SEO Weekly Recap (World Cup Edition)

What happens if you Google SEO?  You get all the latest SEO articles Google thinks are relevant to your search. But are they relevant to you?  Let me be the judge of that and help you cut to the chase.

Feeding the Hummingbird: Structured Markup Isn’t the Only Way to Talk to Google

By: @CyrusShepard

Alright, I’m about to bite my lip here…..I’m starting to thank structured markup is a must-have.  For years now I haven’t been interested in Schema for my websites because there hasn’t been any solid correlation with rank increase, but the times are a changing and we SEOs are starting to think along different lines.  We use to think in terms of ranking, but now we’re thinking in terms of making our content easier to read, consumer-wise and search engine-wise.  So Cyrus Shepard has given us a super easy walk through of how structured data works and why we should do it.

PROS:

• Super easy walk through
• Lots of helpful links

CONS:

• Could use more data (CTR, Ranking, etc)

Overall: Read It Here

Want to Future-Proof Your SEO? 6 Ethical Guidelines to Consider

By: @TomSchmitz

It’s not too often we here about personal ethics in the SEO industry, though the topic has been picking up steam in the last few years.  Tom Schmitz has written up an article that highlights the trends Google, Yahoo and Bing have set forth in their respective webmaster guidelines, which in itself isn’t anything new, but it is a good reminder where search engines are going.  Schmitz also talks about the bandwagon effect Google has on SEO whenever they announce a ranking factor.  Though Schmitz sides with the SEO only camp I personally believe in doing everything possible for our clients.  If it’s a ranking factor than I say it’s time to start studying, strategizing , and implementing. But I would say the best part of the article is respecting the values of your employees……because some of us just don’t want to sell dildos.

PROS:

• Search Engine Quality Trends Highlighted
• Employee Values

CONS:

• Good info, not a lot of actionable steps

Overall: Skim It Here

How to Optimize Your Call to Action so Users Can Commit to Action

By: @ShaneJones15

Probably my favorite part of internet marketing is creating conversion funnels and with that comes optimizing call to actions.  I’ve read a bunch of call to action articles over the years, but Shane Jones brings up some interesting ideas which I never considered before.  One of the cool tid-bits centers on the shape of buttons, for example human psychology is programmed to stay away from sharp corners.  Holy cow, it seems so obvious but that one shouldn’t use rounded corners, so why haven’t I been doing it!  The only thing that could make this article better is a little before and after data, but no article is perfect.

PROS: 

• Human Psychology in response to call to actions
• Lots of interesting categories to consider

CONS:

• Before and after data would have been awesome

Overall: Read It Here!

SMX Advanced 2014 – Cliff Notes

By: @AustinSFaux

Okay I usually don’t do this, I don’t use the weekly recaps to promote my own content because I like to read other people’s stuff, but I had to make an exception this one time. 😉  If you didn’t get a chance to go to SMX Advanced 2014 in Seattle this past week than you need to check out my Cliff Notes!  I included notes, Tweets, and slides from EVERY single panel in the SEO, PPC, Social, and Content tracks!  It was quite the undertaking and definitely something you want to bookmark and study in the weeks to come.  So I’ll just have to say thanks in advanced for checking it out 😉

PROS: 

• Notes, Tweets, and Slides from EVERY SMX panel
• Organized by topic to easily find what you’re interested in

CONS:

• Could use a table of content

Overall: Read It Here!