We’ve got several perspectives for this week’s Fast Five – including Mum’s!

1) How My Mum Thinks Search Engines Work by Rob Toledo                                             This is a good fun post to help us remember the broader perspective of common internet usage. Thanks Rob and thanks Rob’s Mum!

2) How to Integrate Google+ into Your Online Marketing Initiative by Jayson DeMers         By the end of last year, only eighteen months after it was launched, Google+ had 343 million active users. It is the world’s fastest growing social media platform, second only to Facebook. This post gives a good run down on many of the smart marketing features of Google+ and how to make the most of them.

3) An Online Resource You Don’t Want to Miss: The Matt Cutts Short Cutts by Amanda DeSilvestro                                                                                                                         Amanda’s put together a nice post describing the features of www.theshortcuts.com but as she says, it is pretty self explanatory. There plenty of SEO resources in there. One to bookmark!

4) Positioning Your Business for the Future of SEO – Whiteboard Friday by Ron Garrett Ron Garrett from Distilled gives a great video tutorial on the future of SEO in this Whiteboard Friday post. How to set goals, take calculated risks, assess staff ability – all these things can keep us competitive and adaptable in the changing world of SEO.

I like to leave the different one’s until last…

5) The Clients I Can’t Afford to Take by Bill Sebald                                                            This blog post is true of consulting and true of life. There are some gems in here about dealing with difficult personality types and how to stay focussed – as either a contractor or manager.

Happy reading!

*Image by Threadless

Share this post with others

• 

The SEO industry is changing, but it’s expanding too. This week’s fast five discusses subtle and not-so-subtle industry changes, new frontiers and how to make the most of emerging opportunities.

1) Why We Just Can’t Be SEOs Anymore – Whiteboard Friday by Rand Fishkin               In this post Rand takes the bull by the horns and asks where the trend to rebrand SEO into ‘inbound marketing’, ‘online marketing’, or ‘web marketing’ has come from?  

2) Case Study: How Content Marketing Saved this Brick-and-Mortar Business by Beth Hayden                                                                                                                               This is a great blog post about the power of content marketing for just about any business! If a blog can save a failing swimming pool shop, it can become a welcome boost for many industries…

3) The 5 Cornerstone Values that Build an Authority Online Presence by Sonia Simone Ever wondered why some websites exude authority? What makes a site instantly engaging? Sonia reveals how the power of the author’s voice shines through and becomes an authentic presence online.

4) Why Does SEO Take So Long? By Chris Sparks                                                      Bookmark this post to share with a client when they inevitably ask this question. Chris takes us through the basic elements of an effective SEO strategy and why ‘time is of the essence’.

And for something a bit different…

5) How to Accomplish More by Doing Less by Study Hacks                                                   I know this isn’t strictly about SEO, but since so many of us spend our daysjuggling several things at once, this post offers some great wisdom about the creative power of focus and attention.

Happy reading!

*Image courtesy of Threadless

Share this post with others

• 

This week’s Fast Five is mostly about social media – its possibilities and difficulties – but there’s a little SEO thrown in as well.

1) Google Plus: Bridging the Gap by Sarah Hill                                                                  The combination of a growing trend called Human Media and the development of Google + Hangouts, is fundamentally changing the possibilities of human communication. Thanks to Google + Hangouts, events can now be shared in real-time – anywhere a suitable internet connection exists. Sarah says, “Say goodbye to the culture of “likes” and hello to a culture of open dialogue that allows for publically debating issues, norms and beliefs right in front of your eyes.”  

2) How to Avoid Blogging Burnout by Sujan Patel                                                           Starting and maintaining a blog is worth the effort, but is it best to do it yourself, train existing staff or outsource? Sujan outlines all the possibilities for those who are thinking of starting a blog, or are looking for a new way to maintain an existing one.

3) Is Social Media Bad For Your Phone? By Corey Geer                                                     I’m going to show my two teenage daughters this post. Mobile search devices have increased our consumption of social media significantly. With teenagers this is even more so. This infographic outlines the numerous effects all this consumption may be having on our health and wellbeing.

4) What Every Graduate Should Know About SEO and Why by Kylie Olsen            Graduate programs in media and communications are not always adequate when it comes to preparing students for the changing environment of online communications – particularly SEO. One considered the domain of those with a technical bent, basic SEO is becoming a must in every communicator’s toolkit. This is a good catch-up-on-the-basics SEO post.

And finally for a bit of fun…

5) 6 Interesting Facebook Tricks You Might Not Know by Kristel Cuenta                          This is a fun post which provides ways to insert code that will modify the way Facebook updates are displayed on your business pages or profiles.

Happy reading!

*Image courtesy of Threadless

Share this post with others

• 

This week’s fast five includes: the history of advertising, SEO spring cleaning, Facebook face lifts and lessons from the guru of advertising – George Lucas.

1) Advertising: A Brief History by David Wallace                                                                      I love these infographics-based posts Search Engine Journalers have been creating lately. Advertising is almost as old as civilisation. This is a great one to share for a broader perspective!

2) Dusting the Website for Spring: Optimization and SEO Cleaning by Scott Wyden          In this post Scott gives us nine great tips on onsite website improvement and two offsite tips. Interesting to hear that sites with Google’s Authorship tool enabled, receive 120% more clicks. The internet is becoming so much more personal and the search industry is at the forefront of these changes.

3) Mastering the Art of Local SEO by Tina Courtney-Brown                                                  A friend of mine has a picture framing business which has slowly transitioned from completely offline to mostly online. He used to rely on his village market stall, but now finds he gets most orders online, even local orders. Some businesses, even though they have a strong online presence, they still require a lot of local promotion. This is a great post on Local SEO and covers all the basics.

4) Give Your Facebook Page a Free Facelift by Tina Courtney Brown                                    I am intrigued by the Social Fixer App described by Tina in this post. I haven’t used it yet, but after reading this post, I’m going to try it out. It would be great to make small adjustments to the look and feel of my Facebook page and profile.

And for something a bit different…

5) Transmedia Storytelling: Building Worlds For and With Fans by Gianluca Fiorelli        We are living in the age of transmedia storytelling and this post outlines how you can make this work for your brand. Transmedia storytelling happens when a story unfolds across multi media outlets and platforms and the end users take on an active role in its expansion. You don’t have to be a George Lucas fan to enjoy the message in this post. Transmedia storytelling is where storytelling and marketing collide.

Happy reading!

*Image by Threadless

Share this post with others

• 

From viral marketing to legendary podcasting – this week’s Fast Five contains a great mix from the blogosphere.

1) Foolishly Viral: Lessons from a Million Pageview Day by Jacob Klein                         Most of us have wondered about the phenomena of content going viral and wondered how it happens. Can it be planned? How do people feel when their content strikes a chord with many more people than expected? Jacob shares his insights in this great post about viral marketing success.

2) Remove Unnecessary Steps and Win More Links, Shares and Conversions – Whiteboard Friday by Rand Fishkin                                                                               You’ve got to love Rand’s posts about keeping things simple. He is great at explaining why some things are no longer important, while other details are crucial to building relationships and maintaining your reader’s attention. This post could have been called:  How to Win Readers and Influence people.

3) 17 Things You Should Stop Doing to Your Websites by Inessa Bokhan                    I really enjoyed this post. I have to admit I’ve been guilty of using cheesy stock images before! Inessa gives some great advice in this post – it all comes down to keeping it real and fresh and… don’t forget your readers!

4) Losing Traffic (and sleep) Over Google Reader’s Death? Here’s What You Can Do About It by Federico Einhorn                                                                                                   In case you’re wondering where you can source story ideas and news feeds now that Google Reader is closing down, I thought I’d include this post. Federico shares links to other news feed sites and gives some helpful advice for webmasters who may have relied on Google Reader until now.

And finally…

5) Case Study: How to Build a Vast Audience by Mastering the Art of the Interview by Beth Hayden                                                                                                                                      I’m finishing this week’s Fast Five with a bit of inspiration. It’s always interesting to hear from other creative people – how they’ve worked hard to build a successful platform. In this post Beth interviews legendary podcaster Srinivas Rao about his successful career as a content marketer.

Happy reading!

*Image courtesy of Threadless

Share this post with others

•