About Carlton Smith

carlton smith flagstone search marketing birmingham alabama seo consultantCarlton R. Smith

Founder, Flagstone Search Marketing & Trial Law Digital

Although I began my career as a journalist, I have been focused solely on digital media since 2000, and have been focused mostly on search engine marketing since 2007.

Google Certified Internet Marketing Consultant

Google and Bing have recognized me as a certified professional, meaning that I’ve passed multiple exams assessing my online marketing expertise. I’m qualified to help you grow your business on the web using a variety of SEM & PPC methodologies — Google AdWords, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, as well as some very proprietary retargeting and geo-fencing display ad techniques.

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My Career

  • SEO Expert and web consultant to businesses throughout the country
  • Director of E-Commerce, International Expeditions
  • Senior Editor of Search Engine Optimization, Time Inc.
  • Travel Editor, Time Inc.
  • Concept Writer & Editor, Hecklers.com (RIP), Birmingham, AL
  • Senior Editor, Vulcan Media (RIP)
  • Stringer and Fact-Checker, The Sunday Times, London, UK
  • Arts & Entertainment Editor, The Vail Trail (RIP), Vail, CO

My Accomplishments

  • Helped to launch a new nutritional supplement with a custom-coded WordPress theme with parallax effects, SEO, PPC, and inbound marketing components. Within 4 months, the product ranked on page 1 of Google for highly competitive terms in the natural herbal supplement niche.
  • Implemented an SEO & PPC campaign for a Birmingham law firm. The goal was to gradually spend less on pay-per-click and spend more on organic SEO. We implemented a call-tracking program, and 4 months later, the firm is generating more SEO leads than paid leads.
  • Helped my client win his election for the State House of Representatives. We built a custom theme on the Nationbuilder platform, and the candidate was able to quickly raise money, build a social media following, and communicate with prospects and constituents.
  • Implemented an SEO, PPC, and inbound marketing campaign for a medical publishing company that exceeded revenue and a significant pipeline of leads.
  • Exceeded web-enabled revenue by 30% and online bookings by 34% in 2013 with aggressive strategy of SEO, SEM, PPC, and email marketing for a worldwide travel company
  • Increased organic search referrals by 20%, leading SEO campaign leveraging custom web content from freelance writers.
  • Exceeded organic search traffic +19% in FY12 with aggressive SEO campaign.
  • Launched and project managed Drupal website redesign, hiring external vendors and project managing.
  • Launched online travel portal aggregating content from Southern Living, Sunset, Coastal Living, Cottage Living, and Southern Accents magazines.
  • Led advertising partnership with travel portal website, 10Best.com.
  • Member of the digital team that won:
    • Society of American Travel Writers Lowell Thomas Award
    • “Byways of the South” web-exclusive feature, 2007
    • Honored with a Webby Awards Honorable Mention—“Best Site Redesign” SouthernLiving.com, 2006