Search Engine Strategies Winnings

Search Engine Strategies in San Jose was a lot like going to Las Vegas! I won!

No gambling. No poker tournaments. No casinos. There wasn’t even a Google Dance this year, which is unexplainable if you’ve never been. Even if SES had been in Vegas, I don’t have a desire to gamble. Yet, my Search Engine Strategies winnings added up to at least $2,225!

Search Engine Strategies Winnings

I won…

• A Platinum Pass to SES from Technorati
• Organic Coffee, Organic Chocolate and Organic Clif Energy Bars from Enquisite
• $100 Day Spa Certificate, also from Enquisite
• VIP access to the Search Bash from WebmasterRadio.FM
• “Search Engine Optimization for Dummies” book by Bruce Clay & Susan Esparza from PixelSilk
• And opportunities galore!

Special THANKS to…

Technorati

Technorati “sponsored” my Search Engine Strategies Platinum Pass. How? Via a Twitter contest by following @technorati!

Technorati Twitter Contest - SES Platinum Pass

Amazingly, I was going to purchase my ticket within the next 12 hours at the discounted introductory rate; otherwise, I would have gone to SEOmoz Pro Training again this year. I was already scheduled to be in San Jose for the MarketingExperiments Live Landing Page Certification Course on Friday, so SES dovetailed perfectly into one trip.

Thank you, Technorati! This may be the most significant prize I’ve ever won in my life!

Enquisite, Inc.

Where do I start with Enquisite?

• I tested Enquisite Search Analytics last year, gained great insights and realized I needed to learn more. Enquisite was on my radar for SES! I wanted demos, insights into organic SEO ROI tracking, face-to-face time. I circled the analytics sessions in which the founder, Richard Zwicky was speaking – “Creating a Web Analytics Culture” & “Meaningful SEO Metrics: Going Beyond the Numbers.”
• @Enquisite_Inc held a “Where’s Zwicky?” treasure hunt via Twitter. I was in his SEO Metrics session, provided the correct answer, and won some organic go-juice and organic yum yum!

Where's Zwicky? Enquisite Twitter Contest

Thank you, Dan Rapaport! The organic prizes were secondary to meeting you! What fun!

I had connected with Gregg Makuch on Twitter (@gregg_makuck), Enquisite’s CMO, and learned he’s a cycling geek! Double Radar! I had to meet Gregg – maybe when I claimed my prizes and oogled over their analytics. Met we did!

• Enter Ian Laurie (@portentint), Mr. Conversation Marketing himself. Ian has been on my radar since I started using the term “Conversational SEO” to explain the interweaving of SEO & Social Media. After being friends on Twitter for a while, I finally met Ian at his Search Engine Watch Copywriting Clinic that morning.
• Gregg Makuch interviewed Ian Laurie and myself. Checkout part 1 of our chat below, and read “A Few Thoughts about the Search Engine Strategies San Jose: Part 1” on Enquisite’s blog.

Listen to the end … Ian provided a delightful insight at the end of this video.

“Most of the people talking about social media replacing SEO kinda suck at SEO.”

I held back from breaking out in laughter! Gregg, Ian and I later shared cycling stories!

Gosh, can this get better. It’s only Day 1!

Thank you, Gregg, for the video opportunity! Getting to know you at SES was a highlight, and I look forward to getting on our bikes and riding together!

THEN…I received a $100 Remede Spa Gift Certificate as “2009 Best-in-Show” Winner, compliments of Dan Rapaport of Enquisite the following day. I stood in awe, shaking my head…

Day 2 was off to an amazing start!

Dan Rapaport, thank you AGAIN! The Spa day is so welcomed that I was tempted to leave immediately! You’ll be hearing more from me!

WebmasterRadio.FM

Jim Hedger of WebmasterRadio.FM awarded myself and three of my Twitter friends – Carrie Hill (@carriehill), Jill Trujillo (@jilltrujillo) and John Ellis (@JohnWEllis) – VIP access to the Search Bash!

Jim (@jimhedger) is an amazingly creative writer, SEO and producer of WebmasterRadio. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Jim by tuning into his Webcology broadcasts and becoming friends on Twitter. At last, we met at the Search Bash!

Dana Lookadoo & Jim Hedger at WebmasterRadio.FM Search Bash

Jim also spoke at SES on the “SEO Through Blogs & Feeds” panel. I was excited to learn the effects of Jim’s optimization efforts from the SEMSynergy Real-Time Search show I did with Virginia Nussey (@virginianussey). Jim’s follow-up discussion about our chat on Webcology, “Optimizing for Real Time Search,” resulted in WebmasterRadio’s podcast gaining a #2 ranking for the same keyword phrase in less than one week!

I’ve been testing and playing around with real-time search optimization via Twitter for a couple months. I had no idea I’d win VIP Search Bash status!

Jim, I humbly thank you and don’t have enough words to express how much I’ve learned from you as well!

PixelSilk

It was fun seeing Mark Knowles again. At the end of Day 2, Ian Laurie and I headed over to the Bruce Clay booth. I hoped to see Bruce one more time and see PixelSilk CMS in action.

Bruce Clay & Mark Knowles

I learned that PixelSilk was mentioned on page 211 of Bruce Clay and Susan Esparza’s book – Search Engine Optimization All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies. I wanted to take pictures of Mark with the book but didn’t have my camera as the exhibits were closing down. I took picts of the team for them with their cameras. Mark then handed me the book. I won again!

I have heard so much about Bruce and Susan’s book on Twitter and had it on my “gotta-have wish list!”

NOTE: I calculated the book’s bonus $25 AdWords Gift Certificate from  into my overall SES winnings!

Thank you Mark for the early Birthday present and for putting a piece of Bruce Clay and Susan Esparza’s brains into my hands! Kudos for the mention, a well-deserved honor!

What else did I win?

My Search Engine Strategies winnings were more than monetary. The true value of this year’s show lay in the non-monetary winnings that included:

• Meeting new friends and business associates
• Face-to-face meeting of people I’ve been friends with on Twitter prior to the show
• Growing relationships with friends I’ve previously met at conferences
• Getting a better understanding of software and vendor offerings, including some cool schwag!
• Gaining valuable insights from speakers
• Phenomenal networking opportunities!

Pivotal Opportunities at SES

This was my 4th SES San Jose since 2004 and definitely THE best yet!! SES San Jose was pivotal in a few ways.

1. I launched @YoYoSEO on Twitter in preparation for launch of my new brand for sharing about SEO & Social Media – Yo! Yo! SEO – It’s World-of-Mouth SEO! I won new followers and received tremendous support and encouragement.
2. Opportunities! I could end this paragraph with that one word! Opportunities resulting from SES will encompass another blog post. I’ll be telling you about one super exciting opportunity very soon. Guess what? Twitter was involved!

You don’t have to go to Vegas to win!

Even if you pay full-price for a Platinum Pass to future Search Engine Strategies, your ROI may be a lot greater than my monetary $2225 SES winnings!

One more “special thanks” goes to Twitter!

Thank you, Twitter, for developing a social platform that enables marketers to hold contests. More importantly, thank you for creating a place to build friendships. Twitter, you’re an opportunity builder!