Lucy Langdon corralled a group of search pros from around the globe to discuss their best geo-based SEO strategies and tips. When making language-based spelling choices (think café vs. cafe), Argentina-based Maria Soledad Balayan says that you should always aim for the correct spelling of a word--particularly if you're concerned about user perception of the quality and accuracy of a Web site. "Misspelling could be really bad for reputation and trust," Balayan says. "Even though people make a lot of mistakes when writing, they expect you don't." She suggests running a paid search campaign with the alternate spelling …

There's no need to pay for poor performing keywords. And Melissa Burdon offers a plan for weeding them out and shifting your budget to the top performers. First, look at your top traffic-driving keywords for both paid and organic search, and decide whether they're too ambiguous to be useful. For example, "training videos" may have driven high volumes of traffic to your Conflict Resolution Training Web site (complete with video tutorials), but much of that traffic may not have converted because a high percentage of visitors were actually looking for "personal training videos" or "management training videos." …

Keirsun Scott does a deep dig into the goings-on at 23AndMe, the Web-based genetic research firm that Google invested some $4 million in last year. The company is the brainchild of Anne Wojcicki, wife of Google founder Sergei Brin. Wojcicki, Brin and Arthur Levinson (an exec on Google's Board of Directors, and CEO of Genentech, also one of 23AndMe's investors) each own significant stakes in the genetic research firm--and Scott wonders whether their shares count as a majority stake. He also wonders whether Google's shares count as a majority stake--and if so, whether that gives the search giant …

Chalk this up as one more log on the "SEOs are snake oil sellers" funeral pyre. Washington-based Internet Advancement has been barred from selling or advertising any SEO services to new customers by state Attorney General Rob McKenna. The firm fleeced customers out of a "set-up fee" (typically between $1,000-$3,000) and $150 monthly fees, all while guaranteeing them that their Web site would appear within the first 25 links on the major search engines. Over the course of four years, some 82 small businesses filed complaints with the Attorney General's office over the firm's unfulfilled promises, with …

If content is king, then upgrading your copywriting skills (or calling in a copywriter) is vital to ensuring your Web site's success. And according to Lisa Packer, the most effective content is the kind that can spark emotions. "You absolutely must trigger an emotional reaction with your copy if you intend to get response--whether you're looking for a lead or a sale," Packer says, and serves up a host of tips for crafting such content. Try telling a story--one that can convey your sales pitch or lesson without triggering resistance. "A good story captures attention, and draws the …

According to Marios Alexandrou, not quite. "Having gone through a job search a couple of times in a little over a year, I had a different take on the situation. I feel that while there are openings, they aren't as numerous as people think and they aren't necessarily increasing by leaps and bounds as some people suggest." Alexandrou's tempered optimism stems from a number of factors, starting with the constant job-hopping that seems to be the norm for experienced search marketers. And it doesn't matter whether the turnover is based on one company poaching talent from another, or …

Google rolled out a beta version of a new Benchmarking feature for Analytics users a few weeks ago, and Amber Benedict discusses how it's been working for her. Once Google Analytics users opt-in to share their data, the Benchmarking tool gets to work on comparing their sites' metrics to others that fit the same characteristics. Initially, the feature compares a site to others that are the same size, but users can manually refine their comparisons on a category level. The problem is that the categories aren't granular enough to provide an accurate estimate of where a site really …

Keyword research can be difficult enough for a medium-sized, regional brand with an English-only Web site. So it's no surprise that many international brands with multilingual Web sites don't fully invest the time or budget necessary for adequate keyword research--after all, it becomes a monstrous task. But as Roberto Rocha notes, global advertisers can't afford to overlook the importance of language-specific keyword research, as it can thwart their paid and organic search optimization success. "Take the concept of an open house for a home for sale. This is a practice unknown in many countries, yet companies …