We often hear a lot of the same information cycling around the online marketing world, especially on popular topics like RankBrain, the mobile revolution or the rise of AI.
But then there are those rare few folks you can count on to consistently bring something useful and super valuable to the table. They're the most experienced in our field, and we hang on their every word.
Internet and software veteran Brett Tabke, founder of Pubcon Inc., is one of those people. I had the privilege of stealing a few minutes of Brett's time to pick his brain as he's already in preparation mode for Pubcon Las Vegas 2016, coming up in October.
Larry: I saw you're doing an "Ironman Breakfast" with Google's Gary Illyes and Eric Enge from Stone Temple Consulting on the Wednesday of Pubcon. Can you tell us what people can expect from that event, and what other networking events they won't want to miss this October?
Brett: "Google's Gary Illyes will be presenting a full solo keynote address on Thursday, but we thought attendees would appreciate an extra opportunity to dig deep and learn from Gary as he's interviewed on-stage by Eric Enge during a special morning breakfast talk. Eric does a great job getting people to open up and share information, and attendees can look forward to getting new and actionable items from Gary as they are having breakfast and kicking off another great day of learning at Pubcon Las Vegas 2016.
We'll also have plenty of other excellent networking opportunities throughout the week, starting with our Monday night kick-off event where we're debuting an exciting new program we call Pubcon Engage, featuring dozens of exhibitors plus our fantastic lineup of speakers in a fun and relaxed atmosphere perfect for planning out the week with both new Pubcon friends and long-time associates. The networking at Pubcon has always been of a different sort than at most other conferences, and we're quite proud of the way our events bring people together in meaningful ways."
Larry: Robert Scoble's talk on mobile and AR looks like it's going to be amazing. What do you feel entrepreneurs should be doing right now as far as their awareness, experimentation or even implementation of AR technology goes?
Brett: "The first thing is awareness of what is going on within the VR ecosystem. We have been going down this road since Facebook paid $2b for Oculus two years ago. In that time, an entire new category has developed for virtual reality and augmented reality devices and software. We are still waiting for the ultimate hardware/software/platform combination to reach a tipping point yet.
So, entrepreneurs need to stay tuned into the incremental releases. Sooner-or-later, Facebook is going to come out with a Virtual Facebook World. When that happens, you won't have time to get up to speed as the land rush takes over."
Larry: What would you recommend as a first few go-to items or issues to check when there's a sudden decline in a site's traffic?
Brett: "Go to your logs. Back track the decline. Was it from Search or Social? That means you should have all the analytics wired up for Google, Bing, and general log files analysis. A site will always tell you where the problem is at.
That point — depending on traffic source that was lost — is where the real detective work starts. Google has made it next to impossible to figure out why a site tanked. The loss of keyword referral strings (because of the move to https) has been the biggest body blow SEO has taken in my career.
For years, we listened to SEOs and search engines say that ranking reports were dead. However, the loss of referral data has meant we have no other choice that to run reports on our keywords to try to determine where traffic is really coming from. I highly recommend ranking reports again. When a problem with traffic happens, you can go back and scan your reports and compare to figure out where you lost traffic."
Larry: How do you feel about the demise retirement of PageRank?
Brett: "Thank God the wicked witch is dead. It did more harm than it ever did good."
Larry: What do you think the greatest challenges are for brand new site owners today, as opposed to say five years ago?
Brett: "Figuring out where traffic is going to come from without a huge bankroll for ads.
You have the (as I call them) Social Screamers that say social will be the only real traffic source in 10 years. Then you have the SEOs screaming that search is still the holy grail. The hardest part is for new site owners to see through the noise. They have to realize that all of the traffic sources and points-of-exposure are dependent on one thing: what type of site have they built? Did they build a site as a brochure landing page site to send existing clients for contact information? An active service site where you produce online value for a customer? Or is it something else entirely? Depending on what type of site it is, will determine where to find and maintain traffic sources. Navigating that process is time consuming and difficult."
Larry: RankBrain — what do you think… how does it work and is it worth thinking about?
Brett: "Only Google could answer how it works. Absolutely no one outside of the Google, knows what RankBrain is about or how it works. At that — there is only a handful of people at Google who have a vague understanding of what is going on with it. The AI systems used by Google are understood by very, very few people.
On our side of the fence, the SEO industry had done what it always has done: talk BS about it for months on end. I've read more nonsensical posts about RankBrain than any other topic in the the history of SEO. It is clear to me that absolutely no one outside of Google has a clue."
Larry: Which three Google Analytics reports do you think are most universally important for marketers to monitor?
Brett: "I approach analytics much differently than most people. I use GA only from the sense of what is available within the Google ecosystem.
I realized long ago that GA is useless to report what is going on with your site OUTSIDE of the Google ecosystem (eg.: traffic from social; traffic from other search engines). So for us, the only real value of GA is in terms of Google generated traffic, keywords, and conversions. Just because page A sales it is great in GA, may be entirely suspect because 100% of the traffic to that page was generated by Facebook or Twitter. In today's world, I think GA's only real value is to the PPC'er playing AdWords. If you are a pure-play SEO, then GA's only value is within the Google traffic empire (eg: keyword search). There are no reports you can run on GA to give you real-world-meaningful data on how your site and pages are performing on other search engines or social. GA is good for 'GoogleWorld' only."
Larry: Are there any areas you think marketers are overlooking right now that are missed opportunities, and why?
Brett: "Direct marketing. It's the age-old question, 'What is the value of an existing client vs. a new lead'? I see so many businesses trying to cast huge nets for traffic on the web and completely forgetting their existing clients. Servicing your client base is so much cheaper than going out for new sales every time the cash register is dry."
Larry: Are there any secret deals or hot ticket specials for Pubcon tickets that I can share with our readers?
Brett: "The earlier you register the lower the price will be, but even if you haven't signed up yet you can still save by purchasing your pass before getting to Las Vegas.
A few years ago we expanded our range of registration levels to start at under $100 with an expo hall pass, and from there we offer pricing for networking, our Pubcon Masters Group training workshop day, our popular go-to Gold Pass, or the whole shebang with our Platinum Pass. Whatever level of pass you choose, what you'll learn during Pubcon Las Vegas 2016 is likely to more than pay for your cost of registration in the boost your business will get throughout the year ahead."
Speaking of Pubcon, I'm presenting an informative class on Twitter Ads with Due CEO John Rampton (moderated by my colleague Erin Sagan) Wednesday October 12 at 11:40am in Salon E. If LinkedIn Ads is more your thing, you can join Get Noticed Get Found CIO Jabez Lebret, moderator Ashley Ward and I in Salon E at 3:55pm that afternoon for our Pubcon presentation on LinkedIn Advertising and Community Leveraging.
That evening, don't forget to dress in your finest and head to the ballroom at Caesar's Palace for the 4th Annual U.S. Search Awards. Watch for the nominees' shortlist to be announced Sept 8.
I hope to see you this year at Pubcon! Register now for the lowest price tickets.
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About The Author
Larry Kim is the Founder of WordStream. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Source: Q&A With Internet Marketing Legend Brett Tabke on Search Industry Trends, RankBrain, Pubcon Las Vegas 2016, and More
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