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.

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.

Blended search results are becoming a more prominent part of the search experience across all the top-tier engines. While the topic of Universal search strategy is often discussed, few professional optimizers have taken action by integrating blended search opportunities into their SEO campaigns. David Harry talks to Virginia about the need to develop a blended search strategy that examines the types of blended results — news, blog, video, social and more — that are displayed in your targeted query spaces. He offers up a tool that can report the blended search types that are displayed for target keywords and the frequency that blended results are displayed for those queries. In the near future, he plans to conduct research into what triggers blended search results and the effect of personalization on Universal search.

Then Paula, Susan and Virginia discuss tactics for website management in the era of Google Caffeine and the fastest index yet. Many of the duties of the website optimization, development and maintenance team are constant and ongoing. Various webmaster tools must be used to diagnose site issues regularly. A schedule for interval keyword research is helpful. And cross-department communication is key. Review Beyond Position Bias: Examining Result Attractiveness as a Source of Presentation Bias in Clickthrough Data (PDF), a research paper by Google employees, for insight into the importance of content displayed in search results. Use this information and data collected from site analytics and server logs to continually test and evolve your website for increased conversions and rankings.

Kate Gardiner, social media director of the television show PBS NewsHour, has found success using social media to engage online with a TV audience. Since the inception of a formal social media program earlier this year, Facebook has been a platform that’s created big wins, often generating thousands of clicks on links shared on the fan page. Widgets, which generate inbound links and the resulting PageRank value, as well as a sense of interaction and authority for the organization, are another important facet of the online social strategy. Kate also shares her experience with being a personal brand ambassador and the metrics she pays attention to on various social networks.

Susan, Paula and Virginia round out the show with a look at search industry headlines. Even though summer has just arrived, it’s already time for paid search managers to start planning and executing a back-to-school season strategy. Searches for “back to school” are 15 percent above last year. Bing has released a software developer kit that will let developers create apps and overlays for Bing Maps. And the U.S. Department of Labor has begun an initiative to classify search marketers, based on the input of seasoned professionals. If you met the criteria and contribute to the survey, you are eligible for a $40 compensation.

With SMX Advanced fast approaching, Bruce, Susan and Virginia take a preview look at next week’s conference in Seattle. SMX Advanced is a significant conference every year, often the staging ground for major announcements by Internet marketing companies and search engines alike. For those who won’t be in attendance, Susan will be providing front-row access to select sessions with liveblog coverage of SMX Advanced, posted on the Bruce Clay, Inc. blog shortly after each session. Those in attendance can pose any variety of questions to Bruce at Wednesday’s session SEO Vets Take All Comers and at Thursday’s one-day SEO training.

Then Virginia, Robert Esparza and Alan Lamb consider the challenges and considerations of selling an SEO project that meets the client’s goals and needs. Expectation management is a key factor of a project that can end in success and client satisfaction. If a client expects rankings, traffic or performance beyond what is possible within realistic constraints of time and budget as determined by a feasibility review, it’s often best that the project doesn’t go forward with those two parties. One difficult challenge of setting realistic expectations is the fact that performance can’t be guaranteed in light of shifting search engine algorithms and guidelines. A shift must be taken away from rankings and traffic, as the focus must be an improvement on the bottom line.

Finally Virginia, Scott Fowles and Daerick Gross discuss a discipline that is primarily linked to improvements on the bottom line: conversion rate optimization. Scott is an SEO and CRO specialist, and previously came on the show to talk about CRO best practices and tools of the trade. This week he expands the conversation by warning about SEO complications that can arise through CRO testing and how to avoid them. Wider Funnel provides a PowerPoint presentation on avoiding the risks of A/B testing for SEO landing pages that may be a useful guide.