With all the focus on social media optimization, mobile search and blended results, newcomers to the search space may have trouble deciphering which features of their site should take precedence when it comes to optimization. For site owners going it alone, recently hired in-house search staff, or even experienced search marketers gearing up for the holiday rush, Lee Odden provides an exhaustive list of SEO basics, from developing a solid "content creation plan," to using hyphens in file names as opposed to underscores, as well as avoiding "link churn." Odden's post covers granular, daily tactics and …

Terri Wells' click fraud piece is in four separate parts (each accessible from the same landing page), and covers the "fight" between Google and third-party click measurement service Click Forensics, rising click fraud stats for both core search and content networks, as well as recent coverage of costly clicks by mainstream press like The New York Times. By providing a comprehensive look at all of the recent developments, Wells aims to show that click fraud is still a major issue for search marketers -- and it will continue to be an expensive problem if both the engines and …

There are various kinds of analytics tools for discovering which parts of a site are under- or over-performing, but recording actual user browsing sessions takes site usability and performance testing to the next level. Donna Fontenot lists three applications that Webmasters can use to record every keystroke and mouseover during an individual user's session. Each browser session recorder has various levels of functionality, as well as different prices (with all three offering some sort of free trial service).

SEOmoz member and Australian search pro Shor serves up a list of five books Webmasters should add to their long list of "must-reads." With titles like "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," "Marketing Warfare," and "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game," the books aren't full of info about meta-data and link building -- but according to Shor, they're valuable because they can help search pros "understand current marketing trends and perhaps even provide a glimpse into what the future of marketing looks like." He does throw in two industry-specific titles to round out the picks -- …

Despite their claims to the contrary, the telecom giants seemingly relish playing the role of the fall guy for net neutrality advocates. Weeks ago Comcast admitted to slowing down the broadband service of P2P network users - and now subscribers to Verizon's fiber-optic Internet service (FiOS) are complaining that the when they mistype a Web site address, they get redirected to Verizon's own search page. Some may argue that it's a move that actually protects the consumer -- as misspelled URLs are the favored launch pad for phishing scams and domain squatters. But others note that it's a …

Though Hakia has added a "Meet Others" feature, and many other search engines are touting "social" or community-based options, the idea that simple information queries need to be jazzed up or turned into a communal activity hasn't been completely accepted yet. This post dives into the various levels of core search -- whether users would choose to keep their results private, share them with others (and see what others thought about similar queries), or go so far as to ask an entire community a question (a la Yahoo Answers) and get a response. The piece also seeks to …

Every Internet marketing blogger has preferences for keyword research tools --with a myriad of reasons why they use Google, Yahoo, or some other third-party firm's tool. Though a blogger's campaign objectives may be vastly different than a search pro's, blogging insights on use of a particular tool may offer a competitive advantage in the search space. For example, Editor Daniel Scocco suggests using SEO Book's Keyword Suggestion tool for a volume-based look at keyword patterns for the big three engines in a given month, and Google Trends for a look at the evolution of search traffic over time …

The practices of link building, selling and sharing have been the subject of intense scrutiny and debate for months now -- with the culmination coming in the form of a recent PageRank "smack-down" by Google of sites that reportedly paid or sold links. But for a look at the lighter side of link building, blogger Debra Mastaler has posted a YouTube video of one Charles "Chuck" Lewis rapping about how links help Web sites gain traction with the engines. Chuck is a project coordinator at Pop Labs, an SEO and social networking firm, and he presented the …

Now that knowing how to leverage social media has become one of the skills a search pro needs to be successful, many in the industry have tried to answer the question of just how Social Media Optimization (SMO) differs from and is similar to SEO. At the Vandelay blog, this post discusses the benefits of both SEO and SMO traffic, and offers a side by side comparison of the two practices for various factors like content titles, link building, analytics and benchmarks for success.

The Local Search Hound snagged an interview with Andrew Shotland, search pro and blogger at "Local SEO Guide." Using the Web 2.0 standard combo of "content and social networking." Shotland managed to garner some 2,700 backlinks and a PR 4 in just one month. This interview offers a real-life example of how to leverage social media for traffic, as Shotland was an active member of Sphinn (the search-focused social networking community), and even used the service to recruit talent. He also offers tips for small businesses on how/whether to use a blog, determining the main objectives of a …