about internet marketing

Companies across every industry are competing for top rankings on search engine results. And whether they turn to a marketing agency, SEO firm or consultant, there is an increasing demand for search engine optimization specialists.

Marketing professionals looking to break into this relatively new niche can’t necessarily rely on prestigious certifications or a long background as a SEO specialist to demonstrate their knowledge.

We spoke with SEO firms to get their advice for aspiring SEO specialists who want to impress potential employers and stand out from the pack.

1. Show, Don’t Tell

It doesn’t matter how pretty your resume is or how many years of experience you have. What SEO firms are looking for is proof that you can do a good job pulling their clients’ websites to the top of search engines. Do that, and you’re in.

“What I want to look at is sites that they’ve optimized,” explains Nick Spears, the director of search for SEO firm Incredible Marketing. “And I am going to basically open up the source code; I’m going to look at how they’re optimizing title tags and things as simplistic as keyword meta tags and descriptions.”

The best way to present your work is through an online profile. Billy Canu, the co-owner and COO of SEO by the Hour, suggests that you take screenshots of your rankings in case they change. If you’re wondering if something is impressive enough to include in your portfolio, use these guidelines from Spears:

First spot on class='blippr-nobr'>Googleclass="blippr-nobr">Google: “very impressive.”

Anything in the first five results: “generally where you want to brag.”

Obviously, the standards are different depending on the competition for the keywords. “SEO Firm” for instance, is a national search and harder to win than a geo-targeted phrase like “SEO Firm, Irvine, CA.”

2. Work For Anyone to Build Experience

Nobody (good) is going to hire you if you have no experience. But there are plenty of opportunities to get experience before you get your first SEO job. Here are a few ideas:

• Work on your own site. This is how both Spears and Canu got their start. Spears says he used his first sites as “crash dummies” in order to test what worked and what didn’t work. class='blippr-nobr'>Billyclass="blippr-nobr">Billy learned SEO while running an online DVD rental business. Working on your own site can be a great way to not only perfect your trade, but build a portfolio.
• Volunteer to help a non-profit improve its SEO. You’ll be contributing to a cause you care about and building your portfolio at the same time.
• Offer to work on somebody’s site for minimal compensation. There aren’t a lot of SEO internships, but there are plenty of businesses that need the service. Working for little pay now can pay off later.

3. Experience Trumps Degree

Since SEO is a relatively new field, most accreditation programs are relatively new, and universities are just now starting to offer classes on it. There are instructional programs offered through organizations like SEO company Bruce Clay and the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO), but your experience will trump any certification that you can buy.

“[Being certified] is fine and dandy, but what it really comes down to, for me hiring someone, is actually seeing their work rather than their ribbons or their certificates,” Spears explains.

4. Keep Learning

An SEO specialist’s job changes as fast as the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet. The rise of social search and social media, for instance, has affected how SEO works.

“Someone who would come to me and say, ‘I have a very good understanding of class='blippr-nobr'>Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook and Twitter’ is going to be a step ahead of someone who just comes in and says, ‘I understand the SEO strategies and history and things like that,’ ” Spears says.

A good way to stay up to date is to read SEO forums like Digital Point, SEO Guy or Webmaster Talk.

SEO/SEM Job Listings

Every week we put out a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we post a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top SEO/SEM job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

• Senior SEO Manager, eHow at Demand Media in Santa Monica, CA.
• SEO Developer at WebsiteBiz in Charlotte, NC.
• Search Engine Marketing Manager at The Advertising Checking Bureau, Inc. in Tempe, AZ.
• Sr Analyst, Search Engine Marketing at Digitas in Chicago, IL.
• Director of Search Engine Marketing and Pay Per Click at Jawa in Scottsdale, AZ.

More Job Search Resources from Mashable:

- Top 5 Qualities to Look for in Startup Job Candidates/> - HOW TO: Use Twitter Hashtags to Boost Your Job Search/> - 5 Tips for Aspiring Digital Copywriters/> - 6 Job Search Tips for Aspiring Programmers/> - HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, alex-mit, tacojim, SchulteProductions

For more Business coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Businessclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Business channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

If you're like most people who want to save money, de-clutter your home and still be connected at the fasted download rates available then you may be thinking about ditching your landline and relying on your mobile more. Less than two thirds of those under 30 years old connect a landline when they move out and this is expected to jump to half in the next three to five years.

About 15% of mobile phone users no longer have a fixed-line telephone at home, says a survey of 18,000 people conducted by ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority). But why is this? Well it's quite clear after Global Mobile hit the streets and spoke to a group of under-30-year-olds to find out the top three reasons.

1. Cost. The average cost to keep a home phone you never use is approximately $25 monthly i.e. you only use it to have broadband Internet in your home. Given the fact you can now get naked connections (connections that no longer need a live home phone account) this means more and more people are switching to naked connections. The providers are smart enough to price a naked Internet connection less than $25 extra to ensure you can see the cost benefit and switch.

2. Clutter/Wireless. The majority of people thought it was a no-brainer and would prefer to have an Internet connection with no wires. Why would you want cords running in your home office when you can go wireless?

3. Mobile Phone. The mobile phone is the number one personal device in the world today. In Australia. penetration has surpassed 100%; there are more mobile phones than people now. The costs are dropping month by month with unlimited plans starting from $70 a month. So why would you pay $25 monthly plus call charges when you can consolidate your services and reduce your costs by using your mobile more?

Continued on the next page


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Minecraft dev explains sales transparency PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

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Companies across every industry are competing for top rankings on search engine results. And whether they turn to a marketing agency, SEO firm or consultant, there is an increasing demand for search engine optimization specialists.

Marketing professionals looking to break into this relatively new niche can’t necessarily rely on prestigious certifications or a long background as a SEO specialist to demonstrate their knowledge.

We spoke with SEO firms to get their advice for aspiring SEO specialists who want to impress potential employers and stand out from the pack.

1. Show, Don’t Tell

It doesn’t matter how pretty your resume is or how many years of experience you have. What SEO firms are looking for is proof that you can do a good job pulling their clients’ websites to the top of search engines. Do that, and you’re in.

“What I want to look at is sites that they’ve optimized,” explains Nick Spears, the director of search for SEO firm Incredible Marketing. “And I am going to basically open up the source code; I’m going to look at how they’re optimizing title tags and things as simplistic as keyword meta tags and descriptions.”

The best way to present your work is through an online profile. Billy Canu, the co-owner and COO of SEO by the Hour, suggests that you take screenshots of your rankings in case they change. If you’re wondering if something is impressive enough to include in your portfolio, use these guidelines from Spears:

First spot on class='blippr-nobr'>Googleclass="blippr-nobr">Google: “very impressive.”

Anything in the first five results: “generally where you want to brag.”

Obviously, the standards are different depending on the competition for the keywords. “SEO Firm” for instance, is a national search and harder to win than a geo-targeted phrase like “SEO Firm, Irvine, CA.”

2. Work For Anyone to Build Experience

Nobody (good) is going to hire you if you have no experience. But there are plenty of opportunities to get experience before you get your first SEO job. Here are a few ideas:

• Work on your own site. This is how both Spears and Canu got their start. Spears says he used his first sites as “crash dummies” in order to test what worked and what didn’t work. class='blippr-nobr'>Billyclass="blippr-nobr">Billy learned SEO while running an online DVD rental business. Working on your own site can be a great way to not only perfect your trade, but build a portfolio.
• Volunteer to help a non-profit improve its SEO. You’ll be contributing to a cause you care about and building your portfolio at the same time.
• Offer to work on somebody’s site for minimal compensation. There aren’t a lot of SEO internships, but there are plenty of businesses that need the service. Working for little pay now can pay off later.

3. Experience Trumps Degree

Since SEO is a relatively new field, most accreditation programs are relatively new, and universities are just now starting to offer classes on it. There are instructional programs offered through organizations like SEO company Bruce Clay and the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO), but your experience will trump any certification that you can buy.

“[Being certified] is fine and dandy, but what it really comes down to, for me hiring someone, is actually seeing their work rather than their ribbons or their certificates,” Spears explains.

4. Keep Learning

An SEO specialist’s job changes as fast as the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet. The rise of social search and social media, for instance, has affected how SEO works.

“Someone who would come to me and say, ‘I have a very good understanding of class='blippr-nobr'>Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook and Twitter’ is going to be a step ahead of someone who just comes in and says, ‘I understand the SEO strategies and history and things like that,’ ” Spears says.

A good way to stay up to date is to read SEO forums like Digital Point, SEO Guy or Webmaster Talk.

SEO/SEM Job Listings

Every week we put out a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we post a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top SEO/SEM job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

• Senior SEO Manager, eHow at Demand Media in Santa Monica, CA.
• SEO Developer at WebsiteBiz in Charlotte, NC.
• Search Engine Marketing Manager at The Advertising Checking Bureau, Inc. in Tempe, AZ.
• Sr Analyst, Search Engine Marketing at Digitas in Chicago, IL.
• Director of Search Engine Marketing and Pay Per Click at Jawa in Scottsdale, AZ.

More Job Search Resources from Mashable:

- Top 5 Qualities to Look for in Startup Job Candidates/> - HOW TO: Use Twitter Hashtags to Boost Your Job Search/> - 5 Tips for Aspiring Digital Copywriters/> - 6 Job Search Tips for Aspiring Programmers/> - HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, alex-mit, tacojim, SchulteProductions

For more Business coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Businessclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Business channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

If you're like most people who want to save money, de-clutter your home and still be connected at the fasted download rates available then you may be thinking about ditching your landline and relying on your mobile more. Less than two thirds of those under 30 years old connect a landline when they move out and this is expected to jump to half in the next three to five years.

About 15% of mobile phone users no longer have a fixed-line telephone at home, says a survey of 18,000 people conducted by ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority). But why is this? Well it's quite clear after Global Mobile hit the streets and spoke to a group of under-30-year-olds to find out the top three reasons.

1. Cost. The average cost to keep a home phone you never use is approximately $25 monthly i.e. you only use it to have broadband Internet in your home. Given the fact you can now get naked connections (connections that no longer need a live home phone account) this means more and more people are switching to naked connections. The providers are smart enough to price a naked Internet connection less than $25 extra to ensure you can see the cost benefit and switch.

2. Clutter/Wireless. The majority of people thought it was a no-brainer and would prefer to have an Internet connection with no wires. Why would you want cords running in your home office when you can go wireless?

3. Mobile Phone. The mobile phone is the number one personal device in the world today. In Australia. penetration has surpassed 100%; there are more mobile phones than people now. The costs are dropping month by month with unlimited plans starting from $70 a month. So why would you pay $25 monthly plus call charges when you can consolidate your services and reduce your costs by using your mobile more?

Continued on the next page


bench_craft_company

The <b>News</b> Diamond reinterpreted: “Let the crowd have the middle <b>...</b>

Jonathon Shuler has published a post exploring the News Diamond from my Model for a 21st Century Newsroom. As part of that he's added an extra layer to th...

No Batmobile in Arkham City <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of No Batmobile in Arkham City. ... Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 teaser 14 December, 2009. Latest News. Batman: Arkham City details emerge . Batman: Arkham City revealed, dated . Batman domains name Arkham sequel? ...

Minecraft dev explains sales transparency PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PC news of Minecraft dev explains sales transparency.

bench_craft_company

The <b>News</b> Diamond reinterpreted: “Let the crowd have the middle <b>...</b>

Jonathon Shuler has published a post exploring the News Diamond from my Model for a 21st Century Newsroom. As part of that he's added an extra layer to th...

No Batmobile in Arkham City <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of No Batmobile in Arkham City. ... Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 teaser 14 December, 2009. Latest News. Batman: Arkham City details emerge . Batman: Arkham City revealed, dated . Batman domains name Arkham sequel? ...

Minecraft dev explains sales transparency PC <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PC news of Minecraft dev explains sales transparency.

bench_craft_company