This just handed me: Search Engine Strategies is offering search engine marketing training workshops following next week’s SES conference and expo in Toronto. In case you’ve been pre-occupied by other news and events, the largest search engine marketing conference and expo in Canada will be held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto June 8-10, 2009.

According to the folks at comScore, there were 3.5 billion expanded searches in Canada during March 2009. Google Sites had an 80.7 percent share, Microsoft Sites had 4.9 percent, and Yahoo! Sites 4.5 percent. During the same month, there were 21.0 billion expanded searches in the United States. Google Sites had a 58.8 percent share, Yahoo! Sites had a 14.7 percent share, and Microsoft Sites a 5.9 percent share.

The event is organized and programmed in cooperation with the SES Advisory Board, Search Engine Watch and Andrew Goodman, the founder and president of Toronto-based Page Zero Media. According to Goodman, “These workshops provide the practices, applications, and hands-on exposure you need to become and remain a top performer in your field. This in-depth training in a small class setting ensures that your instructor is accessible for informal one-on-one or small group discussions. Regardless where you are in the SEO and SEM process, you will leave these intensive workshops with the necessary skills to improve your business results and take your search engine marketing to another level.”

The SEM training workshops will be held on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. They are:

Search Marketing Boot Camp (8:00am-5:00pm): This search engine marketing training workshop will be taught by Jennifer Evans Laycock and Matt Bailey of SiteLogic. With search engine marketing quickly expanding beyond the simple realm of keyword research, on-page optimization and traditional paid search campaigns, it’s becoming more and more difficult for businesses to know how and where to break into the mix with their own search related marketing efforts. If you are planning on attending Search Engine Strategies Toronto, but are not yet familiar with the nuances of search engine marketing, link building, viral marketing and online reputation management, this workshop will provide you with a crash-course in all things search marketing related.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Workshop (8:00am-12:00pm): This SEO training workshop will be taught by Shari Thurow of Omni Marketing Interactive. A search-engine friendly Web site is a user-friendly, search-friendly, and persuasive site that converts visitors into buyers. In order for a site to be search-engine friendly, it must meet the terms and conditions set forth by Google and the other search engines. Additionally, the site must satisfy the needs of site visitors. Ultimately, the site must be profitable for the Web site owner. Can a single site satisfy all of these groups? This workshop will demonstrate that these skills are essential for building a user-friendly, search-friendly, and persuasive site that converts visitors into buyers.

Google AdWords Tactics to Improve Your ROI (1:00pm-5:00pm): This Google AdWords training workshop will be taught by Brad Geddes, bgTheory.com. Learn how to spice up your AdWords account by applying tactics learned in this session. You will first dive into the Psychology of Search that shows how consumers think and act throughout the search process. Next, you will learn how to choose the correct keywords to take control of when your ad is displayed. Then, you will study how effective ad copy can generate more clicks and increase your conversion rate. The landing page is fundamental to increasing conversions, and the session will cover usability and conversion optimization. Finally, you will learn everything you need to know about optimizing your account for Quality Score.

For more information about SES Toronto 2009, go to rates and registration details. Tell them the hoser from the Search Marketing News Blog at Search Engine Watch sent you. No, it won’t get you a discount. But it will let me know if anyone is reading this post.

Participants may register for training in addition to the SES Toronto conference or independently, as workshops take place on the Wednesday after the event. To follow news about SES Toronto 2009 on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/SES_Toronto.

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with the guys from Yield Software about their brand spankin’ new search marketing software that they’re launching today. It’s called the Yield Web Marketing Suite and it automates several tedious search marketing tasks into one.

There are 3 components to the suite:

• SEO – The software will scan your web page, run library of best practices, monitor what’s happening with search engines, and offer analysis. But don’t expect any sketchy recommendations. It’s only white hat here, folks.
• Paid Search – Yield offers automated bid management for the big three search engines: Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft. You can view all of your campaigns in a single place. The software also offers keyword optimization.
• Landing Page Optimization – You can use Yield to help create multivariate experiments. If it sounds intimidating, don’t freak out – there are step by step instructions to help. You can also have it automatically display the most successful version to increase conversions.

Yield offers month-to-month contracts that start at $129. The software is web-based so you don’t have to worry about downloading or installation.

Best part? You can try it free for 30 days. The Yield team gave me a demo and the software looks slick and user-friendly.

What do you think of Yield’s Web Marketing Suite? Demo the software and then head back here and give your review in the comments.

Last June, Google Website Optimizer launched the Website Workout contest, where companies could submit their websites for analysis. Four winners were chosen and they are:

• Colonial Candle
• Extra Space Storage
• Outrigger Hotels & Resorts
• Team In Training

Google posted a video of Colonial Candle’s experience in website testing and landing page optimization, which helped boost their sales by 20% (yes, even in this economy). I know when reading a blog, things like landing page testing can seem very cerebral if you’ve never done it before. So, check out this video to get a visual sense for what testing can do for your site:

Landing page testing isn’t just about creative; you have to have tech types involved in the process, as well. In today’s By the Numbers column, “Assembling Your Landing Page Optimization Dream Team, Part 4 ,” Tim Ash concludes his four part series on the ideal people you need to maximize your site’s profits.

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