Search marketing organization starts in Milwaukee

A new organization for search marketing is starting in southeastern Wisconsin.

MKE Search, a membership based nonprofit, will strive to bolster Milwaukee’s search marketing sector and provide education opportunities.

Search marketers try to gain traffic and visibility for their company or clients from search engines through both paid (pay-per-click) advertisements and unpaid efforts like search engine optimization (SEO).

With constant iterations of algorithms and products offered by search giants like Google, the field is ever evolving.

MKESearch will host its inaugural event Oct. 18 at Ward4, a co-working space on N. Plankinton Ave., starting at 6 p.m.

At the first event, which will be free to attend, Damon Gochneaur and Susan Wenograd will talk about search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising. Gochneaur is the founder and owner of SEO-focused Aspiro Agency in Dallas, while Wenograd is a partner at search marketing agency FiveMill.

Membership fees will be discounted at the event. An annual, individual membership will be $75.

President and co-founder of MKESearch Joe Martinez said the main focus of the group will be education.

“To be a successful digital marketer, you need to constantly educate yourself,” Martinez said in a news release. “We’ll be bringing in national and international speakers as well as open the floor to local marketers who want to share their knowledge. The industry changes monthly if not weekly.”

Martinez is a senior manager at digital marketing agency Granular.

The idea is to host monthly events. One goal: “Showcase Milwaukee’s dynamic digital scene in hopes to make the city a desirable place to work for current and future digital marketers.”