If you own/manage/market for a small to mid size business then you already know the importance of good SEO on your company website. But what can you do beyond making sure you’re using SEO best practices?
If you have a website, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the importance of good SEO (search engine optimization), especially if you have a website for your business. But what is SEO? And how do you determine if the SEO services you’re receiving are “good”? We often have clients come to us after they’ve had a bad experience with an SEO company or professional. The problem is, most SEO professionals promise clients the moon, but they don’t have a plan in place that will actually deliver real, sustainable value to their customers’ online presence. That’s why we’ve put this guide together; to help you avoid empty promises for “amazing! First page! #1 ranking!” SEO services, and help you to connect with professionals who are interested in the long term viability of your website and ultimately your business.
It’s not unusual, in fact it’s quite common, to have music on in the office while toiling away on projects. What recently struck me was how many songs are clearly about SEO and digital marketing. Who knew? As this concept started to take hold in my ears/brain, I began to dissect the songs and really listen to the lyrics for meaning. Digital marketing is everywhere…it was amazing! Mindblowing! In fact these artist are true soothsayers having penned lyrics before the dawn of the internet and digital marketing. It’s truly remarkable.
Many people are encouraging retargeting (or remarketing) across platforms and devices. However, there isn’t a way to connect different devices to the same person. This might seem self-explanatory, but it can be confusing.
I attended several different sessions at SMX Advanced this year covering topics from local search, to link 
building, to content marketing, and even an unexpected session-long commercial for Cortana, “the future of predictive search.”
I would say I learned a lot at the conference, but nothing that was Earth-shatteringly new or anything. For the most part these sessions helped to cement some ideas that had been bouncing around in my head for almost 2 years.
Every Media Buyer wants simplicity, affordability and success when purchasing advertising. For online display media, the universal ad package (728×90, 300×250, 160×600, 180×150) was developed to make buying and creating online ads seamless across all websites. Since 2011, the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) has been making ripples with their Rising Stars ad units and is receiving even more buzz lately. As inventory slowly increases, Media Buyers are able to test more and see results.
In 2008 Confluence Digital’s founder, Eric Layland, was looking to start his own digital marketing agency. He’d had success starting and running another digital marketing company with over $30 million in annual managed PPC spend. But in 2008 he found himself again wanting to start a new company, this time a different kind of company. Confluence Digital, LLC received its business license from the City of Seattle in June of 2009.
Getting the most out of any engagement, whether it be with a digital marketing agency or any other type of company or person, first requires picking a good partner/provider. But the work isn’t over once you’ve chosen one. Once you enter into any type of engagement where you are the client, there are a few things you can do to make sure you’re getting the most out of that engagement. Step One: Be A Good Partner Time for a little self-reflection. Look in the mirror. Are you an asshole? Do you know you’re difficult to work with and secretly enjoy getting a rise out of people or worse, find pleasure in trying to intimidate to get your way? C’mon let’s get serious. Let’s grow up. Digital marketing can be complex. There are a lot of moving parts and success often requires successful navigation across an organization. We need to earn buy-in from other teams like IT, Finance or Compliance. Notice I use the word “earn” in reference to getting buy-in and that also applies to respect. I’ve got over 18 years of working with clients providing digital marketing solutions. I love what I do and the teams I put together are damn awesome. Yet I’m dumbstruck by what we encounter while in cooperation with and service to others. So in this blog will indulge a bit. I’m going to rant about personalities we’ve encountered. If you fit one or, heaven forbid, more than one profile, I suggest a self-check.
When developing your digital marketing strategy be aware of traps. These traps can result in a strategy that won’t deliver the results you’re seeking. Development of your strategy must start with clearly defined goals. We like to recommend crafting your goals using the S.M.A.R.T. approach.
The third session I attended at this year’s SearchFest in Portland was, “Local Search – More than Location, Location, Location.” This was probably my favorite session of the day as they not only offered up some really great tips for getting to the top of the first page of search results for local searches, they also discussed some ways of standing out once you’re there.