I’m an avid reader and since my wireless laptop screen washes away from the sunshine, having a magazine comes in handy while sunning outside. The Summer issue of the print publication, Search Marketing Standard was shipped and many people and companies are receiving their copies. The lead story, written by the energetic David Temple, is on search marketing training and certification.

As David notes, training opportunities are “springing up like wildflowers”. He’s right. Not only is there increased awareness of the value of marketing to search engines, the skill sets involved require both creative and technical experience. It’s not easy to find someone able to handle every facet, especially if you include site design audits that focus on usability and application functionality. SEO companies that include the latter remain in the minority, and yet it seems logical to assume that a website must not only perform in search engines, but also must be able to meet its design and business objections once found.

The article reviews some of the popular educational and training offers that exist now and which are deemed the most credible and worth exploring. Only one of them, Search Engine College, offers a course on basic web site usability. It’s a self-teaching course I wrote to inspire interest in user centered design and how even a little foundation can go a long way in fortifying marketing campaigns. Other training is niche oriented, or offered by companies and organizations devoted to search marketing. While forums and books are helpful, and indeed, most search engine marketers are self-taught, marketing companies that target large and prosperous web sites and specific competitive industries require or desire proof of expertise.

While the Summer issue seemed on the thin side, it continues to deliver thoughtful articles that are intended to be referred to at any time. One of my favorites was written by Jaime Sirovich, where he describes in easy to understand terms exactly why search engines struggle with FLASH, images and AJAX technology. He provides example code workarounds to help search engines read the text on a page even with typical obstructions.

Eric Ward describes the logic and lack of logic behind linkbait. The Industry Analysis section included two usability oriented articles; one written by me called “Persuasive Web Design” and another written by Barry Welford titled, “Mobile Marketing and Usability”. This was the first time I made it into a print publication of this caliber. It was both exciting and an honor to be asked. Other Industry Analysis pieces were contributed by Chris Boggs, of SEMPO and Avenue A Razorfish, and Tom Dahm.

Marketing and usability weren’t the only topics highlighted. Blogging was covered in a piece called “Cultivating Your Blog Community in 10 Easy Steps” by Joe Whyte. Patricia Hursh covered local search advertising. There are two interviews, a conference guide and a nifty set of Internet statistics provided by Marketing Sherpa.

To learn more or subscribe, visit Search Marketing Standard, so you’re not left out on the latest industry coverage written by those in the actual industries.

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