February 22, 2012 I 10:30AM PST

Webinar: Learn The Fundamentals of SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is both an art and science. In today's market, it's also an essential part of any digital marketing mix. Digital Operative, a digital marketing agency, is here to take you through the ever-changing landscape of SEO as it pertains to your eCommerce website.You'll learn the basics from setting up your Magento Go store to onpage optimization to offpage SEO factors. Here are the details:

Date: February 22, 2012 10:30AM PST

Presenters: BJ Cook, CEO and Cofounder, Digital Operative, Inc., Adam Lundquist, Director of Marketing, Digital Operative, Inc. and Alyssa Gothelf, Online Marketing Manager, Magento

In this webinar, attendees will learn:

• What is search engine optimization (SEO) and why is it important?
• The difference between onpage and offpage optimization
• What your SEO checklist should be for your Magento Go store
• Practical SEO techniques you can get started on today

Register now

With all the buzz in the market (and on these pages) about Magento Developer Certification, you may be wondering: “Who are these Magento Certified Developers? What are they like? And how can I get a hold of one to help me?"

We decided to address those questions by profiling some certified developers in our blog. Today’s profile features one of the first developers to earn Magento Developer Certification: Matt Kammersell.

Matt put the code aside for a few moments to answer some of our questions:

Magento: When did you start working with Magento, and what attracted you to the platform?

Matt: I began working with Magento when the first beta was released. I was intrigued at the prospect of an eCommerce platform written in Zend Framework, because I had built a few enterprise applications on it.

Magento: What do you enjoy most about being a Magento developer?

Matt: I absolutely love how extensible this platform is. With the right knowledge there are literally very few limits of where you can take Magento or what you can do with it. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work on some large scale projects for some of the biggest partners in the Magento “universe” and I look forward to a bright future at the helm of my own company.

Magento: How does it feel to be one of the first Magento Certified Developers?

Matt: I am elated! I believe I can go anywhere in the space now that I have this certification.

Magento: What else would you like our readers to know about you?

Matt: The types of projects I’m most interested in are the ones that are considered to be expressly difficult or challenging. The less people feel it can be done, the more I want to do it! As I said earlier, I’ve worked on some of the largest, most prominent Magento merchant sites. I’ve also built integrations for fulfillment, returns & exchanges, recurring billing, analytics, Facebook and more.

Magento: Thanks Matt. How can a partner or merchant contact you about a project?

Matt: Visit my site, www.intellectlabs.com, or email me at

Developers: Want to be like Matt? Visit our certification page and learn how you can become a Magento Certified Developer.

A great online store holds the promise of strengthening your brand, building your customer base, and increasing your overall revenue. Whether you are launching your first online store or updating an existing site, you may need advice on how best to approach a project of this size and scope:

• What strategic direction do you want to take your brand, and what role will eCommerce play?
• What features of an online store are essential vs. nice to have?
• Do you require extensive integration with existing business systems?
• Will you do your own photography and create your own product descriptions?

Implementing an amazing site involves many considerations. It takes creativity, eCommerce knowledge, and development expertise.

Magento Solution Partners are here to help you achieve excellence in eCommerce. These companies are design and eCommerce implementation experts, but just as important, they are Magento specialists.

We have hundreds of partners all over the world with a range of vertical industry and technical expertise. Find one that’s the perfect fit for your company.

Today marks another milestone in Magento’s brief but rich history: the 4 millionth download of our free, open-source, game-changing Magento Community software.

Our Community project is where the Magento story began. Starting with our beta release in late 2007, developers and merchants have embraced Magento Community, which set a new standard for what an eCommerce platform could be. We’ve continued to enhance the Community edition, making it an even richer tool for exploring the possibilities of eCommerce with Magento.

Our business has experienced phenomenal growth since that first beta release. We’ve introduced commercial solutions such as Magento Enterprise and Magento Go… we’ve nurtured a community of over 600,000 registered members…we’ve built an extension marketplace where 3rd party developers offer more than 5,000 extensions for our software…and we’ve become part of eBay, Inc.

But our roots are still firmly planted in the incredibly rich soil of open-source eCommerce. The Community edition is what fuels the passion of our growing ecosystem; this passion is what makes the Magento community so unique in the world of eCommerce.

To all the merchants, developers, users and fans who have embraced the Magento Community edition, we thank you for your ongoing passion and support. You have our commitment that we will continue investing in making the world’s best eCommerce software even better.

2011: New Records, New Opportunities

Just a month ago, we celebrated the end of our greatest year yet, a year in which we celebrated countless milestones, highlights of which include:

• Our first global conference, Imagine eCommerce, which sold out and earned 100% favorability ratings from attendees
• The launch of Magento Go, our hosted solution for small and micro merchants
• The 3 millionth download of the free, groundbreaking Magento Community software
• The hiring of our 300th employee
• Our acquisition by eBay, Inc. and the creation of X.commerce
• The launch of Magento U and Magento Developer Certification
• The introduction of Magento Enterprise v1.11, our most powerful and sophisticated offering to date
• The growth of our Solution Partner Network to 330 partners
• Surpassing the 5,000 extension milestone on Magento Connect
• The launch of the New Magento Connect, including extensions for Magento Go

2012: Momentum and Acceleration

In true Magento style, we’re planning for even greater growth in 2012. And the year is already off to an incredible start:

• This week, our 400th employee joined the organization, another remarkable milestone in Magento’s growth
• The momentum behind Magento Enterprise continues to accelerate, as thousands more world-class merchants discover the unique benefits of our platform and ecosystem
• Tickets and sponsorships for the 2nd Imagine conference (Las Vegas, April 23rd – 25th) are selling at a breakneck pace (in fact, we expect to be sold out very soon, well ahead of the event)
• And we’re seeing tremendous demand for our recently-introduced Magento Enterprise Premium offering, which combines multi-year, multi-server licenses with a package of premium services to create the optimal solution for large-scale implementations

Product Line-Up: Focusing on Growth

Magento has always been focused on growth – specifically, the growth of our customers’ businesses and the growth of the ecosystem that supports their success. By focusing on what’s most important to our customers, we’ve helped transform the eCommerce landscape in just a few short years.

We are committed to continuous evaluation and innovation of our product portfolio to ensure our customers remain competitive and win in their markets. Following an extensive review of our current solutions and projected customer needs, we are making an important change: we are phasing out the Magento Professional Edition.

While Magento Professional was embraced by a significant number of merchants, we have seen much greater demand for our Enterprise. and new Enterprise Premium offerings. This tells us that more of our mid-large size customers want the benefits offered by these comprehensive solutions.

Phasing out Magento Professional will allow us to focus our efforts and investments on enhancing our Magento Enterprise and Enterprise Premium solutions, as well as on our Community project and our hosted solution, Magento Go.

There will be no immediate impact to current customers on Magento Professional. We will be working with our Professional customers individually to provide various options for continuing their eCommerce success with Magento.

What’s Next?

The Magento milestones keep coming, and the next several months will be filled with exciting news and announcements from our company and our ecosystem.

Many of these announcements will be made at the Imagine Conference. But plenty of additional news will be announced both before and after Imagine. Highlights include:

• The launch of our Magento Certified Developer online directory, the easiest way to locate the world’s most qualified Magento developers
• New releases across our product line
• Integrations with exciting products from the X.commerce ecosystem
• More growth, more customer success, more partnerships

We’re looking forward to working with our customers and partners on making 2012 a truly memorable year. Our thanks to the entire Magento community for your ongoing enthusiasm and support.

Save $400 - EARLY BIRD PRICE CLOSES FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd

We have been blown away by the excitement and enthusiasm for the 2012 Imagine eCommerce Conference, and it has proved that this event is already bigger and better than last year.

The Early Bird tickets are already over-sold by 2 times the budgeted rate, but thanks to our sponsor, PayPal, we were able to keep the Early Bird pricing available until this FRIDAY.  But don’t be mistaken, Early Bird Registration will come to an end on February 3rd at midnight (PST)!  This is your last chance to purchase your ticket to 2012 Imagine eCommerce Conference for $795, a $400 saving off of the standard price of $1,195. Register Now!

Tickets to Imagine eCommerce Conference will sell out far in advance like they did last year!  Don’t miss your chance to attend and register today!

Need to get excited about Imagine? Check out this video: http://www.imagineecommerce.com/imagine-trailer-details-revealed/.  Also, for updates on Imagine 2012, follow us on Twitter @MagentoImagine.

Imagine Challenge is Back—Enter Now to Win a Trip to Imagine 2012!

The Imagine Challenge is back and we are accepting entries now!  Submit a photo or 60 second video showing your passion OR showing your Magento success for your chance to win a free trip and registration to the 2012 Imagine eCommerce Conference

Be sure to check out this year’s entries, and remember to show your favorite video or photo some love and vote for it! Voting begins on February 14th.

If you are planning on attending the 2012 Imagine eCommerce Conference, win or lose, register today!—tickets are going fast!  If you are a winner, you will be refunded for the cost of your ticket.

For more information and to enter the 2012 Imagine Challenge, check out http://challenge2012.imagineecommerce.com/

Also check out some of last year’s fantastic entries!  GO GO MAGENTO!

Nobody can accuse us of not having enough themes at last week’s employee party!

About 150 of Magento’s LA employees and their guests took over Busby’s East in Santa Monica to kick off 2012 in true Magento style. Rock & Roll-themed costumes gave us a great excuse to party to excess and sing our hearts out in the highly non-competitive Karaoke competition. And yes, co-founders Roy Rubin and Yoav Kutner (photo, upper left) led the Karaoke charge! (Trust us: The Beastie Boys have never sounded this “Beastie...”)

Celebrity (costume) sightings included Axl Rose, Flava Flav, and Diana Ross (or was that Wierd Al?) Other highlights included a dozen of our X.commerce colleagues from San Jose swooping in for the festivities, dazzling the LA crowd with their elaborate costumes, and totally dominating the foosball table.

Wondering when the next big Magento party will be? It’s in April at Imagine in Las Vegas – we hope to see you there!

Meet Magento Germany is returning to Leipzig, on May 21st and 22nd for an exciting 2 days of local (European) topics on Magento! After you spend time at Magento’s Worldwide Imagine eCommerce Conference in Las Vegas in April keep the momentum going and join the Magento ecosystem at Meet Magento for a very focused European event on Magento and its German ecosystem.

The event, which will be held at The Westin Leipzig, will feature various industry guest keynotes, lectures and networking opportunities.  Over 500 solution partners, developers, community members, and Magento enthusiasts will be attending so it should not be missed!

Registration discount for Imagine eCommerce Conference Attendees

Tickets to Meet Magento Germany are selling fast—don’t miss your chance to attend this in-demand event, and register today. Netresearch is offering € 10 off on two day tickets for anyone who is also registered for the 2012 Imagine eCommerce Conference (must supply valid Imagine registration onsite at Meet Magento). Use coupon code MM612IMA5 during registration to lock-in your discount.

Event Details

• Meet Magento Germany
• May21-22, 2012
• Location – The Westin, Leipzig



For more information on the event, registration and hotel options, please visit http://www.meet-magento.de

Meet Magento Germany 2012 is brought to you by Netresearch.





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• The Imagine Challenge is Back, and it’s Bigger and Better! -

  

  Last year’s “Show Your Magento Passion” Challenge was fantastic and featured incredible demonstrations of passion from the Magento Community in the form of photos, music videos, movie trailers and ingenious babies!  Winners were rewarded with everything from exclusive Magento schwag to a fully paid trip to the Imagine eCommerce Conference.

  The 2012 Imagine eCommerce Conference – April 23-25 at the M Resort in Las Vegas – will be bigger and better than last year, and so will our Imagine Challenge.  We know you’ve got a lot of love for Magento and we want to see it!

  Show Us Your Passion OR Show us Your Success!

  We loved last years “Passion” submissions so much that we kept that as a theme but also added “Show Us Your Success” to give you, our very creative worldwide ecosystem, a fresh topic to choose from. 

  What do we mean by “Show Us Your Passion”?  It’s all up to you, but look over last year’s photo and video entries. Passion comes in so many fun forms. Last year, we had singers, yak riders in the mountains, tattoos, and babies.  Lets see what you can come up with this year!

  What do we mean by “Show Us Your Success”?  We have heard many stories from you on how your business or your customers business’ have dramatically improved and grown since working with Magento. More talent, more customers, more revenue, more profits, faster cars, adventures, travels, take overs, personal or company. We are looking for your creative interpretations of this by video or photo.

  Upload Your Photo or Video

  To enter the contest, upload a photo or video that demonstrates your love and passion for Magento OR tell the story of your success since meeting Magento.  You can submit as many photos or videos as you would like, and feel free to submit entries to one category or both!  Also, don’t forget to share your entry to increase your chances to win!

  Vote for Your Favorite Starting February 14th!

  Whether you submit an entry or not, be sure to show your favorite photo or video some love and vote for it!  The photo or video with the most votes by March 23rd wins the Grand Prize - a full trip to Imagine!  Take a look at the contest timeline for more information.

  What Do You Get?

  Fame! Your photo or video will be featured on the Magento site, and the winning entries will be featured at Imagine on the main stage!  You also have a chance to win a full trip to Imagine 2012!  For prize details, take a look at http://challenge2012.imagineecommece.com/prizes.

  For the complete entry rules and guidelines, and to submit your entry, visit http://challenge2012.imagineecommerce.com.

  Note: Don’t delay your registration for Imagine eCommerce Conference.  Last year it sold out with a 250 person waiting list. If you win the contest, we will reimburse you for your pass.

  Need Inspiration?

  Check out some the winning videos and our favorites from last year:

  • 2011 Winner: “Even a Kid Thinks Magento is Great!”

  • 2011 Runner Up: “Are You Going to Imagine?”

  • “We Have Arrived” Music Video and Imagine performance

  Check out last year’s photo and video entries for ideas!

  
  

  Don’t Wait to Register!

  Are you planning on attending Imagine eCommerce Conference, win or lose? Don’t wait to register! Tickets will go fast, and you don’t want to miss your chance to attend Imagine eCommerce Conference 2012! If you are chosen as a winner, we will reimburse you for cost of your registration.

  Good luck and we look forward to seeing your passion and success!

  
  

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