SEO content marketing roundup, week ending August 31st, 2011

It’s been a very busy week! Top stories from this week’s latest and greatest web writing news include: Apple’s Steve Jobs resigns amid much buzz, content marketers talk design and blogging, and social media marketers note notable Facebook (1 trillion) numbers and significant social media updates. And for the geek in you, Google Analytics offers up yet more goodies.

In short, there’s some truly awesome news and links here, so why not take a break and catch up with this week’s picks?

Content Marketing

All together now: Lee Odden discusses optimizing your online marketing with social media, SEO, and content at Top Rank.

Jakob Neilsen posts a signature super-smart piece on “transmedia” design at his Alertbox.

Pamela Wilson talks great web design (“six design tips that will have your audience licking their screens”) via Copyblogger.

One for the bookmarks: Kiss Metrics posts part one of its ultimate guide to online branding and building authority.

Top content marketers reveal their toughest challenges at Content Marketing Institute.

How answer sites can be a content research gold mine is posted at Vertical Measures.

Vertical Measures also posts a piece on websites that drive traffic and repeat visits.

Heidi Cohen shares three (most helpful!) ways to tailor content marketing.

Sonia Simone posts the most dangerous threat to your online marketing efforts at Copyblogger.

Hate spam comments on your quality stuff?  You’ll have all the more reason to after reading HubSpot’s “why spam commenters are better at marketing than you.”

Are you guest blogging? Gabriella Sannino asks why at Level 343.

Blogger’s block? Coming up with ideas for your business blog posts is at Search Engine Journal.

J.R. Pittman discusses “beautiful blogging” (“5 ways to sharpen your writing skills”) at Level 343.

No less than 23 reasons why your blog isn’t making any money (“and what to do about it”) are posted by Danny Iny at Copyblogger.

Roger Dooley peers into the buyer’s mind with “the rivalry in your customer’s brain” at Neuromarketing.

In anticipation of Content Marketing World International, Marketing Trenches’ Will Davis posts a chat with Junta42/Content Marketing Institute’s Joe Pulizzi.

SEO & Search

Straight from the Big G’s mouth is a new feature of its G+ 1 button that enables sharing on Google Plus (with snippets)!

Barry Schwartz takes a more, ah, measured view of Google’s +1 button working so nicely with Google+ at Search Engine Land.

HubSpot also reports on this newest Google+1 “enhancement” with a short video and explanation of the G+ sharing and snippet features.

Optimizing meta-descriptions for Google’s expanded SERP site links is at SEO Copywriting, citing Adam Sherk’s post of last week.

The opportunities presented by how Google Analytics now measures the duration of website visits is at Occam’s Razor.

A post on how Google Analytics also now “demystifies visitor behavior” via its multi-channel funnels is at Search Engine Watch.

Interesting question posed by Carrie Hill via Search Engine Land:  Are you using filters to keep your analytics data honest?

How Google constantly changes its search algorithms for the better is posted via video at HubSpot.

That may be, but after six months’ Google’s Panda still has people baffled, reports Frank Watson at Search Engine Watch.

SEOmoz posts six keyword research mistakes you might be making.

Kiss Metrics posts the future of paid search with great clickable infographics that address Google, Bing, and “beyond.”

Link laundering? The growing threat of link-laundering that “tarnishes white-hat sites” is posted at Search Engine Land.

Meanwhile, SEOmoz posts nine actionable tips for link prospecting.

HubSpot features a great compilation of 15 basic educational SEO charts and diagrams, while Lee Odden shares an incredible vault of SEO resources at Top Rank.

Rob D. Young reports that Gmail sees its first Google+ integration at Search Engine Watch.

Neil Patel addresses how social media affects SEO at QuickSprout.

Social Media Marketing

Business Insider reports that Facebook has hit 1 trillion pages views, while Reuters reports that Facebook is backing out of its “Daily Deals” after a four-month test.

The latest Google+, Facebook, and Twitter updates headline Social Media Examiner’s weekly news.

Search Engine Watch posts that Facebook’s updates to its privacy and sharing options may be an attempt to match the “most praised” features of Google+.

Search Engine Land shares a how-to on posting your Google+ feed to Facebook and Twitter.

HubSpot posts the ultimate Google+ cheat sheet.

Citing Google’s Eric Schmidt, Business Insider posts that Google+ isn’t just a social network, but an “identity service.”

iMedia Connection shares three ways that your brand can be “more human.”

Marketing Profs reports on research indicating that brands’ Facebook pages strengthen customer perception.

Mashable posts a piece on Google+ brand accounts (“what social media managers want to see”).

Heidi Cohen posts how to cope with social media “flare-ups,” and Social Media Examiner shares seven tips for dealing with “upset” Facebook fans.

Jay Baer posts “nobody said social media should be simple” at Convince and Convert.

Mack Collier posts developing your blogging voice (“if you want to be a great blogger”).

Citing new research, Social Media Examiner posts nine reasons why your content isn’t shared on social networks.

SME also posts its list of finalists for its top 10 small business Facebook pages for 2011.

Finally, Jay Baer posts a social media events calendar and advice guide at Convince and Convert.