
Personally, I got a chuckle out of the breakdown Threadwatch did of the MSN UK recruitment ad. Wanted: Spammer-in-chief for MSN over there highlights some of these key success metrics for MSN UK's SEO person:
As for Yahoo, I found these points interesting:
Note the part I bolded. Nice to see that Yahoo UK wants to ensure no one suddenly accuses it of spamming itself or another search engine. Nah, such things never happen. Wait a minute: Google Admits To Cloaking; Bans Itself. That was from last year, but to be fair, it was pretty much an accidental thing.
Posted by Danny Sullivan at 9:30 AM | Permalink
MSN, Yahoo Seek SEO People To Help Them Rank BetterThere's still the occasional person who I encounter who thinks that SEO overall is somehow wrong to do or something the search engines frown upon. Yahoo!, MSN & Ebay recruiting - SEO hits the big time is an example of why this isn't so. It covers how Yahoo, MSN and eBay in the UK are all recruiting internal SEO people to help promote their own sites.
Such hirings aren't new. We've long had search companies themselves trying to rank well in other search engines, to the point of hiring people internally or externally to make it happen. But it's a nice reminder for everyone to keep in mind.
Personally, I got a chuckle out of the breakdown Threadwatch did of the MSN UK recruitment ad. Wanted: Spammer-in-chief for MSN over there highlights some of these key success metrics for MSN UK's SEO person:
As for Yahoo, I found these points interesting:
Note the part I bolded. Nice to see that Yahoo UK wants to ensure no one suddenly accuses it of spamming itself or another search engine. Nah, such things never happen. Wait a minute: Google Admits To Cloaking; Bans Itself. That was from last year, but to be fair, it was pretty much an accidental thing.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:30 AM | Permalink
MSN, Yahoo Seek SEO People To Help Them Rank BetterThere's still the occasional person who I encounter who thinks that SEO overall is somehow wrong to do or something the search engines frown upon. Yahoo!, MSN & Ebay recruiting - SEO hits the big time is an example of why this isn't so. It covers how Yahoo, MSN and eBay in the UK are all recruiting internal SEO people to help promote their own sites.
Such hirings aren't new. We've long had search companies themselves trying to rank well in other search engines, to the point of hiring people internally or externally to make it happen. But it's a nice reminder for everyone to keep in mind.
Personally, I got a chuckle out of the breakdown Threadwatch did of the MSN UK recruitment ad. Wanted: Spammer-in-chief for MSN over there highlights some of these key success metrics for MSN UK's SEO person:
As for Yahoo, I found these points interesting:
Note the part I bolded. Nice to see that Yahoo UK wants to ensure no one suddenly accuses it of spamming itself or another search engine. Nah, such things never happen. Wait a minute: Google Admits To Cloaking; Bans Itself. That was from last year, but to be fair, it was pretty much an accidental thing.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:30 AM | Permalink
MSN, Yahoo Seek SEO People To Help Them Rank BetterThere's still the occasional person who I encounter who thinks that SEO overall is somehow wrong to do or something the search engines frown upon. Yahoo!, MSN & Ebay recruiting - SEO hits the big time is an example of why this isn't so. It covers how Yahoo, MSN and eBay in the UK are all recruiting internal SEO people to help promote their own sites.
Such hirings aren't new. We've long had search companies themselves trying to rank well in other search engines, to the point of hiring people internally or externally to make it happen. But it's a nice reminder for everyone to keep in mind.
Personally, I got a chuckle out of the breakdown Threadwatch did of the MSN UK recruitment ad. Wanted: Spammer-in-chief for MSN over there highlights some of these key success metrics for MSN UK's SEO person:
As for Yahoo, I found these points interesting:
Note the part I bolded. Nice to see that Yahoo UK wants to ensure no one suddenly accuses it of spamming itself or another search engine. Nah, such things never happen. Wait a minute: Google Admits To Cloaking; Bans Itself. That was from last year, but to be fair, it was pretty much an accidental thing.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:30 AM | Permalink
ClickZ has a nice two part article, the second part being on SEM Salaries. The article shows that an entry-level SEM position salary can range from $30,000 to $45,000 or about $10 per hour for part-time help. If you have about three to five years of experience, you can expect to earn from $50,000 to $75,000. The article says that those SEMs with more tenure and are "expert-level" can earn $75,000 to $90,000 a year. Senior managers can earn $70,000 to $120,000, SEM Directors should expect $95,000 to $150,000 and VP level positions should demand $100,000 to $200,000 a year. The author does note that compensation does vary widely based on the company you would like to work at.
Want to comment? Join the forum discussion at our Search Engine Watch Forums thread named SEM Hiring 101.
Posted by Barry Schwartz at 9:54 AM | Permalink
SEM Salaries RevisitedClickZ has a nice two part article, the second part being on SEM Salaries. The article shows that an entry-level SEM position salary can range from $30,000 to $45,000 or about $10 per hour for part-time help. If you have about three to five years of experience, you can expect to earn from $50,000 to $75,000. The article says that those SEMs with more tenure and are "expert-level" can earn $75,000 to $90,000 a year. Senior managers can earn $70,000 to $120,000, SEM Directors should expect $95,000 to $150,000 and VP level positions should demand $100,000 to $200,000 a year. The author does note that compensation does vary widely based on the company you would like to work at.
Want to comment? Join the forum discussion at our Search Engine Watch Forums thread named SEM Hiring 101.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:54 AM | Permalink
SEM Salaries RevisitedClickZ has a nice two part article, the second part being on SEM Salaries. The article shows that an entry-level SEM position salary can range from $30,000 to $45,000 or about $10 per hour for part-time help. If you have about three to five years of experience, you can expect to earn from $50,000 to $75,000. The article says that those SEMs with more tenure and are "expert-level" can earn $75,000 to $90,000 a year. Senior managers can earn $70,000 to $120,000, SEM Directors should expect $95,000 to $150,000 and VP level positions should demand $100,000 to $200,000 a year. The author does note that compensation does vary widely based on the company you would like to work at.
Want to comment? Join the forum discussion at our Search Engine Watch Forums thread named SEM Hiring 101.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:54 AM | Permalink
SEM Salaries RevisitedClickZ has a nice two part article, the second part being on SEM Salaries. The article shows that an entry-level SEM position salary can range from $30,000 to $45,000 or about $10 per hour for part-time help. If you have about three to five years of experience, you can expect to earn from $50,000 to $75,000. The article says that those SEMs with more tenure and are "expert-level" can earn $75,000 to $90,000 a year. Senior managers can earn $70,000 to $120,000, SEM Directors should expect $95,000 to $150,000 and VP level positions should demand $100,000 to $200,000 a year. The author does note that compensation does vary widely based on the company you would like to work at.
Want to comment? Join the forum discussion at our Search Engine Watch Forums thread named SEM Hiring 101.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:54 AM | Permalink
As search marketing keeps getting hotter, so does the challenge in finding good people to do search marketing. Below, some articles on the topic that have come up in the past few weeks.
SEM Challenge 101: Hiring Staff from Rob Murray at iProspect outlines challenges such as the industry being new, skill sets being complex and there being a lack of standards. He then suggests those hiring look beyond "years of experience" and instead at asking a firm some core competency questions.
Searching for Searchers from InternetRetailer covers things like base pay for search marketers and the challenge in finding and hiring good people, especially with the growth that continues.
How to Cope With SEM Staffing Shortages, Part 1 has Kevin Lee from ClickZ wading in, explaining why he thinks the industry will continue to be complex, adding to the challenge of hiring people.
SEM Hiring 101 is a discussion over at our Search Engine Watch Forums related to hiring issues.
Posted by Danny Sullivan at 8:37 AM | Permalink
The Challenge In Hiring SEMersAs search marketing keeps getting hotter, so does the challenge in finding good people to do search marketing. Below, some articles on the topic that have come up in the past few weeks.
SEM Challenge 101: Hiring Staff from Rob Murray at iProspect outlines challenges such as the industry being new, skill sets being complex and there being a lack of standards. He then suggests those hiring look beyond "years of experience" and instead at asking a firm some core competency questions.
Searching for Searchers from InternetRetailer covers things like base pay for search marketers and the challenge in finding and hiring good people, especially with the growth that continues.
How to Cope With SEM Staffing Shortages, Part 1 has Kevin Lee from ClickZ wading in, explaining why he thinks the industry will continue to be complex, adding to the challenge of hiring people.
SEM Hiring 101 is a discussion over at our Search Engine Watch Forums related to hiring issues.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:37 AM | Permalink
The Challenge In Hiring SEMersAs search marketing keeps getting hotter, so does the challenge in finding good people to do search marketing. Below, some articles on the topic that have come up in the past few weeks.
SEM Challenge 101: Hiring Staff from Rob Murray at iProspect outlines challenges such as the industry being new, skill sets being complex and there being a lack of standards. He then suggests those hiring look beyond "years of experience" and instead at asking a firm some core competency questions.
Searching for Searchers from InternetRetailer covers things like base pay for search marketers and the challenge in finding and hiring good people, especially with the growth that continues.
How to Cope With SEM Staffing Shortages, Part 1 has Kevin Lee from ClickZ wading in, explaining why he thinks the industry will continue to be complex, adding to the challenge of hiring people.
SEM Hiring 101 is a discussion over at our Search Engine Watch Forums related to hiring issues.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:37 AM | Permalink
The Challenge In Hiring SEMersAs search marketing keeps getting hotter, so does the challenge in finding good people to do search marketing. Below, some articles on the topic that have come up in the past few weeks.
SEM Challenge 101: Hiring Staff from Rob Murray at iProspect outlines challenges such as the industry being new, skill sets being complex and there being a lack of standards. He then suggests those hiring look beyond "years of experience" and instead at asking a firm some core competency questions.
Searching for Searchers from InternetRetailer covers things like base pay for search marketers and the challenge in finding and hiring good people, especially with the growth that continues.
How to Cope With SEM Staffing Shortages, Part 1 has Kevin Lee from ClickZ wading in, explaining why he thinks the industry will continue to be complex, adding to the challenge of hiring people.
SEM Hiring 101 is a discussion over at our Search Engine Watch Forums related to hiring issues.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:37 AM | Permalink
It takes a wide spectrum of experience, knowledge and skills to design and run an effective search marketing campaign, particularly if it's a major campaign for a large company. While there's no substitute for hands-on experience, there are a number of good books that can help people get up to speed with the basics of search marketing. However, most SEO/SEM books tend to focus on the tactics of optimization or managing paid links.
A new book from SES veteran speakers Mike Moran and Bill Hunt goes beyond the tactical level of search marketing, drawing on their experiences running the huge global effort for IBM.com. It's an excellent read for anyone, regardless of skill level. I've got a complete review in today's SearchDay article, The Business of Search Engine Marketing.
Posted by Chris Sherman at 1:46 AM | Permalink
Search Engine Marketing, Inc.It takes a wide spectrum of experience, knowledge and skills to design and run an effective search marketing campaign, particularly if it's a major campaign for a large company. While there's no substitute for hands-on experience, there are a number of good books that can help people get up to speed with the basics of search marketing. However, most SEO/SEM books tend to focus on the tactics of optimization or managing paid links.
A new book from SES veteran speakers Mike Moran and Bill Hunt goes beyond the tactical level of search marketing, drawing on their experiences running the huge global effort for IBM.com. It's an excellent read for anyone, regardless of skill level. I've got a complete review in today's SearchDay article, The Business of Search Engine Marketing.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 1:46 AM | Permalink
Search Engine Marketing, Inc.It takes a wide spectrum of experience, knowledge and skills to design and run an effective search marketing campaign, particularly if it's a major campaign for a large company. While there's no substitute for hands-on experience, there are a number of good books that can help people get up to speed with the basics of search marketing. However, most SEO/SEM books tend to focus on the tactics of optimization or managing paid links.
A new book from SES veteran speakers Mike Moran and Bill Hunt goes beyond the tactical level of search marketing, drawing on their experiences running the huge global effort for IBM.com. It's an excellent read for anyone, regardless of skill level. I've got a complete review in today's SearchDay article, The Business of Search Engine Marketing.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 1:46 AM | Permalink
Search Engine Marketing, Inc.It takes a wide spectrum of experience, knowledge and skills to design and run an effective search marketing campaign, particularly if it's a major campaign for a large company. While there's no substitute for hands-on experience, there are a number of good books that can help people get up to speed with the basics of search marketing. However, most SEO/SEM books tend to focus on the tactics of optimization or managing paid links.
A new book from SES veteran speakers Mike Moran and Bill Hunt goes beyond the tactical level of search marketing, drawing on their experiences running the huge global effort for IBM.com. It's an excellent read for anyone, regardless of skill level. I've got a complete review in today's SearchDay article, The Business of Search Engine Marketing.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 1:46 AM | Permalink
How to Find an In-House SEM Specialist from Patricia Fusco at ClickZ looks at how to find and bring someone in to do search marketing in house, if you've reached that need.
Posted by Danny Sullivan at 12:21 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
Hiring An In House Search MarketerHow to Find an In-House SEM Specialist from Patricia Fusco at ClickZ looks at how to find and bring someone in to do search marketing in house, if you've reached that need.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 12:21 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
Hiring An In House Search MarketerHow to Find an In-House SEM Specialist from Patricia Fusco at ClickZ looks at how to find and bring someone in to do search marketing in house, if you've reached that need.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 12:21 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
Hiring An In House Search MarketerHow to Find an In-House SEM Specialist from Patricia Fusco at ClickZ looks at how to find and bring someone in to do search marketing in house, if you've reached that need.