Tony Hayward, BP’s bumbling CEO, stepped down this week. It was one more public step the energy company took to manage its tarnished reputation. Jessica, Susan and Virginia consider whether BP is successfully tempering damage to the brand following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. While hesitant to react early on, the company seems to have since become active in the many online channels where people are discussing the brand online. It remains to be seen if new executive management can turn such a black tide.

Neil Patel, Web analytics expert, co-founder of companies Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics, and blogger at Quicksprout.com, then talks to Virginia about meaningful metrics and the BlueGlass LA conference. At the conference, Neil spoke about dangers of paying attention to misleading metrics and the importance of uncovering the real story behind the numbers. He also explains the close relationship between SEO, analytics and usability, and the value of testing and surveying users to improve a site. Neil also talks about the significance of attending conferences for networking opportunities, as well as the potential myth of success and passion.

Then Daerick, Susan and Virginia examine the Old Spice social media campaign that took place this month to see if there’s a disconnect between the popularity of the campaign and product sales. According to sales data provided by Old Spice, overall sales for the brand’s body wash products rose 27 percent in the last 6 months, 55 percent in the last three months, and 107 percent in the last month. A couponing campaign taking place at the same time makes it harder to determine the exact cause of the sales lift, however it’s likely that the two efforts worked together to bring Old Spice impressive sales growth.

In the midst of the networking and educational event, BlueGlass LA, Bruce, Susan and Virginia take a moment to discuss one of the social giants of the Internet, Facebook. There’s a growing intersection between search and social, and the hosts hone in specifically on ranking factors for Facebook’s internal search engine. A recent study by Internet marketing agency aimClear looked at the ranking factors for Facebook internal search, finding an environment that heavily favors a searcher’s current connections on the network, the overall popularity of pages/events/people, etc., and the inclusion of searched keywords in results.

Then Virginia talks to Loren Baker at the first BlueGlass LA conference. Loren is the SVP of online PR and a managing partner at BlueGlass, the marketing agency and publisher that presented the conference. During the final session of the two-day event, Loren expresses his thoughts on the future of the newly formed company, search as the core of a multi-faceted marketing strategy, and the importance of authenticity, transparency and passion in marketing, branding and life. As the founder and editor-in-chief of the search industry news blog Search Engine Journal, he also explains the goal of a conference with a “blogging feel” and gives tips for influencing a community through a blog. Many thanks to Loren and BlueGlass for an incredible time and learning opportunity in Marina del Rey!

A personalized experience — whether online or at a conference — can make a big difference. Michael, Susan and Virginia round out the show with a look at how on-site behavioral targeting and segmentation can be implemented to give users a personal experience with the brand. Technical solutions range from complex on-site segmentation engines or CRM or analytics solutions to JavaScript code to geo-targeting. A 2009 survey of marketers doing behavioral targeting found that geography was the highest priority attribute for targeting, followed by unique user profiles, referral keywords, and explicit preferences as defined by the user.

Tune into this episode of SEM Synergy on WebmasterRadio.fm at 3 Eastern/12 Pacific, Wednesday, July 21.

Bruce presents a special episode of SEM Synergy dedicated to analytics with some of the experts. In interviews with Avinash Kaushik, Jim Sterne and Daniel Waisberg, Virginia and the guests take an in-depth look at forward thinking in the Web analytics field.

Avinash Kaushik, author of Web Analytics: An Hour A Day and the Analytics Evangelist for Google, and Daniel Waisberg, head of Web analytics at easynet Search Marketing and Chair of Marketing of the Web Analytics Association, have co-authored a two-part paper for SEMJ.org. In part one of “Web Analytics 2.0: Empowering Customer Centricity” (pdf), they look at current best practices of Web analytics. In the upcoming part two, Avinash and Daniel propose the pioneering concepts of the customer-centric Web Analytics 2.0.

Jim Sterne, Chairman of the Web Analytics Association and Founder of the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit, is getting ready for eMetrics Washington D.C. in October. The conference line up reflects the needs of today’s marketers working in tough economic circumstances. People are looking for practical and hands-on tips for making analytics work for them. Value is also being assigned to the measurement of conversion assists and measuring offline efforts.

SMX Advanced last week introduced a number of discussions in the SEM industry. Matt Cutts’s comments about PageRank sculpting with nofollow could spur a show all its own, and is touched on briefly by Bruce, Susan and Virginia. Google’s JavaScript recommendations, attendance at the conference, and topics raised during the SEO Vets Take All Comers session, of which Bruce was a panelist, are also discussed. Of course, SMX Advanced centers around several inbound marketing techniques, including search engine optimization, pay per click marketing, and social media optimization. Inbound marketing is the focus of today’s show.

In his role as founder and vice president of product development at WordStream, Larry Kim plays a vital role in his company’s inbound marketing efforts. Inbound marketing involves getting potential customers to come to your business. In contrast, traditional or outbound marketing is all about getting a marketing message in front of a potential consumer. Another common way to think of the two marketing methods is push and pull marketing, where push marketing is more traditional and pull marketing is aligned with inbound marketing. Larry, is cautious of falling into the trap of espousing theoretical virtues of inbound marketing. Instead he offers pragmatic suggestions for improving inbound marketing efforts.

Susan, Michael and Virginia finish off with a look at the psychology of inbound marketing. There’s a very different scenario that happens when a customer comes to a business because they want to and when a business reaches out to a customer when that contact is unexpected. The proactive customer who is looking for a solution is in a mindset much better suited to performing a conversion. As outbound marketing becomes easier to block through technology like spam filters and DVRs, inbound marketing may prove a more reliable strategy in the future.

With Wolfram Alpha and some of the new Google features announced at Searchology last month, the possibilities of data visualization were made more apparent to the public. But presenting data in meaningful ways has long been a goal for professionals within the Internet marketing industry. Today’s show is about data visualization, including how it can help Internet marketing professionals, as well as current applications in tools and analytics products.

One well-regarded analytics suite that utilizes data visualization in innovative ways is Enquisite. Richard Zwicky, founder and president of Enquisite, talks to Virginia about data visualization, such as map overlays that look at where site visitors are coming from and longtail keyword charts. At Enquisite, the company uses feedback from SEOs to continually improve reporting and data presentation. He explains that there has been a growth in how analytics solutions present data visually which has happened alongside a growing expectation among search professionals who use those tools.

Then Bradley, Susan and Virginia look at a few tools that present data visually and the different purposes served. Tools like Crazy Egg and Web Profiler are data interpreters, filtering sample data into a picture. Free Mind and Visio are visual thinking tools, helping with problem solving by representing data elements as icons or symbols. Other tools, like Excel or screen captures, aid in visual documentation. Communication made visible helps illustrate concepts to those who have never seen the data before. It can also reveal connections that were not previously identified.

Today’s show is aimed at the intersection of analytics and content. Content, one of the most vital components of any successful Web site, should be optimized in order for easy searchability and findability. Analytics and testing allows those working on the site to make sure site content meets the expectations and needs of a visitor.

Then Apogee Search’s Bill Leake, president and CEO, and Alissa Ruehl, manager of website effectiveness consulting, talk to Virginia about the latest in conversion tracking and testing. Apogee Search recently became a Google Website Optimizer Authorized Consultant (WOAC), so Bill and Alissa explain what additional services their organization can provide through this distinction. Google Website Optimizer is a multivariate and A/B testing solution. The different levels of testing provided by Website Optimizer as well as other necessary analytics solutions are discussed.

Finishing out the show, Susan, Michael and Virginia look at what’s needed from an SEO-friendly CMS. Since the recording of this show, Pixelsilk was launched. Pixelsilk is a prime example of a content management system that was created with search engine optimization in mind. According to the company, the CMS “allows full access and control of the HTML to implement a branded design, custom development, e-commerce cart or search strategy – while still being easy for those editing content”. The ability to customize HTML is a major requirement for successful implementation of SEO recommendations.

In the weak economy, companies are paying close attention to where every dollar is going. Marketing campaigns must show proof of success in order to avoid the chopping block, and that’s where Web analytics come in. Bruce, Susan and Virginia start off the show with a look at how analytics help marketers spot the trends occurring on their site in order to leverage user interests, alleviate bottlenecks, and better direct visitors to places of interest on the site.


Then Richard Zwicky, CEO of Enquisite, stops by the Bruce Clay, Inc. offices just in time to talk to Virginia about the recently announced partnership of the two companies. Bruce Clay, Inc. now offers clients Enquisite’s powerful search analytics platform to help improve site performance and conversion tracking. Richard and Virginia also talk about some of the panels that he will be speaking on at SES London.

Maryann joins Susan and Virginia to talk about optimizing a site for the longtail of search. A significant amount of queries that bring users to a site are unique longtail phrases which are usually very targeted and close to the conversion stages of the buying cycle. One way to help your site rank for longtail phrases is through siloing, which strengthens the relevance of sections of the site.

Focusing on conversions and conversion tracking, Michael Terry, Virginia Nussey and Maryann Robbins discuss the importance of landing page optimization. An optimized landing page is essential to getting clicks, let alone conversions. First impressions have a big impact in whether or not the visitor will stay or leave. A strong call to action in an easy-to-scan format are key. Be sure to test, but don’t over do it. You also do not want to ask for more information than is necessary, because every additional piece of info you request could cause a user to bail altogether.

Lauren Vacarello, founder of Internet marketing consultant firm lvlogic.com, talks to Virginia about the challenges of turning traffic into conversions. From identifying abandonment points to effective design elements to the best tools available, Lauren gives listeners lots to consider when trying to increase conversions. Tracking offline conversions and starting your conversion tracking program are also discussed.

Then Michael and Maryann return to look at conversion tracking for SEO. When you find out where traffic is leaving your site, you can make changes to increase the time spent on the site and the number of pages viewed. Some conversion tracking tools include Google Analytics, ClickTracks, WebTrends, Urchin, SiteMeter and Extreme Tracking.

Bruce and Robert start off the show revealing some of the strategy applied to PPC campaigns at Bruce Clay, Inc. From conversion data to keyword selection, PPC campaigns should work together with SEO campaigns. Our hosts give away some of their tricks to avoiding non-converting clicks and choosing the words that bring your company into the users’ line of sight. Bruce explains what he sees as the conversion challenges of PPC, from branding to bidding.

Following up on this topic, Bruce talks to Dr. Ralph Wilson about his latest book, the third edition of “How to Develop a Landing Page“. Dr. Wilson is a veteran expert in the Internet marketing space, having edited and published the weekly email newsletter Web Marketing Today since 1995. His new book covers the customer research, copywriting, design, tracking and testing involved in crafting powerful landing pages.

In a special report to SEM Synergy, Bruce Clay, Inc. IT Manager Aaron Landerkin gives Bruce and the audience a rundown of the Omniture training he recently attended. As an authorized Omniture sales and support agency, our team prepares to master the full offerings of the Web analytics program and Aaron fills us in on some of the key tools and data offered by Omniture.

News of a new and improved Alexa Traffic Ranking system hit the Web this month. While Robert and Bruce don’t see Alexa Rankings regaining relevance for the industry, the overhaul is a much needed change for the often-inaccurate and easily-manipulated rankings provider. Also on the mind is how the depressed market has affected the search industry. Our hosts predict that the recession could see advertisers moving online for its high accountability.

Bruce speaks to our SEO Charity Contest winner Ryan Freeman. Ryan runs Strider Inc., a small business SEO firm in Toronto. He won the competition for his proposed organic SEO campaign for The Elisha Foundation. His business is focused on SEO for small businesses and non-profits because he likes to see them gain the visibility needed to compete in the market. Bruce and Ryan talk about the unique challenges of optimizing for small businesses.

Finally, our hosts preview some of the sessions at the upcoming eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit in San Francisco. The conference has been around since 2002 and focuses on technologies and methodologies of measuring site success. Best practices and the benefit of analytics is looked at in detail.