• The Metaphysical Corporation = The Death of Capitalism?
    Something strange is happening to companies. More and more, their business is being conducted in non-physical markets. Businesses used to produce stuff. Now, they produce ideas.
  • Putting Context In Context
    For search marketers, context is something we know all too well, but often take for granted. After all, the context of search is pretty clear: it's people actively looking for something! To that end, there's no better context when it comes to reaching an audience and compelling direct action. But how can we apply context to other marketing tactics? Here are some examples.
  • A Prospect Ignored Isn't Really A Prospect
    I've ranted about this before -- and, oh yes, I shall rant again! But first, the back story. I needed some work done at a property I own. I found three contractors online and reached out to each of them to get a quote. Cue crickets.
  • An Introduction To Google's Algorithm Updates
    You've probably heard of Penguin, Panda and Hummingbird, and maybe even dropped those terms on unsuspecting friends at a party. But unless you're a seasoned SEO professional, you're likely not familiar with the key details of Google's numerous algorithm updates. With an expected Penguin update on the horizon, here's a quick primer on the most notable algorithm updates of the past five years and why they're significant to marketers. The lesson, as always, is that SEO is constantly evolving.
  • The Apple Watch: More Than Just A Pretty Face
    I just caught Tim Cook's live streaming introduction of the Apple Watch (I guess they've given up the long running "i" naming theme). What struck me most is how arduously Apple has stuck with traditional touch points in introducing a totally new product category (well, new for Apple, anyway).
  • Somebody's Gonna Be An SEM Leader -- Might As Well Be You
    A few years ago, the California Lottery ran a great advertising campaign with the tagline "Somebody's Gonna Lotto, Might as Well be You." I'm not a Lotto player, but I was really attracted to the philosophical message of this campaign. I think this philosophy applies to everything you do in life: Someone's gonna win - why not me? So let's say you adopt this mantra and decide that you want to become an SEM leader. You can define leader however you want: founder of an agency, VP of marketing at a large spender, perhaps even the head of product at …
  • Learning A Big Data Lesson From Big Brother
    You may not have heard of ICREACH, but it has probably heard of you. ICREACH is the NSA's own Google-like search engine. And if Google's mission is to organize the world's information, ICREACH's mission is to snoop on the world. After super whistle blower Edward Snowden tipped the press off to the existence of ICREACH, the NSA fessed up last month. The amount of data we're talking about is massive. According to The Intercept website, the tool can handle two to five billion new records every day, including data on the US's emails, phone calls, faxes, Internet chats and text …
  • Decrypting Google's HTTPS Security Carrot
    Maybe the folks at the National Security Administration know the long-term motives behind Google declaring that websites' use of HTTPS will now be an organic search ranking factor, although an extremely small one. After all, if any entity could scan Google's internal emails - the way the company itself does with Gmail - it would be the NSA.
  • Google Seeks Extra Credit With Latest Adwords Changes
    Have you ever contributed to something and felt like you didn't quite get the credit you deserved? For example, I cheered very loudly at many Seattle Seahawks games last year and the team won the Super Bowl. Maybe you can see why I'm angry that owner Paul Allen hasn't given me a championship ring! Kidding aside (sort of), in our data-driven, Moneyball world, we marketers want credit for every transaction we directly impact. Google is no different, and its latest changes are designed to give credit where credit is due.
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