2008 was a good year for EngineWorks. We continued to provide outstanding search engine marketing services to our growing client roster. We are very proud of our accomplishments in 2008. Thank you to all of our clients, partners and friends.
Here’s to continued success in 2009!
With 2008 coming to a close, the EngineWorks team raised a toast to continued success in 2009 at Widmer Brothers Brewing last night. Here are a few pictures from our Celebration For Success.
Here’s to another fabulous New Year!
Like much of the country this holiday week, our EngineWorks headquarters here in Portland, Oregon has been under a couple feet of snow. In fact, today is the first day this week that our team members have been able to park in our parking lot! (Most of them, anyway . . . our Search Specialist, Amanda Bernard, needed to be pushed out of the entrance to the lot, and is now parked on the street.)
Along with the difficulties of getting to our front door, the plethora of snow also enticed many individuals throughout the Pacific Northwest to purchase holiday items online. This fact is not unique to our local region, however. In a December 24, 2008 article from DMNews, comScore reported that $24.71 billion was spent online this holiday season, with nearly twice as much being spent during the final week before December 25th this year, as was spent last year during this same week.
A compelling article this month from eMarketer reports that a study conducted by Atlas Solutions using Microsoft’s Engagement Mapping data found a direct correlation in increase of conversion-to-sales performance when an online display campaign is implemented along-side a Paid Search Marketing campaign. The article titled ‘Display Boost Search Performance’ stated that the study revealed that search engine users who were exposed to display advertising, and who clicked on a search listing, were twenty-two percent (22%) more likely to convert to a sale than individuals not exposed to an online display advertisement.
In our last Google Insight piece, we took a look at the comparison of job seekers and their search terms. This week, EngineWorks has uncovered some good news for anxious retailers who fear that holiday shoppers will forgo Christmas splurging this year. By utilizing the Google Insights tool we found the search volume for the query ‘black friday deals’ has almost doubled while “cyber monday deals” is 96 times higher than December 2007.
Third Door Media, the company that delivers Search Engine Land, the leading news and analysis blog for search marketing professionals, has announced that it has partnered with FITUR, the largest tourism trade fair on the international circuit, to present Search Marketing Expo – SMX Travel in Madrid, Spain on January 28 through 30, 2009.
PORTLAND, Ore. (December 15, 2008) — EngineWorks, Inc., a founding board member of Search Engine Marketing Professionals of Portland (SEMpdx), is pleased to announce that this industry trade organization will be presenting SearchFest 09 at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon on March 10, 2009. SearchFest 09, the premier conference dedicated to Search Engine Marketing (SEM) in the Pacific Northwest, will feature a full-day of informative presentations from numerous thought leaders in the online search space. In addition, the organization has scheduled Danny Sullivan, Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land, the leading news and analysis blog for search marketing professionals, and founder of Search Marketing Expo (SMX), to be the special guest keynote speaker at this event.
Along with this special appearance by Danny Sullivan, SearchFest 09 offers multiple informative learning tracks, workshops, and panel sessions designed to provide direct insight into the most up-to-date strategies and technological advancements in online search marketing. Industry experts from around the country are scheduled to deliver in-depth presentations ranging from basic SEM fundamentals to specific advanced techniques.
Danny Sullivan, who has been assisting Web masters, marketers, and everyday users of the Internet to understand how search engines work for more than a decade, exclaimed his enthusiasm to present at SearchFest 09 by stating, “Portland has a thriving Internet and search marketing community, and it’s great to be taking part in this annual gathering for those in the area.”
SearchFest 09 is open to all individuals interested in learning the latest advancements in enhancing search engine performance to deliver more visitors and customers to their Web site. Conference tracks will cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) fundamentals, to more advanced tracks that include leveraging Web 2.0 to increase online visibility and sales, Web analytics, and future trends.
“EngineWorks is privileged to be instrumental in the advancement of SEMpdx throughout our regional community”, proclaimed Kent Schnepp, Vice President of Strategy at EngineWorks and a Board of Director in charge of events at SEMpdx. “A true testament to all that we have established,” Kent added, “is the fact that renowned industry luminary Danny Sullivan is eager to be our keynote speaker at SearchFest 09.”
Information on registering and attending SearchFest 09 can be accessed through the following link:
http://www.sempdx.org/Events/SearchFest/
SEMpdx is a non-profit trade organization supported solely by members and sponsors. SearchFest 09 will be fully sponsored by leading service providers and regional entities eager to contribute to the success of this annual search marketing conference.
Sponsorship and speaking opportunities are currently available. Interested parties can receive more information by contacting Mike Rosenberg, SEMpdx board member in charge of sponsorships, at mike@engineworks.com.
Great article this morning from DMNews identifying two seemingly obscure – yet, actually very encouraging – recent developments in the interactive space. The article, titled “Can You Count on Savvy Web Users?”, points-out that a recent survey by the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future has discovered that more than 75% of Internet users surveyed consider themselves to be good to excellent at using the Web, compared to only 44% in the year 2000. The second development from this article was a fact taken from an October 2008 Harris Interactive poll that the average time spent online of those surveyed has doubled since October 2001.
“No other form of marketing is more critical to your success in the travel and tourism industry than Search Engine Marketing.”
If it were possible for a conference to give a quote, this would be the statement given by The PhoCusWright Conference, which took place last week at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, California.
As reported by comScore at this prestigious annual event, more than fifty percent (50%) of all online traffic, and more than seventy percent (70%) of total online sales is generated through search engines. Now more than ever, it is paramount that your Web site be rapidly found by qualified visitors and eager customers through the world’s most popular search engines.
As we have conveyed in previous EngineWorks blog posts, effective SEO requires a three-pronged approach: Site-Wide SEO, On-Page SEO, and Off-Page SEO. I like to think of our SEO process as being similar to building a great spider web that’s designed to catch as many flies as possible.
To begin with, choose great keywords, implement proper Meta tags and URL canocalization, craft highly relevant content, and you have a solid foundation for a spider web. In addition, to attract flies, you must gain relevant external links to your site. There is, however, a fourth and often overlooked step: defending your web.
Our social networks and online communities keep you informed and enable you to connect with us. Together, we understand.
