Who Is Stephan Spencer: Web Marketer

Hi, I'm Stephan Spencer. Here's a little treatise on me.

First off, I'm the founder and President of Netconcepts, a full-service interactive agency providing no-nonsense services in e-commerce, e-marketing and web development including shopping carts, content management, personalized email delivery & tracking, website auditing, online communities, usability, web metrics and — last but not least — search engine optimization (SEO). At Netconcepts, we don't just "SEO" sites — we build them from the ground up with SEO and usability in mind. A website shouldn't need "search engine optimization" any more than a TV commercial should need "TV optimization." It's the responsibility of web designers and developers to create sites that are search engine friendly. All of Netconcepts' designers, copywriters, web developers, technologists, auditors and trainers have a deep understanding of SEO and usability.

I've been helping companies exploit commerce opportunities online since 1995. Our clients include Gorton's, Cabela's, Verizon, REI, InfoSpace, Kohl's, The Sharper Image, Wella, Hanes Brands (Sara Lee Direct), the American Marketing Association (MarketingPower.com), and MP3.com, to name-drop a few.

We at Netconcepts hold dear to our hearts the principle of ethical business relationships. We are happy to teach clients how to fish, disclosing exactly how to achieve top search engine rankings in extensive audit reports and day-long on-site training workshops. We also include the source code of the websites to our clients as part of the deliverables, because we don't want to hold any client hostage. They should stay because they love us and the results we deliver them, not because it would be too costly to rebuild the site from scratch if they left us.

My passions include search engine marketing & technology, web best practices & standards, web usability, web marketing & strategy, email marketing & strategy, and online retailing.

I started Netconcepts in early 1995 and grew it from a one-person consultancy to a multi-national agency, with its headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin and production offices in New Zealand (a.k.a. "Middle Earth").

Prior to founding Netconcepts, I was a PhD student in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (a great school, I might add). In 1994, I decided to ride the Internet wave to riches and early retirement (hmm... I'm still working! What does that say?) and dropped out of my PhD program but stuck it out the few extra months required to walk away with a Master's. In January 1995, with no capital, a family of five to support, and no formal university training in management or marketing, I struck out on my own. What the hell was I thinking, you might ask? :-) It's been a wild ride, and in the process I managed to "bootstrap" a pretty cool interactive marketing company.

In 1999 I moved with my wife and daughters from Wisconsin to New Zealand and within three months had the New Zealand production arm of the business up and running. After a short stint in downtown Auckland, I decided on Browns Bay on the North Shore for the New Zealand office. Browns Bay featured everything a staff would want in a job location — cafes, retail shops, and of course the beach (which is only one block away). Plus, it eliminates the need to fight the Auckland city traffic.

After residing in New Zealand for nearly eight years, my family and I moved back to Madison. It's been a fabulous adventure being in New Zealand, but now it's great to be back in my homeland.

I still rack up the frequent flyer miles, but now it's mostly domestic flights to present at various conferences. Since 1995, I've presented at literally hundreds of Internet conferences and symposia around the world, including London, Berlin, Santiago, Auckland, Toronto, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Atlanta, and yes, even Appleton. I've authored numerous articles to publications such as Multichannel Merchant, DM News, Catalog Success, Search Engine Land, Catalog Age, MarketingProfs, Building Online Business, Unlimited, and NZ Marketing, which gives me something constructive to do while on the plane. I also co-authored Catalog Age's research report "State of Search Engine Marketing 1.0" with my VP of eBusiness Services, Brian Klais.