BrightEdge Weekly Search Recap 5/6/11

Greetings Everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed your Cinco de Mayo festivities last night. Here are our top 10 articles for you to read over as you look forward to the weekend:

BrightEdge Integrates comScore Data To Boost SEO Performance

As always, I will not rank our press releases, but I would like inform you all of our recent partnership with Comscore. The integration will pull competitive intelligence information straight from comScore Marketer into our platform. Make sure to check out our previous blog post and the article for more information.

1. The Role of On-Page SEO Content: Relevance, Not Rankings

This article highlights some of the greatest factors in successful SEO. Remember it all starts with relevant original content, but it doesn’t end there. Your onsite optimization only makes you relevant to search queries and slightly competitive. Then it’s time to obtain backlinks and perform social media engagement.

2. Speculating On The Next Shift In Google Search Algorithms

This article on Search Engine Watch speculates on what might be the next big Google Algorithm update after the recent massive Panda update. The author speculates that hit counter, useless blog posts, and footer links might be targeted next. Regardless, the best strategy is to continue creating fresh and original content.

3. Shopping Cart Page Checklist: 16 Things I Look For

This is a very insightful article for ecommerce websites. It includes a list of 16 tips consumers look for when shopping so that you may help drive your conversions.

4. How Concatenation Schemas Can Make Large Site SEO a Small Task

I’ve posted quite a few of Stoney deGeyter’s articles recently and it’s because they are really great! His latest article defines a new phrase “concatenation schema” and how it’s very useful to develop SEO guidelines to serve as naming conventions for title tags, headings, body content etc.

5. Google Blocked Sites & Why Making A Good First Impression Matters

Google is constantly making updates which affect SEO. Not too long ago, Google has given users the ability to block certain sites and domains form SERP results when they are logged in to their Google account. Google is also using blocked website data as a secondary form of algorithm validation, meaning having a professional looking site with great content is very important.

6. Should I use the Canonical Tag or 301 Redirect to change domains?

This case study provides some really good useful data to confirm Adam Audette’s findings from SMX West. Canonical tags are a really effective way to have a quick impact in SERP results, much more than 301 redirects.

7. SEO Lessons Learned Through Pictures of Matt Cutts

A very humorous blog post taking screen captures from Cutts’s, from Youtube Google Webmaster help, to stress some very important SEO tips and lessons. One of the more important tips is “don’t lie to Google.” There’s no need to game Google, as black hat sites will eventually be caught and penalized.

8. So You Wanna Throw A Twitter Party? Here’s How

Social media is now a very important factor to SEO as both Google and Bing are using social signals to order their search engine rankings. One great way to get customers to engage with your brand and site is by throwing a throwing a twitter party. The article provides some very useful tips to get you started.

9. SEO Checklist for Local Small Business Websites

The last spot is reserved for small businesses and those new to SEO. This is a very thorough article that runs through an exhaustive checklist of tips and strategies for small local business to get started in SEO.

Thank you all for reading and have a great weekend!