MarketingProfs guest blogger Darrell Davis of MediaFiche discusses Google's move to have a +1 button, which is inspired by Facebook's Likes. more

"Visits, pageviews, time on site, time on page, unique visitors, conversions, impressions, click-throughs, view-throughs," writes Zack Pike in an article at MarketingProfs, "the list of metrics used to measure the performance of our digital marketing activities is as confusing as it is endless." Dense data can complicate conversations with C-suite ... more

With one fell swoop, Google's latest algorithm update—dubbed Panda—demoted millions of Web pages. Content farms like Demand Media took a major hit, as did sites with lots of ads and little informational content. "The goal of the Google Panda update involves the filtering of low quality or duplicate pages that ... more

The ever-increasing interdependence between search and social media should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a threat. Learn how to use both strategically, and boost your marketing effectiveness. more

"White hat search engine optimization (SEO) principles that apply to B2B online marketing also apply to B2C, but B2B is otherwise a different animal," writes Nick Stamoulis in an article at MarketingProfs. In other words, SEO is simply not the same strategy for B2B as it is for B2C. And to ... more

Email and search marketing still have the greatest influence on consumers' online buying behaviors, whereas social media, though it generates awareness, is rarely associated with direct revenue, according to a study by Forrester Research and GSI Commerce. more

With any lead-based online marketing campaign, it's important to track the sources of your leads. Learn how a new technology, Dynamic Telephone Number Insertion (DTNI), can track website leads based on incoming sales calls—and how it falls short. more

Ever wonder how much meaningful traffic or links could come your way if you search-optimized your images? The answer might be, More than you'd expect. So writes Michael Gray in a post at Graywolf's SEO Blog. Thanks to Google's universal search results, images can help you show up on the first ... more

Using negative keywords in your paid-search campaign can help you reach ideal prospects, reduce cost per click (CPC), and increase return on investment (ROI). Learn how to select negative keywords and create your list. more

Do you optimize all of your online content? Before you say yes, here's a question: When was the last time a press release received your SEO treatment? "All communications, including press releases, can be 'tagged' with key words to receive priority placement in organic searches and therefore drive users to your ... more

If your SEO and social media strategies run afoul of best-practices, you might have a bigger problem than diminished Google rankings: Your brand's reputation might take a very public hit. That's what happened after Adam Singer received this comment at his Future Buzz blog: "Small businesses should focus more on the ... more

In a recent Search Agents post, Mary Hayes reports that Forrester Research forecasts "marketing spend on mobile display ads and search will surpass $1 billion in 2011." She advises marketers that, if they haven't already done so, now is the time to jump on the mobile bandwagon. But Hayes also ... more

The benefits of ranking on the first search-engine results page (SERP) are more valuable than ever: 60% of clicks are generated by the top three SERP results, while the average CTR (click-through rate) for the top spot is 36.4%, according to a study by Optify. more

B2B and B2C marketing have commonalities—and differences. Some B2C rules apply, whereas others have to be tweaked to fit B2B. The same is true for SEO. Here are three must-know SEO tips for B2B marketers. more

In a video interview with Web Marketing Today, Bryan Eisenberg offers a 7-minute primer on what he terms the Five Rs of search engine marketing. "I really wanted to demystify [the five core principles], especially for a lot of small and midsize businesses," he explains. "They hear so much conflicting ... more

Just as fixing technical issues at your website is an important part of search engine optimization, notes Joost de Valk in a recent post at the Yoast blog, so, too, is optimizing your site's overall structure. Site structure helps search engines understand your site's "topic" and more easily find and index ... more

Visits, pageviews, unique visitors, click-throughs... the list of metrics for digital marketing performance is endless. Often it's up to online marketers to decode the jargon to execs. Here are five ways to do just that. more

The New York Times recently noticed something odd when performing Google searches on terms as diverse as bedding, skinny jeans, area rugs and grommet-top curtains. "You could imagine a dozen contenders for each of these searches," writes David Segal. "But in the last several months, one name turned up, with ... more

Yahoo Sites comprised the top-ranked Web property in February 2011 with 177.5 million visitors, followed by Google Sites with 175.2 million and Microsoft Sites with 168.8 million, according to comScore Media Metrix service. Expedia (ranked No. 43) joined the top 50 ranking for the first time in February, as did ... more

Is duplicate content causing indexing issues for your site? In a recent post at the State of Search blog, Nichola Stott describes how multiple instances of similar pages, especially at the product level, are a common problem for larger sites. According to Stott, duplicate content doesn't necessarily mean that an exact ... more

Despite a lack of investment in marketing technologies and staffing over the past two years, many small businesses are now stepping up investments in digital channels such as social media, search, and online advertising, according to a survey from Network Solutions and the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business. more

Google Sites led the US explicit core search market in February 2011, accounting for 65.4% of total searches conducted during the month, followed by Yahoo Sites with 16.1% and Microsoft Sites with 13.6%, according to data from comScore qSearch. more

You might not think of your blog's comment section as an integral part of your SEO strategy. But you should. "If you can get comments on your blog, you'll increase both your SEO benefits and your status as an industry leader," explains Diana Freedman at the HubSpot blog. "Each new ... more

In a recent post at Search Engine Watch, Peter van der Graaf notes that local search results are becoming more important to the SEO mix. In Google Places, for example, businesses can now promote themselves on Google Search and Maps, he notes. But have you ever wondered how you can rank ... more

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a common theme of website-redesign projects these days. RFPs dedicate entire sections to the topic, but it's still confusing to some. Here are the must-know, fundamental basics of SEO. more