Articles by Ian Lurie
Ian Lurie // 18 Mar, 2015
Internet Marketing For Asshats
There are internet marketers. Then there are 100% pure internet marketing asshats. They stomp their moral compass to bits in the interest of earning more dollars (or pounds, or drachmas, or whatever). These are a few examples of their tactics: Commit libel Asshats write headlines that imply horrific things/inappropriate or reputation-destroying behavior, like ‘Is This… Read More
Ian Lurie // 2 Mar, 2015
Penguin, SEO & the Apocalypse
SEMPDX invited me to talk penalties at Searchfest 2015 (You should attend 2016, by the way). Here’s my presentation, with some extra explanatory slides: Bear in mind that the data in here was generated by me, a History major w/ a law degree. So treat them with a healthy grain of salt. You can rely… Read More
Ian Lurie // 27 Feb, 2015
Google, Mobile and Apps: I’m tired
It used to be that, when Google announced yet another tweak to their algorithm, I rubbed my hands with anticipation. Now, it just makes me tired. Yesterday, Google announced that mobile-readiness is now a worldwide ranking signal, and that indexable apps will influence personal search rankings. I should be excited. I’m just tired. Not because… Read More
Ian Lurie // 23 Feb, 2015
10 things I’d like to hear more often
I’m trying to become a more positive guy. So instead of a post like ‘10 things that make me weep for the species,’ or ‘10 reasons I want to swallow an HDMI adapter,’ I’m going with things I’d like to hear. Woo hoo! It’s Positive Monday! Note: These are my bad habits, too. I write… Read More
Ian Lurie // 19 Feb, 2015
Marketing Strategy for Search
I just did a presentation at Friends of Search (an amazing conference, by the way). I focused on strategic thinking for SEOs, PPCs and the like. Here are the slides: Check ‘em out.
Ian Lurie // 29 Dec, 2014
SEO Using Force-Directed Diagrams
Sometimes, the only way to understand a site is to look deep into the technology stack and gaze upon its dark, dark soul. But we at Portent try to avoid contact with evil beings. Instead, we use force-directed diagrams. I got my nerd on big-time and whipped up a few examples: A healthy site thriving… Read More
Ian Lurie // 20 Nov, 2014
Allies, not rockstars: Influencer research for us mortals
Most marketers equate ‘influencer research’ with ‘finding a celebrity who will endorse for free.’ I call that the Rockstar Method. It’s a miserable approach. Ready-and-waiting rockstar social amplifiers are slightly less common than mint-condition K cars. The Rockstar Method has its place with major brands, pure luck and the well-connected. Mere mortals like you and… Read More
Ian Lurie // 5 Nov, 2014
How to: Do a Twitter Audit in 1 Hour Or Less
I have a somewhat-random, step-by-step routine for auditing my own Twitter account (world, really, but I start with my account). I wrapped it up in a presentation. This is not a scientific method kind of thing. It’s more of a take-a-look-at-how-things-went-and-avoid-putting-both-feet-in-my-mouth kind of thing: Confirm, Observe, Adjust: How to audit your Twitter world an 1… Read More
Ian Lurie // 28 Oct, 2014
43 tools for modern marketers
Modern marketers are mutts: We have to write, edit, produce, plan, measure, learn, listen, speak and otherwise pull miracles out of our rear ends on a daily basis. We need tools. This is my list. By the way, no one’s paid me, bribed me, threatened me or otherwise steered me towards their products. This is… Read More
Ian Lurie // 23 Oct, 2014
How to: Hand off a task
Ah, the handoff. Passing a task along to a co-worker seems simple: Send a quick e-mail, or say, “OK, all yours” and you’re done. Wrong. That’s the kind of handoff that sends everything swirling down the potty. There’s a right way to do handoffs. I did a SlideShare about how I approach handoffs. Have a… Read More
Ian Lurie // 10 Oct, 2014
Search Awards 2014 – Best SEO Campaign
^ Note: That’s Ken Colborn up there. Keep reading. It’ll all make sense. ^ We won! Best SEO Campaign of 2014. Allow me to wax philosophical for a second: My team constantly teaches me new stuff. Their skills and approach are a constant inspiration, and I can’t say it enough times: It’s such an honor… Read More
Ian Lurie // 8 Oct, 2014
Google Custom Affinities Is Here: What You Should Do
Yesterday, Google rolled out ‘custom affinities’ — their way to cross-target different audience segments. You can read about it on The Verge: Google rolls out custom affinity audiences ad tool for targeting very specific groups of people We’ve been researching this for a few years now. We started showing our results when I babbled about… Read More
Ian Lurie // 29 Sep, 2014
A Geek’s Guide To Gaming The Algorithms
I talk about all that’s wrong in marketing, tactics vs. strategy, etc. etc. We’re ignoring strategy and sound marketing. We work too hard to game the algorithm at the expense of long-term business development. FYI: For me, gaming the algorithm means finding the fine edge between legitimate and spam, and skating that edge. For me,… Read More
Ian Lurie // 22 Sep, 2014
One-Trick Ponies: The ebook
You’ve heard me rant about strategy vs. tactics, and why tactics-only business relationships are getting marketing agencies fired. I’ve realized it’s a much bigger problem than that. If you look at the last 15 years, the drive to ‘productize’ services has ripped the guts out of any business that is paid for an individual’s craft… Read More
Ian Lurie // 10 Sep, 2014
Portent’s Ice Bucket Challenge: Spread the Wealth!
We got challenged! Some colleagues challenged Portent in the Ice Bucket challenge. Here’s the video: We changed it up. Here’s why: ALSA has now raised $111 million. That is freaking fantastic. It’s a great cause. 5,000-6,000 people are diagnosed with ALS each year, impacting tens of thousands of people. 30,000 or more Americans live with… Read More