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Feb. 7, 2008 at 10:23am Eastern by Danny Sullivan
January 2008: Search Engine Land's Most Popular Stories
Below are Search Engine Land's 10 most popular stories from January 2008:
1) 20 Awesome Images Found In Google Maps - The introduction of satellite images into map search interfaces has excited both virtual sightseers and local app developers. Further innovations like Google's Street View have caused consternation from privacy advocates while further pumping up the buzz about online mapping. In 2008, we can expect further innovations that stretch the envelope while dynamic map interfaces solidify as basic table-stakes for all local sites. In gearing up for this year in local search, I thought I'd give you a pure entertainment piece—here's a guide to the top coolest things to see in Google Maps.
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2) Google Lego Logo: Google Offers Lego 50th Birthday Wishes - Google has a special logo up on the Google home page today. The Google logo is made up of legos, to celebrate Lego's 50 year birthday. Google's culture has always had a special place for Lego. Google's first servers were "modded" up with Legos. The Google founders have admitted to having a special "fondness" towards Legos, and we all know that computer geeks can't get enough of their legos. Google has Lego art in their offices. Lego fans have built Google logos in Lego, and so have Googlers themselves.
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3) 10 Simple Steps To Social Media Success In 2008 - It's no secret that social media should be an integral part of your online marketing strategy. Creating viral content and promoting it is only a fraction of the equation. You must also strengthen your online footprint and become part of the network. Trying to figure out where to start can be daunting. Follow these ten simple steps and you will be well on your way to being more connected, more plugged in, and more efficient in 2008.
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4) Real Time US Presidential Primary Results In Google Maps - Political and news junkies take note: Google mapped the results of yesterday's New Hampshire U.S. presidential primary by candidate and county for both parties. There are also videos from YouTube of candidate victory or concession speeches. According to the Google LatLong blog, the results were presented last night in real time. You can also see the same results in Google Earth (screenshots below).
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5) Google's User Experience Expert, Kevin Fox, Joins New Start-up Company - Kevin Fox, Google's user experience designer responsible for helping design Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Reader 2.0, has announced he is leaving Google to join a "very small start-up." Today is his last day at Google, after being with Google for over four years. Kevin did not say the name of the new company he will be working for. He did, however, express his love for Google:
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6) There's No Such Thing As A Worthless Link - With certain linking strategies under fire and others frowned on by the search engines, I thought I'd focus on what links do count and share how and where I find them. The short answer to the question "what works" is: they all do. All the link building tactics we're fond of jeering at still work; reciprocal links, using article directories, adding your site to a bazillion general directories, and yes, even paid links. But they don't tend to work for long or provide the algorithmic insulation you need to weather the update storms. For that you need authority or "quality" links.
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7) Think You're Successfully Flying Under Google's Radar? Think Again. - Have you been trying to "fly under the radar," engaging in activities outside of Google's guidelines but subtly so as not to get caught? More and more SEOs are moving into this dangerous territory as the guidelines continue to broaden (prime examples of which being the expanded definition of doorway pages and the addition of link buying to the list of no-nos). Buying links in "stealth" mode still works, as many SEOs will attest. But what if Google is archiving your efforts for future review, to uncover what it can't right now due to current limitations? Do you really want to be profiled retroactively as a spammer?
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8) 15 Fundamental Truths About Social Media Marketing - In September 2007, I was offered the role of 'Social Media Manager' at a company in Cape Town, South Africa, which I took without much hesitation. I knew my job would focus on the 'general' projects such as proposals, running campaigns, and devising social strategies for clients who had something they wanted to generate a buzz about online. Little did I know I would be training up the other team members completely from scratch on the subject, but I can confidently say it was the most enjoyable part of the job. Here are 15 of the most important things about social media marketing I taught to those completely new to the approach.
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9) Google Universal Search: 2008 Edition - It's just over a half-year since Google launched Universal Search, its method of blending results from its own various topically-focused or "vertical" search engines. Since that time, the system has evolved. In particular, Google Universal Search now fills more than just 10 spots on the page, while shopping and blog search results are among new resources being included. Below, a look at these and related changes.
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10) Spying On Your Paid Search Competitors - Last time around, I wrote about paid search planning and some cool tools to help you understand your customers and your target market (here). This time, I'll take a look at the competitive landscape and understanding competitors in general—and show you some excellent tools that can help you gain better insight into their specific strategies and tactics.
To see all of our most popular stories over time, visit our Most Popular Stories page.
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By Danny Sullivan
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