The first of our Seattle24/7 Top 7 Lists for 2015 is an E-City echelon that can help your Web properties rank closer to the top of search engine discovery pages, local “map” listings, and on top of Google AdWords, not to mention Bing and Yahoo placements. Sound like a lot of the questionable email you’ve been getting? These are the real McCoy’s. Practitioners who succeed NOT by using spammy, ‘black hat’ tactics but by crafting and promoting quality content, establishing online authority for your best products and brand positioning, and building meaningful links between your company and its constituencies. That’s one reason that the cliched “SEO” acronym is more aptly regarded as “CRO” (for “Conversion Rate Optimization”). If you follow Seattle’s best search marketing practice leaders, you will increase not only your search visibility but the number of people who take decisive action once they reach your landing page.
Speaking of taking action, while not every Seattle search agency can help you pay as little as possible for your most desired keywords under Google’s or Bing’s pay-per-click programs, one is helping clients switch from the keyword-costly PPC (pay-per-click) model to Google’s CPA (cost-per-acquistion) system and pay only for those leads that result in actual conversions representing true “pay-for-performance.”
“Cost-per-acquisition” does away with high-priced keyword bidding in favor of the real profit margin of an actual purchase or another “conversion event” in terms of what the transaction is actually worth to your business. The conversion can happen either online (such as inside a shopping cart program) or offline, such as on a sales call in the field.
“Google’s CPA model takes advantage of the search engine’s vast storehouse of known metrics for when your campaigns will produce the most optimal results,” explains SearchWrite president, Larry Sivitz, a veteran search campaign architect, trainer and lecturer on the the search marketing event circuit. “By getting out of the inflationary keyword spiral and into real, cost-per-action performance, companies can partner with Google and leverage the power of the search marketing algorithm instead of bidding against competitors’s maximum CPC in traditional keyword auctions,” Sivitz added.
#1.) SearchWrite – What do Corbis Images, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, AT&T Wireless, Rheem Home Energy products, and Weight Watchers Online have in common? They have all entrusted SearchWrite to design and implement analytics-driven search marketing campaigns. Founded in the pre-Google era, the Bainbridge island-based company is one of the oldest and also the most active innovators in the search space covering content origination and syndication, predictive landing page testing, industrial-strength link building, and a unique BrandLink system of creating inks that generate not just higher authority but more qualified traffic everywhere your brand is mentioned. Contact: (206) 842-5420. Link.
#2.) Mockingbird Marketing – When Conrad Saam left the Avvo legal directory (where he helped market what has become the most used legal referral and advice portal), he founded this vertical search marketing agency uniquely dedicated to the legal profession. The verdict is in! Mockingbird is prosecuting excellent results. Link.
#3.) Point It Inc. Founded by industry vet Jon Lisbin, now run by Frank Coyle, Point-It began as a PPC shop but has expanded into full-service organic and paid search marketing campaigns plus social and design. Link
#4.) Distilled. With offices in London, New York and Seattle, Distilled made its name here when it inherited the clients of SEOMoz as that company transitioned from consulting shop to software tools maker. SearchLove, a two-day, search industry conference, is one of the newest offerings from the firm. Link.
#5.) Portent, Inc. Using the buzzy “Unified Internet Marketing,” and “Conversation Marketing,” Portent’s new home page claims that it calls “Bullsh*t” on Left Brain vs. Right Brain marketing, demanding a “Whole Brain” approach. While it may have finally run out of slogans, the company prides itself on an educational approach, from eBooks to video tutorials. Link.
#6.) Killer Infographics. If you think of this firm only as visual storytellers you’ve missed the significance of infographics, motion graphics and the new breed of interactive infographics to engage with audiences, stimulate link building, and beat the odds for “going viral” with your marketing message. Co-founders Amy Balliett and Nick Grant have assembled a stellar team and quickly outgrown their “killer crib” offices with a diverse array of customers. Link.
#7.) Wheelhouse Search – Wheelhouse is a boutique search marketing agency specializing in SEO, PPC, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and Analytics. The company recently ran a series on “Google Shopping 101” focusing on tracking Google Shopping feeds. Link.
Here’s wishing you higher search rankings, traffic, sales and conversation action with “White Hat” online marketing in 2015 and beyond! [24×7]
