NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SEMPO Institute, the online distance learning division of SEMPO, (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization), http://www.sempo.org/, today announced it has enrolled its 1,000th student, a milestone achievement for the training program which launched in January, 2007.
More than 100 LexisNexis sales personnel enrolled in the SEMPO Institute course, "Insider's Guide to Search Marketing," the introductory level course in the Institute's curriculum. That enrollment enabled SEMPO Institute to achieve its milestone.
"LexisNexis believes in investing in the bestthird party, industry standard training for our sales team. When we needed togrowour expertise in the 'latest and greatest'in search marketing, SEMPO was the obvious answer," says Maia Benson, Director of SEM for the information services provider. "Our sales team will not only get the de facto standard in search marketing training, but also a certification universally accepted as the best in the business."
"Our LexisNexis students illustrate a growing trend in enrollment at the Institute," says SEMPO President Jeffrey Pruitt. "Search marketing training is expanding far beyond the personnel who work in SEM or SEO. Now, all sales and marketing personnel are seeing the value of understanding how online marketing works, and how it affects their success."
"SEMPO Institute courses are for any company employee who needs to know enough about how search engine marketing works in order to most effectively sell their own product. It's the sales people in the trenches who are now enrolling to add online marketing savvy to their knowledge," says Katie Donovan, SEMPO Institute Business Development Manager. "Search marketing now touches every aspect of sales and marketing so it really does have to be understood beyond the SEM practitioners," says Donovan.
While SEMPO Institute, http://www.sempoinstitute.com/, is broadening its reach, it also continues to be the go-to source for best practices education for those professionals who are working daily in search engine marketing and search engine optimization. Students such as Brian Alpert, search manager at Dallas-based Texas Instruments, enrolled in the Insider's Guide to Search Marketing course as another resource for industry best practices.
"The SEMPO Institute Insider's Guide is an excellent reference tool. It helps me see how my peers approach best practices, and provides another source of up-to-date industry intelligence," says Alpert. "SEMPO delivers SEM knowledge in such a clear and concise way I can put it to work immediately," he says. "Since SEMPO monitors changes in the industry, I felt confident I was getting current, on-target insights, which is extremely important considering how quickly SEM is evolving."
SEMPO Institute also continues to provide young professionals with the means to either enter the search marketing profession or advance within their companies. Case in point: Julie Oleksak, web specialist for business music provider Muzak, based in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Oleksak wanted to shift from a more general marketing and sales position to one focused on search engine marketing. "I needed to learn the basics of SEM to lay the groundwork to be a SEM expert. SEMPO Institute's online course best fit my busy working schedule and made it convenient to learn at my pace," she says. "I loved that I was able to log in anytime to work on my lessons."
Completion of the Insider's Guide course enabled Oleksak to switch to a full time web specialist position. "I use the skills that I learned at the SEMPO Institute in my day to day job functions," she says. "It has motivated me to continue my SEM education in graduate school. SEMPO helped me identify a new career for myself!"
SEMPO Institute Courses
Unlike other training options in the marketplace, SEMPO Institute courses are authored by numerous experts and leaders in the field, and also stringently peer reviewed. Courses are updated regularly to keep up to date with current best practices. Its Insider's Guide course was updated in September.
Insider's Guide to Search Marketing ($399) Some highlights:
- Know how search engines work
- Identify good and poor quality links
- Identify the right keywords for your campaigns
- Understand the differences between copywriting for organic search and paid search
Advanced SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ($1,399) This course shares the methods experts have utilized over the years to get the best "organic" or "free" results for themselves and their clients.
Students learn how to:
- Use advanced keyword selection systems for organic search
- Determine Web site technical issues hindering organic search rankings
- Perform an SEO diagnostic audit or site review
- Evaluate and correct Web site structure and develop site maps
Advanced Search Advertising (PPC) ($1,399) This is an intensive course of tactics and advanced theories in search advertising and auctioned media. Successful completion of the course will enable a student to:
- Understand PPC bidding strategy and ranking strategy on major search engines, using both standard and hybrid auction models
- Understand the importance and general methodology of tracking campaign ROI metrics such as conversions, ROAS, CPA/CPL
- Have a clear understanding of the specific differences of the PPC programs for Yahoo! Search Marketing, Google and MSN
- Learn to fully integrate PPC into an advertising or branding campaign, and use PPC as a measurement for branding and offline campaigns
About SEMPO Institute
SEMPO Institute is a non-profit, online career development organization, whose purpose is to educate and train professionals in the growing field of search engine marketing. Supported by SEMPO, SEMPO Institute's courses are developed by experts in search marketing and then peer-reviewed for accuracy and best practices. Since itsfirstcourse in January, 2007, SEMPO Institute has educated more than 1,000 individuals in search marketing. SEMPO Institute's courses are available to SEMPO members and the general public. For more information, please visit http://www.sempoinstitute.com/ or call +1 (781) 876-6214.
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