Networking UK SEOs: introduce yourself…

I often think that the people who work in search marketing or more specifically search engine optimisation, often take the lead from USA SEO’s, which is no bad thing considering how many SEO heroes there are.  This is certainly not a bad thing, but there are great benefits of building a closer network of UK SEO’s…

Networking UK SEO’s

By developing online networks in the UK, consultants and specialists can develop and share more ideas and practices, of which I’m really wanting to push for the following reasons:

• Sharing thoughts and resources on research into  UK search engine algorithms…
• Meet at UK conferences or other search marketing events…
• Share news, views and reviews of UK tools and websites…
• Build networking opportunities for recruitment purposes, venture capital, joint ventures…

It’s not like I’m trying to carve a divide between the UK and USA (or other nations for that matter), but it makes a whole more sense for us to build a closer network of our own.

My networks:

Email: ben {at} justmeandmy dot com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/yetanotherben

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/benmckayseo

I write here: Ben McKay’s Blog

Digg profile: Ben McKay at Digg

Sphinn profile: Ben McKay at Sphinn

Telephone: 07828 760 343

Skype: yetanotherben

Address: Lymm, Warrington, Cheshire, UK

So UK SEOs , please introduce yourself

I realise there are some real top dogs in the UK SEO industry already who do already frequently meet and share a great deal online, but if you’re not quite yet a super-star SEO yet , then please feel free to introduce yourself…

SEO Alignment…

When I talk to clients, I talk a lot about SEO alignment. This refers to the functional aspects of on and offline marketing activity integrating.  Essentially it’s how the direct and indirect marketing channels pull together to market the website, avoid SEO being a stand-alone activity, and provide an informed picture to search engines.

SEO Alignment

This needn’t be excessively pushy or spammy, nor need it be a search engine marketers headache, but provided the search consultant asks the right questions and are provided with the business and marketing information then plans can be put in place.

SEO Planning

The analysis and marketing plan is one of my favourite aspects of working in search marketing, for good reasons. The analysis is the detective work: highlighting the current situation, trouble areas and the very best opportunities to market the website online. The search marketing plan is essentially building this into a road-map of activity, and on a micro-level, creating a to-do list that will improve the site’s performance.

The IT and Marketing Case

Search engine optimisation is a fascinating merger of technical I.T. skills and marketing prowess. What we tend to see from successful SEO specialists is that the more effective the SEO’s marketing approach is, the better the return on investment from the technical input. This essentially means that optimising websites is not simply about engineering them for search engines, but rather that a sprinkle of marketing flare can go a long way.

Although, don’t let marketing flare and technical aspects of web dev or SEO collide by treating them as independent functions.  Let them run in a way that helps them act as a catalyst for progress for one another by providing them with overlapping agendas.  An example of this would be challenging them to work on creating the optimal, accessible website structure for users and bots.

So day-to-day, how can this be applied?

To integrate SEO, marketing and IT, it’s really a case of each area of the business (if unique) knowing the what’s and the how’s of everything. Sometimes an SEO specialist can help simply by integrating and capitalising on what is already there. It’s vital to draw marketing information from as many parts of the business as possible, maybe start by asking:

• What is the website’s purpose as part of the business or organisation? Brand-building, sales, social media / newsletter-sign-ups, educational, post-sale support, cross-selling, affiliate, etc…?
• Who are the ideal visitors? Ideal customer behaviour?
• Access to the current market research and plan?
• Are there other websites that the company owns?
• Does the company have other business partnerships, affiliates?
• SEO project team – company integration as opposed to simply the SEO consultant?

Integrating the technical and analytical activity, along with marketing flare and planning, become the new, qualitative ranking factors, where rankings can be shown to increase exponentially if all items are pulled together…SEO alignment.

Some of my SEO Heroes…

I want to start this blog as I mean to go on.  Naturally.  Here I will capture my thoughts, ideas and industry news for search marketing…covering search engine optimisation, pay-per-click advertising and social media.

Integrated?  Bite-sized…

I’d love to think that I will be taking an ‘integrated’ approach like I advise my clients; covering topics as they relate to each other, but no one is likely to read a thesis on search marketing in their lunch hour so I’m going to do my best to keep my blog posts short and sharp to provide pockets of information.

A few thank you’s…

I have a business management education.  I have a marketing education.  But nothing beats my SEO education.  The guys’ and girls’ blogs that I have immersed myself in over the last few years have truly added a great deal of value, so I just wanted to send a little thank you their way.

Apologies for the puns and bad jokes on the blog titles and the work that they do.  It’s late, and it helps keep my brain’s left-side ticking over…my SEO education:

• Dan Thies, my first introduction to SEO via Sitepoint.

• Patrick Altoft, there is a wind-a-blowing.  An excellent commercially-focussed SEO blog.

• Jill Whalen, hugely respected in the SEO field for her years’ of experience since the industry’s infancy.

• Aaron Wall, famous via a certain SEO book, and putting-up with my incessant comments on his blog.

• Rand Fiskin, notoriously notorious in the world of SEO.

• Rae Hoffman, too scared to say anything as she might pull rank.

• Nick Wilsdon, a social kinda guy.

• Lyndon Antcliff, like pasties, drives a tractor, oh, and he is incredibly successful at driving linkbait strategies.

• Jim Boykin, link-builder extraordinaire.

• Rob Kerry, an intentionally bad, jealous primate.

• Ciaron Norris, a very altogether, music loving guy.

• David Naylor, the legend that is.  Haven’t I won that Famous SEO Overnight competition yet?!  Don’t tell me I wasted my best joke?  [ed: I won!]

• Matt Cutts, my mother always said don’t say anything, if you can’t be polite…only kidding, he’s the face to Google’s guidelines around SEO.

• Michael Gray, avoid at all costs on a full moon.

• Jeremy Schoemaker, the affiliate of shoe affiliates.

• Richard Baxter, well into his SEO gizmos and gadgety type things.

• Ann Smarty pants, a SEO content factory.

…still allowing plenty of space for a certain future UK Super-Star SEO, Ben McKay!  Other SEO bloggers who have really impressed me lately have been:

• Shana Albert

• Tom Critchlow

• Gab Goldenberg

There’s got to be a whole load of people that I am missing but if anyone is looking to learn a thing or two about marketing to websites, this is certainly a very comprehensive list to go at. If you’re not on the list, and think you should be let me know…

Interestingly, many of the guys above are American, as it still seems that the UK search marketing industry is still picking up momentum.  Really fascinating stuff, but shows that the UK companies who start SEO-ing first have a lot to gain…

Your host: Ben McKay, SEO Consultant

It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally decided to put down my own thoughts and ideas down into a place of my own.

Sociable SEO Guy

I’ve been fairly sociable online in recent years – blogging for other sites, commenting daily on SEO news and advice – but now I thought that it would be a good idea to put together my own ideas and thoughts in a way I have more freedom ove…I suppose it’s partly a profile-raising excericse, to contribute to the SEO community positively, and me just being friendly!

Email Ben McKay

It’s always nice when I get emails from fellow SEO’s, I love networking online and best of all when a prospective client get’s in touch!  Feel free to drop me an email and say ‘hi’…

ben {at} justmeandmy.com

Ironing

I’m currently ironing out my site at the moment, but I’d certainly be happy to answer any questions if you wish to contact me.

Stack of Jobs

I realise this site is not exactly a guiding light on best practice SEO – in fact it’s a long way off.  But wanted to get it up and running, being crawled, ageing asap for the future….I’m taking the long-term perspective…

Read

You can read more about me, Ben McKay, here, contact me or go back to the main website, Just Me and My.  Thanks for popping by.