EngineWorks

Each week my feed reader and email inbox fill up with great links on search engine optimization, paid search marketing, social media marketing, and general search industry news. Many of the links become popular on sites like Sphinn, and others end up flying under the radar.  Each week I am going to highlight articles, blog posts, and online discussions that I feel are particularly valuable.  So without further ado, here are this week’s trophy links:

The X Factor: Your SEM program is doomed

Sean X Cummings writes:

SEM is all about efficiency. It may not be the ad venue that’s glamorous, and you’re not going to be able to point to the television or billboard and brag as you tell your friends you did that. But if you start strategically and approach the process diligently, you will see better results with less of a headache.

15 Internet Sites That Can Make or Break Your Brand

Todd Mintz & Brian Provost write:

…profound business implications can occur for brands that become the topic of discussion on certain influential Web sites.

The secret to paid search: treat it like a media buy

Michael Hubbard writes:

Approaching search like a media buy helps increase your brand awareness while delivering ROI via leveraging your other online media buys. By supporting and optimizing search in this way, you can end up with increased conversions and drive brand name searches up even when the industry search trends are flat.