This article on a major vulnerability in Flash at The Register should be read by anyone who uses the product on their site. (I’d also like to remind you that Ajax does a lot of the same things that you like about Flash, but more quickly, and is search engine friendly.)
John Miller’s excellent “All I Really Need To Know About Search Marketing I Learned In Kindergarten”
Jan 2
This article from last September is a fantastic primer to making search marketing work for your business. From using adwords to user privacy, this is a perfect checklist to make sure you’re being ethical and intelligent with marketing for search.
The New York Times has a great piece on how blogging can help a business gain more traction with new and existing customers. I’ve spoken to several clients about the importance of blogging in their business (particularly if it involves a learning curve or is interactive in some way) and how it not only provides Google with fresh content on your site, but one-click RSS subscriptions means that you have customers that volunteer to hear more about your business.
SEOMoz’s Rand Fishkin does a great, easy-to-understand breakdown of why social media marketing is important. With the preponderance of social media sites and the nature of their audience, SMM can be a great tool for a business looking to get more eyeballs. The trick is catching on to the next Facebook while it’s still in its infancy – I’ve already heard people refer to that site as “MySpace for 2007,” meaning it’s already considered passé.
For restaurants that find themselves on Yelp, this study is especially important. Searchpeers is in the process of advising a pair of local eateries on getting better placement so they get to sell themselves before potential guests see Yelp and Citysearch results. Even good restaurants will receive over-the-top bad reviews on sites like this for any number of reasons, and it’s important to make the first impression yourself prior to the inevitability of negativity.