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Interview with Mitch Joel
Be sure to check out the Search Engine Strategies Conference in Toronto. What do you do on a day to day basis? Talk to lots of people. And fly often. I probably do 70 speaking engagements at different conferences every year. At Twist Image my main role is business development and working with customers to develop there online marketing strategies. I write daily on our company blog: http://www.twistimage.com/blog/. I help to develop podcasts for our company: http://www.twistimage.com/blog/podcast/ We have lots of readers for both channels of communication. And really that's what it is about - communication - interacting with people on interesting topics. What is your background? Hodge podge of chaos but I started out by working with Mama.com, one of the first meta search engines. My formal training is in music and philosophy. But I really loved publishing magazines and so I headed in that direction for few years. What intrigued me as a journalist was how someone could arrange to met and interview a rock star. That fascinated me and still does. The key, I figured out, was simple - ask for the interview. And I'm not afraid to ask questions - I'm still not. Asking questions is what motivates me. I love the answers. I love learning. Who do you work for? I work for a full service digital marketing agency in Montreal called Twist Image. We develop content, technology and marketing campaigns for our clients but we don't produce ads for traditional channels. Our entire effort is to develop strong multimarketing programs that engage consumers and build relationships. All digitally. Mostly online. The topic for your presentation at SES is on 'universal and blended search'. What is 'universal search'? 'Universal search' is the world of search beyond pure text. It includes video, news, images and even links to resource sites like Wikipedia.org. 'Universal search' is the biggest change that Google has implemented in the last year or so. The net result is that optimizing for universal search requires attention to all of these types of content. The battle over text is still important but Google and other search engines are placing other items above the fold and we need to work with that efficiently and effectively. Do you have any examples you can show us? Type "darth vader" or "toronto school" into www.google.ca. You'll see images, videos and news feeds included in the search results. That is the result of universal search. What has been the reaction of users to 'universal and blended search'? Positive. Google is a living organism, if people didn't like new feature, they are dropped. But from a company point of view can be a bit confusing. 'Universal search' frustrates some people who want their website at the top of the search results. But 'universal search' is a reality and most users like it. Having your page listed a little lower is not all that bad - it is still on the list of results. What do you like about 'universal and blended search'?
What annoys you about 'universal and blended search'? Actually nothing. I love 'universal search' but some traditional SEOs find it more difficult to manage and influence. How does 'blended search' affect my website and search results? Your listing may get pushed down a few spots. As a website owner, what can I do to improve results on 'universal and blended search'?
I understand that you have a blog. How does the blog work with 'universal and blended search'? Go to www.google.ca and search for 'apple macbook air' You see a listing to www.apple.com and a few more listings and then a listing to a blog that I wrote on Apple's new laptop. Blogs work very well with 'universal search'. One reason is relevant content but the other reason is that most blogs are updated with new content every day. The search engines love new content. You live in Montreal, right? What is your favorite restaurant? http://www.gibbys.com/ - great place for awesome steaks |
