The Findability Formula – SEM Synergy Extras

On SEM Synergy today, Bruce and co-hosts Susan, Jim Stratton and myself discussed some new online ad opportunities as well as a familiar ad platform in the online search industry, pay per click advertising. Global marketing agency Interpublic has predicted that search advertising will be the only major marketing medium to grow its market this year. Those business owners and advertisers just stepping foot into the search ad space will have some catching up to do, but they won’t have to be lost.

Our guest today was Heather Lutze, author of The Findability Formula: The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing. Heather has more than a decade of experience managing PPC campaigns, and as a speaker and consultant she has an excellent teaching background for paid search. It’s a characteristic reflected in Heather’s easy-to-understand style and conversational tone that makes The Findability Formula a great resource for marketers of all levels.

In 250 pages, Heather rounds out the spectrum of knowledge needed before competent search ad management can take place. And while the topic of paid search advertising is both broad and deep, she performs a skillful balancing act between describing high-level concepts and strategies and providing details and examples which drill down into subject matter.

Heather starts by laying the groundwork: What is findability? What is paid search and what is organic search? What’s a conversion? Then she explores the psychology of search, getting readers accustomed to predicting their audience’s needs and wants. She dives into the keyword discovery process, campaign organization, and how to write the various components of ad text. Bidding and budgeting, seasonal campaigns, testing and refinement, and SEO integration — each subject is described in plain English, with diagrams, illustrations and screen shots that enhance the learning experience.

The complicated strategies, psychology and science that goes into paid search marketing are presented in a way that anyone can understand. Yet, it’s not likely to bore marketers with experience in the field because Heather’s creative vision for PPC advertising brings a fresh and holistic approach to the reader’s knowledge base. And it works equally well as a desk reference as it does a front-to-back read, depending on the reader’s incoming level of expertise.

Because Heather uses no-nonsense language and covers a broad scope, I think the audience that could learn the most from The Findability Formula is a business owner. Whether he has decided to take on the search marketing world on his own or has hired a consultant, agency or in-house marketer, the content of this book is easy reading that will bring any student up to speed so he can make educated decisions about his site’s search marketing campaign. Thanks, Heather, for coming on the show and sharing some of the golden nuggets that make The Findability Formula an insightful resource for search marketers.

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Virginia Nussey is the director of content marketing at MobileMonkey. Prior to joining this startup in 2018, Virginia was the operations and content manager at Bruce Clay Inc., having joined the company in 2008 as a writer and blogger.

See Virginia's author page for links to connect on social media.