We talked to Marc Hil Macalua of SEO Philippines who was  one of  the speakers for the link building session; if we may add, the first Filipino to hold this honor for an international SEM event.
 
"Link building is one of the most critical aspects of search engine optimization so to be able to discuss the topic to hundreds of search engine marketers was a thrill in itself," said Marc. In this interview, he gives tips to bloggers and website owners on how to play the SEM/SEO game:
 
Q. What was the significance of the conference to you and the future of search engine marketing (SEM) and to the country in general?
 
A. This was the first time a SES conference was held in China and SEM business process outsourcing was a key discussion point. From my talks with other U.S. and Europe-based SEM agencies, the Philippines is fast becoming an attractive SEM outsourcing destination. The level of marketing, copywriting, design and programming knowledge are key considerations when selecting a SEM outsourcing partner. Many of the search marketing executives that I had the pleasure of meeting agree that the Philippines has an rich pool of resources equipped with all four skill sets.

Q. So tell us, what's the most popular search engine?

A. According to a study released last month by tracking firm ComScore, Google has 42.3% market share in the US. That means more than four out of 10 web searches are done using Google. Yahoo! is still at number 2 with 27% of the market. The MSN search engine and Ask.com have 13% and 6% market share, respectively. The rankings may not be all too different for the Philippine market.

Q. How can the search engines' editorial listings send  you "natural" or "organic" traffic for free through search engine public relations or search engine optimization efforts?

A. Eighty three percent of all search engine traffic originate from either Google, Yahoo! or MSN. Because 90% of searchers don't go past the third page, there is tremendous value in securing first page placement on the search engine result pages. Websites with top rankings for high traffic keywords enjoy "top of mind" status and high clickthrough rates.
 
Q. How can you build a web site from the ground up that pleases both crawler-based search engines and your visitors?

A. The best form of search engine optimization would be one that addresses the needs of both search engines and human readers. There are ways to get both birds with one stone. For example, designing a site that is highly usable (intuitive linking, clean code, etc.) help promote both SEO and human consumption.

Q. Can you give us tips on properly coining search terms that will be search engine-friendly?

A. Keyword research is the most critical aspect of any search engine marketing campaign. Target the wrong keywords and you may have sabotaged your entire campaign. The best tip would be to combine your intimate knowledge of your niche with that of the keyword research tools available in the market. This critical step is usually a collaboration between the business owner and the search engine optimizer.

Q. What is the importance of site design to search engine optimization? Please elaborate.

A. Putting up a search engine-friendly website at launch time will pay dividends down the road. You must understand that with organic search engine optimization, the effects are not instantaneous. It takes time for the changes to take effect and for the search engines to adjust their rankings. Philippine Businesses now are just starting to realize the value of search engine optimization and I'm pleased to say that more and more businesses are integrating SEM into their marketing mix.

Q. Can you orient us on paid placement and what it's all about?

A. Paid placement or pay per click is a program where marketers pay a fee for a specified position, for a specified keword. Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture) are the dominant paid placement networks.

Q. Having said all these, please summarize the importance of  good SEM/SEO  for a website.

We all know that site traffic is the lifeblood of any online business. SEM/SEO campaigns are done to get tons of qualified traffic to a site. The short term benefit of having a successful pay per click (PPC) campaign is instant, qualified traffic for a fraction of a tri-media (TV, radio, print) campaign. The long term benefit of a successful organic search engine optimization campaign is continued qualified traffic to the site for "free".
 
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