SEO Roundup: November 14, 2013

Updated: February 28, 2019

Let’s start this roundup off with some data you can use. Ipsos OTX has released the results of a survey on the types of websites users visit more frequently, and this article breaks down some of the data for us. Unsurprisingly, search engines are on top, with social media a close second.  Blogs make an appearance closer to the bottom of the list than some might expect, but that’s likely because search engines and social media are how visitors get to blogs, so they are obviously going to rank higher.

Really what these numbers are telling us is to keep up the content marketing emphasis. Create quality content that will be ranked in the search results and shared on social media, and you have a better chance of finding people in the top two places they visit. And on that note, this week also brought us this excellent discussion and analysis on the great big thing about  Hummingbird that everyone seemed to miss. The rise of the social signal as a ranking criteria has been coming for years, and it appears it may be imminent.

Mobile Search:

• Here’s some interesting data on mobile users, e-mail and eCommerce. Use of mobile devices just keeps growing, so make sure your technology is up to the challenge.

Social Media:

• The best part of this recap of Twitter’s redesign is the warning to use the new features sparingly. We online marketers are an enthusiastic bunch, and we sometimes get a little too excited about a new technology or feature. Oh, don’t pretend you haven’t done it.
• Yet another reason to be very picky about who you allow to guest post on your blog.

General SEO and Online Marketing:

• This is great! One marketer has taken on a six month white hat SEO project, and he’s going to let us all come along for the ride.  Should be fun to watch, not to mention educational.
• Here’s a very nice list of WordPress plugins that are useful for SEO.
• Science blogs aren’t usually a source for online marketing knowledge, but there’s a fantastic piece on io9 this week from Analee Newitz that discusses viral journalism. She has a fascinating theory about why some content goes viral and some doesn’t.

That’s all for this roundup. Enjoy the rest of your week, and be sure to keep sending those links!