If you are not a part of SEOmoz in some way go check them out now.  I am not one to gush or give reviews but they are the real deal when it comes to SEO & online marketing. The newsletter is proof positive that they not only put out great content but also deliver great content from some of the best sources on the web today. Go here to get this newsletter - The SEOmoz Top 10

Full disclosure: I am a paying SEOmoz client – but I have not embedded any affiliate links or anything in the links on this post (not even sure if they have an affiliate program).

Some tidbits I learned from the SEOmoz Top 10 newsletter;

1. Anyone having issues with understanding why Google Analytics is now returning results on referring sites that are from (not provided)? This is a recent Google change and this article from the that newsletter points to the “why its there” and “what to do” – 7 Best SEO tips for (not provided) Keywords

2. Crawling Bots (especially the Google bot) are NOT archaic crawlers that just see “code or text” any more.  They can crawl flash sites and also will assess user experience as well as crawl Javascript.  Check it out here -  Just How Smart are Search Robots?

3. And my favorite! People are thinking that On-page SEO isn’t as useful now since the Panda update and Long Tail doesn’t convert – Think Again! Great article and study of long tail conversions and on-page SEO versus great consumable content – On-page Optimization is Not Dead & Long Tail Keywords Increase Rankings and Conversions

There are 8 more too like “How to Use Twitter as a Lead Generation Tool”.

Get the Newsletter so you don’t miss this great stuff!

SEO in the USA especially will benefit from creating social networking profiles on social media websites. In addition to the three best known social media websites (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) there are very many lesser known social networking sites. In principle any of these could have a significant search engine ranking, but you should only create a profile on a site where there will be a clear benefit to your website. Creating a profile just for the link is acceptable, but having a meaningful profile will have much greater value in the long run. You will find social networking sites to be ideal for building a strong network of relationships with your clients.

You should routinely incorporate keywords into tweets and posts, and although Twitter limits you to only 140 characters. it is still a great way to share a link to a blog or an article.  Simply placing a keyword into a Tweet (perhaps as a hash tag) can ensure that the Tweet will make it to a search engine results page.  With Facebook, there’s more room for targeting keywords in your posts.  Don’t forget that the title of your post is a great place for keywords.   Write descriptions of  the content of the posts, and these should also contain keywords.

Your blog posts on Facebook or LinkedIn shouldn’t include the whole article.  Include a teaser and a call-to-action that will encourage visitors to move from the social networking site to your company blog. If they read the whole posting on the social network site they won’t need to go to your website.

By all means include links to your social media profiles on your website, but not too prominently.  Why would you want to send them away from your site?  There’s no point in getting someone to ‘like’ you on Facebook if you want them to make a purchase.  If they are already on your site, don’t send them away. Your social media profiles should serve as entrances to your main site, not the other way around.

If you can identify leaders in your industry that your target audience looks up to for advice, you should reach out to them. These influential individuals can help you improve the position of your brand in the eyes of that audience. The first step will be to connect with them on social networking sites. But you will have to provide some content. You can’t expect others to share their content if you don’t share yours. Google has stated that they will consider the authority of the author for social media posts to impact search results.  A link or story shared by a quality user will have significant value as opposed to a link to a low value account. Quantity can be a useful goal, but ultimately quality will be worth more.

I’m not sure what I expected but it sure wasn’t what I experienced.  Knowing that some of the best and brightest minds from the interactive world would all be in one place sharing information, case-studies, new tools and beer was the build up but I really only experienced the beer.  And I didn’t really even go to many parties and that sure wasn’t my intention but I thought it would be worth a try since some of the sessions were so bad and rudimentary I had to walk out.

I do want to give credit to the major brands that were there.  Pepsi, Sony, CNN, Chevy etc. had massive presences at SXSW interactive from massive displays to full building takeovers.  It was a contest of who could have the bigger display.  CNN took over a Bar & Grill and created their own CNN Bar and Grill sign about 8 foot in diameter and replete with neon and beautiful graphics. Pepsi took over what seemed like almost a quarter of a block of space for “Pepsi Max Lot” which they shared with the cool peeps from Foursquare. The best part about the brands is they didn’t take advantage of a captive audience and charge Disneyland prices for food, drinks and swag.  Everything was free and fun – they rocked it.

So should I go next year? Right now I say, No Way. I’ve gotten more info & made more contacts at a small event of 200 people locally than I did at SXSW Interactive 2011.  Or should I go to get my party on next year and just forget about learning anything worthwhile. What do you think?

Social Media = cost effective, viral and a level playing field. Where else could you go 5 years ago and get the word out about something, spend less than $500 bucks and get 100k people looking at it every day and millions more views to come. Social Media = Good ROI.

Via: MedicalBillingAndCoding.org

Being at TEDx today and speaking to Rooly Eliezerov about the Innovation Summit tomorrow was a the type of stimulation and conversation that I love to engage in.  Pushing yourself & expanding your thoughts and thinking are key to the the innovative process.  It reminds me of the quote “Your BEST thinking has gotten you to where you are today – therefore you are going to need better or different thinking to go further”.

Iron sharpens iron and I look forward to the panel at the Innovation Summit tomorrow in Healdsburg to open up the possibilities of learning more and engaging with some great thinkers.  2011 is almost upon us and the social landscape is changing rapidly with new technologies and a solid foothold in corporate/entrepreneurial engagement strategies.  Are you evolving, changing and growing as rapidly as the innovation occurring in the space you are working in?  If not, get engaged in meetups, events, conferences and others within your industry.  The good news is people all over the world are exposed to more information, tools and resources than they ever have been at any time in history.

We are in a era of innovation, thinking and doing – get engaged, get motivated and go out and get it done while loving every minute of it!

Yanik Silver is a Maverick Entrepreneur and he just put together the 34 rules for Maverick Entrepreneurs. This is a must read for anyone doing any business…..

It’s awesome to be inspired by those who exude greatness and are willing to take risks and forge the way for others. Yanik was inspired to write this after meeting and working with Richard Branson.

Those that inspire us live by these 34 rules Always – those that don’t make it live by these rules when it’s convenient.

Is it convenient for you to win right now or is it How You Live Your Life?