An Edinburgh -based Google expert has crossed one of the fiercest rivalries in tech media after being chosen to write for two influential search sites.
The move sees young entrepreneur Chris Liversidge seal his status as a globally-recognised expert in one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors.
Chris, 31, has been appointed as columnist with the two biggest professional news sites devoted to the booming field of search marketing – Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch.
It earns him a place in an exclusive club of influencers writing for both of the bitter rivals, while putting both Scotland and his capital city firm, QueryClick, in the spotlight.
Delighted Chris said: “Google has only been around for just over 12 years, so the names of these news sites are not as well known as long-established mainstream media.
“However, the rivalry between them is everything as fierce as the competition between Sky and the BBC or The Times and The Telegraph.
“Being asked to write for either of these sites is a real accolade for anyone in my profession. Being asked to write for both is all but unheard of and I’m incredibly flattered and grateful for the opportunity.”
Since Google was created in 1998 it has gone on to transform the global sharing of information, media and how the world does business. As a result an entire new profession has sprung up – worth billions of pounds annually – to help businesses to improve their rankings in search engines and so attract more custom.
The leaders in this new sector, search marketing, not only manage huge advertising budgets, but also influence decision making by the giants of commerce and industry. They also read both Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch.
Earlier this year Chris was invited to become a regular search marketing columnist with Search Engine Land. This month he will publish his first article for Search Engine Watch.
He added: “Search marketing is being transformed from a little understood dark art into one of the most important business services on the planet.
“It is now virtually impossible to consider running a business without giving the highest priority to how it will appear online, how to attract web visitors and, increasingly, how to convert those visitors into paying customers.
“Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch are the must read sites of choice for virtually any professional working in this sector. Working with both is a real privilege which I hope will open many doors.”
Search marketing is the umbrella term for a range of online skills to help businesses showcase themselves more effectively online, ensuring they rank well in search engines and attract the right audience by making web visits useful, relevant and interesting.
As a full service search marketing agency, QueryClick specialises in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC) and Conversion Rate Optimisation.
Between them the two sites attract around 200,000 users every month.
Search Engine Watch was founded in 1997 by Danny Sullivan, one of the world’s foremost experts. Sullivan, who formerly worked for the BBC, sold Search Engine Watch in 2006 for $46 million and went on to create Search Engine Land.
Led by the best in the industry, both sites provide the most comprehensive and current coverage of news and trends in search engine marketing and SEO.
Chris, who founded QueryClick in 2008 and now has a team of 10 staff, works with a range of blue chip and multinational companies across Europe; including Mint Hotels and BrewDog.
He added: “For many businesses search can be quite a daunting prospect, with many put off by its technical nature.
“At QueryClick we aim to demystify online search marketing and with this new column, we are able to do just that on a much larger and wide reaching scale.
“QueryClick’s success over the past year has been extremely gratifying for the team after all their hard work. To be recognised by such an internationally acclaimed organisation is the icing on the cake.”
The company were recently shortlisted in the 2010 Drum Awards for Digital Industries (DADI), and named ‘Best In E-commerce’ at the 2010 Herald Digital Awards, proving them to be at the forefront of the industry.
Chris will be writing numerous articles over the coming months which will be viewable on www.searchengineland.com
More information about QueryClick and the services they offer can be found at http://uk.queryclick.com
