SEO Content Marketing Roundup, Week Ending April 11th, 2012

Mystery…suspense…who dun it…and why? In this week’s latest and greatest Web-writing news, SEO & search pro’s suspect a sneaky weekend Panda update is behind maimed rankings, social media marketers investigate why Facebook really bought Instagram, while content marketers (not so mysteriously) talk up blogging and email marketing. Many twists & turns in this week’s episode – end the suspense with these satisfying selections! Enjoy…

Content Marketing

Kaila Strong discusses quality lead generation (part 1) via content – and understanding it – at Vertical Measures.

From a B2B perspective, balancing lead generation quantity with quality is posted at Marketo.

Also in the B2B vein, Lee Odden posts “5 Ways to Win with B2B Content Marketing & Social Media” at Top Rank.

Marketing Sherpa features email marketing in its weekly research chart with “Email marketers who quantify ROI are in the minority.”

Nathan Richter shares four ways to use email to improve website conversions at ClickZ.

On the fence about blogging? Gabriel Gervelis presents analytics data in favor of blogging, as well as time-saving tools, at Search Engine Journal.

Anna Ritchie pitches “The Ultimate Guide to Blogging,” available as a free download, at Content Marketing Institute.

More resources for blogging are at KISSmetrics, with a nicely segmented list of “44 Must Read Resources on Content Marketing.”

Neil Patel posts “10 Lessons Seth Godin Can Teach You About Blogging” at QuickSprout.

Seth Godin discusses the growing phenomenom of “twitching” in the accelerated world of the social internet.

Lauren Sorenson posts “Why Marketers Should Invest in Visual Content Creation” at HubSpot.

Barbara Apple Sullivan discusses the relatively new marketing practice of “mobile brand engagement” at iMedia Connection.

Jakob Nielsen discusses the two different designs required for a good user experience (mobile vs. desktop users), and shares “cross-linking to make it all work.”

Roger Dooley discusses gamification and the psyche’s reward system with “Juice Your Marketing with Dopamine” at Neuromarketing.

Brendan Cournoyer posts “3 Things to Look For when Hiring a Journalist for Content Marketing” at Content Marketing Institute.

Writing a marketing ebook? Pamela Vaughan shares “11 Essential Elements of a Well-Designed Marketing Ebook” at HubSpot.

SEO & Search

Turns out that the big G was indeed the butler who did it: Clarissa Sajbl reports that Google is “focusing on foul links and link-building strategies” and site/page over-optimization with “Google’s Latest Panda Roll-Out: April 2012: The Basics” at State of Search.

Really? Danny Goodwin reports that according to a U.S. poll (ABC News/Washington Post), Google is “loved” more than Apple, Facebook, and Twitter – at Search Engine Watch.

Matt McGee reports that besieged search giant Yahoo is undergoing a company-wide restructuring and that its search stays alive, “at least on paper,” at Search Engine Land.

Eric Ward warns of signs of over-optimized linking in light of Google’s over optimization penalty, also at Search Engine Land.

Stoney G. DeGeyter also discusses Google’s over-optimization penalty – asking if you’re ready for seven “what-if’s” – at Search Engine Journal.

Aaron Wall posts his interview with Internet Marketing Ninja Jim Boykin on “… links and the changing face of SEO….” at SEObook.

Danny Sullivan takes a look at Google’s “project glass” – “Google’s Siri For Your Eyes” – embedding its video on the product, at Search Engine Land.

Bill Slawski discusses how Google might index “link behavior” information at SEO by the Sea.

Dr. Pete entertains the question “What’s Better – On-page SEO or Link Building?” at SEOmoz.

Rand Fishkin suggest five “Non-Intuitive Search Queries & Resources for Link Building,” also at SEOmoz.

Long-tail SEO and the overall success of an SEO campaign are the subject of Ray “Catfish” Comstock’s post, “4 SEO Recommendations to Target the Long Tail,” at Search Engine Watch.

Level 343 talks about the preventative care of your website, providing helpful details down to coding issues, with “Proofing for Problems: SEO and Web Development.”

Kerry Dean gets down to the basics of sound SEO and site optimization with “In This Bright SEO Future, Don’t Forget The Basics,” at Search Engine Land.

Ben Goodsell posts a how-to on getting the most out of SEO extensions and add-on’s at Search Engine Watch.

Lars Lofgren discusses “8 Google Analytics Features Every Site MUST Have Enabled” at KISSmetrics.

Jonathan Allen posts the delightful “Personalized Search, Clients from Hell and How Not To Be An SEO” – the three winning animation shorts from Linkdex Stories’ competition, plus his own – at Search Engine Watch.

Speaking of Search Engine Watch, it provided some exceptional coverage of SES New York sessions, including:

• “Integrated Marketing: Why Search Needs a Large Seat at the Table,” by Eric Enge.
• “Competitive SEO Analysis: Data, Creativity & Understanding the Competitive Landscape” by Derek Edmond.
• “7 New Ways to Think About SEO & Converged Media Metrics” by Andy Betts.

Social Media Marketing

Josh Constine and Kim-Mai Cutler report on Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, turning “its budding rival into its standalone photo app,” at TechCrunch.

Citing Mark Zuckerberg’s own blog post, Om Malik goes beyond the headlines with his insight into the real reason Facebook bought Instagram at GigaOm.

ClickZ’s Christopher Heine reports that Facebook’s Instagram purchase was to boost its mobile strength.

At TheNextWeb, Harrison Weber predicts that Google’s response will be to buy an Instagram competitor (“and fast”).

“LinkedIn Group Search” headlines Social Media Examiner’s weekly news.

Citing Experian’s new 2012 Digital Marketer study, Search Engine Watch reports that Pinterest is now the third most popular social network (behind Facebook at #1 and Twitter, #2).

Kailei Richardson answers marketers’ questions about Pinterest, beginning with what the social platform is to begin with, at iMedia Connection.

Bryden McGrath posts a how-to on uploading more original content to Pinterest (and discusses copyright issues) at Portent.

Discussing Facebook’s upcoming IPO, Mark Schaefer posts “Why Facebook will become the most dangerous company on earth” at {grow}.

Jason Keath releases “The 2012 Facebook Advertising Report,” based on a group survey effort, posting the results via infographic and offering a free download at Social Fresh.

Brian Solis reports that “Brands Give Facebook F-Commerce an F” at his blog.

Miranda Miller pulls some valuable insights from Social Media Examiner’s industry survey with “The 5 Ws of Social Media Marketing: Industry Survey Insights,” at Search Engine Watch.

Also taking a deeper look into the SME industry survey is Gini Dietrich, focusing on local search and Google, at Spin Sucks.

Kristi Hines posts “Measuring Socia Media ROI & Goal Conversions with Google Analytics 5” at unbounce.

Jenn Deering Davis discusses “5 Essential & Easy Social Media Metrics You Should Be Measuring Right Now” at KISSmetrics.

Matt McGee posts “How to Find Your Customers on Social Networks” at Small Business Search Engine Marketing.

Brian Solis posts “Meet Generation C: The Connected Customer” at his blog.

Marcus Sheridan shares “5 Creative Tips to Increase Blog Traffic and Boost Your Business” at Social Media Examiner.

Mark Nicholson posts “How to Shield Your Brand’s Social Reputation” at Jeff Bullas’s blog.

Ashley Zeckman shares “5 Tips for Taking the ‘FUD’ out of Twitter for Employees” – fear, uncertainty and doubt – at Top Rank.

So “How Followable are You on Twitter?” Matt McGee poses the question to small businesses at Small Business Search Marketing.

Finally, Debby Hemly posts “26 Elements of a Gamification Marketing Strategy” at Social Media Examiner.

photo thanks to rberteig