by Freddy J. Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango and Chief Talent Scout

Our clients will be easier to find than ever, ’cause Atomic Tango now has an SEO pro in the house.

Yea, though he walks through the Valley o' Death (about 290 miles northeast of L.A.), the Search Strategist always finds matters of interest...

Search Strategist Jerram Betts joins us from Shopzilla Inc., where he was Director of Search Engine Optimization for both Shopzilla.com and Bizrate.com. Unlike the SEO hacks who simply stuff websites with keywords, Jerram integrates site optimization, blogging, social networking and bookmarking into comprehensive campaigns.

And that integrated marketing communications (IMC) is what Atomic Tango is all about.

IMC coordinates all activities around a central strategy and theme, which eliminates brand disconnects and ensures unity of purpose. I’ve been crafting integrated campaigns since the emergence of the commercial web, and currently teach IMC at UCLA Extension. With Jerram as Atomic Tango’s Search Strategist & Chief Technologist, search engine marketing (SEM) and optimization (SEO) will play more significant roles in our overt-ops. Our new realm of search-related services include:

1. Baseline stats/information analysis
a. Traffic levels from top sources
b. Pages in the indices
c. Backlinks
d. Rankings on key phrases
e. Research of other sites in keyword space

2. Keyword research
a. Understanding types of searches performed by potential customers
b. Keyword expansion

3. Site review
a. Ensuring site crawlability
b. Information architecture review
c. Content review

4. Link building
a. Listings in key directories
b. Content syndication to related sites
c. BizDev/partner opportunities
d. Link bait/viral content creation
e. Social media outreach

5. Other offerings
a. PPC campaign management (building off the keyword research)
b. Display advertising campaign management
c. Affiliate program setup
d. Landing page optimization

Our goal: to create content for our clients that’s not only search-engine friendly, but also worth checking out and linking to. And that, of course, further enhances a site’s search engine page rank.

On a personal note, both Jerram and I were MBA classmates at USC, and for years we’ve talked biz while watching Trojan football or shooting pool. He’s already enlightened me about some SEO practices — more importantly, what not to do. Now it’s time to get serious about search.

Serious in the Atomic Tango way, of course.

Shameless plug: For the full scoop on Atomic Tango’s search and integrated marketing services, simply drop us a line.