5 For Friday — Links, Stories & Posts For Your Weekend
August 5th, 2011 by
We’re back with another 5 for Friday, a collection of the freshest and tastiest SEO news stories, blogs and recommendations from across the web!
Google’s Spam Report Page Gets “Biggest Refresh” In Years — Search Engine Land
The Webmaster Tools spam report form has been completely updated and refreshed, heralding the biggest change to the feature in a good 10 years. There are now several discrete forms for different kinds of spam instead of one catch-all field, with options for “paid links” and “malware” among other specific spam issues.
The 3 Pillars of Local Search Reviews — Search Engine Journal
Local search is a significantly dynamic and shifting branch of web search — just think of the onslaught of check-in services that have cropped up in recent memory — and this changeability has led to what SEJ’s Mike Ramsey dubs as “storm chasers,” those who are so quick to cash in on the next big thing that they abandon their efforts as soon as shiny new feature or social app comes onto the scene. This has proven true with Google’s recent focus on user-generated reviews and all but exclusion of third-party sources. Here, Ramsey gives a few pointers on the discerning review-seeker’s strategies for the local search industry.
Outbrain for Mobile Integrates Content Recommendation Links for Mobile Websites — Social Times
In some circumstances, a well-placed related content link can do a lot more for your viewing stats than the most carefully targeted advertisements. Outbrain, the recommendation engine that powers related content discovery services for high-profile sites such as USA Today, the New York Post and the Atlantic, has now adapted this strategy for mobile websites to “[enable] publishers to boost their mobile traffic and revenue, while enhancing the user experience by providing personalized links to recommended content for readers who are accessing the site from their mobile device.”
Small Business SEO: How to Check Your Backlinks — Search Engine Watch
Are you a small business just starting to navigate the wide world of SEO? Take a gander at this handy guide to basic backlinking and kick-start the journey into off-site marketing, monitoring your links and figuring out the numbers.
Google Buys The Dealmap for Offers — ProNet Advertising
Google has acquired DealMap, a local deal-mapping service that provides location-based deals to potentially tens of millions of bargain shoppers. For a company that was only just started in 2010, DealMap has had an impressive growth rate, already breaking the 2 million users mark with a substantial 85 million US visitor demographic. With the recent launch of Google Offers, the company’s foray into local Groupon-like deal networking could be picking up steam.
