Author Archives: Sarah Parker

About Sarah Parker

Sarah Parker is a freelance writer and communications consultant at Parker Communications. She lives and works surrounded by mountains and birdsong - in NSW Australia.

Fast Five in Search – Week 16, 2013

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From viral marketing to legendary podcasting – this week’s Fast Five contains a great mix from the blogosphere.

1) Foolishly Viral: Lessons from a Million Pageview Day by Jacob Klein                         Most of us have wondered about the phenomena of content going viral and wondered how it happens. Can it be planned? How do people feel when their content strikes a chord with many more people than expected? Jacob shares his insights in this great post about viral marketing success.

2) Remove Unnecessary Steps and Win More Links, Shares and Conversions – Whiteboard Friday by Rand Fishkin                                                                               You’ve got to love Rand’s posts about keeping things simple. He is great at explaining why some things are no longer important, while other details are crucial to building relationships and maintaining your reader’s attention. This post could have been called:  How to Win Readers and Influence people.

3) 17 Things You Should Stop Doing to Your Websites by Inessa Bokhan                    I really enjoyed this post. I have to admit I’ve been guilty of using cheesy stock images before! Inessa gives some great advice in this post – it all comes down to keeping it real and fresh and… don’t forget your readers!

4) Losing Traffic (and sleep) Over Google Reader’s Death? Here’s What You Can Do About It by Federico Einhorn                                                                                                   In case you’re wondering where you can source story ideas and news feeds now that Google Reader is closing down, I thought I’d include this post. Federico shares links to other news feed sites and gives some helpful advice for webmasters who may have relied on Google Reader until now.

And finally…

5) Case Study: How to Build a Vast Audience by Mastering the Art of the Interview by Beth Hayden                                                                                                                                      I’m finishing this week’s Fast Five with a bit of inspiration. It’s always interesting to hear from other creative people – how they’ve worked hard to build a successful platform. In this post Beth interviews legendary podcaster Srinivas Rao about his successful career as a content marketer.

Happy reading!

*Image courtesy of Threadless

Search Industry Job of the Week – SEM Analyst

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Job Title: SEM Analyst
Job Reference: Unknown
Position Type: full time
Name of employer: YP
Location: Glendale, California
Date Posted: 13 April 2013
Position description:

Are you looking for a fast moving, creative environment where you can use your expertise to develop and market cutting-edge interactive and digital products?

YP is one of the largest local search, media and advertising companies in North America. The company creates local search and advertising products that encourage consumers to discover and engage with local businesses across online, print and mobile platforms. YP’s suite of local offerings includes its flagship products YP.com, YP Local Ad Network, the popular YPmobile app and The YP Real Yellow Pages®, the largest print directory in the world by advertising revenue. YP.com, which attracts over 30 million monthly online unique visitors, is also accessed by millions of users each month via the mobile web.

The YP(SM) Local Ad Network helps advertisers grow their business and distributes ads to a distinguished list of top publishers. YP’s wide range of local ad products such as premium listings, performance-based advertising, direct mail and search engine marketing provides advertisers an opportunity to increase their presence among consumers who are looking for a local business. YP’s advertising products address the diverse needs of nearly a million local businesses and help drive tens of billions of dollars in local commerce annually.

YP products are backed by one of the industry’s largest local advertising sales forces made up of several thousand media consultants and other resellers.

Join their dedicated and talented team of individuals all focused on creating the best products in the marketplace. They currently have an opportunity for an experienced SEM Analyst in their Glendale office.

Responsibilities

50%

  • Act as fulfillment account manager for selected key accounts
  • Manage search campaign performance; analyze quantitative, qualitative and underlying data to correct performance issues throughout the duration of the contract.
  • Engage with fulfillment consultants and other parties, during initial fulfillment to ensure that the plan has the correct components;
  • Proactively optimize throughout campaign life-cycle;
  • Increase quality in clicks and conversions for improved ROI;
  • Increase product trust through proactive, engaged customer service;
  • Decrease churn rate through proactive campaign management and positive customer experience.
  • Present Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and campaign performance in a formal setting with management.

20%

  • Build and maintain a positive relationship with internal and external customers by proactively communicating campaign performance with internal and external management.
  • Have contact with internal customers such as sales, customer service, etc. and possibly external customers in any region weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
  • 25%
  • Perform initial and ongoing quality assurance for search campaigns and take ownership of accurately communicating errors to all parties to close gaps and meet customer requirements.
  • Re-emphasize internal, vendor, and search engine best practices during proofing and error correction activities.
  • Regularly review existing processes and procedures for the purpose of identifying and implementing operational efficiencies and process redesigns.

5%

Report escalations urgently and follow up on resolution to close communication loop with management.

Qualifications

  • 1-2 years experience as a full-time Search Engine Marketing professional; 2-3 years preferred.
  • Google AdWords certification and Bing Accredited Professional preferred; resource will be required to obtain certification within 30 days of hire.
  • Knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
  • Solid work ethic, teaming, adaptation to fast-paced environment, and works well under pressure.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) is a must.
  • Excellent professional, communication (both verbal and written) skills.
  • Ability to self-motivate, prioritize and multi-task.
  • Ability to research and solve problems.
  • Analytic skills required.
  • BA/BS degree preferred but not required

They offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits including a matching 401(k), bonuses, and a casual yet high-energy work environment. Send them your resume today.

YP LLC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and they are committed to hiring a diverse and talented workforce. EOE/AA/M/F/D/V

Salary range: Unknown
Closing date: Unknown
More info from: http://corporate.yp.com
Contact: Send resumes via online form to: YP Careers

For more search industry jobs, or to post a vacancy, visit Search Engine College Jobs Board.

Fast Five in Search – Week 15, 2013

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fast-fiveWe have another eclectic bunch of posts for you this week – from the history of the internet, to SEO from a newby’s perspective. Enjoy…

1) A History of Social Media by Copyblogger.com                                                                All you infographic fans out there will love this visual portrayal of the history of social media. From the world’s first email, to the plethora of digital channels we enjoy today, this post shows how dramatically the world of communications has changed in 40 years.

2) 33 Link Building Questions Answered by Rhea Drysdale                                              Link building has changed dramatically in recent years and Rhea has taken the time to answer many of our questions regarding the dos and don’ts of link building – post-penguin. Thanks Rhea!

3) Claiming Google+ Authorship and Publisher Markup for SEO by Navneet Kaushat    Most content creators are keeping a close eye on Google+ Authorship and this post adds another layer to the cake. Google Publisher markup is another way to get your content identified and your website noticed. This post contains a bit of code, to make implementing these changes into your website nice and easy.

I’ll finish off with a couple good back-to-basics style posts…

4) The Forgotten Art of Creating Good Title Tags by Andy Williams                                  This post reminds us all shy title tags are still an essential element of Search Engine Optimization. Andy’s clear advice regarding the essential elements of a good title tag, is worth bookmarking.

5) SEO From a Newby’s Perspective by HappyBrooke                                                          This is a good fun post to remind us all what it is like to enter the field of SEO for the first time. Like any industry, if we’ve been in it for a while, we can forget what it may be like for newcomers – who are just branching or starting out. A good post to refer to anyone who might be thinking of taking the plunge into SEO.

Happy reading!

*Image courtesy of Threadless

 

 

Search Industry Job of the Week – Manager SEM

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Job Title: Manager SEM
Job Reference: 22858
Position Type: Full time
Name of employer: Expedia North America
Location: USA – WA – Bellevue
Date Posted: 21 March 2013
Position description:

If you love travel, you will love Expedia. If you are looking for a challenging, rewarding, intense yet progressive environment, then you will love Expedia Paid Search. There’s no bigger, more fun industry than Travel. There’s no bigger, more fun travel company than Expedia. Search Engine Marketing is a challenging business and they wouldn’t have it any other way; otherwise, they’d be bored.

Expeida is the place to:

  • Work in an entrepreneurial environment
  • Hone quantitative and qualitative skills
  • Make a big impact
  • Never get bored, always be challenged

They are growing their world class Search Engine Marketing team (“SEM”) and are looking a manager to lead their Canada and Latin America SEM team.

Responsibilities:

  • Lead efforts to collaborate, innovate, build strategies and create new business opportunities for SEM
  • Work with the global operations team to develop new trading strategies & processes to drive transactions and profit for the business
  • Work with other marketing channels, product and regional teams to develop business goals and targets
  • Help drive marketing contribution worldwide

Qualifications, Work Experience and Education Guidelines:

  • 4-5 years experience required (specific e-commerce, travel industry, marketing experience a plus)
  • Bachelor’s degree required
  • Strong analytical skills, including data manipulation and financial analysis skills
  • Strong communications skills (written and oral)
  • Ability to excel in a fast-paced environment
  • Passion for creative writing a plus
  • Comfort with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint

About Expedia, Inc.

Their mission is to revolutionize travel through the power of technology.

Collectively, the Expedia, Inc. brands cover virtually every aspect of researching, planning, and booking travel, from choosing the best airplane seat, to reading personal travel reviews of hotels, to planning what to do in a destination once you arrive. The Expedia, Inc. portfolio serves both leisure and business travelers with tastes and budgets ranging from modest to luxury. Expedia delivers consumer travel demand from nearly every continent to nearly 149,000 hotels and hundreds of airlines, tour operators, car rental companies and destination services supply partners. Please visit http://bit.ly/expediabrands to learn more about their travel brands.

This employer participates in E-Verify. The employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s I-9 to confirm work authorization.

Relocation Provided: Yes
Use your LinkedIn Profile to help you apply faster!

Salary range: Unknown
Closing date: Unknown
More info from: Expedia Career
Contact: Send resumes via online form to: Expedia Career

For more search industry jobs, or to post a vacancy, visit Search Engine College Jobs Board.

Fast Five in Search – Week 14, 2013

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fast-fiveThis week’s Fast Five has a bit of fun, some social media advice and a sprinkling of content marketing wisdom thrown in for good measure!

1) Top 10 April Fools Day Jokes for 2013 by John Rampton                                             This is a fun post for obvious reasons! If you missed all the fun on April Fools Day, this post will catch you up. I wouldn’t mind a set of those augmented reality glasses!!

2) 5 Steps to Facebook Authority – Whiteboard Friday by Lauren Vaccarello                       A friend of mine asked me about advertising on Facebook the other day and I had to admit I didn’t really know much about it, so this post was a welcome find. Lauren has a great down-to-earth style and no prior knowledge is assumed (except that you already have a Facebook profile or page of course). Thanks Lauren!

3) The Marketing Value of YouTube by Phil Nottingham                                                    How many times have you been asked about video marketing and whether or not to add a YouTube channel? This is a great post to bookmark and refer clients to. Whether it’s ‘preroll’ advertising content, or a Red Bull-style marketing campaign, Phil describes the pros and cons of using YouTube as part of your overall marketing strategy.

4) How to Consistently Write 1000 Words a Day by Shrinivas Rao                                        I liked this post because it contains solid advice which can be applied to anything that requires consistent effort and commitment. So for all you content marketers out there (or if you’re secretly writing a book) this is a great post to refer back to when you hit writer’s block or find yourself in a habit of procrastination.

And finally…

5) Making Your Online Marketing Work: Sharpen Your Focus on This One Thing by Barry Feldman                                                                                                                                    I realise this makes two copywriting posts in one week, but, I think it’s worth it. How many sites have you landed on only to be bored by their copy and not sure why? This post will tell you why. You know what they say… what’s true on the page is true in life (or something like that).

Happy reading!

*Image courtesy of Threadless