Recently by Ian
Todd Mintz interviewed me for Search Engine Journal. If you’re looking for a chance to embarrass me at the next internet marketing conference, this interview has lots of good material: Read the interview here. You can follow Todd Mintz on Twitter at ToddMintz. Recommended reading! Also, best title award goes to @AlanBleiweiss:
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Continue reading Interview on Search Engine Journal
In January of 1995, I took my one credit card, purchased a Pentium 75 PC (running the latest version of Windows 3.0) and a business license, and launched The Written Word, Inc. That company is now named Portent Interactive. The date on that first business license is January 7, 1995. So, as of tomorrow, we’ve been around for 15 years. For perspective, when I started my company: There was no such thing as wifi; My 2800 baud modem was state of the art; Google and Yahoo! didn’t exist; Actually, neither did Firefox, Blackberry or cell phones that weighed less than
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Continue reading 15 Years
We’re expensive, I know. A long-term engagement with a quality Internet marketing agency is pricey. So we’ve developed a 1-on-1 consulting package that lets you get started without breaking the bank, and without a long-term retainer contract. As part of the program, you get: A custom report listing 10 things you can do to improve your site. 1 hour of 1-on-1 consulting with me, via phone, to explain the recommendations. If you’re a blogger, a small business or just want to test out Portent’s expertise, the 10Things package is perfect. Click here to learn about it, and to sign up.
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Continue reading The 10Things Site Review, by Portent
I’ll be running the Curmudgeon’s Web Copywriting Site Clinic on Tuesday at SES San Jose. 10-11 AM. Bring your web site and I’ll put it up on the big screen, walk through tweaks and changes to copy, and hopefully teach a little at the same time. Here’s all the info: Tuesday, August 11th, 10:00am - 11:00am The Curmudgeon’s Web Copywriting Clinic
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Continue reading Speaking at SES San Jose
If you host a web site with Portent, you’ve been kept apprised of the situation that started Thursday night at 11 PM. At this point, all sites are back ‘live’. The Fisher Plaza East data center is running on temporary power from Caterpillar generators that the City of Seattle set up outside. Here’s a quick rundown of what happened, why, and how we can avoid it in the future: Chain of Events Thursday 11 PM: A fire breaks out in the electrical hub at Plaza Center East. The sprinkler system activates, but floods and shorts out the emergency generators. Plaza
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Continue reading Fisher Plaza: Service Restored, Portent Response
I’ve been writing about the 5 S’s quite a bit of late. They’re 5 different kinds of optimization - story, search, strategy, spend, site - and they’re the core of our internet marketing philosophy. They also tie our services together. We have a long list of skills inhouse here at Portent, but really what we do is much more than a few items on a menu. Hopefully, this video explains a little bit about it: The 5 Kinds of Optimization: How Portent Works from ian lurie on Vimeo.
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Continue reading The 5 S's: How Portent Works
A proud day at Portent: Elizabeth Marsten (our lead PPC guru) and myself worked with three other authors to publish Web Marketing for Dummies All-in-One. I won’t belabor it, but I’m allowing myself a brief bit of pride. I wrote about 400 pages of this 800+ page book. I’m particularly proud, though, that one of my team is also an author. I feel pretty lucky to get to work with such a talented group of people. Marty Dickinson wrote Book 1: Web Presence. I wrote Book 2: Search Engine Optimization And Book 3: Web Analytics Elizabeth wrote Book 4: Online
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Continue reading Portent Team Co-Publishes a New Dummies Book
To me, internet marketing is comprised of 3 kinds of optimization. I’ve built Portent around these three areas - if you’re considering working with us, this is another way to look at our approach. The three types are: Site Optimization This is the least-known, at least by this name. We practice site optimization when we analyze how visitors use your site, and then make changes that will increase sales, or leads, or some other conversion rate. Site optimization includes: Analysis: Reviewing what’s attracting visitors and what’s driving them away. Creative work: Writing copy and designing pages that will welcome those
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Continue reading The Three Kinds of Optimization
I’ve taken great pains to explain exactly what my internet marketing company does, but folks don’t always get it. So here’s my take on what we do, in priority order: Pull it all together. You’re dealing with the web designer, the developer, the search expert and the writer. We pull it all together into a real-live strategy. Optimize. We perform three kinds of optimization: Search engine optimization (moving you up in the unpaid search rankings); ad spend optimization (making sure the dollars you spend on pay per click, banners and such are generating a return); and site optimization (improving conversion
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Continue reading What Does an Internet Marketing Company Do?
I’m speaking at SEMPDX Searchfest next month. In the mean time, Todd Mintz asked me a few questions about client relationships and ‘tough love’. If you work with me, you won’t be surprised: Searchfest 2009 Interview w/ Ian Lurie
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Continue reading Tough Love For Clients
