Lee Odden, is the CEO of TopRank Online Marketing based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. TopRank is a search marketing agency integrating natural search optimization with social media marketing and new media public relations. Lee is also the CEO and co-owner with Sue Misukanis of Misukanis & Odden, Ltd., a full service marketing and public relations firm based in Minneapolis.
Originally, Lee joined up with Home Town Marketing specializing in websites with pre-made templates for vertical markets after selling his direct sales company in 1996. While in sales at Home Town Marketing, he took an interest in website development. With owner backing, he hired and trained several sales associates. The result was a high volume of web site development projects. Lee’s efforts paid off with an estimated 65 to 70% of total revenue coming from his sales and web development efforts.
Lee’s interest in search engine optimization and marketing came as a natural progression from website development. He explains that customers would ask, “How am I going to get traffic to these websites?” Lee points out that custom web development leads to the Internet promotion side of business. To achieve success in SEO, Lee recommends working hard to develop quality content as quality links are generated through respected public relations and marketing efforts.
As an SEO, he warns that many in top corporate leadership spots are barriers to good SEO. He explains that many carry preconceived notions of what is important. As an example, he says that many believe that page rank for certain phrases is the most important goal rather than high traffic and number of quality conversions.
Following his study of sociology and business, Lee explains that his love for the web is based on its bundles of social networks connected together in communities. He advises that the best data source on the web is your own testing and the rules you can see firsthand.