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In early 2008, Jason Gambert (who?!) began his quest to trademark SEO.  Many people were after him to squelch it, but only one woman kept fighting until the end.  Rhea Drysdale of Outspoken Media, was able to hire a lawyer out of her own pocket and file a Notice of Opposition in response to Gambert’s “SEO” trademark application.  As Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Land reports, we all owe a great deal to Rhea.

So what would have happened if he had been successful in trademarking SEO?  Rhea cites his blog from April 9, 2008:

“My goal in owning the trademark for the word SEO is not to try to force people to change their SEO process, but rather, prevent companies from selling “SEO” as a service under false pretenses.

…We will also be forming a board of directors to oversee changes to the process, and format in which SEO can be sold (basically the BBB for the SEO industry). We will restrict businesses from selling the process of SEO as an “SEO” service if they do not meet the process approved by the SEO trademark requirements. Those approved will use SEO as normal, but will now be able to use the term as SEO™, and will be able to claim that their SEO service is approved under SEO trademark guidelines.  This power is for the people of the Search community and the protection of the general business consumer.”

And Rhea’s response after her arduous journey for the industry?

“Was it worth it? I don’t know. I do know that I learned an invaluable amount about business, trademark law, the SEO industry, my relationships and myself. I never asked the industry to donate to the cause, because this was my responsibility. I chose to pursue this in the face of criticism. I knew that it was something I believed to be wrong. I knew the USPTO did not understand what our industry did or how SEO worked. I wanted to fight for that knowledge and I won. I don’t regret the experience, but I am going to take a breather from hopeless causes for awhile.“ -R. Drysdale

Sources: Search Engine Land, Barry Schwartz; Outspoken Media, Rhea Drysdale

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I read this article titled “7 Ways to Own Your Google 10″ (or the first 10 natural search results in Google) and thought it was worth sharing.  They are easy to implement and will yield great benefits in a world where “you are what Google says you are.”  Read this article from SmallBizTrends.com.

-Nicholas Carlson, Silicon Alley Insider

BusinessInsider.com

 1) The simplest reason is that it is great insurance in case your SEO rankings drop.  If you fall to number ten (or end up on the second page), it is likely that another site will get the conversion if you do not ensure your ad will appear at the top of the search results.

2) If you are a company that sells a product, it is sure that paying for PPC advertising will save you money.  If you choose not to run on your own brand terms, it is possible that the PPC ads ranking number one or two are retailers selling your product.  If they have effective ad text (like free shipping, for instance), they are going to get the sale and you will be shelling out 30% as opposed to the price per click.

3) Message control is a big one.  Many times, Google and other similar search engines will take awhile to publish your recent messages like sales or clearances and the information may not appear in the organic results immediately.  When you have PPC ads, it is easy to communicate your message and start seeing results immediately.

4) Choosing your landing page is also a big one.  Let’s say that you are having a sale on a particular item.  With your PPC ad, you can send the consumer directly to the page with the item for sale.  You cannot always choose which landing page will appear in the organic results.  If someone is enticed by a sale or a particular item but is sent to just the Homepage, it is possible that they will not click through to find the item.  They could go back to the organic results and find the item on another site.

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