The search marketing industry was buzzing last week after Google announced plans to begin encrypting all logged-in searches from Google.com. The buzz was strong on our sister site, Sphinn, where that topic was by far the most discussed of all last week. Our "Discussion of the Week" asked users to weigh in on the impact of Google's encrypted search and we currently have close to two dozen responses. Most of those were about the fact that some searches will no longer pass keyword referrals through to analytics programs. Our favorite comment came from Sphinn member Matt Crouch, who said: [...]

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It was time to vent last week on our sister site, Sphinn. Though there were several active discussions going on, none generated the interest and participation as our question that invited members to share their SEO frustrations. And it wasn't just about SEO, actually. Our "Discussion of the Week" asked, What Frustrates You Most as an SEO/Online Marketer? There are 18 replies there already, and you're welcome to add yours into the mix, too. I'm finding it impossible to pick out a single, favorite comment, so here's a quick sample of some of the frustrations mentioned in the conversation: [...]

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Are links from the Yahoo Directory, DMOZ, Best of the Wen and other directories still valuable for SEO purposes? Or has the rise of social media and other channels made directory links less relevant? That was the topic of the "Discussion of the Week" on our sister site, Sphinn, last week. We asked, Are Directories Still a Good Source of Inbound Links? and currently have more than a dozen comments with a range of opinions on the topic. Our favorite reply came from Sphinn member Justin Briggs, who said (in part): The other problem with directories is that it isn't a defensible link (anyone c [...]

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One thing's for certain in the online marketing industry: change. That was the frame for our "Discussion of the Week" last week on our sister site, Sphinn. Just a couple years ago, Digg.com was a darling among online marketers -- a place to help content go viral, gain exposure and (usually) a boatload of new inbound links as others discovered your content when it reached Digg's homepage. So we asked, Is Digg Relevant To You As a Marketer? The majority of replies said, no, Digg has lost its relevance today as a marketing venue. Sphinn member DanThornton1 from The Way of the Web said, "I c [...]

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Sphinn saw one of its busiest discussion weeks in a long time last week, with exactly half of the articles published attracting comments from Sphinn members. The busiest conversation happened around our "Discussion of the Week," which touched on ideas for attracting new followers/fans on social networking sites: What Do You Look For When Deciding Whether to Follow/Like Someone? Our favorite comment came from Sphinn member Thomas Ballantyne of Bulwark Exterminating, who explained why he stops following some companies/people: I unfollow people that self promote too much. I unfollow people [...]

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SEO was the hot topic last week on our sister site, Sphinn. Rather than a single "Discussion of the Week" on Wednesday, we had two discussions going that morning -- both involving SEO topics. One asked, What Would It Take For You To Quit SEO?, while the other was more technical: Discussion: Is There Value To Adding Spaces In Between Keyword Separators Both of those topics have had a handful of comments so far, and it's not too late if you want to add one of your own. SEO was also the topic of our most popular story on Twitter past week -- more than 100 users tweeted about a survey that [...]

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Can you have too much search traffic? The first answer that probably comes to mind is "no," but what about when search represents 70% … 80% … or even a higher percentage of a website's overall traffic? That was the theme of the "Discussion of the Week" last week on our sister site, Sphinn. We asked, How Much Search Traffic is Too Much?, and we had a variety of opinions on the matter. Our favorite comment came from Sphinn member Anthony Mangia of Mangia Marketing. Here's part of his reply: I wouldn't necessarily say that there is such a thing as "too much search traffic," but you cer [...]

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There are still several good discussions from last week happening over on our sister site, Sphinn. SEO pricing, fixing broken links for SEO, and the social media time sink were all hot topics among commenters. That last one was the subject of our "Discussion of the Week," which asked How do you keep Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. from being a timesink/distraction? Our favorite reply came from Sphinn member Matt Bowyer of AccessDirect, who shared these ideas: I like the idea of using a laptop for social networking during the day; it means you have to make a conscious effort to use it, n [...]

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There were several good discussions last week on our sister site, Sphinn, but Google's recent launch of jumbo-sized site links in search results was the hottest topic of all. Our "discussion of the week" asked, The Impact of Google's 12-Pack of Sitelinks?, and we had a variety of responses -- many concerned with the usability factor and/or how Google continues to tweak the new display. Our favorite comment came from Sphinn member Stoney deGeyter of Pole Position Marketing, who said: From a usability perspective, I'm not a fan. I spent way too much time reading the 12-pack only to realize [...]

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Two discussions took center stage last week on our sister site, Sphinn -- both dealt with fairly detailed SEO and linking issues. Our "Discussion of the Week" asked, Do Unlinked Company/Brand Mentions Help with SEO?, and the general consensus from a handful of reply was along the lines of, "Yes, but how would search engines measure/track that?" In other words, the thought is that it helps your SEO when your company name is mentioned online, even if it's not an actual link. In a different discussion, Sphinn members and editors discussed when, if ever, it's appropriate to use the no-follow [...]

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It's been about six months since Google rolled out the first Panda (then called Farmer) update to its ranking algorithm -- and Panda has since gone through at least three updates that we know of. Have we learned anything in that six month period? That was the topic of our "Discussion of the Week," which asked What Have We Learned From Google's Panda Algorithm? And that topic got surprisingly few replies, perhaps due to vacations/summer, or perhaps -- as I suggested in a comment that I posted -- because we collectively haven't learned much yet from Panda. There've been exceptionally few stor [...]

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Does Google really only have about 65% to 70% of the US search market? Or is it really more like other countries where Google's market share is closer to 90%? That was the topic of our "Discussion of the Week" last week on Sphinn, which asked What do you think Google's U.S. market share really is? Reporting agencies like comScore and Experian Hitwise consistently put Google's US market share at about 65-70%, with Bing/Yahoo picking up most of what's left. But most commenters believe Google's share is higher than that. There was no single comment that stands out this week as a favorite, but [...]

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With summer now in full gear, we asked readers of our sister site, Sphinn, to help create a summer reading list last week. That was the topic of our "Discussion of the Week," which asked for Recommended SEO/PPC/Social Media/Internet Marketing Books. There were a variety of suggested books covering SEO, web analytics, Google AdWords and more -- but we're going to refrain from picking out a favorite comment this week because we don't want to look like we're showing favoritism toward any one book. If you're looking for some reading recommendations -- or have some of your own -- check out the [...]

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The discussion was heavy last week on our sister site, Sphinn, with three stories in particular leading to a lot of conversation. No story generated more comments than our "Discussion of the Week," which currently has 30 comments and is still going strong. In it, we asked, Should SEOs Provide Ranking Reports To Clients? Aside from a few replies, most users said there's still value in providing ranking reports -- but with the caveat that clients should be educated on metrics that really matter. Our favorite comment came from Sphinn member Mary Bowling of Optimized!, who put it this way: [...]

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There was quite a variety of content making the rounds last week on our sister site, Sphinn, and this week's recap reflects that. Hot on the heels of the launch of Google+, our "Discussion of the Week" asked a simple question: Can Google Succeed at Social Networking? The general feeling among the commenters was not to completely discount Google's chances to succeed in social, but Sphinn member bluephoenixnyc summed up the challenge in our favorite comment of the week: A great comment making the waves around Twitter was this: Google is fundamentally a utility. Nobody wants to hang out at [...]

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Search industry parents had their say last week on our sister site, Sphinn, as a discussion about teaching kids SEO, social media and online marketing was the most popular conversation piece. Our "Discussion of the Week" asked, How Much Do You Teach Your Kids About SEO/Social Media?, and we had a range of comments covering issues like privacy, computer literacy, blogging and more. Our favorite comment came from Sphinn member Stoney deGeyter of Pole Position Marketing, who talked about raising his three kids: I have not pushed what I do on them in any way, and probably never will. If they [...]

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Another busy week of discussion last week on our sister site, Sphinn, with more than a third of the published stories attracting comments. The most conversation happened around our "Discussion of the Week," which asked Automated Tweets ... Yay or Nay? And we got a variety of opinions on the use of Twitter bots, scheduled tweets and so forth. The general consensus was that some auto-tweeting is okay, but you have to be careful not to overdo it. Our favorite comment came from Sphinn member Edward Lewis of SEOblog.com. Here's a portion: If you have a Twitter account and do mostly AutoTweet [...]

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With the fifth edition of SMX Advanced happening last week, discussion on our sister site Sphinn focused on how to optimize your search conference experience. Our "Discussion of the Week" asked people to share their Best Tips For Search Conference Attendees and whether you're a conference newcomer or a vet, there's some solid advice in that discussion. Our favorite comment came from Sphinn member Bas van den Beld of State of Search: One I always give first time attendees is make a list of questions they would like to get answered at the conferences. Then Google on the topics around that [...]

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The combination of search and social seemed to dominate last week's activity on our sister site, Sphinn. Several active discussions and popular Twitter/Facebook stories were about various search, social and SEO topics. The most active discussion thread was our "Discussion of the Week," which asked Discussion: Have Social Signals Made Search Results Better or Worse? Our favorite comment came from Sphinn member David Harry of Huomah.com, who said (in part): I believe there are great ops here for SEOs and it does add to the search experience without cluttering the results too much. It is ye [...]

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Social media measurement was the hot topic last week on our sister site, Sphinn. A discussion about measuring social media influence picked up the most comments during the week, while an article about social media marketing ROI was our most popular content among Twitter users. Separately, an article about Matt Cutts' live web chat was the most liked/shared item among Facebook users. The "Discussion of the Week" asked, What's the best way to measure social media influence? And back for a second week in a row with our best comment of the week is Sphinn member Michael Martinez of SEO Theory, w [...]

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