The Week in Review

Facebook Places Pages Show Recommendations From Non-Friends

Pages on Facebook could see bigger news feed distribution and more social endorsements thanks to the expanded "Recommendations" feature on Places pages, which now show endorsements from non-friends. Facebook is also testing a new way to entice users to click the like button atop a Places page. These changes appear to be tactics to lure more local businesses to use Facebook as a central component to marketing mixes. (Inside Facebook)

Google Testing Landing-Page Text in PPC Copy

It appears Google is testing the inclusion of landing-page snippets in an additional line of text for paid-search ads. "This would be another in a series of moves by Google that is giving more real estate to the paid results and blending the distinction between paid and organic listings." This could also mark an important turning point in the convergence of SEO and PPC. (RKGBlog)

Is a High Bounce Rate Bad?

Having a high bounce rate might not be bad. Here’s a look at how to distinguish between a bad bounce rate and one you don’t have to worry about. For starters, content audits should be performed regularly, and other factors for the page should be taken into consideration. (Graywolf’s SEO Blog)

5 Quick Ways to Find Big SEO Problems

Here are five small, quick ways to identify potentially significant SEO issues: 1) home page canonical issues, 2) duplicate title tags, 3) 302 redirects, 4) suggested URL parameters and 5) view your site as a search engine does. (Search Engine Journal)

Canonicalization and Linking

Canonicalization might have seven syllables, but it’s not that complicated, and doing something about it could boost your rankings. "Simply put, canonicalization defines the one primary way you’ll use to write data, such as a URL string. As webmaster, you can choose which canonical form to use for a given URL on your site, but once selected, the chosen form should always be the way that URL is written." This means webmasters have some control over how some pages link to you. (Search Engine Land)

How to Find Link-Worthy Data

There’s a big opportunity to turn data into links. Before you start on this venture though, you should know how to get your paws on some good data. This post offers an overview of APIs and scraping, surveys, open data, academic papers, Google, and client data. (SEOmoz)

Free Tools for Performing PPC Audits

Here are two tools to help you get an idea of the problem areas in a pay-per-click campaign: WordStream’s Google AdWords Performance Grader, and Certified Knowledge’s Report Analyzer Tool. While these tools are helpful, they won’t replace an in-depth look into a paid-search account. (Search Engine Journal)

Using Google +1 for Rankings and Profit

We know Google +1s will affect the search engine’s algorithm, but how – and how can the +1 button be used for rankings and profits? Here’s a look at how to leverage the Google+ network, ethically and unethically. Any organic strategy needs a +1 strategy. (Search Engine Watch)

Search Is Finally Starting to Reward Creativity Over Shady Tactics

In the past it’s been difficult for honest companies to rank well against businesses using cheap SEO tricks. “But that’s all changing as Google works feverishly to ensure that users get the most relevant results, eliminating black hat SEO practices and rewarding innovative and engaging online marketing.” Content creation, link building and social media are tactics that have shifted to favor authentic marketing over SEO tricks. (AdAge.com)

5 Ways to Make People Thank You for ‘Stealing’ Their Content

If you’ve hit blogger stagnation, consider legitimately “stealing” other sites’ content – and get them to thank you for it. All you need to do is “flavor the stolen content with your own touch and build on it by asking questions, begging to differ politely, partially agreeing, using celebrities’ quotes and catchy phrases, and, last but not least, leveraging Q&A sites for a healthy dose of content inspiration.” (Search Engine People)

Websites With Lower Google Rankings See Higher Ad CTR

According to a study from Chitika, "the CTR of ads on a website is inversely related to the site’s position on Google’s first page of results — the lower you go on the page, the higher the CTR of the page’s ads." The click-through rate (CTR) of the 10th link on Google’s first page of search results nearly doubled the CTR of the first link. (Chitika)

Twitter Share Buttons on Pages Drive 7 Times More Mentions

A new study from BrightEdge found that websites that have adopted the Tweet Button on its pages drive nearly seven times more link mentions on average than sites that don’t display the button. "Sites that have not yet implemented the Tweet Button are most likely missing out on an easy way to drive more mentions and market exposure," the study notes. BrightEdge also found that 53.6 percent of the top 10,000 websites now have social links or plug-ins with one or more of the four major social networks on their home page. (BrightEdge)

2012: Search Marketing Armageddon or Opportunity?

Here’s a look at what digital marketers are thinking as we head closer and closer to 2012. The rise of mobile search was dubbed "the most important issue" in 2012 by search marketers, followed by attribution modeling across multiple digital media types. Also, most respondents rated the maturity of their search programs as "average," while most rated their social media programs as "immature." (Search Engine Watch)

How to Create Landing Pages That Convert

If you’ve done everything you can to drive traffic to your pages but still struggle with sales, leads, phone calls, etc., take a look at your landing page. Among the tips and tricks for making landing pages that convert are to split test, keep it simple and match your message. (Search Engine Journal)

Facebook and Twitter Add Ads to Their Streams

Up until now, Facebook users could expect to see ads pop up on the right-hand side of their page. Now the social networking giant is introducing ads in its news stream. Meanwhile, Twitter is set to debut ads in tweet streams in about a month — from Twitter accounts you’re not following. (The Next Web, AllThingsD)

Does ‘Passive’ Income Exist?

Generally, "passive" income does not exist. This in-depth post, filled with screenshots, debunks the notion that Google makes passive income. "When it comes to online income, passive and reliable are not synonyms." (SEOBook.com)

Mobile App Ad Inventory Is Surging

According to mobile-analytics firm Flurry, the ad inventory of mobile apps is "growing so fast that it will soon be able to absorb all of the online ad spend for U.S. display ads on the web." The company cites four reasons: 1) smartphone growth, 2) publisher growth, 3) session-use growth and 4) publisher integration of ads. Nevertheless, though inventory is interesting, advertisers flock to where the eyeballs are. (VentureBeat, ReadWriteWeb)

A Road Map to a Successful Landing-Page Audit

This road map will lead you to a successful landing-page audit. First, start with some reconnaissance — analyze your competitive landscape. Next, analyze your own page — look to see if your headline is visible and relevant, if your landing-page copy is clear and concise, and consider if you would interact with your own landing page, among other things. Finally, take action — implement changes on your landing pages. (PPC Hero)

Tips for Managing High-Spend, High-Volume PPC Accounts

If you’re managing a larger campaign or are looking to get a job with a large agency, follow these tips: 1) make friends with AdWords Editor, 2) know where you’re spending money, 3) break out account structure, 4) test ad text, 5) streamline reporting for the client and 5) create reports to help you manage the account. (Search Engine Journal)

How to Land an SEO Job

If you’re looking to be an SEO professional, here’s a look at some advice for how to boost your appeal. Among the bits of advice here are to build experience now, broaden your skills, practice your interview skills and optimize yourself. (Econsultancy)