I think people need to know what is true and what is incorrect or unproven regarding top 40 Canadian online marketers selected by Click Weekly. That’s why I post the following article wrriten by Steven Fanous, who I truly believe he is one of top 10 Canadian online marketers and he owns several sites in the first pages of Google for many competitive terms and makes a good living with online marketing.

On the following link you can find the original article.
Click! Weekly, What a Joke – Top 40 Canadian Online Marketers of 2009?

Last Week, Click! Weekly released their list of “Top 40 Canadian Online Marketers of 2009″ which can be found here. After reading the list, I thought it funny how inaccurate it is. Click! Weekly, your stock is down ….. way down!

Being a “Top Canadian Online Marketer” is more then just working for a company that has it’s logo on the side of it’s building. With the exception of maybe 2 or 3 people on this list, I don’t think anybody else deserves to be there. Being in the online marketing industry for the past 8 years, I have seen a number of incredibly smart, creative, innovative and true Canadian online marketers and I’m sorry to burst your bubble corporate Canada, but your not it!

I am not the type to discredit somebody without merit. The reality is that through a couple of search engine marketing agencies in Canada, I have personally done Online Marketing consulting work with several people and companies on this list. Things such as helping them with their search engine optimization, pay per click and social media campaigns. I have also created proposals for people and companies on this list which was essentially telling them how terrible their online marketing is. You got to love the irony!

Of course I am in no way taking anything away from anybody who was included on this list. I am sure they are all brilliant people, however there is a difference between marketing and online marketing. To become a true online marketer you need to have deep web marketing experience. If you look up the Linkedin profiles of most of the people on Click! Weekly’s list, you will see that they have no web marketing experience. They only have “corporate” experience.

The idea of good web marketing to corporate Canada is using Google Adwords. Spending thousands of dollars a month on Google Adwords doesn’t make you an expert in online marketing. I have seen several pay per click campaigns from big companies that aren’t even optimized properly and have terrible setups. These campaigns spend much more then they should, but they get by on over spending precise dollars.

True online marketers get down and dirty in the trenches. They fight for every visitor they can get. They maximize every aspect of the web and keep up to date with the rapidity changing industry. They spend hours coming up with new keywords, new techniques for traffic, finding new outlets and new optimization strategies that will help them increase their traffic, even if it’s just by 1 person a day. It’s a war out there!!!!!

What Online Marketing skills it should take to be on Click! Weekly’s list

Click Weekly if your reading pay close attention;

Your Own Website – what true web marketer doesn’t have his own site? Online marketing is all about trial and error and if you don’t have your own site, you have nothing.

Google Analytic’s – you need to be able to install, track and most importantly read the data that Analytics is giving to you. Your web strategy could change drastically based on this information.

Search Engine Optimization – Is your site search engine friendly? Is your traffic increasing without paying for it? What are your primary keywords? What are your long tail keywords? You need to know SEO or this business is not for you.

Social Media – Twitter, Youtube, Digg, Facebook, Stumbleupon are just some of the social networking outlets that can help you spread your content like wildfire. Each of these outlets require their own strategies, techniques and creative thinking to be successful. Do you know how to increase your Twitter followers? Can you get your Youtube videos optimized for Google? Is your content included in the Stumbleupon rotation? Do you know how many Diggs it takes to get on the front page of digg.com? Can you create a Facebook fan page?

Google Adwords – Anybody can set up an Adwords campaign, but is it optimized properly? What is your quality score? Have you decreased your CPC from last month? Does your landing page have a clear call to action? Your spending money here, you might as well spend it right.

Google Webmaster Tools – This is like your Google bat phone. Your website can communicate with Google through this area. If you are a serious online marketer, you should be familiar with this tool.

Linkedin Profile – This is an example of how a true online marketer would think. A real online marketer will use his Linkedin profile as a weapon. They would optimize it for searches by including keywords beside their name (e.g Name – SEO, SEM, Social Media), add as much content to their profile as possible and utilize all the outbound links they can get their hands on.

Compare for yourself

So who do I think deserves to be on this list? Check out Justin Jung’s Linkedin profile. I have worked with Justin on several occasions and he is a true Canadian Online Marketer. I know for a fact that he has also helped a number of these companies on this list with their online marketing campaigns. Justin Jung is an example of a Online Marketer, whereas most people on Click Weekly’s list are just Marketing managers. There is a big difference between the two. Don’t take it from me. Compare their Linkedin profiles for yourself and you will see exactly what I mean.

Click! Weekly if you are going to come up with a list, do it properly. It’s not always a popularity contest and credit shouldn’t always go to the person who buys you the most expensive dinner. There are better ways to create an accurate list such as screening some of these people with a series of online marketing questions on SEO, PPC, Social Media and Analytics.

I understand that there was a nomination process and that maybe some of the people who are deserving may not have been nominated, however a little research on the internet through Google, or Linkedin would have brought up some amazing people to consider. I’m surprised that a website such as Click! Weekly that is on the hunt for the top online marketers, wouldn’t use online as part of their own research.

Click Weekly, I am sure that there are several Canadian Online Marketers that will not take you seriously anymore. For those highly skilled, creative and amazing people who are out there battling it out everyday in the online world, keep doing what you are doing the world is yours.

Article Written by Steve Fanous