Ever since Google Webmaster Tools added the so called “search queries” data I’ve become a huge fan of them. I’ve listed the 10 Google SEO tools everybody should use in the past but to be honest I focus on three of them right now Google Insights, Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools for SEO inspiration. The wealth of information GWB offers is like a goldmine.

The tool-set has grown over the years steadily but I was neglecting it. By now there are numerous ways to use Google Webmaster Tools for SEO. Again I will focus on three of them here and explain how to use GWB for

1. Keyword Research
2. Link Building
3. CRO/Conversion Rate Optimization

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Numbers and statistics are never true by themselves, it always depends on how you interpret them. On the other hand, without numbers you have no idea what’s going on. Thus we have to study statistics and all other data we can get to stay in business.

Here I’ve collected 35 crucial SEO, Twitter & social media statistics for business people to get an overview of what’s going on actually.
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We’ve covered the importance of Google Buzz and we offered a list of Google Buzz tools and resources. The list also contained some ideas about the SEO impact of Google Buzz.

This time I’d like to focus on that: Google Buzz SEO or more accurately on the actual ways to use Google Buzz for SEO & SMO.

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Google changes faster than you can blink right now. Just some buzzwords that will bug you in 2010:

1. Google Caffeine
2. Google Real Time search
3. Google Personalized search results
4. Google Living Stories
5. Google Phone

I could go on like for a while. It’s not my intention to confuse you even more though. I want to shed some light on the near future of Google, search and SEO. It’s a daunting task as I’m overwhelmed as well.

Thus I picked 30 resources on Google, search & SEO changes in 2010 from around the search industry and some main stream sources. Continue Reading »

Some people, even at Google, still think that Google hates SEO. In some cases it really does. At the same time Google loves SEO as actions speak louder than words. Google provides not a few, not several but by now 10 free Google SEO tools everybody should use. I remember the times when we had none of them. Today we have an abundance of data Google allows us to mine.
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CC: Ford Model T image by me’nthedogs

Does SEO still exist today as such? In other words: Does what people imagine to be SEO still exist in the way the people define it?

No, this is not another “SEO has no future” post.

Indeed by now we have arrived in the ominous future of SEO, at least some or maybe many of us. We don’t offer sheer SEO anymore. Search engine rankings and traffic, the defining terms of the trade are just not enough anymore if they ever have been enough. Now you might argue that SEO has not been about rankings and traffic for a while already etc. Continue Reading »

Today I almost forgot to write my Twitter Friday column. Why? I was so preoccupied with the new relaunched StumbleUpon version. To make it short: SU attempts to compete directly with Twitter and Google. This might sound ridiculous but they really do. Theoretically it would be possible: SU exists for several years and has collected tens of millions of web pages in its “index” together with millions of reviews with new sites being added very quickly. Isn’t this the ideal social search engine? Isn’t this the perfect way to determine which websites really do matter in real time? Sadly, no.

Now this is the Twitter column so I won’t compare the new StumbleUpon to Google. Let me explain though why

StumbleUpon is not Twitter and can’t compete with Twitter.

StumbleUpon does not allow business usage of its site. Yes, you can get banned solely for submitting your SEO company website to SU. Continue Reading »

After discovering a paper on establishing web credibility on the Web [PDF] published by Stanford University in 2001 I was astounded by the timelessness of Web credibility. While you might imagine that a study conducted 8 years ago would be outdated by now like IE6, the browser every developer loves to hate, the main points, even the examples of the research are still valid. You might add some new sites or factors but the main pillars of creating a successful website and web based business are still the same.

Foremost you need credibility on the Web to be taken seriously. Even more than that, you need credibility to be taken into account at all.

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CC Image Couch Potato by Shawn Allen

As a SEO turned business blogger I noticed that the main difference between old school SEO and new school SEO is the level and focus of activity/time spent working on your site or blog. I say site or blog as formerly you had only a site and now you most often have a blog (on top of a site). The time spent on different activities like

• on page SEO
• content creation
• link acquisition

changed considerably.

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“He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone.” I admit reading or rather scanning the “confidential” Twitter documents obtained by Techcrunch from a hacker and published in excerpts. Of course I was curious. On the other hand:

Was this whole Techcrunch Twitter hacked scandal worth it?

Are we wiser now? Has humanity gained some new insights? Did Techcrunch prevent a corrupt president from breaking the law?
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