SEO, SEM, and Social Media Tips via twitter from SEMPDX 2010

aka… the world’s longest blog post

I’ve found that these search/seo/sem/social conferences are more valuable for gleaning information when you follow them via twitter.  I can follow along while I work, “attend” all the sessions at once, and only get the best info thats made it through the attendees’ B.S. filter.  And attending is free!

You just need to get the twitter hash tags that the attendees are using, and follow along.  Very simple! In this case, the tags were #SEMPDX & #searchfest.  I spent the day following along, and copying all the tweets that I found useful, interesting, or otherwise noteworthy. If you want, you can also view today’s entire conversation.

Thanks to the participants that syndicated via Twitter, but I want to especially thank MamboMedia and texagonian.  I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from your posts today.

And now, the tweets:
imeldak 3 problems of search: 25% of queries click back button / 42% refine queries / 50% of time spent searching (Stefan Weitz, Bing) #searchfest

imeldak Comparing search results in 2010 to 8 years ago, navigation is still mostly the same despite increased interactivity #searchfest

leahcdaniels The Web is moving away from text to a Web of objects according to Stefan Weitz at Bing #searchfest

leahcdaniels “Web of Objects” = real time data (Twitter) + services (OpenTable) + multimedia (Flikr) + devices (iPhone) #searchfest

JoannaLord “Deliver knowledge by computational understanding the user intent” is Bings mission statement #searchfest

craigsutton we are still locked in to the text model of search,not as much progress as other technologies in same span #searchfest

imeldak Stefan Weitz demo-ing Twitter maps on Bing. Pretty cool. Stalking taken to a whole new level! #searchfest

erictpeterson Have you seen Bing Map Apps? I had not. Incredibly cool. #SearchFest

leahcdaniels Spacial search involves reassociating data with context #searchfest

texagonian Siri, a semantic web search engine, can use voice-rec to detect the intent of your search, not just the words. Mind=blown #SearchFest http://siri.com

scottyholm The future of search is to “disambiguate” the query, but doesn’t that take some of the fun out of the results? #searchfest

Dayn @rrolfe Nah. We no longer control how content is consumed. Always keep that in mind. #searchfest

cw360 I like spyfu more already. #searchfest #ppc

DavidWallace Nice Twitter tip from @oilman: Use Twitter serarch to find ‘discount codes’ for hotels, products, etc. #Searchfest

chiropractic RT @JenniferLaycock: @stoneyd says know whether your visitors are researchers, shoppers or buyers and write accordingly. #searchfest

SEMpdx RT @texagonian Twitter results are higher on the page than web sites, especially for shopping, so why aren’t you Tweeting deals? #SearchFest

leahcdaniels #SearchFest – Write for your audience first THEN think about things like keyword density.

JenniferLaycock Just because a competitor targets it, doesnt’ mean you should. @stoneyd #searchfest

SEMpdx RT @KimToomey: Ebay buys 1.6 million PPC keywords and no surprise “ebay” is their most profitable keyword #searchfest

imeldak Your brand name should be your most profitable keyword (the searcher already has you in mind when they are searching) #searchfest

leahcdaniels Interest > engagement > conversion #SearchFest

JenniferLaycock @stoneyd reminds you to write for skimmers and scanners. Bullet points, links, proper headline usage, etc… #searchfest

si1very Now listening to Jeff Katz @katzpdx of Twitalyzer talking about Twitter analytics. #SearchFest

SEMpdx RT @reilly3000: #searchfest when working with a copywriter don’t just provide keyword research- share competitive research & market data.

MamboMedia What NOT to measure on Twitter: #1 – followers (meaningless measurement that doesn’t show engagement) #SearchFest

JenniferLaycock The mix of quality content with keyword research and incoming links equals the SEO sweet spot. @heatherlloyd #searchfest

MamboMedia Treat Twitter like other digital measurements: Define your goals & objectives first, then turn them into metrics. #SearchFest

MamboMedia Figure out how to engage with the people in your segment (who are using your hashtags). #SearchFest

texagonian Woah! NOLA pizza chain was able to drive 15% of sales from Twitter. 90% of which were new customers! #SearchFest

cecilyc Reputation mgt – secure top 10 for your domain: Twitter profile, Twitter lists, Twitter feed page on your site etc. @oilman #SearchFest

tmmKelly RT @SEMpdx RT @staffingrobot: SpuFu says buying your brand (keyword) is always a safe, profitable bet. #SearchFest

MamboMedia Use a keyword for your Twitter account – people assume it’s a hashtag and find you. #SearchFest

MamboMedia On Dell.com, they have a Twitter subdirectory. #SearchFest

reilly3000 #searchfest Use twitter to find good ideas for content marketing. Write your next article by listening.

MattMcGee Cool – @chiropractic tells patients he WANTS them tweeting, using Foursquare from in his Dr. office. Good WOM. #searchfest (for @CBaileyMD)

MamboMedia http://twitter.zappos.com to see their Twitter feed. #SearchFest

tmmKelly When using testimonials, always use first & last name or it looks made up. If client won’t allow use of full name don’t use it! #searchfest

JenniferLaycock If you get only one tip: Make your titles HOT. Titles are the low hanging fruit of SEO @heatherlloyd #searchfest

MamboMedia NakedPizza – has a big Twitter sign in front of their building. Let people know how to find you. #SearchFest

imeldak Free Keyword Niche FInder to find profitable niche terms http://www.wordstream.com/keyword-niche-finder/ (@larrykim) #searchfest

ryanjosborne SpyFu allows you to identify profitable keywords your competition is buying that you’re not #searchfest

JenniferLaycock How will you know if it works? (do conversion testing on your content changes) @heatherlloyd #searchfest

MamboMedia Doing Twitter right locally: Frequent updates, thank people for engagement, welcome tweeters and offer wi-fi at your business. #SearchFest

texagonian People who find your biz from Twitter: Savvy, young, connected. From Yellow Pages: Deal Hunters. Choose your demographic #SearchFest

cecilyc @chiropractic: SEO mixed with social media is #1 marketing investment a small business in America can make #SF10Twitter #SearchFest

JenniferLaycock @stoneyd says he likes Wordtracker, Quintura and Google tools. @heatherlloyd likes Keyword Discovery and Wordstream #searchfest

tmmJill #searchfest have fresh updated content on your site. It’ll help its ranking & reputation among your clients. Good presentation always helps

leahcdaniels Building a culture of SEO involves clarity, taking the path of least resistence and celebrating successes @heatherlloyd #SearchFest

imeldak 3 ways to build out PPC campaigns: Expand (size & reach), Optimize (return) and Experiment #searchfest

MamboMedia Facebook: Be real, give to receive, don’t be a jerk. #SearchFest

imeldak Test out using social media amplifiers on your landing pages to encourage sharing and participation

MamboMedia 4 point plan: 1. Get your team involved. Buy their love if you have to. 2. Reach out to your current fans. #SearchFest

MamboMedia #3: Give them a reason to get involved (it’s all about them). #4: Make some new friends (do some online networking). #SearchFest

texagonian Think about it, the majority of people who work in your business are already on Facebook! Give them a reason to get involved #SearchFest

MamboMedia Hold an internal competition: Ask your team to recommend you to their friends. Make it worth their while ($100 gift card). #SearchFest

craigsutton If you have to much going on, outsource, says @JoannaLord #searchfest

texagonian FB Ads targeting: Do your fans or your competitor’s fans. Use birthdays. Remember 1 to 1 communication. #SearchFest

MamboMedia Facebook ads have lower click-through rate than search engine ads, but they have a higher quality of conversions & lower cost #SearchFest

KimToomey Good seo should work with the browsers not against them. Load CSS first then JavaScript and then in line HTML #searchfest

MamboMedia Facebook is a tool, not a strategy. A strategy is becoming a valuable source of info, a vital community for interaction. #SearchFest

MamboMedia Create a place where fans become brand advocates, where people can share stories, ideas, tips, photos, experiences. #SearchFest

MamboMedia Create a place to listen to customers, and to answer their questions. #SearchFest

MamboMedia Create a place where we are seen as individuals instead of as a faceless corporation. #SearchFest

MamboMedia Maintain a Facebook activity calendar – Marketing brainstorms ideas. #SearchFest

tmmSabrina What to say on FB? Use surveys to determine what folks want, traffic data and years of exp knowing your customer. via @Ilana221 #searchfest

kentlewis Winning tips from @LionBrandYarn: get help (@anvilmedia) building a plan, then hire good in-house talent to implement & manage. #searchfest

ruthburr search engines’ goal is to maximize eCPM, $ / 1000 impressions – CTR x CPC x 1000 = eCPM Jon Kelly at

thegavin Via Todd Nemet: Ignore page speed at your peril! (me: if Google gives you a measurement, you should probably pay attention) #searchfest

MamboMedia Compelling content brings in fans organically. Be generous and interesting. All offline media should promote social media. #SearchFest

texagonian On FB: You have to realize that you CAN NOT control the convo, but if you’re doing the right thing, people won’t bash you. Much. #SearchFest

texagonian On FB: If you’re good, your fans will defend you from haters/trolls (and that means more to other customers). #SearchFest

MamboMedia Facebook is measureable through bit.ly links and Facebook insights. #SearchFest

reilly3000 #searchfest Facebook amplifies other media – both online and offline

texagonian What you say in social media is indexed. So every single soc media post helps your search rank! #SearchFest

imeldak Quality score facts: Only exact matches count, don’t change your creative too often, grouping matters #searchfest

kentlewis People don’t buy from companies, they buy from people. @LionBrandYarn #SearchFest

leahcdaniels Make sure you are checking out CMS auto-actions & course correcting to SEO optimize (e.g. content moves & redirects) #SearchFest

imeldak SiteLinks give you almost 2x the real estate and takes searchers deeper into your site #searchfest

aimclear #SearchFest #PPC @szetela Says Look in Campaign settings, you’ve “Earned sitelinks,” you’ll find the edit screen, link text, URL, up to 10

RebeccaBadger Great example –> For more information on @LionBrandYarn Facebook case study at #SearchFest: http://ow.ly/1gcXv (via @SEMpdx)

aimclear #SearchFest #PPC @szetela “if it doesn’t violate Google’s TOS AND it works to his clients’ advantage it’s not black hat.” True, True

kentlewis Facebook Fan pages are very SEO-friendly. It’s an SEO Killer App. @w2scott #SearchFest

MamboMedia Facebook: Don’t be a broadcaster. It’s social media. It ain’t about YOU, it’s about the customer. #SearchFest

MamboMedia Use a SEO keyword in the name of your Facebook Fan Page. Fan Pages are wide open to indexing, even the TABS! #SearchFest

aimclear #SearchFest #PPC @szetela New CPA Ads, pay only when products are sold. Similar mechanism as product ads, submit feeds to G’s Affiliates

SEMpdx RT @aimclear: #SearchFest #PPC @szetela submit product feed via Google Merchant Center, Google chooses which products to show

imeldak Google Forms Beta is cool, but the whole Google Numbers thing was a real pain in the @rse to set up on the back end #searchfest

pdxtweet Good info — RT @MamboMedia: To change the administrator on your Facebook account, email [email protected] #SearchFest #sf10

MamboMedia Tip for writing Facebook ads (content, image, CTA): TEST. Think about where you are. Personal, funky, fun, speak to a friend. #SearchFest

MamboMedia Who should take care of Facebook? Someone who really knows your brand, has a sense for the advertising, takes the time. #SearchFest

texagonian Twitter and Facebook fans tend to not like the other medium. So don’t mention FB on Twitter vise/versa. #SearchFest

reilly3000 #searchfest test different times of day for social media posting, just like PPC and e-mail timing. Good time is after kids are to bed.

fellene Most effective day of the week to send an email newsletter is Tuesday at 10 am. Facebook is not the same, however. #searchfest

MamboMedia @CarriBugbee asked about the frequency of updates on Facebook. Answer: Test data points at different frequencies over 3 wks. #SearchFest

tmmSabrina Why blog? 1) Easy way to create content, 2) brings traffic to site 3) Attract links #searchfest via @10e20’s Rebecca Kelley

tmmSabrina 4) Good way to rank your site 5) Rep management 6) engagement. #searchfest

tmmSabrina What’s the blog about? Who’s going to blog? How often can you blog? Questions to ask before getting started. #searchfest

texagonian Your blog author’s voice/style/info is more important than who they are in the company (they don’t have to be a CEO). #SearchFest

tmmSabrina Best format: domain.com/blog – best for SEO. NOT GOOD = companyblog.blogger.com or companyblog.com. (unique blog URL) #searchfest

texagonian Use appropriate share buttons. If your audience isn’t on a given network, don’t just add it to add it. #SearchFest

texagonian When blogging, humor is a BIG brand attribute. If it makes people laugh, they’ll share it, useful or not. #SearchFest

texagonian Lists as blog posts are awesome. People love to read them and they’re easy to write. #SearchFest

tmmJill RT @TMMPDX: Top content suggestions: Lists, Humor, How To’s, Regular Features, Case Studies via Rebecca Kelley #searchfest

Dayn Ppl don’t make links anymore. They don’t actively build pages and links anymore. Who does? Social networks, URL shorteners. #searchfest

cecilyc ‘Genuine editorial link is very valuable. You have to be remarkable to get good (free) links today.’ @johnandrews #SearchFest

MamboMedia Blog post titles: Use puns, controversy (“Why vegetarians aren’t foodies”) #SearchFest

JRoSEO Writing controversial pieces will encourage comments/participation in your blog #searchfest

MamboMedia Post blog posts earlier in the day, when people are having their morning coffee, instead of at night when other media competes. #SearchFest

ErinSemet Going to check out www.whichtestwon.com. Landing page testing site. #searchfest

texagonian Make sure you’re ready for a viral push. Will being on the 1st page of Digg take down your site? #SearchFest

cecilyc #linkbuilding Create remarkable content: alarming, shocking, confirming, denying, unusual/odd/weird, hopeful @johnandrews #SearchFest

tmmKelly When it comes to submit buttons on PPC landing pages…size does matter! Bigger IS better. #searchfest

KimToomey Don’t be afraid to test counterintuitive elements on landing pages. They may work better than you think. #searchfest

bobschnyder Listening to the difference between #linkbait (short-term) vs. #linkmagnet (long-term) in Link Building Strategies at #searchfest

bengoodsell Targeted niche keyword grouping… finding niche users for content that’s relevant for them… seen an ongoing theme at #searchfest

margaretcyphers #searchfest landing page session. Video converts +86% clickthru over photo. I propose valid for websites 2 like kickinghorseresort.com

MamboMedia Reddit: Submit your blog post yourself, and make it a first-person submittal. Ask for others’ opinions. #SearchFest

evilspinmeister Conversational tidbit as a seat-mate shows me Google’s new Public Data Explorer http://bit.ly/cs0qsS #SearchFest

Dayn Q at #searchfest: Isn’t placing on an ad network (AdSense) the same thing as buying link bait? Google says it’s different, but is it really?

imeldak Second to WoM, people are referring to online reviews for recommendations #searchfest

kentlewis It’s all about link growth velocity (when building a reputation management program). #ORM #SearchFest

cecilyc #ORM Push other web pages up above the bad review SE listing, whether your site or your competitors’. @portentint #SearchFest

MamboMedia What takeaways could others learn from yelp? Don’t focus on the reviews – give good customer service and reviews will follow. #SearchFest

tmmSabrina For all who want @randfish preso, go here: http://www.seomoz.org/dp/10-seo-tools. Tons of great stuff, highly recommend! #searchfest

texagonian How to kill an enemy’s rank: Give them a million inbound links, then remove them ALL. The Google will know. #SearchFest

texagonian Reputation Management: If you’re not using Google alerts, then you need to take your head out of the sand. #SearchFest

MamboMedia “Facebook is a walled garden parallel internet” #SearchFest

Dayn @DavidWallace demoing Trackur.com at #searchfest. Feels similar to PositivePress from local guys Iterasi.com #inportland.

ruthburr @rzwicky makes one of my fave points – “if you build it, they don’t just come” #searchfest

JRoSEO “Getting consensus on the numbers is like herding cats.” #awesomesauce #searchfest

MamboMedia Social PPC is not Search Marketing. It’s highly targeted walk-by traffic. It’s more like the Google Content Network. #SearchFest

cecilyc #ORM #Tools Google Alerts, Trackur, ReputationDefender, BrandsEye, Radian6, Twitter @DavidWallace #SearchFest

texagonian If you enemy/competitor is on Twitter and you’re not, he can say anything he wants. [Obvious, but still important] #SearchFest

lisapeyton @rzwicky describing Enquisite Suite of products – Auditor, Optimizer…#searchfest (Sounds cool, how much does it cost?)

Dayn Having more high ranking pages you control provides insurance search against algorithm changes. #searchfest @webconnoisseur

MamboMedia: How to recruit your competition’s Fans (use Facebook Ads) #SearchFest

MamboMedia: Don’t rule out B2B in Facebook ads. #SearchFest

kentlewis: LinkedIn recently unfollowed nearly all outbound links, except for My Company & My Blog #SearchFest

repdef: Nice list. 🙂 RT @cecilyc: #ORM #Tools Google Alerts, Trackur, ReputationDefender, BrandsEye, Radian6, Twitter @DavidWallace #SearchFest

MamboMedia: Web analytics aren’t serving the needs of marketers today. The technology is complex, the math is confusing. #SearchFest

imeldak: Why analytics fails us: Technology is complex, math is confusing, there are many unknowns, we have no time, it’s hard to learn #searchfest

kentlewis: Reading “Internet Freedom Act of 2010” and wondering how it will affect SEM. Thoughts? http://ow.ly/1gino #searchfest

MamboMedia: Take a top-down approach to web analytics. Organize your output, evaluate your tools, balance your investments. #SearchFest

ruthburr: “give me your spreadsheets and a match and I’ll show you what to do with those things” – @erictpeterson on analytics #searchfest

thegavin: Disagree that web analytics is inadequate, sounds like it’s too complex for most to use. Doesn’t mean it can’t be. #searchfest

Ilana221: Hearing @erictpeterson at searchfest. Increase roi by being able to make recommendations based on all that data. Data is low value

MamboMedia: Companies need data, information, insights that can be turned into RECOMMENDATIONS. #SearchFest

tmmSabrina: Top companies using Google Analytics – Awesome, free and it does a good job. #searchfest

MamboMedia: Need: Simple presentation tools, powerful data manipulation, rich analytical modeling, flexible data repositories. #SearchFest

kentlewis: Crowdsource your competitive intelligence (via promotions & contests). It’s like getting someone else to do your homework #SearchFest

MamboMedia: Data does not analyze itself. Apparently, that’s what people are for. For every $, spend .50 on technology & .50 on people. #SearchFest

thegavin: Takeaway from the #searchfest web analytics session – Staffing: buy many nerds! set up a nerdery! give them what they need! pay them well!

Dayn: Great companies aren’t followers. Don’t be a knee-jerk imitator. It has to fit your overall strategy. #searchfest

MamboMedia: Measurement enables a process of continual improvement. Bottom up in web analytics by @agray #SearchFest

Dayn: In this whole ballroom, only 2 have heard of http://www.socialmention.com: real time social media monitoring & search tool? #searchfest

erikricard: If your customer sees your message over & over they will perceive you to be a strong player in the mkt -Michael Cottam TheBigDay #searchfest

MamboMedia: woopra for blog analytics – you can see visitors and chat with them. #SearchFest

MamboMedia: Machine sentiment toning is difficult in English because English speakers are sarcastic. #SearchFest

jwmcphee: 268% lift in traffic after a user saw a display ad, 365% lift in engagement (page views) too. #searchfest

Google discussing the usage of ad builder tools (like @AdReady) to help create multi-variate testing for copy and messaging. #searchfest

MamboMedia: No matter what analytics tool you’re using, your goal is to make your website contribute value to the organization. #SearchFest

kbennish: Average lift of search activity when display was added to a campaign was 155% #searchfest.

cw360: @MCrites here’s a tip. Do search and display in different campaigns. Tip from my Google AM #searchfest #n00btip

texagonian: Why a CEO should care about social media: Because no matter what you sell/do, your customers are on it. #SearchFest

MamboMedia: All Intel social media plans are in one of these GROW phases: Grassroots, Research, Operationalize, Widespread Adoption. #SearchFest

kbennish: citations are to local search as links are to organic search #searchfest

MamboMedia: Social Marketing Funnel: Awareness, Consideration, Preference, Purchase, Use, Opinion, Loyalty #SearchFest

tmmKelly: Check out Google’s Business Listing Quality Guidelines to read about the dos & don’ts of local biz listings #searchfest http://ow.ly/1gjQm

MamboMedia: What’s next? More integration, global programs, Mobile (native SoMe built for mobile device), Get Smarter. #SearchFest

MamboMedia: Get back to the basics in social media: human behavior. Don’t market to inanimate objects. It’s about the humans. #SearchFest

imeldak: Blogs should be at the center of your social media strategy #searchfest

MamboMedia: Instead of sending traffic to YouTube (& “Related Videos”) send them to your video on your blog post with calls to action. #SearchFest

evilspinmeister: Social Media customers are passionate, however you need to ensure a method of capturing intent. Make sure to convert. #SearchFest
imeldak: In social media environments, people are more likely to link through to a blog than link through to a corporate site #searchfest

MamboMedia: How to pitch SoMe to executives? Frame the conversation right. Not everything we do in marketing is measurable, but show gains. #SearchFest