Marty Weintraub lays it all out there, serving up a comprehensive IT checklist that search consultants or agencies should give to prospective clients at the start of the relationship. The list covers everything from credentials and passwords for file transfer protocol programs and content management systems, to server models, database types, and of course, the various paid search account and analytics programs. "Over time we've learned the importance of gaining proper understanding and access credentials, before evaluating sites and/or taking on new clients," Weintraub says. "We need to understand how your site is wired, how things are measured …

Jeff Meundel gives Icewraps.net its SEO report card, assessing the site in terms of its tags, keywords, content and overall optimization. The site, which offers cool wraps for people with sports injuries, received a B+. There was good indexation (A), no duplicate content issues, good keyword integration (B) and rankability, as well as lots of quality content that was relatively easy to access. Title tags and URL structures also scored As. The big problem was a lack of inbound high-quality inbound links. IceWraps.net had a PageRank of three -- not horrible, but not great, when you consider that …

Greg Sterling posts a Q&A from SMX East in which Eric Stein answered attendees' direct questions about Google's Local Business Center (LBC) and map listings. Of particular interest was whether the analytics for local queries would improve, as Webmasters see clicks from OneBox listings or Google Maps lumped in with the "ordinary" organic traffic. Google's stance came through loud and clear -- both times the question was asked. "Local Universal results are organic results and there is no plan to separate them," Stein said. Attendees also asked which data sources were the most authoritative for local business listings …

What are the high-level strategies and big ideas that CMOs need to know to "get" search and make sure that the company is leveraging it effectively? Panelists at SMX weighed in on that topic. One of the key themes was that SEO is an ongoing process. "SEO is really less of a function and more of a process," said Allegis Group's Jill Nortman. "You need to be involved because the Internet industry is constantly changing. Recently, social media sites are being indexed. Having a presence there is very important, especially to articulating that to your CMO. Blended results are …

Aaron Wall gets into domaining, noting the top three factors to think of when choosing a name -- brand, rankability and linkability. Branding means choose a name that's easy to remember, and search for. "It is easier to build links to branded domain names," he says. "People take these names more seriously [than] keyword-keyword-keyword-keyword.com, which looks spammy and isn't fooling anyone." The downside to choosing a branded domain is that it will likely be more expensive to own and to drive paid search traffic to. Meanwhile, rankability and linkability come in next, and are tied to …

Ask has revamped its interface -- for the 11th time, according to Barry Schwartz -- dropping the third panel (remember Ask 3D?) in favor of an interface that's easier to read and to use. Keeping in line with changes the company announced earlier this year, the engine will also feature more question-and-answer style results, called "Q&A pairs." CEO Jim Safka said that this focus actually makes the engine about 30% faster than it used to be, as the technology doesn't have to parse as many individual pages and keywords; it can just pull in structured content from Ask's …

Cowen & Co. recently ranked Google Maps as the best online mapping tool in terms of quality -- but when it comes to traffic, AOL's MapQuest is still king. Nearly half of all map-seekers head to MapQuest, according to Hitwise stats, and about a third head to Google Maps. That leaves just a fraction of the traffic for Yahoo Local, Live Local and Ask Maps. Heather Hopkins poses the question of why so many users still flock to MapQuest, given what some call Google's superior interface. Part of it is likely habit -- as MapQuest is the original …

Google recently updated its Webmaster Guidelines -- removing the line that suggested submitting a site to directories like Yahoo and DMOZ. "As you can imagine, this has set an early spark of flames through the SEO/SEM community," says Barry Schwartz, picking up a number of the discussions for this post. Google's official stance is that directory links are still valuable ... somewhat. "I wouldn't necessarily assume that we're devaluing Yahoo's links, I just think it's not one of the things we really need to recommend," said John Mu, in a Google Groups thread. "If people think that a …

The Web is global, and therefore, so is search. But everything about the search industry, from technology to marketing to overarching trends, is dominated by companies based in the U.S., and an EU think tank recently got together to discuss ways to bolster innovation, thought-leadership and corporate development, European style. One of the topics discussed was Google's global footprint, and whether it was a "near-monopoly" that made it hard for strong European alternatives like Exalead to succeed. Google's representative argued that the company couldn't just be considered a U.S. entity anymore -- after all, a majority of its …

In search of a vacation that's "easy" on the environment? Then head to Whole Travel, the search engine and portal for sustainable travel. Users can search by destination or by experience type (fly-fishing, or camping, for example), and then get to the hotel or locale's Web site through one click. Whole Travel ranks destinations in terms of their sustainability using a Whole Ranking score, a metric determined by how the hotel/property's answers to questions about their environmental practices, economic management, social and cultural support, and customer service. "Based on their answers, we give them a Whole …