2013 was a confusing year. It was the year that content marketing became the new SEO. Wait, but it was the year that social media became the new SEO. No, it was the year that SEO died. See what we’re saying? Regardless of the noise, as always, we continue to reiterate that for online success, you are going to have to employ a strategy that effectively uses all three of these elements. SEO, social media, and content marketing should be the breakfast, lunch, and dinner of your 2014. In that spirit, we gathered some of the best articles from December to get you on your way moving into the New Year. Enjoy, and if you’re looking for the same great content the rest of the month, don’t forget to check in with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

SEO

SEO Changed Forever In 2013. How To Adjust And Thrive In 2014

If there’s ever been any question that SEO marketers need to put user needs first, 2013 was the year the search engines made it clear. Nearly every innovation in search — algorithm updates like Google Hummingbird, SERP enhancements, social integrations — was aimed at creating a better experience for the searcher.

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The last few months, it seems like people have spent a lot of time trying to define SEO’s new role in this Google altered landscape of Hummingbird and “Keyword Not Provided.” This month, the conversation has moved to defining content marketing’s new role. Content marketing may or may not be the new journalism or the new SEO, but regardless of its definition, it is an exceedingly important strategy to promote your online business. Bring in social media and SEO and you have the winning trifecta. That’s why we gather up the best SEO, content marketing, and social media articles each month for your convenience. Here are our favorites from November. Enjoy, and if you’re looking for the same great content the rest of the month, don’t forget to check in with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

SEO

5 Ways to Write Quality Content That is SEO Friendly

Although Google’s search engine algorithms are shrouded in mystery, they are widely accepted as a barometer for gauging the importance of your content on the internet. As a result, a cottage industry has developed that is focused on gaming the rankings to receive favorable placement. However more often than not, “black-hat” SEO tactics do not work. What works is creating quality content that is useful to your reader. Below are five methods for writing content that will do well in search engine rankings. Continue reading →

Did you spend all month working on your Halloween costume? If so, we hope you were rewarded with vast amounts of candy last night. Knowing that your attention may have been focused on your preparations, we’ve gathered up the best SEO, content marketing, and social media articles from October for your convenience. If you’re looking for the same great content the rest of the month, don’t forget to check in with us at Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

SEO

Google Hummingbird Search Algorithm: Challenge Accepted

Have you heard about Google’s 15^th birthday present to itself? Last week, the world’s undisputed search giant rolled out an all-new search algorithm, dubbed Hummingbird because “it’s fast and light.” The name is a dramatic departure from the P-theme of their prior Panda and Penguin updates, but the company’s search chief Amit Singhal reports that Google Hummingbird is the biggest rewrite since 2001. Continue reading →

Last month, at the beginning of the roundup, we asked, “Is SEO dead?” After September’s “Keyword Not Provided” announcement, we’re willing to bet that more people are worried the answer to this question is “Yes.” The truth is, it’s just as sensationalist a question as it was a month ago. As always, the SEO industry will react and adapt. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to put a renewed focus on your content marketing and social media efforts. To help you on your way, we’ve gathered up the best SEO, content marketing, and social media articles from August. If you’re looking for the same great content the rest of the month, don’t forget to check in with us at Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

SEO

What Google’s Latest Panda Update Means for Your SEO

When Google’s so-called Panda update dropped in 2011, it turned the world of search on its head: quality, not keywords, would dominate from here on out and content would be king. Now Google has updated its algorithms again—call it Panda 2.0—and every marketer and small business needs to adapt once more. Continue reading →

Is SEO dead? Is content marketing the new SEO? Is social media the glue that holds SEO and content marketing together? Regardless of the camp you’re in, we can all agree that some combination of SEO, content marketing, and social media will have a positive impact on your business. That’s why we’ve gathered up the best SEO, content marketing, and social media articles from August for your enjoyment. When you’ve finished reading, let us know your favorites in the comment section below.

SEO

6 Free Keyword Research Tools You Should Include in Your SEO Toolbox

Ad Preview Tool: Google’s tool that allows you to preview unbiased organic rankings and paid search ads per any given keyword and geography. Use for checking keyword rankings. When you search on Google.com you will see search results personalized to you so you need to use this tool to figure out how the first page on Google really looks like for the user.

Top 4 SEO Practices | How SEO Has Changed Going Forward

The top 4 SEO practices will not only amaze you at how simple they are, but as for the future of the search engine optimization, these will be the biggest factors. While many of us in the search optimization industry debate back and forth about the radical changes from Google that be, it is a fact they are here and doing what they do nonetheless. Continue reading →

Love & Marriage. Peanut Butter & Jelly. SEO & Content Marketing (or SEO & Social Media)??? These days, the letters SEO are usually followed by one of two pairs of words. Like other great combinations from history, it seems that you can’t have one without the other. In that spirit, we’ve gathered up the best SEO, content marketing, and social media articles from July for your enjoyment. When you’ve finished reading, let us know your favorites in the comment section below.

SEO

10 Effective Tips on Ways to Use Search Engine Optimization for Your E-Commerce Site

1. Compile an In-depth Keyword Research Report – Centering around your business products, services, brand, industry and demographics of your targeted customers, you’ll have to pick specific long tail keyword search terms and keyword phrases and test them on something like Google Keyword Tools to ascertain the estimated traffic and competitiveness for each keyword phrase.

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June brought the warm weather and also warmed up the old SEO vs. content marketing debate. Throw social media into the mix and you have a real quagmire. In that spirit, we’ve gathered up the best SEO, content marketing, and social media articles from June. After you’ve taken a moment to peruse our selections, let us know where you stand on the debate in the comment section below.

SEO

Keyword Research is now a Dirty Trick?

Since the announcement of a new Penguin Update 2.0 some people are running scare and others are shouting, “Keywords?! I don’t even know what keywords are. I just write for my audience!” What makes you think using keywords is some sort of dirty trick? Google wants you to use keywords to guide them in cataloging your content. How else would they know where to put your stuff? Continue reading →

The flowers arrived as expected in May, but so did a new Penguin update from Google. Now, more than ever, it’s important to make sure your SEO is being done the right way. In that spirit, we’ve gathered up the best SEO, content marketing, and social media articles from May. Take a moment to check out this informative and interesting content for some great suggestions.

SEO

Steady your SEO Ship with the Correct Anchor Distribution

By the time the Panda and Penguin updates from Google had been rolled out the internet changed almost instantly, and although my niche sites suffered dramatically as a result (as did my income) the simple fact is that these changes were for the better.

Old SEO, Meet New SEO: How to Get Buy-in for Modern Marketing

Marketing moves fast. The SEO strategies that win today – creating high-quality content, focusing on the metrics that matter to clients and investing in digital PR – are often far different than what’s come before them. Next-level marketers and SEOs know what it takes to be successful today, but convincing the powers that be within a business or organization can be challenging. Continue reading →

April may bring May flowers, but it also brings a new crop of SEO, content marketing, and social media content that we are thrilled to share with you.  So, without further ado, here’s the most informative and interesting content that we came across during the last month.

SEO

What Programming Is Teaching Me About SEO and Life

Even if you have zero interest in programming or SEO, I’m convinced you’re going to be glad you decided to read this blog post.  And to make it a total no-brainer for you, I’m offering a 100% money back guarantee.  Sound good?  Keep reading.

Unnatural Links Detection – How To Guide & Case Study

With the latest chit chat that Google is going to release the next version of Google Penguin soon, I think it is a good time to remember how you can easily detect unnatural links in your sites’ profile. This detection technique can to be used for any site, even if it did not receive a penalty or unnatural link warning. It is a good technique that you can use to understand and manage the risk that you might be exposed to when the next unnatural link update comes.

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