Yearly Archives: 2011
Ian Lurie7 Jun, 2011
How (not) to tell someone you can’t afford it
For every fantastic client we land at Portent, we talk to: 30-40 we like but can’t work with for one reason or another; 10-20 who make us a little nervous; 5-10 who we like, but are in industries we just won’t represent; 1-2 people who make me want to retire and open a combination gaming… Read More
Ian Lurie7 Jun, 2011
Yes, you have to write. No, you don’t have an excuse.
I wrote a guest post for Heather Lloyd-Martin’s SEO Copywriting blog. In it, I write about Tribbles, fish, and why you have to write, even if you think your clients are illiterate rodents. Read Just Write!.
Ian Lurie2 Jun, 2011
Google +1: NOT the internet marketing messiah
In the last few weeks, Google’s been hyping their new +1 voting feature. Click the little +1 and tell everyone you liked a particular search result. Then they announced the +1 button. Click that and tell your network about a page you like, right from that page. You don’t have to be on Google.com. Note… Read More
Design & Development Andy Schaff1 Jun, 2011
UK & European Cookie Law Solution (Free Script)
A European cookie law that regulates the use of web browser cookies is now in effect in the UK. That cookie law is based on guidelines set by the European Union. In a nutshell, the law states that websites must get a user’s consent before storing cookies on their device (computer, mobile phone, iPad, etc).… Read More
Ian Lurie1 Jun, 2011
Poke The Box. Just do it in private.
“Are you OK sir?” The guy next to me at SeaTac gate S8 was eyeing me dubiously as I sat reading Seth Godin’s Poke The Box. I’d just finished yet another passage that made me think “Hell YES!” Apparently, I was also nodding vigorously. My inner monologue was showing. It creeped out my fellow traveler.… Read More
Featured Ian Lurie27 May, 2011
Get Defensive (Design): First Smashing Magazine Article
Just got my first-ever article published on Smashing Magazine: Getting Started With Defensive Design. Anyone who’s read this blog for a while knows I obsess about good web defensive design. I’m really excited that SmashingMag accepted this article. The folks there put in a ton of time helping me get the article ship-shape, and put… Read More
Ian Lurie25 May, 2011
What freakish and frumpy aircraft teach you about internet marketing
This is a rewrite of an old, old bit I wrote on the Portent web site way back when. It’s not the same. Nor are my feelings on the subject. The best internet marketing campaigns are the ones you don’t notice—they just do their job, delivering the stuff you need to your screen, when you… Read More
Ian Lurie24 May, 2011
Inconceivable! 4 signs your project’s in big trouble
In every internet marketing project, there comes a time when the team members look at each other and say some version of “We. Are. F—ked.” And the project manager, like our friend Vizzini above, will say some version of “inconceivable!” I’ve been on both sides of that exchange. You probably have, too. Here are a… Read More
Elizabeth Marsten24 May, 2011
AdWords Comparison Ads for Finance
First introduced in 2009 for mortgages, Comparison Ads have expanded into the promised additional areas of credit cards, CDs, Checking and Savings accounts. Rolled out today, the expanded Google Advisor tool is open for business. I began immediately by taking test drives in both the user interface and in search to see what the ads… Read More
Ian Lurie23 May, 2011
The secret to internet marketing success? ‘Because I said so’
I’m going to let you in a secret. It’s the One Big Thing you have to know if you’re going to run an internet marketing campaign. Sometimes, you have to say ‘Because I said so’. Part of leadership is willingness to go out on a limb—to make a decision that isn’t supported by consensus or… Read More
Ian Lurie20 May, 2011
If Google were in charge of the 5/21 Rapture
I couldn’t resist. Everyone else is on the bandwagon, so why not me? If Google were in charge of the Rapture scheduled for Saturday, 5/21: It’d be in beta for the next 4 years; They’d check your e-mail messages to see if you were eligible; Famous people would get to the head of the line,… Read More
Ian Lurie19 May, 2011
Keyword research that doesn’t suck – how to
“You own a shoe store? Then you should optimize for shoes.” I actually heard an SEO tell that to someone at a conference, many years ago. The hapless listener (let’s call him HL) owned a shoe store. I don’t know if the SEO involved: Hated HL; Wanted the property that HL’s store occupied; Was was… Read More
Ian Lurie18 May, 2011
The shame of linkus interruptus: 9 things to check before you click publish
Some new, some not—my pre-blog publication checklist. I don’t follow these as well as I should, but do as I say, not as I do: Check links. Make sure they work! I blow this one all the time. It feels really stupid. Spare yourself the embarrassment of linkus interruptus. Delete the 1st two sentences. Whenever… Read More
Tom Schmitz18 May, 2011
Complete SEO Keyword Research Strategy
A complete SEO keyword research strategy. All the steps you need to make great keyword charts.
Ian Lurie17 May, 2011
3 rules of great copywriting, taught by Vogon poetry
Caution: Lots of ‘inside joke’ humor for Hitchhiker’s Guide readers in this post. If you haven’t read the books, consider moving on quietly while avoiding eye contact. Or, read it and see what you’ve been missing. Vogon Poetry, described in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as “The third-worst poetry in the Universe”, is a… Read More