ISBNs are unique 10-digit
identification numbers assigned to every
printed book. On January 1, 2007, they
will become 13 digit numbers. Doubtless,
the sheer volume of books on SEM (define)
published since 1996 greatly contributed
to making this exponential augmentation
of publishing standards a necessity.
Search "search engine marketing book" in
Google, and you'll net over 2,00 results. A search for
"good search engine marketing book" nets just one: "Search
Engine Marketing, Inc." by Mike Moran and Bill Hunt.
(Don't bother searching "great search engine marketing
book." According to Google, there are none.)
The difference between a good book and a
great one is how the reader utilizes the knowledge. In
"Search Engine Marketing, Inc.," Moran and Hunt put
forth a solid argument to add yet another SEM book to
your library.
The Search Is Over?
Moran is an IBM Distinguished Engineer
with years of experience in search technology. Hunt is
CEO and founder of Global Strategies International, as
well as a contributor to volumes of marketing journals
and books. Both are tenured speakers at
Search Engine Strategies events. I took the
opportunity to sit down with Hunt in San Jose last week
and discuss the new book.
It was born from a 300-page handbook,
routinely issued in a customized format for clients.
That's not to say writing the book was without
challenges. "We tried to keep the material from growing
stale or irrelevant," Hunt said. "Search changes so
quickly that we realized our greatest challenge in
putting the book together was to make it timeless, keep
it from growing stale or irrelevant."
Hunt and Moran manage to do just that by
focusing on making a business case for search marketing.
The book focuses on why SEM is important to the average
site owner and how to develop and execute an SEM
program.
"Unlike other niche publications focusing
on singular elements of search engine marketing, be it
Web site design and usability, linking strategies, or
paid advertising, we wanted to put together a business
case for search marketing," he said. "In the book, we
talk about the 10 questions any business executive might
ask about a search marketing proposal, the key question
being, 'Why should we do this?'"
This is precisely where the book breaks
away from more sensational titles touting "search engine
marketing secrets." Hunt and Moran present valuable
fundamentals, not so-called "secrets." They help readers
transform undisciplined Web presences into tractable,
unified search strategies.
"Very little has changed since 1996 for
people who know how to do this. We get accused of not
giving any search secrets away," Hunt said. "Most
algorithmic changes made by the search engines are
engineered to counter over-optimization. Executing the
basics will produce slow and steady growth."
Increasing slow, steady search traffic
without clandestine code and curious inbound links isn't
sexy. But an algorithm change won't trash a company's
search results if it follows the Hunt and Moran program.
Parting Words
When a company makes SEM part of its
business process, it attains a level of synergy from
uniting once-disparate groups into a search-focused
operational entity. Successful in-house SEM gurus earn
their keep not because they understand how search
engines work, but because they understand how to
mainline SEM into business processes specific to their
industry.
Hunt and Moran get it. Now, you can too.
Whether you're just getting started in SEM or you are a
tenured search marketer, you still need to manage
change.
The greatest challenge of building a
successful SEM program doesn't include knee-jerk
reactions to algorithmic shifts and indexing
fluctuations. It resides in managing expectations among
an ever-undulating pool of corporate personalities and
business priorities. Hunt and Moran's book will help put
your SEM program on target and keep it there by
empowering you to set expectations wisely and execute a
timeless search marketing plan.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
P.J. Fusco has
been working in the Internet industry since 1996 when
she developed her first SEM service while acting as
general manager for a regional ISP. She was the SEO
manager for
Jupitermedia and has performed as the SEM manager
for an international health and beauty dot-com
corporation generating more than $1 billion a year in
e-commerce sales. Today, she is the lead search
strategist for
Netconcepts, a cutting-edge SEO firm with offices in
Madison, WI, and Auckland, New Zealand.
