Covario Acquires NetConcepts

The San Diego based search marketing services and software firm, Covario , has acquired NetConcepts, the SEO agency which was founded by Stephen Spencer . Many in the Search Marketing industry know Spencer from either his speaking engagements, his contribution to the Art of SEO and his endless supply of WordPress SEO plugins. Stephan Spencer is good people. Covario are good people. We’re very happy to hear this news for both NetConcepts and Covario, as two companies Search & Social highly respects. And now for the press release : Covario’s acquisition strengthens its industry leading position providing SEO solutions to the world’s largest advertisers. The combined company will have nearly 100 customers in key industries such as high tech, financial services, ecommerce, retail, consumer electronics, media, life sciences, and consumer packaged goods. Covario will leverage the acquisition by integrating Netconcepts’ GravityStream™ technology into Covario’s SEO consulting practice and Organic Search Insight™ software. Netconcepts, founded in 1995, is the leader in driving online sales for the retail and ecommerce space through management of natural search engine rankings using its GravityStream technology. Key clients include Cabela’s, Northern Tool, Ann Taylor, Deckers, Woolrich, and Builder’s Square. The merger will help these retail clients, and other clients, gain access to Covario’s software and team of service experts to better synchronize their paid and natural/organic search efforts to create efficiencies, improve results for both channels, and ultimately improve their return on investment (ROI). The technology is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) web content management solution that allows an advertiser to deploy SEO strategies in a scalable and cost effective way. “With the acquisition of Netconcepts and the GravityStream technology, Covario is bringing a unique solution to advertisers to help them accelerate their ability to present their brands on all the major search engines globally,” said Russ Mann, Chief Executive Officer of Covario. “By coupling Covario’s Organic Search Insight with NetConcepts’ GravityStream technology, advertisers will be able to identify the SEO actions that drive better rankings, and also deploy those strategies quickly, and in a highly scalable way to achieve their ROI goals.” The growing importance of SEO in advertising is a key factor behind Covario’s acquisition of Netconcepts. According to Forrester Research, advertisers would spend approximately $2.5 billion on SEO in the U.S. alone in 2009, and this is estimated to double to $5.0 billion by 2014 [Forrester’s July 2009 US Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2009-2014]. “Marketers looking for clicks at a cost much lower than paid search are joining those who return to SEO after mastering paid search programs,” according to Shar VanBoskirk, an analyst for Forrester. “Nearly two-thirds of all marketing spend to manage search programs is for advanced technologies or outsourced partners — an indication that search programs are gaining maturity and investment.” Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Covario Acquires

Tags:acquisition, chief-executive, covario, gravity, gravitystream, highly-respects, news, organic-search, press, retail, search, seo, social, tools

AOL, Inc.: Job Cuts, IPO And Google Adsense Publisher

This morning the Wall Street Journal reported AOL, Inc. plans to cut 2,500 jobs in preparation for being spun off from parent company Time Warner. From the Wall Street Journal: AOL Inc. plans to cut its work force by about a third, or roughly 2,500 jobs, as it prepares to spin off from Time Warner Inc. next month. AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong will surrender his 2009 bonus, which was expected to be between $1.5 million and $4 million. ”That decision is a personal one and is not a sign for the future payout of the overall bonus plan for employees,” he said in an email to employees Thursday. Mr. Armstrong is in the midst of a campaign to sell the Internet company to investors as a publicly traded business after years of strategic shifts and disappointing financial performances under Time Warner’s ownership. He has said the company will focus on expanding in online media content and branded display advertising as its dial-up Internet-access business declines. The CEO began an effort to reduce the company’s cost structure four months ago. AOL said it will seek volunteers for layoffs through Dec. 11 and will resort to involuntary layoffs if it doesn’t reach its target. It aims to cut annual operating costs by $300 million. With these staff reductions, Tim Armstrong is repositioning AOL to become the largest single Google Adsense publisher – a super-sized version of Associated Content. AssociatedContent.com is a new media company built on and monetized by Google Adsense Publishing. Armstrong previously served as Chairman of the Board of the Associated Content.

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AOL, Inc.: Job Cuts, IPO And Google Adsense Publisher

Tags:aol, armstrong, associated content, associatedcontent.com, board, branded-display, Business, chief-executive, google-adsense, internet, internet-access, street