Search Marketing Resources

Search Marketing Advice For the Rest of Us
by Nicolette Beard

Even though Google has risen to mainstream consciousness, there is still tremendous need for small businesses, entrepreneurs and service professionals to make sense of search engine marketing, search engine optimization and Web marketing in general.

The best advice I was given when I began my career in "search marketing" was to find a few people in the industry to trust. I also found a number of free and/or reasonably priced research tools that even the least analytical person among us can use to strategic advantage.

Following are both paid and free resources I use and the few people I follow.

NicheBot introduces newcomers to keyword research using an Internet-based tool based on actual searchers' queries for only pennies a day.

It's great for those wanting to investigate and even dominate their niche market. I like it because you can keep all your research in one place, and it saves you hundreds of dollars in subscription-based services. Their online video tutorials are excellent. There simply is no reason to guess at what your prospects are searching for.

StatCounter offers both a free and paid Web analytics tool. The founder, Aodhan Cullen, 24, was named Business Week's 2007 Top Young Entrepreneur. Once you create an account, you add a snippet of code to each page and log on to view your visitor statistics in close to real time. It's an online service that lets you measure the number of visitors to your Web site plus their geographical location, the pages people view, and the keywords they use to find a site.

Google Analytics also offers Webmasters free analytics providing a wealth of information. It's not as user-friendly as StatCounter, and I'm not totally comfortable letting Google in on my referral sources, but if you have an AdWords account, this is a nice way to analyze all your data. For e-commerce sites and heavy pay-per-click users I recommend ClickTracks.

If you subscribe to only one online publication, Search Engine News produces the most comprehensive and actionable news in the world of search. Each month Planet Ocean provides a run-down of all the changes with the search engines, tips on how to capitalize on those changes, and insight from industry leaders who've been immersed in the search world since 1997. ($150)

If you buy one book to help get you up to speed on search marketing, I recommend the Small Business Guide to Search Engine Marketing ($79) by Jennifer Laycock. Don't let the title mislead you; this primer is appropriate for the beginner and advanced search marketer detailing everything from keyword research to pay-per-click advertising and when to outsource this "mission-critical" function.

Their must be hundreds of SEO blogs out there, much of them repetitive or self-serving. On completely opposite ends of the spectrum are SEOmoz.org and SEO Theory.

SEOmoz is run by the "rock star" of search, Rand Fishkin. (I love his name!) He's young, hip and has mastered the art of "viral" marketing. He's more of a marketer than a pure SEO but he has the programming chops to attract big-fee clients. Plus, he's uncommonly open and honest about his tactics where others are stingy and paranoid about how much to reveal.

SEO Theory is more esoteric and speaks to the finer point of search engine algorithms and how they impact search results and rankings. Michael Martinez is the classic contrarian blogger, and I think that's why I like him. His motto is "Experiment. Evaluate. Adjust." The only certainty in the world of search is that things change. Kind of like life.

As with blogs, there are numerous free newsletters you can subscribe to. Over time, I've eliminated all but the most essential. If you want to be grounded in the fundamentals, I suggest taking a look and then determining where you fit on the learning curve.

ClickZ offers advice and opinions by search marketers, for marketers. They've attracted an array of outstanding experts in a number of areas. A few standouts in their respective fields are Shari Thurow (usability issues), Bryan Eisenberg (conversion expert), and Michael Grehan (SEO for large enterprise systems). I'm sure you'll find your favorites as well.

SearchEngineLand gives you a recap of the day in search. Just staying on top of the industry is a job in itself. Danny Sullivan may be the first to have formalized search strategies with conferences back in the 90s. He's attracted a great team of contributors, and I consider this must reading every day.

If you're a beginner, save this one for 12 months down the road. If you've read this far, I'm sure you're already on information overload. A daily dose of search marketing news could put you over the edge.

Lastly, one way to save thousands of dollars in your Internet Marketing education is to avoid attending ANY paid event unless you have 6-9 months of self-study under your belt. You simply cannot know how to evaluate the quality of an event before you even know the questions to ask.

Once your brain molecules reformat, you'll know where you need to go next. The good news is that you're only limited by your patience, diligence and curiosity.