If you’re wondering what the latest Google Hummingbird update is all about, or how to get the most out of your analytics data, or how others are forging the social media frontier – this week’s Fast Five is for you!

How Google is Changing Long-Tail Search with Efforts Like Hummingbird – Whiteboard Friday by Rand Fishkin
Over the past few years, as our confidence in Google has grown, long-tail search queries have steadily increased. In an effort to keep pace with this growing trend Google’s latest Hummingbird update has focussed on the text analysis of search queries. Rand Fishkin takes a closer look at what Hummingbird means for SEO.

Study Reports 40% of Top Instagram Videos Were Brand-Created by Kelsey Jones
The latest study by Unruly demonstrates the power of video marketing when it comes to social shares. This post contains some interesting figures and a definite nudge for those who haven’t embraced social video yet.

Why Visitor Analytics Aren’t Enough for Modern Marketers by Rand Fishkin
How can we tell if conversions coming through Pinterest (or some other channel) have a greater long term value than those coming through our email list? Or what data do we need to convince our boss that a channel is worth pursuing in the first place? All these items are addressed by Rand in this great post.

Social Media: How Much Do You Really Need to Invest? By Tina Courtney-Brown
Do you have a niche business? How much should social media marketing be embraced or ignored? And what can we learn from other people’s blunders – like the Funeral Parlour business which promoted a “happy hour” special on Facebook?

And now, for an even broader perspective…

Google Developing Tools to Help Fight For Free Expression by Megan Abraham
Earlier this week Google announced its collaboration on the development of three tools to aid people living in repressive nations. Megan describes how uProxy, Digital Attack Map and Project Shield will change the world (for the better).

Happy reading!

*Image courtesy of Threadless

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