Search Engine Marketing (250 hours)

Course Overview/Description

The Search Engine Marketing training series has been developed in direct response to the skyrocketing growth of the search engine industry.

No longer the territory of geekdom, search has exploded into the mainstream over the past few years and businesses are falling over themselves to get seen by online searchers. And they'll pay big bucks to search engines for the privilege. Search giants like Google, Yahoo and AOL can't fail to make money because everybody wants a bit of the search action.

According to a recent article on MSN Careers, the position of Search Engine Optimizer (a sub-set of Search Engine Marketing) is considered one of four jobs on the cutting edge right now. Below is a definition of SEO provided by MSN Careers:

"Search engine optimizers (SEOs) increase a firm's Web site traffic by improving its search-engine page rankings. This is an especially important task in today's Internet-driven world, where many customers first learn of an organization and its products or services through the Web. Because of a shortage of experts in this relatively new area, many top SEOs receive multiple job offers. SEOs typically supplement their knowledge of how various search engines operate and determine page rankings with strong marketing skills, as well as the ability to communicate effectively and program using HTML."

Wikipedia defines Search Engine Marketing here.

A job in the search industry can be unbelievably lucrative. As noted recently by Jennifer Laycock of Search Engine Guide, "There are quite literally more jobs than there are skilled marketers and salaries can skyrocket to almost embarrassing levels."

This extreme demand means Search Engine Marketers can pick and choose their jobs and/or clients. The more skilled marketers are head-hunted regularly. Experts in select specialties such as Pay Per Click Advertising (another sub-set of Search Engine Marketing) are currently enjoying even higher demand than usual, as advertisers out-bid each other to have their site shown for popular keyword searches on Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Another indicator of high demand is the sheer number of search-related job postings seen on employment sites.

Job candidates who hold specific industry certification in Search Engine Marketing may well have an edge over their fellow applicants when it comes to interview selection. The Search Engine Marketer series is a bundle of 5 courses designed for persons who want to jump-start their career path in the fast-paced search engine industry.

The Search Engine Marketer series consists of the following 5 individual courses:

1) Search Engine Optimization 101 +

2) Search Engine Optimization 201 +

3) Pay Per Click Marketing 101 +

4) Pay Per Click Marketing 201 +

5) Web Site Copywriting 101

Search Engine Optimization 101 will show you step-by-step how to optimize your web site to obtain better search engine positioning on the world's most popular search engines and directories for target keywords and phrases. It will also show you how to choose the best keywords to target and how to monitor and maintain successful search engine rankings for those keywords.

Search Engine Optimization 201, will take your knowledge of SEO to the next level by teaching you how to further increase your site's compatibility with search engines and how to optimize a web site that uses more complex design technologies such as dynamic content, Flash and tables. SEO201 also introduces the concept of pay per click search engine advertising and shows you how to accurately measure the Return on Investment of your search engine optimization efforts. There's even a bonus lesson for persons wanting to start their own SEO business.

Pay Per Click Marketing 101 will give you the knowledge necessary to set up, monitor and maintain a successful campaign to promote your web site on the pay-per-click search engines and their network of partner sites. It will walk you step-by-step through the process of setting up a PPC campaign from scratch on the two most popular services, Google AdWord and Yahoo! Search Marketing. Taking the course will ensure your advertising campaign is designed for success from the very first impression.

Pay Per Click Marketing 201 will take your knowledge of PPC to the next level by teaching you how to Improve the Return on Investment of your PPC campaigns on the major search engines and their network of partner sites. The course will show you step-by-step how to improve your ad click-through and conversion rates, create effective landing pages, measure campaign effectiveness, conduct split testing and tweak your campaigns for better performance.

Web Site Copywriting 101 will provide you with an understanding of how to integrate your target search keywords into your site and design your web page copy so your site appeals to more visitors and encourages them to take the desired action you want them to take (e.g. purchase, sign-up or bookmark your site).

The text within your site needs to inspire empathy and interest in those who read it. Unless it convinces the reader that they genuinely need the service or product you are offering, you are not going to convert them to a customer or loyal visitor.

The Web Site Copywriting 101 course gives your site the best chance possible of converting your site visitors to customers by teaching you how to write powerful and effective copy that describes your products and services appealingly and entices a reader to purchase or sign up. At the same time, you will learn how to integrate search keywords naturally within the copy to ensure your site is found easily in the search engine results for related search queries without disturbing the flow of text for the reader.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this program, you will be able to:

• Set up, monitor and maintain successful search engine optimization or pay-per-click campaigns for your sites or your client's sites on the world's most popular search engines and directories.
  
• Make web sites search engine compatible and designed to attract the right kind of qualified search engine visitors who are more likely to buy or sign up from the moment they arrive on a site.
  
• Prepare for starting your own search engine marketing business or applying for a job as an SEO (search engine optimizer), SEM (search engine marketer), PPC Marketer, Online Advertising Executive or Web Site Copywriter.

Course Outline

I. Search Engine Optimization 101

a. Course Introduction
b. Introduction to SEO
c. Search Engine Basics
d. SEO Requirements Gathering
e. Keyword Research
f. Title and META Tag Creation
g. SEO Copywriting
h. SEO Integration
i. Search Engine and Directory Submission
j. Search Engine Spam
k. SEO Reporting and Conversions

II. Search Engine Optimization 201

a. Course Introduction
b. Overview of SEO
c. Site Architecture
d. Text Content
e. Dynamic Content
f. Graphics
g. Flash and Splash Pages
h. Frames and Tables
i. Link Popularity
j. Pay For Performance
k. Measuring SEO ROI
l. Starting Your Own SEO Business

III. Pay Per Click Marketing 101

a. Course Introduction
b. An Introduction to Pay Per Click Marketing
c. Pay Per Click Campaign Preparation
d. An Introduction to Google AdWords
e. How to Set Up an AdWords Account
f. An Introduction to Yahoo! Search Marketing
g. How to Set Up a Yahoo! Sponsored Search Account
h. Keyword Research for PPC Campaigns
i. Ad Copy Creation for PPC Campaigns
j. Landing Page Creation for PPC Campaigns
k. PPC Campaign Conversion & ROI Measurement

IV. Pay Per Click Marketing 210

a. An Overview of PPC Marketing
b. Pay Per Click Search Engines
c. Key Elements of a Successful PPC Campaign
d. Building Effective PPC Ads
e. How to Structure Your PPC Campaign
f. Effective PPC Bidding Strategies
g. How to Create Killer Landing Pages
h. Tracking PPC Conversions
i. A/B Split Testing
j. How to Measure ROI on PPC

V. Web Site Copywriting 101

a. Course Introduction
b. THE Most Important (and most overlooked) Aspect of Copywriting
c. Discover What Copy Type Fits Your Target Audience Best
d. Guess What? Men and Women Are Different!
e. Writing to Please Everybody
f. Headlines - The Beginning and the End
g. Features vs. Benefits - Do You Really Know the Difference?
h. Adding Emotions & Dreams and Tugging On Heartstrings
i. The Power Points of Your Copy
j. A.I.D.A. and the Buying Process
k. Search Engine Optimization - Copy Is Crucial
l. Final Thoughts

Prerequisites/Audience

The following skills are required for taking this course:

• Keyboard skills
  
• Search engine usage
  
• Internet Browser usage
  
• Email usage

The following skills are recommended for taking this course:

• Some HTML knowledge
  
• Advanced search engine usage

Who Should Take This Course:

• Marketing executives entrusted with the responsibility of promoting their company's or clients' web sites.



• Webmasters wanting to increase traffic to their web sites via search engines.



• Small business owners wanting to learn how to promote their web sites on the search engines.



• Owners of e-commerce sites that want to increase their site's visitor to customer conversion ratios.



• Web site designers wanting to offer search engine marketing services to their clients.



• Search engine optimizers (SEO) or search engine marketers (SEM) wanting to improve their industry skills.



• Persons wanting to learn how to optimize web sites for search engines in preparation for starting their own search engine optimization business or applying for a job as an SEO or SEM.



• Copywriters wanting to learn how to write for an online audience.



• Copywriters wanting to learn how to write in a way that attracts search engines AND appeals to readers.
  Webmasters wanting to increase traffic to their web sites via search engines and prepared to pay for it by the click.
  
  
• Small business owners wanting to learn how to promote their web sites on the search engines via paid listings.



• Marketers of e-commerce sites that want to use PPC to measure their site's visitor to customer conversion ratios.



• Search Engine Optimizers and Search Engine Marketers that want to learn about pay per click search marketing and offer PPC campaigns as part of their product offerings.



• Webmasters or small business owners currently running pay per click campaigns, who want to increase their ad conversion rates and ROI.



• Search Engine Marketers that already sell pay-per-click search engine marketing campaigns as part of their product offering and want to expand their knowledge to a more advanced level.



• Persons wanting to achieve a higher return on investment from their search engine marketing campaigns.

PC Requirements/Materials Included

This course is compatible with the Windows Vista operating system.

The following items are required for taking this course:

• A PC or Macintosh computer


• A reliable Internet connection (DSL or Cable recommended)


• Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader (available free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)


• Access to an email client or Internet-based email account

The following items are recommended for taking this course:

• A word processing package such as Microsoft Word or Works


• A spreadsheet package such as Microsoft Excel or Works


• A printer (if you want to print lessons rather than read PDF docs online)

This course is tutor-supervised with a tutor assigned to guide students through the lesson material and review their assignments. The following materials will be provided within this course:

• 32 downloadable PDF Lessons (585 pages in total)


• 2 downloadable PDF worksheets


• 3 Excel spreadsheets


• 40 interactive online review quizzes


• 26 Assignments


• 4 interactive online exams


• 1 offline exam


• 4 case studies


• Extensive Internet-based resources


• 12 months access to online classroom area


• 12 months access to online quizzes and final exam


• 12 months access to lesson updates


• The Search Engine College Seal of Certification* for display on a web site


• Search Engine College Certificate of Training* for wall or resume display.

*Students who want to receive industry-recognized Search Engine College Certification in Search Engine Optimization must make a 70% overall pass on their quizzes and final exam AND complete set assignments to the satisfaction of their tutor.

Instructor Bio

Kalena Jordan was one of the first search engine optimization experts in Australia and New Zealand and is well known and respected in the search engine industry, particularly in the U.S.

With her in-depth knowledge of Internet marketing techniques and a decade of experience in search engine optimization for client web sites, she decided to specialize and set up her own search engine marketing company (Jordan Consulting Group) in 1999.

As well as being Co-Founder of Search Engine College, Kalena is Director of Studies and Tutor for all SEO and PPC courses. Her previous roles have included SEO Manager for a web development firm, Public Relations consultant, Freelance web site designer, Marketing Manager for a computer systems firm and five years as Public Relations Advisor to the Royal Thai Government. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Kalena is a member of SEO Consultants and SEO Pros and has spoken at the popular Search Engine Strategies Conferences. She is also a moderator at the Search Engine Watch Forums. Kalena is the author of The Search Light newsletter and the popular "Ask Kalena..." Search Engine Advice Column.

Karon Thackston

Karon Thackston is owner of Marketing Words, Inc., a full-service copywriting company specializing in search engine copywriting. Karon is author and publisher of three ebooks including the popular Step-by-Step Copywriting Course, an e-course designed to teach sound and highly effective copywriting techniques - including search engine copywriting techniques.

Karon is the copywriting moderator of both the High Rankings Forum and the Best Practices Search Engine Optimization forum. She spoke at the Search Engine Strategies conference in Toronto and is a regular presenter at the High Rankings Search Engine Basics seminars held across the U.S.

With over 20 years of copywriting experience, Karon has contributed to the search engine and sales success of companies large and small including Gorton's Seafood, Third Sphere Hosting, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I register?
Click on the register button at the top of the page and follow the directions. It is important that you type all your information in the boxes, then print it out to sign.  Payment and sending instructions are in the bottom right corner of the form.

2. How much do the courses cost?
The fee is in the pink box at the top of the page.

3. Can I register for courses if I live outside the United States?
Yes you can!

4. Do I ever have go to the school I register with?
All of our courses are delivered entirely online, so you never have to go to a class or travel to the school.

5. How long does it take to complete a course?
All of our courses are self-paced and open enrollment. You can start and finish the course at your own pace. When you register for a course, you are given 180 days (6 months) to complete the course. If you need more time, extensions are available.

6. Do I have to buy additional materials?
All materials are included. The cost of materials is covered by your tuition. GES ships all materials via UPS ground service upon registration.

7. Can I get financial aid?
GES courses are non-credit courses, so they do not qualify for federal aid. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards will pay for qualified students to take our courses.

• GES provides a loan opportunity for students. Simply go to www.collegeloanapplication.com to apply for an easier qualifying loan at a slightly higher rate. Click here for more information on this loan program.

8. What happens when I complete the course?
Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a certificate of completion from the school with which you registered. You must obtain a final passing grade of 70% or greater to be awarded a certificate.

9. Am I guaranteed a job?
GES courses will provide you with the skills you need to obtain an entry-level position in most cases. We do not provide direct job placement services, but our instructors will help you build your resume and are available to give advice on finding your first job. Instructors will also be available to use as a professional reference upon completion of the course. Potential students should always do research on the job market in their area before registering.

10. Who will be my instructor?
Instant Mentoring enables 24x7 access to certified instructors and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Instructors are Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs), all possessing instructional backgrounds. In addition to providing content expertise, our Mentors facilitate interaction and enhance the overall learning experience.

11. What do I have to have in order to take an online course, and what are the system requirements?
In order to take our online courses, you must have access to a computer and the Internet (a normal dial-up connection is fine). You can access the course contents from any Web-enabled computer. There are no necessary plug-ins. You do not have to use the same computer to log-in to the course every time. We recommend that you have a word-processing program (Microsoft Word is best) and the latest version of Internet Explorer.

12. Can this course be taken on a Mac?
Yes

13. How can I get more information on the course?
All of the information we have is available online under our course catalog (www.gatlineducation.com). If you have questions that are not answered online, please feel free to email us at courseinfo@gatlineducation.com or call 817-870-2870. We will answer your questions promptly.

14. Do you need to know HTML to complete the course?
While not compulsory, students will find the courses easier if they have basic HTML knowledge to begin with. An excellent free HTML tutorial is included within the recommended reading for the courses.

15. Can I use my own web site as a case study during the courses?
Yes. If students are working on a particular site, they can use that site as the basis for their assignment submissions for tutor feedback. If the student does not have a site to work on, a sample site will be provided for assignment purposes.

16. Do you update the lesson materials regularly? How can I access this?
Yes, our lesson materials are updated regularly to reflect changes to search engine algorithms, webmaster guidelines and industry events such as search engine mergers and takeovers.

Students are notified via broadcast email whenever a lesson is updated so they can download the latest version. Lesson updates are also posted in the student lounge area.