# LLMs.txt - Sitemap for AI content discovery # Kevin Bekker > Digital Marketing Services --- ## Pages - [Thank You Page](https://kevinbekker.com/thank-you/):   Thank you. I will reach out soon. - [Gresham Oregon](https://kevinbekker.com/contact/gresham-oregon/): Kevin Bekker is a digital marketing expert living in Gresham, Oregon. If you're a small or medium-size business and need help with our digital marketing, please reach out. I'm cheaper and do better work then the other guys. - [Website Developent](https://kevinbekker.com/website-developent/): Are you tired of your website? I bet. Well, let’s get that fixed up for you. When you work with me, you’ll get a customized website designed specifically for your needs. And guess what? Since I’m a one-person show, I manage maintenance and make sure it works. Oh, and I’m a lot cheaper than the other guys and do better work. The proof is in the digital pudding. Let’s work together. - [Digital Consulting](https://kevinbekker.com/digital-consulting/): IIs your digital marketing working? Kevin Bekker has the experience and the know-how to help you and your business succeed in digital marketing. Contact Kevin today. Hire a digital marketing expert. - [Portland, Oregon](https://kevinbekker.com/contact/portland-oregon/): Kevin Bekker is a digital marketing expert in Portland, Oregon. If you're a small or medium-size business and need help with our digital marketing, please reach out. I'm cheaper and do better work then the other guys. - [SEO Services](https://kevinbekker.com/search-engine-optimization-seo/): Search Engine Optimization starts with website structure, content and business listings. Do you have an active strategy for all three? Let us help you get better at SEO. - [Contact](https://kevinbekker.com/contact/): Hey, let's talk. Send me an email or shoot me a message via social media. I'm game for learning and helping. Let's work together and make your digital markeitng successful. - [Google Adwords](https://kevinbekker.com/google-adwords/): Are you getting the most out of your Google AdWords spend? How many customers did you get from your Google Ad campaign last month? It's time to raise your expectations. Give me a call, you won't be disappointed. Promise. - [Digital Marketing](https://kevinbekker.com/digtal-marketing/): Digital marketing begins at the intersection of technology and human behavior. Mission: educate the businesses of New Orleans about digital Marketing. - [Home](https://kevinbekker.com/): Kevin Bekker is an award-winning digital marketing expert with experience in SEM, SEO, programmatic, and social. The website you're about to enter is a testing ground for SEO, UX, and digital analytic technology. You might find the messy, but I promise there is a method to my madness. Please come take a peek. - [Kevin Bekker's Testimonials](https://kevinbekker.com/kevin-bekkers-testimonials/): Kevin Bekker has had the pleasure of working with some of the brightest people in the industry. These are some of the people I blame for my incessant drive to learn, push, and innovate within the industry. - [2014-2015](https://kevinbekker.com/2014-2015-digital-portfolio/): Kevin's portfolio of presentations, training and speaking events. Take a look at a few of the highlights and visual interpretation of the digital world. - [Blog](https://kevinbekker.com/blog/): My Mission is to make businesses and digital marketing professionals more informed and better at what they do. The smarter we are the better we are. ## ## Posts - [AI Search and the Rise of llms.txt: Why Your Website Needs It in 2025](https://kevinbekker.com/ai-search-and-the-rise-of-llms-txt-why-your-website-needs-it-in-2025/): By 2025, searching online isn’t just about Google’s familiar blue links anymore. Now, search is dominated by AI models —... - [The Full-Funnel Digital Marketing Strategy for 2025](https://kevinbekker.com/the-full-funnel-digital-marketing-strategy-for-202/): In 2025, digital marketing isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about building smart, sustainable systems that guide your audience from first... - [How Google’s Latest Search Updates Affect Local SEO (and Why Small Businesses Should Care)](https://kevinbekker.com/how-googles-latest-search-updates-affect-local-seo/): If you run a small business in places like Gresham, Oregon—or really, any city where local competition matters—keeping up with... - [The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide for Small Businesses in Gresham, Oregon](https://kevinbekker.com/the-ultimate-digital-marketing-guide-for-small-businesses-in-gresham-oregon/): The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide for Small Businesses in Gresham, Oregon If you’re running a small business in Gresham, Oregon—whether... - [How to Rank in Google’s AI-Powered Search](https://kevinbekker.com/how-to-rank-in-googles-ai-powered-search/): Search Generative Experience (SGE) Optimization Checklist: How to Rank in Google’s AI-Powered Search Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is changing... - [How to Optimize for Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE)](https://kevinbekker.com/how-to-optimize-for-googles-search-generative-experience-sge/): Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is transforming search results by integrating AI-generated responses directly into the SERP. This shift means... - [Core Web Vitals: The Technical SEO Ranking Factor You Can’t Ignore](https://kevinbekker.com/core-web-vitals-the-technical-seo-ranking-factor-you-cant-ignore/): Google’s Core Web Vitals have become a critical ranking factor, playing a major role in determining how well your website... - [Why Technical SEO is the Backbone of Any Successful SEO Strategy](https://kevinbekker.com/why-technical-seo-is-the-backbone-of-any-seo-strategy/): When people think about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), they often focus on on-page SEO (content, keywords, meta descriptions) or off-page... - [Google’s 2025 Ad Strategy: AI, Personalization, and the Future of Search Advertising](https://kevinbekker.com/googles-2025-ad-strategy/): Google’s approach to digital advertising is evolving rapidly, with AI-driven advancements shaping the future of paid search, shopping, and video... - [What is SEO? A 2025 Guide to Search Engine Optimization](https://kevinbekker.com/seo/): SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a process focused on getting your website and its pages to rank on search engines. Why do you need SEO? Because SEO Drives free website traffic. It's not a good sign if you're paying for most of the traffic to your website. I can help. - [The Future of SEO – What’s Changing in 2025?](https://kevinbekker.com/the-future-of-seo-whats-changing-in-2025/): Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is evolving at a rapid pace. With Google’s increasing reliance on AI and user experience as... - [How to Leverage AI in Google Ads: Smart Strategies & Performance Max Optimization](https://kevinbekker.com/google-ads-ai-performance-max/): Google Ads & AI: Smarter Advertising for Businesses Google Ads is an amazing tool for businesses that want to connect... - [Search Engine Marketing in 2025: What’s Changing & How to Stay Ahead](https://kevinbekker.com/how-search-engine-marketing-works/): Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is evolving fast, and businesses that want to stay competitive in 2025 need to adapt. SEM is no longer just about bidding on keywords. - [Local SEO and Google My Business Listing(s)](https://kevinbekker.com/gmb-seo/): Your Google My Business (GMB) page is the most important part of your local SEO. The GMB Page appears in the map pack under the paid ads (Search Engine Marketing ads, also called PPC or pay-per-click ads). - [Identifing Click Fraud In Your Programmatic Digital Display Campaign](https://kevinbekker.com/programmatic-click-fraud/): Worried about programmatic click fraud within your digital display campaigns? Kevin has created a short video on how to spot programmatic click fraud within your Google Analytics. - [Four Ways to Identify Click Fraud Within Your Display/Programmatic Campaigns](https://kevinbekker.com/identify-click-fraud/): Click fraud is a major problem within the ad tech industry. Here are four simple ways to help protect yourself and your budget against click fraud. - [Advertising Agency Capabilities Deck](https://kevinbekker.com/agency-capabilities-deck/): The NOLA Media Group Agency Capabilities white paper was created as a leave behind product for advertising and marketing agencies. Come take a look. - [SEO Tips and Tricks](https://kevinbekker.com/seo101/): The SEO Tips and Tricks presentation was given at a monthly SEM PDX meeting in Portland Oregon. Kevin was asked to be apart of an SEO panel focused on helping small to medium-sized business improve their search ranking. - [Attribution Strategy and How to Make it Work](https://kevinbekker.com/attribution-strategy/): Kevin Bekker had the opportunity to present his work and strategy on attribution. The presentation focused on using DMP or Data Managment pixels within attribution cam campaigns to help understand behavior and build look-a-like re-messaging audiences. - [Digital Boomer and Senior](https://kevinbekker.com/digital-boomers/): Have you ever been told that boomers and seniors aren't online? My webinar dispells this myth. Boomers and Seniors are as active... crazy active. - [The Zero Moment of Truth](https://kevinbekker.com/zmot/): Zmot – The Reason Digital is Important. from Kevin Bekker Title:  The Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) Summary: The Zero Moment... - [Travel Portland Marketing Conference](https://kevinbekker.com/travel-portland/): What's more accurate, targeting demographics or behavior? The answer may surprise you. Kevin Bekker talks targeting at the Travel Portland Conference. - [What is Search Engine Marketing](https://kevinbekker.com/search-engine-marketing/): If you are already buying Search Engine Marketing or just beginning it's importing to understand what SEM is and how it works. Arm yourself with knowledge. - [Is Your Digital Marketing Campaign Working? Lets track it.](https://kevinbekker.com/tracking-digital-spend/): Is Your Digital Campaign Working? Make sure you are using tracking URLs in your digital marketing. In this video, I will show you how. - [Screaming Frog SEO Spider - Best SEO Tool of 2018](https://kevinbekker.com/screaming-frog-seo-spider/): Screaming Frog is a crawler, and man can it crawl. The tool allows you to crawl as Google, Yahoo, and or Bing, so you get the entire story vs. just most. - [How to Make Programmatic Work.](https://kevinbekker.com/programmatic-sampling/): How do you make programmatic work? Test supply types, audiences, and cost models back to a consistent converting environment. Winner takes all. - [How Satori Makes the Internet Smaller](https://kevinbekker.com/meet-satori/): Satori Makes the Internet Smaller Satori is the world first open source RSS feed exchange. Using similar intellectual concepts like... - [Online Data = Personalization so don’t be scared](https://kevinbekker.com/online-data-dont-be-scared/): Everything we do on the is Internet tracked. Data farms all over the internet are collecting your activity. Scared? No, it's for personalization's sake. - [Most Common Google Analytic Issues](https://kevinbekker.com/six-issues-that-could-sink-your-website-tracking/): Want to know the six of the most common Google Analytic issues we uncover when working hundreds of clients in both B2B and B2C verticles? Click and read. - [Five things you consider when choosing and SEO vendor.](https://kevinbekker.com/choosing-an-seo-vendor/): The top five things to consider when choosing a search engine optimization vendor. Not all SEO vendors are created equal. Choose wisely, my friend. - [How to buy Programmatic](https://kevinbekker.com/programmatic-buyers-guy-to-the-galaxy/): Are you asking your programmatic vendor the right questions? It's time to ask the tough questions. Ten questions to protect you from bad vendors. - [9 Metrics to Measure SEM Campaign Performance in 2025](https://kevinbekker.com/9-important-metrics-sem/): Is your Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaign working? 9 Search Engine Marketing reporting metrics you need to know about. Arm yourself with knowledge. --- # # Detailed Content ## Pages ### Thank You Page - Published: 2020-05-13 - Modified: 2020-11-18 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/thank-you/   Thank you. I will reach out soon. Jeffery Zehnder, Chairman/CEO Zehnder Communications, Inc.   --- ### Gresham Oregon > Kevin Bekker is a digital marketing expert living in Gresham, Oregon. If you're a small or medium-size business and need help with our digital marketing, please reach out. I'm cheaper and do better work then the other guys. - Published: 2020-01-16 - Modified: 2020-11-18 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/contact/gresham-oregon/ Gresham Oregon Digital Marketing Services Kevin Bekker is a digital expert with over 15 years of experience in digital and traditional marketing. He has worked with large and small brands alike. He has expertise in website development, SEO, Google Ads, Bing Ads, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager,  programmatic, and social media marketing, Enough about me, let's talk about you!   If you want to hand out and talk shop (digital marketing), fill the form below and let's meet for coffee. Maybe even a nice IPA over at The Hoppy Brewer in Gresham Oregon.  Contact KevinMore on Gresham, Oregon Gresham is located just minutes from iconic Mount Hood, Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, the city of Portland, and Portland International Airport, Gresham’s had grown substantially over the past few years swelling to a population just over 300,000 people. Today, Gresham is a dynamic, innovative and rapidly growing city with a mutual desire and drive to thrive. Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings. --- ### Website Developent > Are you tired of your website? I bet. Well, let’s get that fixed up for you. When you work with me, you’ll get a customized website designed specifically for your needs. And guess what? Since I’m a one-person show, I manage maintenance and make sure it works. Oh, and I’m a lot cheaper than the other guys and do better work. The proof is in the digital pudding. Let’s work together. - Published: 2020-01-16 - Modified: 2020-02-05 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/website-developent/ Are you tired of your website? I bet. Well, let's get that fixed up for you. When you work with me, you'll get a customized website designed specifically for your needs. And guess what? Since I'm a one-person show, I manage maintenance and make sure it works. Oh, and I'm a lot cheaper than the other guys and do better work. The proof is in the digital pudding. Let's work together. I use WordPress, why? Because it's flexible, looks great and my clients find it easy to use.   Wordpress allows business to have a dynamic and responsive website that search engines love.      Most website development companies will charge you a reoccurring monthly fee. I think that is crazy. When I build your website, all costs associated with your website and it's hosting will be billed directly to you and your business without a markup. Let's go! I'm an SEO nerd. I am responsible for all of the SEO programs sold by a midsized ad agency out of New Orleans (fun town). Why is this important? All of the websites I develop rank high (on search engines) right out of the box, so the site will look good and rank high. Awesome right? Structure, content, headlines, images, schema, breadcrumbs, descriptions, and access to webmaster tools are all standards. Website Development WorkIndustry: B2B  Estimated Cost: $1,800-$2500 Additional Digital Marketing Products Google Ads Local Search Engine Optimization Industry: B2B  Estimated Cost: $3,000-$4500 Additional Digital Marketing Products Google Ads Local Search Engine... --- ### Digital Consulting > IIs your digital marketing working? Kevin Bekker has the experience and the know-how to help you and your business succeed in digital marketing. Contact Kevin today. Hire a digital marketing expert. - Published: 2019-10-17 - Modified: 2020-01-16 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/digital-consulting/ Why work with an expert vs. a digital agency? When you work with an agency or a media company, you will pay higher management fees, with less transparency and a lack of performance. When you work with Kevin, you get better service, digital products, and all at a flat hourly rate with no surprises. Oh, and not contacts. If you're not happy with working with Kevin Bekker, you can part ways with no strings attached. Digital Marketing ServicesThere are a lot of just okay digital products on the market.   While some of these product may help, others may be a waste of money. Need help wading though the clutter?   Kevin offers a digital consulting plan that works with any budget.  Are you buying Google Ads?   Is your campaign performing?   What portion of your budget is actually being spent on your business vs. management?   It’s time to contact Kevin Bekker. Are you spending money on SEO and not seeing an increase in page rank? Contact Kevin and work directly with an SEO and UX expert. Need help choosing a website platform or help with a WordPress site?   Contact me today, I can help you build or find the right website that works for you and your business. . Are you getting new customers with your social media, or just getting likes? Are you paying too much for management? Kevin can help you turn a social profit. Contact Kevin Today for a Free Digital Consultation --- ### Portland, Oregon > Kevin Bekker is a digital marketing expert in Portland, Oregon. If you're a small or medium-size business and need help with our digital marketing, please reach out. I'm cheaper and do better work then the other guys. - Published: 2019-09-19 - Modified: 2020-01-16 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/contact/portland-oregon/ Contact Kevin Bekker Kevin Bekker is a digital expert with over 15 years of experience in digital and traditional marketing. He has worked with large and small brands alike. He can develop technical SEO, content, analytics, programmatic, social, and web development strategies and employment ongoing digital marketing campaigns. If you’re not interested in a full blow digital campaign you can hire Kevin as a consultant.   Either way, if you need help with strategy, web development, reporting interpretation, and or anything else let me now.   I can help Enough about me, let's talk about you!   If you want to hand out and talk shop (digital marketing), fill the form below and let's meet for coffee. Maybe even a nice IPA over at Ecliptic in Portland Oregan.   More on Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon’s largest city, sits on the Columbia and Willamette rivers, in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Hood. It’s known for its parks, bridges and bicycle paths, as well as for its eco-friendliness and its microbreweries and coffeehouses. Iconic Washington Park encompasses sites from the formal Japanese Garden to Oregon Zoo and its railway. The city hosts thriving art, theater and music scenes. As an outsider (Originally from the North West), I would describe the city as a weird overstuff beer fridge with great snacks.   Lots of good beer and food, but way to many people. Let's talk shop! --- ### SEO Services > Search Engine Optimization starts with website structure, content and business listings. Do you have an active strategy for all three? Let us help you get better at SEO. - Published: 2017-09-12 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/search-engine-optimization-seo/ Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Why should the Invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Give your business more exposure on major search engines.   We optimize your website to rank for targeted and likely to convert keywords. Kevin Bekker will be your partner and help you grow as a business.   We will educate, consult, and help you make the right decisions with your digital marketing. A strong SEO campaign will drive more quality website traffic and leads to your website.   If done properly you should see a strong increase in traffic right out of the gate.   If your SEO program isn't working right now, you're wasting your budget. We don't lock you into a long term contract, because we don't have to.   We're good, so once you start, you won't want to quit. If you fail then we fail.   No need for a contract here. As your traffic and exposure SEO will increase website traffic, which will grow leads, and increase your business revenue.   The more people that find your brand online, the more successful your business will become. We don't contract with other companies, or with people in other countries.   We do everything in-house, so we have complete control over the success of your search engine optimization (SEO) Campaign.   Our goal is to help your business and become your partner for life (PFL). Local SEO (NAP) Optimization Packages Starting at $349 per month.   Customized SEO Starting at $499. Local SEO (NAP) Optimization... --- ### Contact > Hey, let's talk. Send me an email or shoot me a message via social media. I'm game for learning and helping. Let's work together and make your digital markeitng successful. - Published: 2017-09-06 - Modified: 2020-11-18 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/contact/ Do you need digital marketing help?   Kevin Bekker is a digital strategy and technology expert with over 15 years of experience working the small and medium sized business.   Kevin can work directly with your business as a digital marketing consultant, and can manage your digital marketing products like Google Ads, Search Engine Optimization, or Social Media Advertising. Kevin is a Digital Nomad meaning he works remote from the comfort of his own home office.   I do occationally visit the New Orleans and the Portland, Oregon markets.   Please reach out. I'd love to help.    --- ### Google Adwords > Are you getting the most out of your Google AdWords spend? How many customers did you get from your Google Ad campaign last month? It's time to raise your expectations. Give me a call, you won't be disappointed. Promise. - Published: 2017-09-05 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/google-adwords/ Are You Buying or Interested in Buying Google Ads? Why should businesses use Google Ads (SEM) to grow their business? Give your business the exposure your business needs to dominate the market. Google Ads will help pave roads that lead to you. Kevin Bekker will be your partner and help you grow as a business.   We will educate, consult, and help you make the right decisions with your digital marketing. Kevin Bekker will help drive more customers to your website, and products, and services than any other marketing company. We don't lock you into a long term contract, because we don't have to.   We're good, so once you start, you won't want to quit. If you fail then we fail.   No need for a contract here. As your traffic and exposure increase your company revue will grow.   The more people that know your brand the better. We don't contract with other companies, or with people in other countries.   We do everything in-house, so we have complete control over the success of your campaign.   Your Google Ads team will be your best friends. Google Ad Management Services Billed Hourly.   Google Ad Management Packages Starting at $350 mo. Google Ad Management Services Billed Hourly.   Google Ad Management Packages Starting at $350 mo. What Are Google Google Ads (SEM) and How Will It Help Your Business in New Orleans or Portland Oregon?   Google Ads, often referred to as Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and Pay Per Click(PPC)... --- ### Digital Marketing > Digital marketing begins at the intersection of technology and human behavior. Mission: educate the businesses of New Orleans about digital Marketing. - Published: 2017-09-01 - Modified: 2018-10-16 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/digtal-marketing/ Digital Marketing Begins at The Intersection Between Technology and Human Behavior My Mission:To teach the fundamentals of digital technology and digital marketing so business owners and marketing professionals alike can make informed decisions when buying and selling digital marketing products. Click icons below and let's get started. Are you spending money on SEO?  Did you choose the right vendor? What type of programmatic display are you buying? What's your viewability rate? What is Search Engine Marketing? Why use it, and how does it work? Are you worried companies tracking you?  Let's talk shop about data. Is your Search Engine Marketing driving leads? Why not? Let's take a look under the hood. Is your campaign tracking? Are you sure your data is accurate? --- ### Home > Kevin Bekker is an award-winning digital marketing expert with experience in SEM, SEO, programmatic, and social. The website you're about to enter is a testing ground for SEO, UX, and digital analytic technology. You might find the messy, but I promise there is a method to my madness. Please come take a peek. - Published: 2017-08-31 - Modified: 2025-04-04 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/ Kevin Bekker Digital Marketing  linkedinyoutubeabout me15 years / Leadership / Freelance >, Skills & expertise SEO & Content Marketing (Technical SEO, On-Page Optimization, Content Strategy) Paid Media & Demand Generation (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, Programmatic Advertising) Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) (A/B Testing, Landing Page Optimization) Marketing Analytics & Attribution (GA4, Tag Manager, Looker Studio, etc. )  Multi-Channel Strategy (Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Affiliate Marketing) MarTech & Automation (Marketing Cloud, Marketo, HubSpot, Act-On, Stripo) Data & Performance Tracking (Google Looker Studio, Tableau, SEMrush, Moz, Screaming Frog, etc. ) Campaign Execution & Fulfillment (Agency Management, Media Buying, Optimization, UX, Atribuiton Strategies) Optimize Google Ads with AI Leverage AI-powered strategies to enhance Google Ads performance, automation, and targeting for smarter, more effective campaigns. Digital Marketing & SEO Want to keep up with the latest in SEO, AI-driven search, and digital marketing trends? I cover everything from Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) to local SEO strategies, technical SEO, and advanced PPC tactics. My blog is packed with real-world insights and actionable tips to help businesses grow online. --- ### Kevin Bekker's Testimonials > Kevin Bekker has had the pleasure of working with some of the brightest people in the industry. These are some of the people I blame for my incessant drive to learn, push, and innovate within the industry. - Published: 2017-08-20 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/kevin-bekkers-testimonials/ "Our family owned shop was literally lost digitally speaking. As a third-tier supplier, we didn’t have a large digital budget. PROOF helped us carefully construct a systematic approach and got the most out of our budget by helping us sidestep costly pitfalls. We recommend Kevin Bekker Digital Marketing highly to anyone looking for digital guidance” ToolmastersLinkedInTwitter"Kevin is a tremendous talent in digital strategy, SEO and more, and will be an asset to any organization he works with. "LinkedInTwitter“Kevin Bekker is one of the greatest digital minds in the media industry. He's strategic, resourceful, collaborative, and extremely creative. Kevin is a master at building strategy, closing complex deals, and building strong client relationships at the highest level. I would be honored to work with Kevin Bekker again as he's a phenomenal digital sales leader with impeccable character! ”LinkedInTwitter“Kevin is an out and out difference maker. He knows what works -- and he's relentless at catalyzing change around that goodness. He's a voracious learner -- and has incredible action-orientation -- an exceedingly rare combination that makes him incredibly effective in a variety of environments. Get him on your team; he'll make you better. ”LinkedInTwitter"By far, one of the best thinkers I’ve known. Kevin is careful to consider all angles and keen to carefully measure results against expectations. Although his approach is speedy, he’s the guy that finds the magical needle in the haystack. " LinkedIn Twitter"Kevin took ownership of digital in a unique and passionate way. While actively soaking up all forms of... --- ### 2014-2015 > Kevin's portfolio of presentations, training and speaking events. Take a look at a few of the highlights and visual interpretation of the digital world. - Published: 2017-04-25 - Modified: 2018-03-18 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/2014-2015-digital-portfolio/ Travel Portland Marketing Conference Travel Portland Marketing Seminar - Targeting demographics vs. targeting behavior within the programmatic space. from Kevin BekkerTitle:  Targeting Demographics vs. Targeting Behavior within the Programmatic Space Summary:   Which is more accurate, targeting an entire population segment or a consumer's behavior? How does programmatic behavioral targeting work and why is it more accurate than the more widely accepted and traditional demographic targeting? Event: Travel Portland Marketing Seminar Type: Public Speaking Date: May 2015 The Zero Moment of Truth The Reason Digital is Important.     Title:  The Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) Summary: The Zero Moment of Truth, a Google study released in 2012 is the reason why digital guys like me have a job. The study sheds light on now consumers use the internet to make buying decisions. Digital is happening if you like it or not.  All we can do is try and be a part of the conversation. The more you understand how consumer shop, the better understand the conversation you need to have. Event: Small to Medium Size Business WorkshopType: Digital WorkshopDate: Developed 2015  Zmot - The Reason Digital is Important. from Kevin Bekker The Digital Boomer and Senior The Digital Boomer and Senior from Kevin Bekker, MBA Title:  The Digital Boomer & Senior.  How wired are Boomers and Seniors? Summary:   The Digital Boomer and Senior is a webinar that focusing on how Boomer's and Seniors utilize the internet in their daily lives. The deck focuses on disproving the widely accepted perception that these two valuable consumer groups do not... --- ### Blog > My Mission is to make businesses and digital marketing professionals more informed and better at what they do. The smarter we are the better we are. - Published: 2017-04-02 - Modified: 2025-03-01 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/blog/ Digital Marketing Blog --- ## ## Posts ### AI Search and the Rise of llms.txt: Why Your Website Needs It in 2025 - Published: 2025-04-29 - Modified: 2025-04-29 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/ai-search-and-the-rise-of-llms-txt-why-your-website-needs-it-in-2025/ - Categories: AI SEO, Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy, SEO By 2025, searching online isn’t just about Google’s familiar blue links anymore. Now, search is dominated by AI models — like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude — that scan the web, gather information directly from websites, and deliver it instantly as summaries, answers, or conversations. For business owners and website managers, this shift brings a new challenge: How can you make sure AI systems interpret your website correctly? And how do you stay visible when users may never actually visit your site? One of the newest tools that can help is something called the llms. txt file. It’s easy to create, but it can have a big impact on how AI finds and uses your content. Here’s what you need to know — and how to use it effectively. What Is llms. txt? The llms. txt file is a plain text document that you place in your website’s root directory — similar to a robots. txt file. But instead of communicating with traditional search engines like Googlebot, this file speaks directly to large language models (LLMs) — the AI systems behind tools like ChatGPT, Google’s Bard/Gemini, Bing Chat, and others. Think of it as a custom roadmap for AI. It tells these systems what parts of your site matter most, which areas to avoid, and how you want them to credit your content when it’s used in AI-generated responses. It’s essentially a blueprint that helps AI tools better represent your brand and content. Why Is llms. txt Important Right Now? AI-powered... --- ### The Full-Funnel Digital Marketing Strategy for 2025 - Published: 2025-04-17 - Modified: 2025-04-17 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/the-full-funnel-digital-marketing-strategy-for-202/ - Categories: Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy In 2025, digital marketing isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about building smart, sustainable systems that guide your audience from first contact to loyal customer. That’s where a full-funnel marketing strategy comes in. This post is your guide to understanding, mapping, and implementing a full-funnel strategy that works — especially if you’re running a business or managing campaigns for clients. Whether you're selling online or offline, B2B or B2C, this framework adapts to your goals. What Is a Full-Funnel Marketing Strategy? A full-funnel strategy refers to how you guide potential customers through the different stages of their journey: Top of Funnel (TOFU): Awareness Middle of Funnel (MOFU): Consideration Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): Conversion This approach ensures you’re not just generating traffic — you’re creating intentional touchpoints that convert strangers into customers (and ideally, into advocates). In 2025, with Google’s evolving algorithms, AI-driven content summaries (like SGE), and rising ad costs, having a coordinated funnel matters more than ever. Stage 1: Awareness (Top of Funnel / TOFU) This is where you make your first impression. Your job at this stage is to get on people’s radar by answering questions, entertaining them, or solving a small problem. Key Goals: Build brand visibility, attract cold traffic, educate and inspire. Effective Channels: Blog posts, social media content, YouTube, display ads, sponsored content, podcasts. What to Measure: Page views, social engagement, new followers, time on site. Pro Tip: Don’t oversell here. Your audience doesn’t know you yet. Offer value and trust first. Stage 2: Consideration (Middle... --- ### How Google’s Latest Search Updates Affect Local SEO (and Why Small Businesses Should Care) - Published: 2025-04-04 - Modified: 2025-04-04 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/how-googles-latest-search-updates-affect-local-seo/ - Categories: SEO If you run a small business in places like Gresham, Oregon—or really, any city where local competition matters—keeping up with Google might seem like something only big agencies or tech-savvy marketers do. But the truth is, the way Google changes its search engine has a direct impact on how easily customers can find you online. That’s why it’s worth paying attention to the latest updates from Google Search News, a video series hosted by John Mueller, who works on the Search team at Google. In the most recent episode, John laid out several changes that matter for everyday business owners. This post breaks them down in plain English and explains how they connect to local SEO—and why now is a great time to double-check your visibility in Google. A New Look at Search Console: Hourly Data and More One of the most useful updates is that Google Search Console now shows hourly performance data for the past 24 hours. For years, Search Console only gave us a 1–2 day delay in reporting, so being able to see how your website performs almost in real-time is a big shift. If you're running a promotion or just launched new content, you can now track how quickly it’s picked up—and whether it's working. Google also added smarter notifications around crawling problems. In simple terms, crawling is how Google discovers and reads the pages on your site. If 5% or more of your pages suddenly become inaccessible (because of server issues, broken code, or... --- ### The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide for Small Businesses in Gresham, Oregon - Published: 2025-04-01 - Modified: 2025-03-31 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/the-ultimate-digital-marketing-guide-for-small-businesses-in-gresham-oregon/ - Categories: Digital Marketing The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide for Small Businesses in Gresham, Oregon If you’re running a small business in Gresham, Oregon—whether you’re a contractor, café owner, retailer, or local service provider—digital marketing can be the difference between slow growth and a steady stream of customers. Gresham is growing fast. With more competition and a customer base that lives online, your business needs more than word-of-mouth to stay visible. This guide will walk you through actionable digital marketing strategies, tailored specifically to small businesses operating in and around Gresham, Oregon. Whether you're just starting out or ready to scale, this is the blueprint. Why Digital Marketing Matters for Gresham Businesses Gresham sits in a prime location near Portland but has its own identity—and its own market dynamics. While foot traffic and referrals still matter, more than 90% of consumers search online before visiting a local business. That means your website, your social media, and your presence on Google all impact your reputation and revenue—even if your business is built on relationships. 1. Local SEO: Show Up Where People Are Searching Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP). Fill out every section, add your hours, service areas, and upload high-quality images. Use Gresham-specific keywords like “roof repair Gresham” or “best sushi in Gresham” in your page titles, meta descriptions, and content. Earn reviews from local customers. Ask every satisfied customer to leave a Google review—and reply to all of them. Add local schema markup to your website so search engines better understand... --- ### How to Rank in Google’s AI-Powered Search - Published: 2025-03-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/how-to-rank-in-googles-ai-powered-search/ - Categories: Digital Marketing, SEO Search Generative Experience (SGE) Optimization Checklist: How to Rank in Google’s AI-Powered Search Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) is changing how search works—fast. Instead of just showing links, Google now uses AI to generate direct answers and summaries. That means your content not only has to rank, it has to earn its place in AI-generated results. Below is a step-by-step checklist to help your website adapt and stay visible in this new search landscape. Use Structured Data & Schema Markup: Make it easy for Google to understand your content. Add schema (like Article, FAQ, Product, etc. ) to help your content get pulled into AI results and rich snippets. Target Featured Snippets: Write clear, concise answers to common questions. Use bullet points, numbered lists, and short definitions to increase your chance of being pulled into a featured snippet—or the AI summary box. Write in Q&A and List Format: AI loves structured content. Break long posts into clear sections, use subheadings, and include Q&A-style answers near the bottom of your post to support both featured snippets and AI crawling. Use Conversational, Long-Tail Keywords: SGE is built on natural language models, so shift from stiff, exact-match keywords to natural phrases and questions your audience would actually say. Create Authoritative, Original Content: Google’s AI prioritizes content from trusted sources. Show experience, cite credible data, and add your unique perspective. Thin content won’t cut it. Optimize for Mobile & Speed: SGE results appear directly in search, which means fast-loading mobile pages are more important... --- ### How to Optimize for Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) - Published: 2025-03-20 - Modified: 2025-03-20 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/how-to-optimize-for-googles-search-generative-experience-sge/ - Categories: AI SEO, Digital Marketing, SEO - Tags: SGE Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is transforming search results by integrating AI-generated responses directly into the SERP. This shift means traditional SEO tactics alone may not be enough to maintain visibility. Instead of just ranking for keywords, businesses must optimize their content to be selected by Google’s AI for its summaries. What is Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE)? SGE uses AI to generate summarized answers to search queries, pulling information from multiple sources and displaying it above traditional search results. While this can improve the user experience by providing instant answers, it also means fewer users will click through to websites unless they offer valuable, structured content that AI prefers. How SGE Affects SEO Less reliance on keyword rankings as AI-generated answers dominate search results. Structured data and schema markup help search engines understand your content. Expertise and authority signals become even more critical for inclusion. Content format and readability matter, with Google prioritizing content that’s easy to extract and summarize. Best Practices for Optimizing Content for SGE 1. Use Structured Data and Schema Markup SGE pulls content from various sources and favors structured data to better understand context. Implement: FAQ schema to get featured in quick AI answers. How-to schema to showcase step-by-step guides. Review and rating schema to build credibility in AI-driven search. 2. Target Featured Snippets & Answer Boxes AI-driven search relies heavily on content already appearing in featured snippets. To optimize: Use concise, factual answers at the top of articles. Write in question-based formats (Who, What,... --- ### Core Web Vitals: The Technical SEO Ranking Factor You Can’t Ignore - Published: 2025-03-13 - Modified: 2025-03-14 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/core-web-vitals-the-technical-seo-ranking-factor-you-cant-ignore/ - Categories: AI SEO, Digital Marketing, SEO Google’s Core Web Vitals have become a critical ranking factor, playing a major role in determining how well your website performs in search results. While keywords, backlinks, and content quality remain important, technical performance and user experience are now non-negotiable for SEO success. In this guide, we’ll break down what Core Web Vitals are, why they matter for SEO, and how to optimize them to improve rankings and user experience. What Are Core Web Vitals? Core Web Vitals are a set of three performance metrics that Google uses to assess how users experience a web page. They focus on loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Measures loading performance (should be 2. 5 seconds or faster). First Input Delay (FID) – Measures interactivity (should be 100 milliseconds or less). Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Measures visual stability (should be 0. 1 or lower). These metrics directly impact user experience and are part of Google’s Page Experience update, meaning websites that fail Core Web Vitals assessments may see ranking drops. Why Do Core Web Vitals Matter for SEO? 1. Google Uses Them as a Ranking Factor Google has confirmed that Core Web Vitals affect rankings, especially for mobile search. If two websites have similar content quality, the one with better Core Web Vitals will likely rank higher. 2. Poor Performance = Higher Bounce Rates Users hate slow-loading, unstable, and unresponsive pages. Studies show that 53% of mobile users leave a page that takes longer than 3 seconds... --- ### Why Technical SEO is the Backbone of Any Successful SEO Strategy - Published: 2025-03-07 - Modified: 2025-03-06 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/why-technical-seo-is-the-backbone-of-any-seo-strategy/ - Categories: SEO, Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy When people think about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), they often focus on on-page SEO (content, keywords, meta descriptions) or off-page SEO (backlinks, domain authority). While these are essential components of an effective strategy, Technical SEO is the foundation that holds everything together. Without it, even the best content and link-building strategy won’t help a site rank if Google can’t properly crawl, index, and understand the site’s content. In this article, we’ll break down what Technical SEO is, why it’s the most important part of any SEO program, and what happens when businesses ignore it. What is Technical SEO? Technical SEO refers to the backend optimizations that ensure a website is accessible, crawlable, and indexable by search engines. It focuses on improving a site’s infrastructure, ensuring search engines can easily find, interpret, and rank its content. Key elements of Technical SEO include: Website Crawling & Indexing – Ensuring search engines can properly scan and store pages. Site Speed & Core Web Vitals – Improving load time and performance metrics. Mobile-Friendliness – Ensuring the site is optimized for mobile users. Secure & Accessible Website (HTTPS) – Providing a secure experience for visitors. Structured Data & Schema Markup – Helping search engines understand content better. Canonical Tags & Duplicate Content Fixes – Preventing indexing issues. XML Sitemaps & Robots. txt – Controlling which pages search engines can crawl and index. Identifying and Fixing Redirect Chains – Preventing slow load times and indexing issues caused by multiple redirect hops. Correct Canonicalization – Ensuring the... --- ### Google’s 2025 Ad Strategy: AI, Personalization, and the Future of Search Advertising - Published: 2025-03-06 - Modified: 2025-03-06 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/googles-2025-ad-strategy/ - Categories: AI SEO, Digital Marketing Google’s approach to digital advertising is evolving rapidly, with AI-driven advancements shaping the future of paid search, shopping, and video ads. According to a recent Search Engine Land article, Google’s Vice President and General Manager of Ads and Commerce, Vidhya Srinivasan, outlined the company’s top priorities for 2025—and they revolve around AI, automation, and personalized ad experiences. So, what does this mean for advertisers? Let’s break down Google’s 2025 ad strategy and how businesses should prepare for the changes. AI-Powered Advertising & Personalization AI is no longer just a tool for optimizing ad bids—it’s now at the core of Google’s entire advertising ecosystem. According to Srinivasan, AI will play a key role in creating ad creatives, predicting consumer behavior, and automating campaign management. How AI is Changing Google Ads AI-Generated Ads – Google’s AI will dynamically create ad copy, images, and formats based on user intent. Predictive Shopping Experiences – AI will suggest products to users based on search behavior and past interactions. Automated Bidding & Budgeting – Machine learning models will adjust bids in real time to maximize conversions. What This Means for Advertisers Businesses must embrace AI-powered ad formats to remain competitive. Advertisers should focus on feeding high-quality inputs (images, branding, and messaging) into Google’s AI tools to get better ad performance. The days of manually tweaking ad copy and bids are fading—automation is taking over. The Future of Google Shopping & Visual Search Google’s Shopping experience is undergoing a massive transformation, shifting from keyword-based ads to AI-powered... --- ### What is SEO? A 2025 Guide to Search Engine Optimization > SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a process focused on getting your website and its pages to rank on search engines. Why do you need SEO? Because SEO Drives free website traffic. It's not a good sign if you're paying for most of the traffic to your website. I can help. - Published: 2025-03-03 - Modified: 2025-03-06 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/seo/ - Categories: Digital Marketing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving a website’s visibility in search engine results to attract more organic traffic—the visitors who find your site naturally rather than through paid ads. SEO helps businesses increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, and improve lead generation by making their content more accessible to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Why SEO Still Matters in 2025 Search engines have evolved significantly, but SEO remains crucial for online success. In 2025, SEO is about more than just keywords—it’s about understanding search intent, optimizing for AI-driven search results, and improving user experience. Some key reasons why SEO is more important than ever: Organic traffic is still a primary driver of website visits. Well-optimized pages rank higher, bringing in consistent traffic without ongoing ad spend. AI-powered search results require smarter content strategies. Google’s AI, like MUM (Multitask Unified Model), is now better at understanding natural language and user intent. Search engines prioritize high-quality, user-focused content. Websites that provide real value and excellent user experiences rank higher. SEO impacts multiple channels. Ranking well in search engines helps drive traffic to social media, YouTube, and even voice search devices. How SEO Works in 2025 Search engines use complex algorithms to determine which pages should rank for specific queries. While the exact ranking factors change over time, these key areas remain critical: 1. On-Page SEO (Optimizing Individual Pages for Search) Content Quality: Content must be valuable, well-structured, and address user intent. Keyword Optimization: Keywords still matter, but... --- ### The Future of SEO – What’s Changing in 2025? - Published: 2025-03-02 - Modified: 2025-03-02 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/the-future-of-seo-whats-changing-in-2025/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy, AI SEO, Digital Marketing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is evolving at a rapid pace. With Google’s increasing reliance on AI and user experience as ranking factors, small businesses must rethink their strategies to stay competitive in 2025 and beyond. The Biggest SEO Shifts Coming in 2025 AI-Driven Search Results – Google is integrating more AI-generated answers into search, reducing click-through rates on traditional websites. Voice Search Optimization – More users rely on voice assistants, meaning conversational keywords will become essential. User Experience (UX) as a Ranking Factor – Site speed, mobile responsiveness, and engagement rates are playing a bigger role in rankings. E-E-A-T Matters More Than Ever – Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness are critical for ranking well. Zero-Click Searches – More searches are being answered directly in Google’s SERPs, making it crucial to optimize for featured snippets. AI-Powered Content Evaluation – Google's AI models (like MUM and RankBrain) are focusing on content intent rather than just keyword density. The Role of AI in SEO Google's AI systems, including RankBrain, BERT, and MUM, are transforming search rankings. AI is now capable of: Understanding context and intent rather than just matching keywords. Evaluating content depth and expertise. Identifying spammy and low-quality content more effectively. Small businesses need to adapt by ensuring their content is high-quality, authoritative, and user-focused rather than simply optimized for keywords. Adapting Your SEO Strategy for 2025 1. Focus on High-Quality, Long-Form Content Google prioritizes in-depth, well-researched content. Articles with 1,500+ words tend to perform better, provided they offer real value. Small... --- ### How to Leverage AI in Google Ads: Smart Strategies & Performance Max Optimization - Published: 2025-03-01 - Modified: 2025-03-01 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/google-ads-ai-performance-max/ - Categories: Digital Marketing Google Ads & AI: Smarter Advertising for Businesses Google Ads is an amazing tool for businesses that want to connect with potential customers online. Now, with AI-powered features making the platform smarter, more flexible, and more automated than ever, it has become even more effective. This is especially helpful for small businesses, but success depends on knowing how to best implement AI-driven ad strategies. The Rise of AI in Google Ads AI is now influencing nearly every aspect of Google Ads, from bid automation to dynamic search ads. Performance Max campaigns have transformed digital marketing by automatically placing ads across YouTube, Search, Display, and Discovery. The goal? To maximize conversions with minimal manual effort. Can You Trust AI with Your Google Ads Strategy? AI can analyze massive amounts of data in real time, fine-tuning bids, keywords, and placements for better performance. However, it’s not infallible. Businesses still need to review and refine their campaigns, ad copy, and targeting to ensure AI aligns with their goals. AI Features You Should Be Using Smart Bidding – AI adjusts bids in real-time to maximize conversions. Performance Max Campaigns – Fully automated, AI-driven campaigns across multiple channels. Dynamic Search Ads – Google generates ad headlines and descriptions based on website content. Responsive Search Ads – AI tests different ad variations and delivers the top-performing combinations. Best Practices for Small Businesses Monitor AI’s Decisions – AI automation is powerful, but human oversight is essential. Blend AI with Human Expertise – AI can optimize, but human... --- ### Search Engine Marketing in 2025: What’s Changing & How to Stay Ahead > Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is evolving fast, and businesses that want to stay competitive in 2025 need to adapt. SEM is no longer just about bidding on keywords. - Published: 2020-06-02 - Modified: 2025-03-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/how-search-engine-marketing-works/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy, AI SEO, Digital Marketing Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is evolving fast, and businesses that want to stay competitive in 2025 need to adapt. SEM is no longer just about bidding on keywords—it’s about understanding user intent, leveraging AI-powered automation, and optimizing for better performance. What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)? SEM is a digital advertising strategy that helps businesses appear at the top of search engine results by bidding on keywords. While this fundamental approach remains the same, today’s SEM is more sophisticated, using AI, automation, and audience targeting to maximize ad efficiency and improve ROI. Key Elements of a Strong SEM Campaign in 2025 Success in SEM now goes beyond just picking keywords and writing ad copy. Here are the most important factors to focus on: 1. AI-Driven Keyword & Audience Targeting AI tools now analyze search behavior to predict user intent more accurately than ever before. Broad match keywords combined with audience signals allow businesses to reach the right people at the right time. With third-party cookies disappearing, first-party data (customer lists, past website visitors) is essential for effective targeting. 2. AI-Generated Ads & Responsive Search Ads Traditional static text ads are gone. Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) now adapt automatically, showing the best-performing combinations. AI tools analyze performance data to improve ad copy in real-time, helping businesses get better engagement and conversion rates. 3. Landing Page Experience Matters More Than Ever Google now evaluates page speed, mobile usability, and interactivity to determine ad rankings. AI-powered landing page builders allow businesses to create... --- ### Local SEO and Google My Business Listing(s) > Your Google My Business (GMB) page is the most important part of your local SEO. The GMB Page appears in the map pack under the paid ads (Search Engine Marketing ads, also called PPC or pay-per-click ads). - Published: 2020-05-22 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/gmb-seo/ - Categories: Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy If you are a local business, your Google My Business (GMB) page becomes front and center. The GMB Page appears in the map pack under the paid ads (Search Engine Marketing ads, also called PPC or pay-per-click ads). The Google My Business Page is a Google business listing that allows local businesses to create a page that describes what they do (with both descriptions and pictures), where they do it (Google Map Location), and what others think about their business (Google Reviews). Here is what you need to know about your GMB Page: The Google My Business Page is the single most significant business listing for local SEO. So crucial, in fact, companies like Thrive Hive have made a fortune off of local companies that fail to claim and manage their GMB page(s) correctly. Each business location should have a unique GMB page with unique location page URL. GMB maintenance takes minimal effort, and Google has made the setup process very easy. All you need to do is Google, “Google My Business page” and click on the “start now” button and follow the directions.   It’s our opinion that, because maintaining your own GMB Page is so empowering and simple, a local business should never allow another company to claim or manage their Google My Business Page. A business can post blogs and/or events on their GMB pages.   It’s not required but helps GMB rank, so we highly recommend posting something monthly. All it takes is a simple image or photo and about... --- ### Identifing Click Fraud In Your Programmatic Digital Display Campaign > Worried about programmatic click fraud within your digital display campaigns? Kevin has created a short video on how to spot programmatic click fraud within your Google Analytics. - Published: 2017-11-01 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/programmatic-click-fraud/ - Categories: Video Tutorials Very Rough Video Transcription. Hello, everybody. This is Kevin Bekker. I'm doing a quick follow-up to a blog post about click fraud and identifying bad traffic on your websites. I did a previous video specifically about display campaigns and wanted to do a second one specific to identifying the same bad traffic on your website using your Google Analytics. And so I wanna make sure that you guys, one, don't judge me because you see I only have 30 users. This is a new site building out the content first before I really start doing any kind of marketing or sharing, so don't judge. But I have run into a nice little spam slash bot that keeps hitting my site, and I'm going to show you what it looks like, and how to find it, and how to block it. I'm also gonna show you, because the process I'm about to take is very similar the same process you'd take when you're trying to identify click fraud within a display campaign, but instead of doing it through all traffic channels, you'd wanna do the same exact process through campaigns, right? Because if you're using a built URL, or a UTM, or a tracking URL, which every single programmatic vendor or a display vendor that you use should be using it, using one, and you should be able to see all your campaigns that you're running here. If you don't, it's a huge red flag, probably shouldn't be doing business with... --- ### Four Ways to Identify Click Fraud Within Your Display/Programmatic Campaigns > Click fraud is a major problem within the ad tech industry. Here are four simple ways to help protect yourself and your budget against click fraud. - Published: 2017-10-26 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/identify-click-fraud/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy The programmatic (ad tech) industry has a problem with ad fraud. Bots created by hackers visit popular websites, collect cookies, then embed themselves on fraudulent websites.  Once implanted, the bots serve large numbers with automated clicks which generate revenue paid by the network. In 2015, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) reported online advertising fraud was costing advertisers $8. 2 billion per year, which was a 9 percent increase reported by The Ad Contrarian in June 2013. So, based on averages, it may not be a stretch to assume that in 2017 fraudulent or fake traffic will cost advertisers approximately $12 billion. Google and Uber were both in the news recently because of fraudulent traffic. Google has vowed to refund business who have paid for programmatic ads delivered to fake traffic. Uber has filed a $40 million lawsuit against Fetch Media for not returning or rebating mobile ad impressions served to fraudulent traffic. Ad fraud must be a terrifying topic to any business, especially a small or medium-sized business.  Who wants to endure spending hard earned money with a local vendor just to find out later the traffic was fake and a waste of money? There is good news! Fake and fraudulent programmatic traffic can be identified and avoided if you know what to look for. Here are 4 ways to identify fake/ fraudulent programmatic ad traffic. Request domain reports from your programmatic/display vendor By using domain reports, you will be able to identify impressions served and clicks delivered from individual... --- ### Advertising Agency Capabilities Deck > The NOLA Media Group Agency Capabilities white paper was created as a leave behind product for advertising and marketing agencies. Come take a look. - Published: 2017-09-07 - Modified: 2017-09-24 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/agency-capabilities-deck/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy Title:  Agency Capabilities Deck/ Whitepaper Summary:   The Agency Capabilities Brief / Whitepaper was created as a leave behind for advertising and marketing agencies to further understand the structure and technology behind the Nola Media Group and Advance Local digital marketing sweet. The brief was created reacted to accurately represent was a passive sales piece used to help sell our NOLA Media Group products to advertising agencies in New Orleans as white label (resale) products.   Its purpose was to help others understand the NOLA Media Group product catalog without NOLA Media Group digital professionals in the room.   The product was written to appeal to digital experts and digital marketing professionals. The product was used to open doors, and change perceptions. The NOLA Media Group is not just a newspaper company.   We are a full stack digital technology company with the ability to reach real people in local markets across the country.   The format, product data, and sales theory behind the Agency Capabilities Brief was widely adopted by other Advance Local properties and resulted in new agency relationships and product revenue. Authors: Kevin Bekker & John McPhee   Please Note:  The Agency Capabilities Brief was used from 2015-2016 and is currently out of date.    For information on an up-to-date capabilities deck, please reach out. --- ### SEO Tips and Tricks > The SEO Tips and Tricks presentation was given at a monthly SEM PDX meeting in Portland Oregon. Kevin was asked to be apart of an SEO panel focused on helping small to medium-sized business improve their search ranking. - Published: 2017-09-04 - Modified: 2018-03-02 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/seo101/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy Title: SEO 101, Back to the Basics Summary: Kevin took part in a monthly SEM PDX meeting focused on SEO. Kevin was asked to present a short presentation on SEO tips and tricks as well as serve as an SEO panelist to provide live SEO commentary Date: April 2014 1. SEO Tips ... and Tricks Director of Audience Targeting Advance Digital The Oregonian Media Group @KevinBekker | KevinBekker. com 2.  #1 Website Access It is important to have direct access to your site... or someone who reasonably responsive. #GoogleAlgorithmChanges Search Engine Ranking Factors Fluctuate Daily 3.  #2 - Don’t be fooled Use the incognito functionality in Google Chrome to track your search engine rank. Use the SEM Rush tool to help keep an eye on your rankings Chrome Incognito Window 4.  #3 - It’s Kind of like your High School Prom You compete against other sites within your business vertical. Be more popular! #SEOHereToStay #WatchYourCompetetors #StealIdeas Google -> “site:www. CompetitiveWebsite. com” Perform audits on competitors to help develop a strategy. 5.  #4 - Self Educate Take the time to understand SEO. Ask questions and partner with your SEO company. The more active your site the better. #SEOImpowerment #YouAreAWinner A few good Resources: Google – Twitter - Youtube Think with Google Search Engine Land Moz. com 6.  #5 – Buyer Beware Look for a transparent SEO Company, ask questions and hold them accountable. #TheMagicFormula #SEOHereToStay Request regular reporting on SEO activity and keyword rankings (primary and secondary). 7.  SEO Tricks 8.  #1 - Be... --- ### Attribution Strategy and How to Make it Work > Kevin Bekker had the opportunity to present his work and strategy on attribution. The presentation focused on using DMP or Data Managment pixels within attribution cam campaigns to help understand behavior and build look-a-like re-messaging audiences. - Published: 2017-09-04 - Modified: 2018-03-02 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/attribution-strategy/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy Title:  Attribution Strategy and How To Make it Work Summary:  The Advance Visibility Summit is held twice a year in Advance Local markets around the country.  It’s an opportunity for some of the top digital minds in the company to come together and talk shop and share secrets.  In 2015 I was honored with the opportunity to present my theory and work I was conducting using state of the art DMP, DSP, and Analytic technology. Event: 2015 Advance Visibility Summit New Jersey Type: Summit Presentation Date: Feb 2014 LinkedIn --- ### Digital Boomer and Senior > Have you ever been told that boomers and seniors aren't online? My webinar dispells this myth. Boomers and Seniors are as active... crazy active. - Published: 2017-09-04 - Modified: 2017-09-04 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/digital-boomers/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy Title:  The Digital Boomer & Senior.  How wired are Boomers and Seniors? Summary:   The Digital Boomer and Senior is a webinar that focuses on how Boomer’s and Seniors utilize the internet in their daily lives. The deck focuses on disproving the widely accepted perception that these two valuable consumer groups do not use the internet in the same way as like younger generations.  How do they buy hearing aids and how can digital marketers influence their decisions? Event: National Senior Living Webinar Type: Webinar Date: Feb, 2014    Digital Boomer and Senior Literal Slide Translation 1. The Digital Boomer & Senior How wired are Boomers and Seniors? Created by Kevin Bekker Sr. Digital Consultant, January 2014 2.  The Digital Boomer & Senior How wired are Boomers and Seniors? Agenda Why digital marketing has become important The Boomer & Senior consumer group Perception “Boomers and Seniors do not use the Internet. ” The hearing aid market The ROPO effect on Boomers & Seniors Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) 3.  Why Digital Marketing Has Become Important 4.  The Traditional Consumer Three Step Mental Model 5.  The New Consumer Model 6.  The New Consumer Model 88% of consumers research before they purchase prior to purchasing. On average consumers absorb 10. 4 sources of information prior to purchase 7.  The New Consumer Model 8.  Traditional Media Drives Online Action(s) Nearly 3 in 4 consumers exposed to traditional advertising (within a traditional media) later look up the product or brand online. Types of media and actions taken following exposure to... --- ### The Zero Moment of Truth - Published: 2017-09-04 - Modified: 2017-09-04 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/zmot/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy Zmot - The Reason Digital is Important. from Kevin Bekker Title:  The Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) Summary: The Zero Moment of Truth, a Google study released in 2012 is the reason why digital guys like me have a job. The study sheds light on how consumers use the internet to make buying decisions. Digital is happening if you like it or not.  All we can do is try and be a part of the conversation. The more you understand how consumer shop, the better understand the conversation you need to have. Event: Small to Medium Size Business Workshop Type: Digital Workshop Date: Developed 2015 LinkedIn --- ### Travel Portland Marketing Conference > What's more accurate, targeting demographics or behavior? The answer may surprise you. Kevin Bekker talks targeting at the Travel Portland Conference. - Published: 2017-09-04 - Modified: 2017-09-04 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/travel-portland/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy   Title:  Targeting Demographics vs. Targeting Behavior within the Programmatic Space Summary:   Which is more accurate, targeting an entire population segment or a consumer’s behavior? How does programmatic behavioral targeting work and why is it more accurate than the more widely accepted and traditional demographic targeting? Event: Travel Portland Marketing Seminar Type: Public Speaking Date: May 2015     Targeting Consumers in 2015 - Literal Slide Translation   1.  Digital Audiences Targeting Consumers 2015 2.  Hey, Kev bro... I got this Travel Portland thing... can you rap about demographics? 3.  Demographics involve the statistical study of human populations. As a very general science, it can analyze any kind of dynamic living population. Source: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Demography DEMOGRAPHICS 4.  DEMOGRAPHICS 5.  Traditional Media 6.  Targeting should be 7.  Most of us use this paper 8.  What if you were targeting Teepee Travel Enthusiasts? 9.  DEMOGRAPHICS BEHAVIOR, INTEREST, & INTENT 10.  ONLINE DEMOGRAPHICS 11.  Demographic data is gathered using declared sources, and then associated directly with the cookies within your browser • Age • Gender • Ethnicity • Education • Family status • Income • etc 12.  WHAT IS A DECLARED SOURCE? 13.  OFFLINE DATA 14.  ONLINE SURVEYS AND REGISTRATIONS 15.  Programmatic Display 16.  U=19107641 or Beth 17.  Hold on... You’re NOT BETH? ! ! Hi I’m DAREN 18.  “Nielsen only requires 472 completed diaries to statistically (and accurately) measure a population of 600,000 people” Kevin Bekker , Director of Audience Targeting | Advance Visibility 19.  28,800,000 Uniques 187,663 Declared Users Declared Female Audience (Code 6330) 20.  Social Profiles 21.  Declared... --- ### What is Search Engine Marketing > If you are already buying Search Engine Marketing or just beginning it's importing to understand what SEM is and how it works. Arm yourself with knowledge. - Published: 2017-08-25 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/search-engine-marketing/ - Categories: Digital Marketing Definition of Search Engine Marketing (SEM)   Search Engine Marketing is a digital marketing product that allows businesses to place advertising messages on the first page of a search engine results page. SEM ads are generally text ads that appear similar to the organic or natural search results. A business can use these sponsored ads to target keywords or phrases that consumers are searching for within the search engine.   Search Engine Marketing can also be called   Search Engine Marketing, SEM, Pay-Per-Click, PPC, Google Adwords, Adwords, Bing Ads, Paid Search, and those ads on Google   A Few Search Engines that sell Search Engine Marketing   Google, Bing, Yahoo, Duck Duck Go, Quora, Dogpile, Vimeo, Yadex, Boardreader, Ask. com, etc.   Why Buy Search Engine Marketing Ads   SEM allows businesses to be present if/when consumers use search engines to find the information on the internet. SEM is one of the only advertising/marketing mediums where marketers can see and target consumer behavior. Approximately 90 percent of users utilize search engines to find information about products and or topics of interest.   How Search Engine Marketing Works   Search engine ads publish on the top, bottom, and (sometimes) sides of a search engine results page. When a consumer clicks on a sponsored text ad, within a search engine page, the business is charged a small fee. The fee a is called a cost per click or CPC. The cost-per-click is determined by external demands for the keyword or phrase sponsored... --- ### Is Your Digital Marketing Campaign Working? Lets track it. > Is Your Digital Campaign Working? Make sure you are using tracking URLs in your digital marketing. In this video, I will show you how. - Published: 2017-07-24 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/tracking-digital-spend/ - Categories: Video Tutorials How do you know if your digital marketing is working? All digital marketing products can be tracked, but there is more to tracking then click-through report. You need to be using your Google Analytics to understand what happens after the click. In this video, I will walk you through how to add tracking tags to the URLs being used within your digital marketing campaign. Tracking tags or sometimes called built URLs, help you understand how engaged and valuable the traffic that is sent to your website as a result of your digital marketing campaigns. LinkedIn --- ### Screaming Frog SEO Spider - Best SEO Tool of 2018 > Screaming Frog is a crawler, and man can it crawl. The tool allows you to crawl as Google, Yahoo, and or Bing, so you get the entire story vs. just most. - Published: 2017-05-09 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/screaming-frog-seo-spider/ - Categories: Digital Marketing Screaming Frog SEO Spyder in Spider Mode may be the best tool you will ever use.  Screaming Frog is the foundation of my daily SEO and UX work. The free version is great, and the paid version is ever more impressive. Screaming Frog is a crawler, and man can it crawl. The tool allows you to crawl as Google, Yahoo, and or Bing, so you get the entire story vs. just most. The tool reports on internal and external SEO elements like HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Images, PDF's, Flash and other random code oddities. Screaming Frog reports on all of the response codes on the website. The tool allows you to export reports on 200, 300, 400, and 500 response codes. Want to know which pages are blocked by Robots and coded as nofollow. There's a report for that. What about SEO page markup? Yep, Screaming Frog SEO Spyder allows you to pull a full excel report on every page, and it's SEO markup. The report includes character counts, unique vs. duplicate content, and missing meta descriptions, title tags, and alt tags in images. This report perfect base for client SEO collaboration. Hey, what about cannonical, schema, Hreflang, AJAX, and Google analytic tag placement? Yes, there's a report on that, and you can connect the tool to your search console. I recommend SEO Screaming Frog Spyder with all the gusto I can muster. It will save you time, heartache, and most of all, money. --- ### How to Make Programmatic Work. > How do you make programmatic work? Test supply types, audiences, and cost models back to a consistent converting environment. Winner takes all. - Published: 2017-05-05 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/programmatic-sampling/ - Categories: Digital Marketing How do you make programmatic work?    You use Programmatic Sampling strategies. Programmatic sampling utilizes four programmatic costing models using different supply types and targets.   Using server-side transparency and viewability reporting, optimize to the most valuable audience supply and cost model based on predetermined campaign performance indicators (KPI). Cost-Per-Thousand (CPM) Utilizing 1st and 3rd Party Programmatic Audience Blends.   Pay per thousand ads delivered to cookie pools exhibiting behavior within 30 days (based on the audience). The strength of the data allows for premium inventory supplies and above the fold bidding.   Supply type includes anti-bot (certified supply) inventory.   Average CPM $4-$8 based on device and supply type. Cost-Per-Thousand (CPM) bidding with Cost-Per-Click Costing Utilize both content and 3rd party behavioral audience to target consumers with brand interest.   Inventory supplies have more volume and tend to have a lower viewability percentage than the CPM (only) model. Campaign lines are optimized to performing click-through-rate. Cost-Per-Click (CPC) Targeting Keyword or Content Response-driven cost model used for driving traffic volume.   The campaign runs through lost cost and remnant supply inventory.   Clicks cost determined by demand and available supply Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA) Targeting Keyword or Content The campaign runs to remnant and low-cost programmatic inventory.   The campaign utilizes a conversion pixel placed on the client’s indicating an acquisition.   The acquisition cost is run at a predetermined cost per acquisition. What more to learn more about programmatic?   Check out my blog post on buying programmatically in 2017. --- ### How Satori Makes the Internet Smaller - Published: 2017-05-04 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/meet-satori/ - Categories: Digital Marketing Satori Makes the Internet Smaller Satori is the world first open source RSS feed exchange. Using similar intellectual concepts like modern day programmatic exchange, Satori has organized world's published content and data into a single RSS feed. Even more impressive, Satori designed the RSS feed within an open source environment, giving free reign to developers to create next generation of apps and websites. Need a sense of scale? The Satori RSS feed publishes two times as many pieces of content than Twitter. #impressive Want to launch a website/app focusing on the political satire in Irland? Using Satori, developers can create filters using the Satori to customize and republish news, blog, and social content in real time. Satori provides access fast and efficient access to the all of the content published online. Not longer will developers and publishers need to hunt and peck for RSS feeds all over the internet. All you need is Satori --- ### Online Data = Personalization so don’t be scared > Everything we do on the is Internet tracked. Data farms all over the internet are collecting your activity. Scared? No, it's for personalization's sake. - Published: 2017-04-28 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/online-data-dont-be-scared/ - Categories: Digital Marketing --- ### Most Common Google Analytic Issues > Want to know the six of the most common Google Analytic issues we uncover when working hundreds of clients in both B2B and B2C verticles? Click and read. - Published: 2017-04-25 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/six-issues-that-could-sink-your-website-tracking/ - Categories: Digital Marketing So Many Google Analytic IssuesAt the Nola Media Group, the digital team works with hundreds of clients across numerous different verticals every year.   The most common issue we find is an inability to track marketing campaigns accurately.    Almost eight out of ten websites we analyze have major issues with their analytics.   Analytics, specifically Google Analytics is very easy to install but even easier to screw up.   Below are three of the most common mistakes we see with Google Analytic installs. Not using Google Tag Manager You would be surprised do not use Google Tag Manger (GTM).  Google Tag Manager is a free tool that allows marketers/website managers to track consumer engagement within websites. With Google Tag Manager, a marketer can identify website engagement events that are deemed as having engagement value.  For example, interactions like button clicks or video plays could be used to understand how many people from a certain email campaign interact click on a button or interact with a video.  These interactions can be used to assign success rates to media spends, which intern allows you to estimate the value or impact of marketing spends directed towards the website. Google Tage Manger also allows marketers/website managers to add additional technology to a website without having to pay for a developer.  GTM allows you to control when individual pieces of technology are used based on how consumers are interacting with a website. Make sure you install the Google Analytic code in the correct place Your... --- ### Five things you consider when choosing and SEO vendor. > The top five things to consider when choosing a search engine optimization vendor. Not all SEO vendors are created equal. Choose wisely, my friend. - Published: 2017-04-24 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/choosing-an-seo-vendor/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy 1. Consider Search Engine Optimization (SEO) deliverables and SEO performance transparency Everything on the internet is trackable, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is no exception. Some SEO vendors charge by the hour and other by deliverable, but either way, they should be able to provide you monthly reporting. Your monthly reporting should provide you with search engine page (SERP) ranking increased or decreased and a list of their monthly deliverables (activities). SEO isn't a set it and forget it product, so make sure you are making progress every month. 2. Is the Search Engine Optimization vendor capable of making changes to my website? It’s very rare to run into a website that meets search engine optimization (SEO) structure best practices. Generally, we see duplicate content issues, bad redirects, and a lack of structural data. In most cases, it is important that your SEO vendor has the ability to make SEO structure and code changes to your website. If your current website vendor does not allow for someone else to make changes to your website, then your SEO vendor should be able to provide a document that outlines the changes, so your developer can implement.  This requirement alone will thin crowd of SEO companies. Not many SEO companies have the knowledge and are willing to take on the responsibility of making SEO structural changes to your website. Before you sign a contract, ask for examples including deliverable examples. 3. Can the SEO vendor produce SEO content? The cornerstone of a successful search engine... --- ### How to buy Programmatic > Are you asking your programmatic vendor the right questions? It's time to ask the tough questions. Ten questions to protect you from bad vendors. - Published: 2017-04-11 - Modified: 2024-07-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/programmatic-buyers-guy-to-the-galaxy/ - Categories: Marketing Strategy 1. What are you trying to buy programmatically? Content or behavior? One of the first questions that needs to be asked when buying programmatic... “What exactly are you trying to buy? And how? ” The term programmatic refers to the process of purchasing display inventory that is auctioned in real time as the page loads.   Programmatic does not indicate what you are trying to buy.   Are you buying content (group of whitelisted domains) or behavior (pool of cookies with relevant and recent behavior)? The easiest and most cost-effective way for a vendor to supply programmatic inventory is through content buys. Vendors avoid the cost of data by grouping websites together in a network that should be relevant to the advertiser.   Content buying is targeting consumers who should be... by targeting website A, the consumers engaging with the domain should be interested in my advertiser. Behavioral targeting is a different process all together. The data is expensive and difficult.   Most programmatic vendors don’t understand nor realize the strength of data, because they don’t own their own data.   Premium data targets come with a mix of first and third party data segments with frequency and recency qualifiers. Frequency indicates how often the behavior was observed and recency indicates when the behavior has occurred. For example, the behavioral audience of auto buyer enthusiasts created by Advance Digital caries a frequency of three and a recency of seven (three observed behaviors within a seven day period). If a vendor... --- ### 9 Metrics to Measure SEM Campaign Performance in 2025 > Is your Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaign working? 9 Search Engine Marketing reporting metrics you need to know about. Arm yourself with knowledge. - Published: 2015-03-02 - Modified: 2025-03-03 - URL: https://kevinbekker.com/9-important-metrics-sem/ - Categories: Digital Marketing, AI SEO, Marketing Strategy Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a critical component of digital advertising, but how do you measure success? With advancements in AI-driven advertising, automation, and evolving search engine algorithms, businesses must track the right metrics to optimize performance. Below are the nine most important SEM metrics to monitor in 2025, along with actionable insights to improve campaign effectiveness. 1. Search Engine Marketing Ad Impressions Definition: The number of times an SEM ad appears on a search engine results page (SERP). Why It Matters: High impressions indicate that ads are being served, but a high impression count with low clicks can hurt Quality Score. Search engines like Google penalize ads with low click-through rates (CTR) by increasing costs per click (CPC). Pro Tip: Optimize ad relevance by improving ad copy, targeting, and audience segmentation to increase CTR and lower CPC.   2. Clicks From SEM Ads   Definition: The number of times users click on an SEM ad. Why It Matters: Clicks alone don’t measure success. Engagement and conversions are the real goals. High clicks with low engagement can indicate poor keyword targeting or irrelevant ad copy. Pro Tip: If clicks aren’t converting, audit your keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and geographic targeting to attract more qualified traffic.   3. Keyword Report & Performance   Definition: The list of keywords that drive traffic from SEM ads. Why It Matters: Not all keywords generate quality traffic. Broad-match keywords can attract irrelevant clicks, leading to wasted ad spend. Pro Tip: Regularly review keyword performance,... ---