1. Ten Ways Social Media will Change in 2010
Integration and mobile seem to be the biggest trends predicted for 2010. Or should I say, further integration and more advanced mobile. This article takes on social media and touches on these predicted trends and more, including battles over businesses owning content about their brands, the importance of ROI in social media and women taking control of the industry (heck, yeah!). Read all ten changes on ReadWriteWeb.
2. Local Search Predictions for 2010
Again, integration, mobile and social are the main forecasts for 2010, this time focusing on local search. The four predictions laid out in this article are: 1. Mobile will drive local search growth; 2. Local search providers will vie for social; 3. Local print advertising will decline but won’t disappear; and 4. A hybrid marketing approach will win. Read the full prophecy on Search Engine Land.
3. 2010 SEO predictions
We couldn’t leave out SEO predictions. This article provides eight predictions for SEO in 2010. Rather than focusing solely on those three ubiquitous trends, it also mentions personalized search (it’s here to stay), MicroHoo! (it’ll send 20% of traffic, while Google sends 80%), Site Explore (it’ll be no more) and SEO spend (it’ll increase dramatically). Read the full story on SEOmozBlog.
4. Psych Behind SEO
This article can essentially be summed up with one work: pathos. Pathos, a mode of persuasion used in rhetoric, is an attempt to appeal to the audience’s emotions. Link development, along with all forms of marketing/advertising, can greatly benefit from these rhetorical devices. Whether that emotion is joy caused by a humorous YouTube video, admiration aroused by a politician’s frank statements on a podcast or interest based on expert advice from a well-known industry blog, it creates a feeling in the audience, which then creates the desire to take action. Get a better understanding of this concept at Search Engine Journal.
5. NZ Woman May Get Seven Years for Map Fraud
Think it’s harmless fun to change contact information on Google Maps for random businesses? Think again. A florist in New Zealand could get seven years in the hoosegow for using Google’s community edit feature to change contact info for one of her local competitors. Learn more about this woman who “edited with ill intent” on Understanding Google Maps and Local Search.
6. Holiday Presents for Online Marketers
Still can’t decided what to get that online marketer in your life? How about a book with actual pages you can flip and fold over. Just kidding! Who wants those old things?! Check out this amusing gift guide for the SEM junkie. Featured gifts include SEO-friendly URLs and a social media strategy. And don’t delay another day, Christmas is almost here!
7. URL Shorteners on Google and Facebook
Google announced a new shortening service, Goo.gl, on Monday. Goo.gl is not a stand-alone service for the time being; it only works with the Google Toolbar and Feedburner, you cannot use it to shorten links directly. Facebook also announced on Monday that they’re testing out a URL shortening service as well. The shortener, fb.me, is being used automatically for all links in their mobile apps.
8. A Shorter Thesaurus
We’ve all been here before: You’re typing out a tweet and no matter how many times you edit it, you can’t seem to get it under 140 characters. You just have too many important things to say! Don’t scrap the tweet and start over. Instead, use this handy new Thsrs to find synonyms that are shorter than your original words. It’s super simple to use, check out how it works below.
9. Yahoo! Now Showing Local Results for Non-geomodified Queries
Taking a (delayed) cue from Google and Bing, Yahoo! is now showing local search result for non-geomodified phrases. That means that if you simply type in a business name or category without including a city name, neighborhood or zip code, Yahoo! will show a map with local results. I tried a few searches (“sushi,” “spice shop,” “florist,” “wine bar”) and only got local results for the keyword “pizza.” An article on Search Engine Land states that Yahoo! made an improvement over Google and Bing because they show neighborhood filtering; however, I was only shown cities around Denver, not neighborhoods in Denver, which isn’t terribly helpful. There’s no way I’m driving to Castle Rock (about 30 miles from downtown Denver) for a quick slice. But it’s a step in the right direction.
10. Three Tips for Link Building
Taken from a presentation at SES Chicago last week, this article offers three tips on the fundamental of link building: 1. It’s important to have diversity and balance with your links to avoid getting flagged; 2. Use alert services, not just Google Alerts, to learn when your competitors make changes to their sites and to stay current in the industry; 3. Make it simple for people to give you links by creating a “link to us” page. Read the full article on Search Engine Watch.
11. Bing Beats Google in Search Volume Growth
‘Tis the season for giving. So I’m presenting you all with one extra article! I know what you’re thinking: “This is the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny @&*!&^$ Kaye.” And I bet Microsoft is thinking the same thing after hearing these stats. According to comScore, domestic core search market share for Bing (not Crosby) increased 0.4% in November, while Google only increase 0.1% that month, and actually decreased 1.5% in Q4. It’s a Festivus miracle! Read the full article and air your grievances here.