FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Search Engine Marketing Expert to Speak on Impact of Search and Social
OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 10, 2012 – With the increasing numbers of people online searching for services and products, traditional marketing techniques fall short when it comes to capturing the online audience. It seems obvious that online marketing is the way to go, but so many questions arise: What search terms are people using to look for services? Is there a way to make my company’s website show up first in search results? How do I make sure all those online business directories have the correct information?
The burgeoning field of search engine optimization answers these questions and more. Commonly known as SEO, this is the process of editing a websites content and building inbound links in order to improve visibility within search engines. Some SEO firms also offer social media marketing and online business directory optimization, and demand for these services continues to rise.
According to Google, worldwide searches that include the term “SEO” have more than doubled in volume between Jan 2005 and Dec 2011.
Google reports that similar searches originating in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area have more than tripled in that same time period.
In an effort to boost local industry awareness and promote collaboration and idea- sharing, several Oklahoma City-area volunteers and organizations have partnered to host a networking event geared towards online marketers featuring keynote speaker Rob Garner, Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization vice president of North America.
Garner, also the vice president of strategy for iCrossing, will speak on the topic of “The State of Search, Social & their Impact on Web Businesses.” this is the process of editing a web site’s content and building inbound links in order to improve visibility within search engines. Some SEO firms also offer social media marketing and online business directory optimization, and demand for these services continues to rise.
In his role at iCrossing, Garner works with Fortune 500 brands to develop search engine marketing strategies that drive visibility, engagement, and results. By finding synergies between natural and paid search, designing websites for visibility from the ground up and incorporating search and social media strategies, Garner has helped some clients achieve as much as $1 billion in revenue from natural search alone.
An active advocate for the industry, Garner is a regular contributor for Media Post and has been quoted in several major media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, CNNMoney and The Dallas Morning News. Garner is also a regular speaker at search engine marketing industry events, and has spoken at Search Engine Strategies, Search Marketing Expo, WebmasterWorld’s PubCon, Search Insider Summit, Domain Roundtable and the Association of National Advertisers, among others.
Local volunteer and President of Digimeda LP Jay Chapman said the first priority of the event is to gather people from the area who not only practice SEO, SEM and social media marketing, but also those who see the value in such practices and are interested in sharing information.
“Most everybody in everyday life understands the importance of search engines, like Google, and social platforms, like Facebook, Twitter and Google+,” said Chapman. “But for businesses and organizations, harnessing the incredible growth opportunity these engines and platforms provide is critical. It’s not every day that we have an internationally recognized expert like Rob Garner to talk about search and social media’s impact.”
Chapman, also a SEMPO member, said that the involvement of sponsors like the Div, the host venue for the event, SEO Sales Pro, an Oklahoma City online marketing company, and SEMPO has made it possible to offer this event free of charge. He also said there will be refreshments prior to Garner’s presentation, which will be followed by a Q&A session and fellowship and networking to close the event.
Lindsey Miller, director of the Div, said she is excited that the Div is able to host such an event.
“We are thrilled Rob will be presenting,” Miller said. “His knowledge and insight will prove extremely valuable to those already working in web development, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, social marketing and to anyone interested in discovering the importance of these disciplines. It will be a very unique and useful evening.”
The event is slated for Feb. 9 at 6 PM at the Div in Edmond, located at 1712 S Kelly. Those interested in more information can contact Lindsey Miller at lindsey@thediv.org or call (405) 345-1348.
Media Contact:
Lindsey Miller
lindsey@thediv.org
(405) 345-1348
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