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05.30.2013 Elizabeth Marsten to speak at DMD
Portent’s Senior Director of Search Marketing will be presenting at the Digital Marketing Depot on June 4. Her topic, “Taking Your PLA Campaigns to the Next Level,” will provide advanced tips that go beyond the basic settings and best practices you’ve already heard. You can sign up here.
05.29.2013 Ian Lurie to Keynote at SCOE
Ian will speak on the topic “Don’t Ice Skate Uphill: Internet Marketing for Small Business” at the Sellers’ Conference for Online Entrepreneurs in Seattle this Friday. Ian will cover topics like:
- Repurposing existing content
- Creating new content
- Scoring the easy win
For more details or to see the presentation in person, check out the SCOE website.
04.09.2013 Elizabeth Marsten a ‘PPC Hero’
Portent’s Senior Director of Search Marketing Elizabeth Marsten participated in a panel at the PPC Hero Conference earlier today on the subject of “Extending Your Campaigns with Product Listing Ads”. Joining Matt Umbro, George Michie and moderator Joe Kerschbaum, Elizabeth discussed creating and optimizing a feed, as well as options for non-Google PLAs.
To check out more of Elizabeth’s PPC expertise, take a look at her PLA eBook for beginners or visit some of her posts on the Portent blog.
04.02.2013 Where in the World is Ian Lurie?
Need your Ian fix? Check out some of his upcoming speaking engagements:
Ad:Tech San Francisco
Date: April 9, 2013
Title: “Content Marketing: Tactics and Tools for Success”
Topic: Content Marketing
Ian joins Liya Sharif, Matt Cohen and Rebecca Lieb for a discussion of content’s evolving place in the search firmament and how to leverage your online content for maximum ROI.
http://na.ad-tech.com/sf/
eMetrics Summit
Date: April 16, 2013
Title: “Data That Persuades: How to Prove Your Point”
Topic: Data Presentation
Ian will discuss methods for making complex analytics and performance metrics digestible to executives and the C-level.
http://www.emetrics.org/
Innotech
Date: May 2, 2013
Title: “5 Must-Use Google Analytics Reports and Tools”
Topic: Analytics
Ian drills deeper into Google Analytics, explaining how to track content effectiveness and attribution.
http://www.innotechconferences.com/oregon/
Look for updates and slidedecks post-appearance!
03.22.2013 Michael Wiegand takes part in online PPC forum
Along with industry heavyweights like Brad Geddes, Dave Szetela, Crystal O’Neill and Larry Kim, Portent’s Michael Wiegand discussed the future of PPC during Koozai’s expert forum on March 20. Covering topics such as enhanced campaigns, international PPC and campaign automation, 12 leading experts shared their experiences and philosophies on all things pay-per-click.
To read their advice, visit Koozai – and check out our blog for more of Michael’s paid search know-how.
03.01.2013 Elizabeth Marsten to speak on, moderate panels at SMX West
Portent’s Director of Search Marketing Elizabeth Marsten will be at SMX West from March 11-13 discussing all things PPC. She joins Jeff Ferguson and Dana Todd (as well as moderator Matt Van Wagner) for “PPC Tune-up Clinic with the SMX Mechanics” on the 13th.
Elizabeth will also be moderating three panels entitled “Google Shopping Goes Pay-For-Play,” “Up Close with Product Listing Ads,” and “YouTube Words: Tying Your PPC Campaigns To YouTube.” If you are planning on attending SMX West, be sure to prepare a question. (She’ll be the one racing around with the mic.)
02.12.2013 SEO team selected for speaking engagements, board membership
Senior SEO Strategist Marianne Sweeny will be appearing at SMX Toronto on March 21. She is participating in the panel discussion “Advanced Keyword Research & Competitive Analysis Tactics.” For more information, visit the SMX Toronto site.
SEO Strategist David Portney has recently accepted an invitation to become a member of the SEMpdx board. SEMpdx is a Portland-based organization dedicated to improving the reputation and reach of the Portland search engine marketing community. It was founded in 2006 and continues to be a resource in digital marketing.
02.01.2013 Portent’s Marsten featured in this quarter’s Search Marketing Standard
Elizabeth Marsten, our very own Director of Search Marketing, wrote “Ad Copy: The Best Friend You Haven’t Called Lately” for the Winter 2012-13 issue of the popular industry trade publication.
The full version of Elizabeth’s article, which includes tips on keeping your ad content fresh, retargeting with multiple ads and creating meaningful personas for various demographics, is available on the Search Marketing Standard site.
For more in-depth paid search know-how from Elizabeth, check out her eBook “Write Ad Copy That Inspires Greatness.”
01.30.2013 Elizabeth Marsten to speak at SEMPO
On Feb. 19, Portent’s Director of Search Marketing is going to speak on “Product Listing Ads: They’re All the Rage” for SEMPO, a nonprofit trade organization that serves the digital marketing industry.
Her 45 minute webinar will be followed by a 15 minute question and answer period. The session is available to SEMPO members only, but she will be posting her slidedeck after the appearance.
01.30.2013: Where in the world is Ian Lurie?
Our fearless leader continues to span the globe with two speaking engagements on the horizon:
SEMpdx SearchFest
Date: Feb. 21-22, 2013
Title: TBD
Topic: Content Marketing
Ian will drop some knowledge on using good content to drive traffic, consumer loyalty and sales.
http://www.sempdx.org/searchfest/
LinkLove London
Date: March 12-15, 2013
Title: “Enterprise Link Profile Analysis”
Topic: How to use machine learning to automate spam detection
Ian will geek out with fellow search geeks in their noble quest to defeat the spammers.
http://www.distilled.net/events/linklove-london/
We will update post-appearance so keep an eye out for slidedecks, wrap-ups and the like.
01.03.2013: Portent to participate in Snow Day!
On Jan. 12, 2013, Portent, Inc. will participate in the official attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records’ record for the largest snowball fight ever as part of Snow Day 2013 in the Seattle Center.
We will also be dedicating our dubious engineering talents to designing and building an amazing glacial castle.
Snow Day 2013 is the brainchild of a team of young philanthropists who wanted to revisit a favorite childhood pastime (playing in the snow) while raising funds for the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County.
We encourage everyone to join us! Tickets are $25. To register, visit the Snow Day site.
12.28.2012: Doug Antkowiak’s social media post named Best in 2012
Congratulations to Portent’s Lead Social Media Strategist Doug Antkowiak for his Search Engine Journal post on social sharing buttons being awarded Best of SEJ in 2012. You can check out more of Doug’s insightful writings on his Portent author page.
12.20.2012: Portent, Inc. announces Josh Patrice as SEO Manager
We are proud to announce the promotion of Josh Patrice to the new position of SEO Manager.
Josh has been with Portent since February 2010, bringing nearly 10 years of experience in the field of search engine marketing. He has a background in User Experience (UX) Design and Information Architecture and has been a featured speaker at several American Marketing Association luncheons.
This summer in Denver, Josh coached Marketing Sherpa attendees on the finer points of SEO including: conversion funnels, landing page strategies, and site design. At Portent, he has taken the lead in revamping SEO team efforts including writing internal guides on process and strategy for the team and for clients. He will oversee Portent’s growing SEO team.
“Josh has been great since he started at Portent,” said Portent CEO Ian Lurie. “His ability to think both analytically and creatively makes him a perfect leader at Portent. I can’t wait to see how the SEO team grows and improves with him at the helm.”
Elizabeth Marsten, Portent’s Director of Search Marketing, said, “Josh has grown immensely this year in his SEO knowledge and management skills and I am looking forward to seeing what he has in store for us as the SEO Manager.”
12.10.2012: Portent’s Elizabeth Marsten speaks at American Outdoors
Portent Director of Search Marketing Elizabeth Marsten recently attended the American Outdoors Association 2012 Conference in Dayton Beach, Fla. During the event, the worlds of outdoor adventures and search marketing collided, as businesses specializing in hobbies such as rafting, kayaking and zip-lining were introduced to tips on how to improve their performance in search.
During her two seminars, “Pay Per Click 101” and “Advanced PPC,” Elizabeth ensured that each attendee walked away with at least one search marketing strategy that could be immediately implemented.
Assuming you weren’t able to attend the conference and experience the warm December weather in Florida yourself, you can still check out either one of Elizabeth’s presentations on Slideshare below:
10.31.2012: Ian speaks on Search and Social at SIC
Portent founder Ian Lurie gave the presentation “Signs and Portents: The Future of Search and Social” at the 2012 Seattle Interactive Conference on Tuesday. Ian pointed out that the rise of both ubiquitous and embedded search mean businesses have to think beyond the web and common tactics, focusing instead on smart marketing and discoverability.
For those of you who missed him in the flesh, you can check out Ian’s presentation on Slideshare.
10.15.12: Portent’s Michael Wiegand quoted in new eBook on eBooks
Big congratulations to our PPC specialist Michael Wiegand, whose words of wisdom on all things pay-per-click are (digitally) captured for posterity in hy.ly’s “Ultimate eBook on eBooks.” Michael offers helpful suggestions on analyzing data in Adwords to better funnel potential conversions.
For more of Wiegandian insight, check out his recent blog post on the perfect Google Analytics Dashboard.
10.15.12: Where in the world is Ian Lurie?
Ian has a number of upcoming speaking engagements you may want to check out, including:
Pubcon Las Vegas
Date: Oct. 18, 2012
Topic: “Analytics API’s and Analytics Management”
Ian will speak on a panel with fellow web marketing gurus Richard Zwicky, Nate Griffin and Vanessa Fox.
http://www.pubcon.com/
Seattle Interactive Conference
Date: Oct. 29-30, 2012
Topic: “Search and Social”
Ian joins speakers from Microsoft, Google and AOL.
http://www.seattleinteractive.com/conference
Searchlove Boston
Date: Nov. 6, 2012
Topic: TBD (but something awesome)
Ian shakes up search on the East Coast.
http://www.distilled.net/events/searchlove-boston/
10.10.12: Marsten gets thumbs up on new Portent eBook
Congratulations to Portent’s very own Director of Search Marketing Elizabeth Marsten on a stellar review of her new eBook “Write Ad Copy that Inspires Greatness.”
“Ad Copy” is a guide for transforming tired paid search content into attention-grabbing copy, using engaging (and often hysterical) examples of faux PPC ads.
Elizabeth – who has spoken on ad copy at SMX Advanced as well as at SMX East and West – developed the philosophy behind the eBook during her 6+ years of PPC experience, evaluating the efficiency and conversion rates of paid ads.
If you’re interested in taking a look at Elizabeth’s roadmap for constructing attention-demanding, product-defining one-liners certain to snag clicks, you can download a copy for $9.95.
09.18.12: Portent, Inc. announces local SEO package with Facebook discount
Portent announced today a Facebook contest to promote the addition of a local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) package to their existing line of Internet marketing services (PPC, social media, Google analytics and more). Local SEO is increasingly important now that local search results dominate the rankings for most services, and Portent has the SEO expertise to help local firms get exposure.
The Facebook promotion offers a discounted price of $1,500 for Portent’s Local SEO package. For a one-time fee, small businesses who take advantage of Portent’s Local SEO package will learn how to rank alongside national competitors in local rankings. Large businesses will understand how to optimize results for local branches. The fee for this service is normally $2,000.
Data from Bing suggests that 50% of searches from mobile devices have local intent. Portent’s Local SEO package puts businesses in front of prospects looking for a local connection. Participating businesses will find out how to claim and optimize local listings, get citations in other local sites, solicit customer reviews, create conversation on social networking sites, and more. Full package details are available online.
Doug Buenz, Realtor with 680Homes, said he would “highly recommend Portent to anyone looking for practical, concrete steps to improve the performance of their site. Thanks to Portent’s great insights and practical tips on how to improve my SEO efforts, http://www.680Homes.com now ranks on the first page of Google for all of my major search terms!”
08.21.12: Portent to exhibit at 2012 Shop.org Annual Summit
Portent CEO Ian Lurie, President Steve Gahler and Director of Search Marketing Elizabeth Marsten will attend the 2012 Shop.org Annual Summit from September 10-12 in Denver, CO. Offering conference attendees free website optimization consultations, Portent will join over 200 solution providers exhibiting in the EXPO Hall.
This is Portent’s first trip to the influential summit.
Shop.org is an organization of over 500 companies and thousands of members dedicated to the goal of advancing the digital retail industry. This year’s conference offers two and a half days of speakers, networking and education. For more information on the event, see shop.org and follow the hashtag #SHOPORG12.
08.17.12: Portent’s Elizabeth Marsten to speak at SMX East
Portent Director of Search Marketing Elizabeth Marsten is slated to speak at SMX East, a major search marketing expo, on Oct. 2. Elizabeth will address the gathering of web marketing professionals on the topic of “Pumping Up Your Flabby PPC Pecs.”
Covering everything from PLA (product listing ads) best practices and RAIS (rich ads in search) to the supremacy of Chuck Norris, Elizabeth’s presentation has all the hallmarks of a classic.
SMX East takes place Oct. 2-4 in New York City. Workshops are scheduled for Oct. 1. For more information, see their website and follow them on Twitter.
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UPDATE: Elizabeth spoke to an enthusiastic audience of 75 during the first panel of the conference on Oct. 2.
You can see some of what you missed by checking out Elizabeth’s SMX East presentation slides.
(And if you’re a big fan of that cinematic extravaganza of veiny 80s has-beens “The Expendables,” you have no idea how much your life could have improved…)
08.14.12: Ian to speak at SES San Francisco
Portent CEO Ian Lurie will be speaking at SES San Francisco this Thursday on the topic of Data That Persuades: How to Prove Your Point. Joining some of the top minds in the search marketing industry, Ian will cover a wide array of topics including data visualization and presentation.
Founded in 1999, SES is a search and social marketing event series that takes place across the globe in locations such as London, Berlin, Chicago and Hong Kong. For more information, check out their website.
And you can follow the SES play-by-play on Twitter with the hashtag #SESSF.
08.07.12: Web Marketing All-in-One for Dummies (Second Edition) is released
Portent CEO Ian Lurie and Director of Search Marketing Elizabeth Marsten have lent their extensive knowledge and experience for a second time to the highly successful Dummies series of books in “Web Marketing All-in-One for Dummies.” Joining fellow authors John Arnold, Michael Becker, Marty Dickinson, Ian and Elizabeth help novices and veterans alike navigate the tricky waters of Internet marketing in the 21st Century.
07.25.12: “Build Links without Doing Anything”: Ian Lurie speaks at MozCon
On July 25, Portent CEO Ian Lurie addressed a packed house on Penguin and the death of lazy linkbuilding at MozCon 2012, a gathering of influential members of the SEO community.
Ian led participants through a step-by-step process for creating authority with well-written and relevant content. Ian suggested using idea graphs to link seemingly disparate interests, resulting in content that matters to an audience.
07.13.12: Portent celebrates new neighborhood with Pi(e) Day
Members of Portent’s elite social welcoming committee bounced from office to office on July 13, giving away pies to various local businesses and area residents. Lemon, apple, chocolate and coconut pies were offered. Along with the pies, Portent issued a Frisbee challenge which was carried out Friday, July 27 to great public acclaim.
07.12.12: Josh Patrice speaks at AMA Portland
Josh Patrice, Portent’s SEO team lead and all-around search guru, spoke on July 12 at the American Marketing Association’s event “Optimize Your Website for Maximum User Engagement & Conversion” in Portland. After providing an overview of SEO and UX, Josh gave examples of good UX (easy navigation and a clear call to action) and bad UX (confusion and bad layout) then demonstrated how SEO and UX (often at odds) can work together.
Slides of his speech are available here.
06.11.12:Josh Patrice and Michael Wiegand consult at Marketing Sherpa Denver
Portent’s very own web marketing whiz kids Josh Patrice and Michael Wiegand, masters of SEO and PPC respectively, conducted 30-minute coaching sessions with Marketing Sherpa attendees in early June. Marketing Sherpa, a research institute offering classes, articles and videos on the evolving and complex world of marketing, holds regular training and certification workshops.
With one-on-one sessions focused on conversion rate optimization, Josh helped participants identify and address problems in their conversion funnels, landing page strategies, and site designs. Michael’s sessions focused on analytics setup and interpretation. Josh and Michael look forward to returning to Marketing Sherpa in the near future.
06.01.12: Portent moves to Smith Tower
We’ve moved! We’re now located in downtown Seattle, in Smith Tower. Read Ian’s thoughts about this company milestone. | Read Article
05.05.12: It’s official – Portent’s moving to Smith Tower
The Seattle Times writes about Portent’s big June 1 move. | Read Article
05.03.12: Why Google Isn’t Going Away
CEO Ian Lurie writes about Google’s staying power on AllThingsD. | Read Article
04.28.12: Ian Lurie’s Guest Post on TechCrunch
Read his piece “Why the IPO Ruined Google” on TechCrunch. | Read Article
02.17.12: Ian Lurie elected to SEMPO Board of Directors
Ian joins the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization Board. | Read Article
01.01.12: Exciting news: Steve Gahler joins the team
Media veteran Steve Gahler joins Portent as President. | Read Article
05.27.11: Getting Started With Defensive Web Design
Ian Lurie published in Smashing Magazine. | Read Article
03.30.11: Portent Interactive launches PPC e-Book for Small Business
Elizabeth Marsten, Portent’s Director of Search, authors our latest e-book offering. | Read Article
09.08.08: Portent President Published on DMNews
Ian Lurie, CEO of Portent Interactive was recently published on DM News. The article titled, “How to Use Ad Creative as Part of a Multivariate Test,” explains how to get the best results from multivariate testing. | Read Article
09.04.08: Crain Communications Selects Portent Interactive as SEO Agency of Record
Crain Communications, Inc. has selected Seattle Internet marketing agency
Portent Interactive as their search engine optimization agency of record. | Read Article
08.07.08: TopSEOs Ranks Portent Interactive a Top Ten Search Marketing Agency
TopSEOs (http://www.topseos.com) has named Portent Interactive (http://www.eigene-homepage-erstellen.net) one of the Internet search marketing industry’s top ten organic SEO and paid search firms. | Read Article
02.29.08: MarketingSherpa Honors Portent Interactive with 2008 Email Marketing Award
At MarketingSherpa’s 3rd Annual Email Summit award ceremony held February 26, Portent Interactive was presented with an Honorable Mention in the Best Email Opt-in Campaign (B2B) category for its momAgenda campaign. | Read Article
02.23.08: Portent Interactive CEO joins Search Marketing Expo Speakers
Portent Interactive CEO Ian Lurie is speaking at Search Marketing Expo (SMX), in San Jose, CA. Industry professionals from around the world will attend the conference Feb 26-28. | Read Article
12.21.07: A New Portent Interactive Blog is Taking the PC out of PPC
PPC Villain gives bland pay-per-click blogs their comeuppance. | Read Article
11.19.07: Portent Interactive Announces Eight Ways to Prepare for Cyber Monday
Get Your Store Ready for Cyber Monday with these 8 Tips. | Read Article
10.26.07: Ian speaks at Search Marketing Expo 2007
Ian Lurie teaches how it’s done in this provocative session on paid search tactics. | Read Article
09.18.07: Search Wins. The Relative Value of Internet Marketing Vehicles
Portent Interactive has completed a year-long research project comparing the value generated by several Internet marketing vehicles. | Read Article
09.17.07: Wham Bam Internet Marketing Leads to Flash-in-the-Pan Fame
Severing an Internet marketing campaign too soon can make that success very short-lived. Here’s a story of a Portent client who learned this lesson the hard way. | Read Article
02.13.07: Yahoo Panama
Portent tests Yahoo’s new paid search algorithm. | Read Article
12.15.06: Adwords Qualified
Portent Interactive awarded Google Qualified status by Google. | Read Article
11.15.06: SEO Success: Brides.com #1 publication for ‘wedding dresses’
Brides.com, the online destination for Brides, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride Magazines, is now the top-ranked publication for the phrase ‘wedding dresses’ on Google. | Read Article
05.03.06: Portent Tapped by Women’s Wear Daily, Kindermusik, Tour of California
Delivers Interactive Internet Marketing, Site Design, Web Analytics and SEO. | Read Article
01.11.06: Search Engine Optimization, Salt & White Hats
Portent’s work with Saltworks featured in Washington CEO article. | Read Article
12.01.05: A Web Site Gets the Royal Treatment
Portent’s Internet marketing strategy helps Princess Tours grow, improve customer satisfaction. Article in CRM Magazine, December 2005 issue. | Read Article
10.26.05: Saltworks Success
Portent uses search engine optimization, Internet marketing to cut e-tailer’s PPC costs 50%, grow sales 230%. | Read Case Study
08.03.05: Measure Internet Marketing ROI: The Four Basic Questions
The success of an online marketing campaign is easily measured, even formulaic, if you just follow four easy steps. | Read Article
07.25.05: Portent Featured In Seattle Business Journal
Portent Interactive is featured in July’s Puget Sound Business Journal. You can read about it online. | Read Article
04.30.05: Dessy.com selected as Macromedia Site of the Day
Dessy.com, built by Portent Interactive, was selected as the Macromedia Site of the Day! | Read Article
02.15.05: Ian Lurie a panelist at Key Words, Key Strategies, Key Technologies
Semantic space, content and avoiding search engine ranking penalties were all topics of discussion at this WSA Dinner Meeting. | Read Article
11.01.04: Statistical Method Makes SEO More Efficient, Results More Predictable
Internet marketing agency Portent Interactive has published their statistical model for planning search engine ranking and clickthru. | Read Article
06.09.04: Ian Lurie Panelist at Search Engine Optimization Discussion
Washington Software Association marketing special interest group presentation on search engine optimization. | Read Article
