Instead of talking about Star Trek, Star Wars or making some other sci-fi reference this week, I’ve got a few articles of my own to share. Well, they’re not really “my” articles, they’re Stoney’s, but who’s splitting hairs. If you missed it, take a minute to read his Search Engine Land post, Why My Optimized Landing Pages Trump Your SEO Or PPC Landing Pages Every Time! We just got notification that it was Search Engine Land’s top story in August.
Earlier today, Stoney appeared on GinzaMetric’s FOUND Friday hangout talking about his latest article on Search Engine Land, 4 Ways To Avoid An SEO Disaster Of Monumental Proportions. Take a few minutes to watch the recording of his FOUND Friday chat with Laura Worthington and Erin O’Brien. We’re thinking he needs some art on the walls of his new office for videos like this. What do you think? Maybe a mural of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol?
Here’s what the pit crew has been reading this week:
- Give Yourself 5 Stars? Online, It Might Cost You, by David Streitfeld
Getting reviews for your business is a key component to performing in local search rankings. What is your strategy for soliciting feedback from your customers? Have you considered buying reviews, or creating false ones? We don’t recommend implementing those strategies. Before you move forward with your review strategy you’ll want to read this NY Times article. - What Makes You A Best In Class SEO?, by Elisabeth Osmeloski
While the 10%h marketing budget is interesting, I think actual $$ amounts would be insightful. Nonetheless… SEO starts early, people! - Can Search Marketing Lower My Conversion Rate?, by Mike Moran
Any marketing can reduce conversion rates by increasing non-qualified traffic. That’s not bad in and of itself if you’re getting a solid increase of quality traffic as well. - First Guide to Hacked Link Building: a variation of Broken Link Building, by Giuseppe Pastore
Being helpful is one great way to score a link. In this post Giuseppe unpacks how to find sites in your niche to help sites that have gotten hacked fix these spam links. He gives examples for outreach as well. If you read through the comments on the post you’ll see it suggested to first and foremost use this as an opportunity to build a relationship by offering something of value. If you net a link, great, if you don’t, you’ve established a relationship that you can continue to grow into an opportunity down the line. - When Looking For Links, How Can You Predict A Site’s Future?, by Julie Joyce
Today’s low-value site can be tomorrow’s high-value site. You’ll know if you know what to look for. - 11 Link Tactics You Shouldn’t Use: Updates To Google’s Link Schemes Document: Link Building, by Barrie Smith
If a link tactic is broke, fix it. With all the animals that Google’s been unleashing (read: Panda and Penguin) many tactics need an overhaul. If you are looking for some guidance, reading this post is a great place to start. - 8 Things You Don’t Want In Your Infographic, by Joshua Titsworth
Infographics are hot, but they’re not always good for your business and here’s some reasons why. You want me to read it? Don’t do this! - The Most Actionable SEO Tips Ever, by Steve Webb, Ph.D.
Former Googler, Steve Webb, has put together a great list of SEO tips that you can easily implement. - Why Apple Fans Love to Wait in Lines (Hint: It’s Not About the New iPhone) by Dan Lyons
Yeah, yeah, those Apple iPhone people are crazy—just about as nuts as all those thirty-something moms who went to all the midnight showings of the Twilight movies. (Ahem. Deb says she wouldn’t know anything about that.) But there’s something to be learned from all this senseless late-night line waiting. Wouldn’t you want people standing in line for your product or coming to your website in droves? We thought so. - Size Matters – How Many Words Should My Blog Post Be?, by Joe Elvin
Stoney’s 1500-word blog posts don’t look so long now, do they? 🙂 - Content Quality vs. Quantity: Is There a Clear Winner? by Rebecca Toth
How many times have you heard that one? Probably more than you can count. The problem is that belaboring the point may in fact inhibit any kind of content production at all. Rebecca shares insight as to why you should just jump into the deep end—start producing content. You’ll learn how to swim soon enough.