The Rimm-Kaufman Group (RKG), an online marketing company with an office in Bend, has acquired Nine By Blue, the Seattle-based search software and consulting firm founded by author and former Google employee Vanessa Fox.

The deal includes Blueprint, Nine By Blue’s proprietary search analytics and diagnostics software, according to news releases from both companies. Fox created Google’s Webmaster Central, a site to help businesses and others understand search-engine rankings. She also wrote “Marketing in the Age of Google.”

In 2011, RKG, a privately held company with headquarters in Charlottesville, Va., acquired Bend-based AudetteMedia, whose location became its Bend office. Adam Audette, co-founder of AudetteMedia, serves as chief knowledge officer for RKG, according to its website.