As he explains to WebProNews, this role of relationships in link building should not come as a surprise with social media playing an integral role in society. The standard email requests for links are simply not working anymore. Instead, people are sharing links based on how well they know someone, or how credible that person is.

Facebook and Twitter are just two examples of how people are doing this. Sullivan points out that even though Twitter nofollows its links, others might see it and use it in a blog post.

Although this social element may be hard for people who are socially awkward, it does provide many opportunities for businesses. However, the Internet offers a place for everyone, and often times, the socially awkward offline are sometimes completely comfortable online.

Sullivan also discusses mobile and check-in services. He said people should pay especially close attention to these services and equates them to search.

Are you embracing relationship link building?

Specifically, she talks to WebProNews about Google AdWords for mobile. She says that if you’re not in the top 4 positions, you’re not going to show up at all. Typically, users do not get past the first page in mobile search results.

For advertisers doing a WAP ad, she points out that they have fewer characters to work with. Android phones, iPhones, and some other smartphones have the same number of characters, but they can include phone numbers that are clickable. This is important because it means that people do not have to have website or mobile site in order to do mobile PPC.

In other words, mobile PPC can send phone traffic just as easily as it can send website traffic. Mobile PPC can also send traffic to app stores to help promote applications. Since many app developers do not realize that app stores are essentially search engines, they do not optimize their app for search. By doing mobile PPC, these app developers can overcome some of the problems of how their app is listed and can still drive traffic.

Are you taking advantage of mobile PPC?

She tells WebProNews that Caffeine consists of how Google crawls, indexes, and stores content online. Once the search giant crawls a page, it instantly takes that page and runs it through every part of the indexing pipeline and pushes it live. This means that a page could be live within a minute after it was crawled.

Another important note about Caffeine is the fact that it allows Google to associate more information about pages. Google now has the capacity to store any type of data in the future. This element is important since the Web is continuing to grow. In the future, Google could simply add signals if it needed to, as opposed to building a new infrastructure.

“This lays the groundwork for potentially changing the ranking algorithms in the future,” says Fox.

Speed is another factor of Caffeine that is natural since the Web is growing. Fox points out that the old index would have gotten overwhelmed and would, therefore, not be fresh.

Fox also addresses the MayDay update, which was an algorithm update, and what its implications are. This update received a bit of resistance due to its impact on content farms, forums, and product sites. Many of these sites dropped in ranking partially because they do not have a lot of links or content on them, which are prominent signals Google uses for ranking.

For more insights from Vanessa Fox, check out her book, Marketing in the Age of Google.

Taylor Pratt of Raven Internet Marketing Tools talks to WebProNews and offers some advanced advice regarding keyword research. First of all, he explains a trick that users can do with the Google’s AdWords tool. He tells users to conduct a logged out Google search, copy the url, and paste it into the AdWords tool. This will then scan the top 10 results and provide keyword recommendations. Pratt says users can take it even further and use this trick with Amazon, Wikipedia, eBay pages, directories, and more.

Unfortunately, many people often become biased toward certain keywords and, essentially, push for them to win even when they are not performing. Pratt suggests that users take the keyword list from their analytics package, export it, and then block out all the keywords. By doing this, users will only be able to see the metrics, which will determine the keywords that are converting and performing.

Many times, the C-level suite is guilty of showing partiality toward particular keywords. To reach them, Pratt says marketers should talk to them in a way that they understand. In other words, tell them if a long tail term is the one that is bringing in the money and traffic as opposed to the one they simply like.

Pratt also discusses another trick users can do with Google analytics. He says if users look at their keywords, there is a second drop-down menu. From that menu, if users select the “landing page” option, they will see a list of landing pages from which a specific keyword visited their site. This will also show how the keyword is performing. With this information, users can determine what they should be targeting.

In regards to advice for marketers doing mobile paid search, Pratt believes marketers should find out which action terms people are searching for. He goes on to point out that marketers should think about the user, since mobile users know exactly what they want when they search.

Are you taking your keyword research to the next level?

Since Google is all about search, people are actively querying for information. On the other hand, Facebook is completely “demand creation.” As Conner explains, Facebook allows advertisers to reach an audience that they couldn’t reach unless they existed across all Google’s content network and all the other content networks.

Google just doesn’t have the data that Facebook has. The social network has access to its users’ demographics, which is very valuable to advertising. Conner says the data is accurate as well.

With Facebook, advertisers can create applications and send users to it. The app engages with users in a way that is unique to them and also unique to the product. Conner calls it, “a different engagement than you are able to get on any other platform.”

She goes on to say that Facebook is actively working to make its platform better for both users and advertisers.

First of all, although social is growing in popularity and value, Clay says it is still hard to determine the extent of its impact on search. Both people and businesses are still learning how to use it. He believes there are two different camps on social. The first is similar to PPC since users can leverage ads in their social networks. This way can be thought of as an ad network, and it allows users to drive traffic and raise awareness.

He classifies the second camp as being closer to SEO since it can be used to encourage people to link to you. In addition, it can be used for reputation management. Just as SEO and PPC are more effective together, using both camps of social media are equally important. He says marketers will miss out on valuable opportunities if they do not utilize social media.

Linking is another area that has changed. As Clay discusses, there are several ways to do links such as stimulating people socially, begging for links, and being a link magnet. Social media is tied to the aforementioned stimulating people for links and also to link begging, since it could provide a target through a social relationship. As he points out, link magnets are the best method because marketers create great content that people want to link to.

Although link networks are also included in linking practices, Clay believes they could become a serious problem. These networks allow one user or company to have some level of control over a group of different sites. Although he has no direct inclination from Google, he believes the search giant will crack down on this practice. He thinks Google has no choice but to either lighten up on its standards, which he believes is wrong, or enforce stronger regulation. If link networks were eliminated, he says there would be a “massive change in the linking structure and rankings.”

In regards to changes in search results, Clay recalls that Google offers more options, maps, and more in the SERPs. He predicts that searchers will be able to selectively turn on live feeds and engagements objects (video, images, etc.). Google has also made efforts pertaining to search intent and behavior. With linking practices changing as well, he believes we will see many new developments in search results. Additionally, he says these changes will continue and traditional SEO will lose its effectiveness.

Are you accommodating these changes?

As he explains, real-time content doesn’t exist very long and contains a lot of noise. For this reason, OneRiot takes the process of filtering it very seriously. The search engine developed a ranking algorithm called PulseRank, which ranks content in a way that reflects the current social buzz.

Peggs also says OneRiot pays very close attention to the content publishers and their credibility. For the people who create meaningful posts, the search engine applies more authority. On the flip side, the people who typically post spammy content will not rank very well.

So, what opportunities exist for marketers? According to Peggs, if you look at search behavior across all traditional search engines, you will find somewhere between 20-40 percent of searchers reveal an intent for the real-time information that real-time search engines offer. Given those percentages, he says it produces a need for monetization.

However, it is a challenge since an ad that tries to prompt a purchase is not relevant to the consumer’s immediate need. OneRiot created the first advertising network for the real-time Web that includes fresh ads from media companies. Peggs says the ads provide additional value to the overall consumer experience.

Are you utilizing these opportunities?

The real issue is the need for more transparency and disclosure of advertisers and endorsers.  The Commission believes that the general public is not savvy enough to understand that people could be getting paid to blog and tweet, just as they are in mediums such as television and radio.

Although the guides will impact bloggers, the FTC has said it does not intend to go after the small mom and pop businesses. According to Mink, the FTC is more concerned with corporate advertisers.

The government is also making efforts to protect consumers from identity theft and credit card fraud. Surprisingly, Mink says many companies do not even have privacy policies. In other words, consumers may not even know if a company is collecting information and what information it is.

As a result, the government is reportedly taking stricter measures in this area. In the meantime, states are stepping in. Mink tells WebProNews that 40 states have security breach notification statutes. These statutes say that if data is collected and breached, the company has to let its users know.

However, some states are taking a more aggressive approach. Connecticut passed a law that said companies have to have privacy policies when doing business in the state. It also requires that companies tell consumers what type of information they are collecting and how they are doing it. Massachusetts and Nevada both require companies to encrypt information.

Mink expects new recommendations from the government in this area soon.

Are you staying current on these important legal matters to ensure protection for your users?

Alternatively, he suggests looking at analytics to find the primary areas of focus. Once these areas are determined, think about the customer and what he or she wants instead of simply making uncalculated changes.

Although changes will vary from site to site, Saleh recommends taking things such ad spend into account. In addition, he advises people to look at their analytics to see the navigational path users take. This not only helps site owners understand where the customers are going, but it also could identify any areas that they themselves need to modify.

By taking these factors into consideration, Saleh says people could see meaningful increases in conversion rates. Are you paying attention to these areas?

As he explains to WebProNews, there are two types of searchers: the average searcher and the technologically savvy searcher. Since the technologically savvy searchers are harder to sell to, Kolluri says marketers have to educate and convince them on the sale.

Average users, on the other hand, are easier to reach since their needs are more obvious. Kolluri says they practically have a label written across their forehead stating what they want. He goes on to say that marketers can find these needs easily by looking at the strength of their query.

In addition, marketers should notice if the searchers use Google or Bing as well as Firefox or Internet Explorer. According to Kolluri, the more technologically savvy searchers use Google and Firefox while the more consumer-oriented searchers use Bing and Internet Explorer.

Since finding the demographics on searchers is difficult, Kolluri introduces a new idea that helps understand searchers. He suggests looking at technographics. This information provides insight into consumer preferences and allows marketers to customize for the different types of visitors they have. If marketers apply this research, Kolluri says they will become smarter.

He says he will likely get one of the first views of how Yahoo Search Marketing will be integrated into Microsoft’s adCenter. As a result, he will be able to see any new features and if there are any bugs. At the time of the recording of this interview, Yahoo or Microsoft had not released any specific dates for the roll out of their integration. Aside from saying they hope to have Microsoft ‘s search technology powering Yahoo before the end of the holiday season, the companies have still not released any specific dates for a roll out.

Interestingly enough, last week Barry Schwartz reported on Search Engine Land that Yahoo is testing paid and organic Bing results on its own live search results.

Roth also tells WPN that Yahoo is continuing to push out its brand campaign internationally. He finds it amusing when people talk about global campaigns because he thinks the meaning of a global campaign is somewhat skewed.

“As an advertiser, there’s really no such thing as going global. Going global means local a dozen different times,” says Roth.

When entering a new market, he advises marketers and advertisers to understand that goals will be different, especially in markets outside the U.S. Fortunately, search marketing can support nearly any business goal.

Getting back to the Yahoo/Microsoft partnership, Roth says the pressure is on Yahoo to develop really compelling ad products since it will be pulling back on its development of the search index and search algorithms. He goes on to say that Yahoo has to utilize all the data that both search and display advertising generate and then leverage it to create new ad products. In the future, he believes their ad products will be more sophisticated and include better ad units, behavioral targeting, and more.

Fortunately, Enge shares tips for cleaning up the data. First of all, he suggests going to the search engines. Companies should get listed with the engines and go through a validation process. Once users are validated, the engines are more confident that they have the right data.

Secondly, he suggests going to major data aggregators such as InfoUSA, Acxiom, and Localeze. These aggregators provide data to many sites, which the search engines crawl. As a result, it is very important that they have correct and updated data.

Lastly, Enge advises users to go to major portals such as SuperPages, Yelp, YellowPages. Once your business is correctly listed in all these places, your data problem will likely be solved.

Incidentally, Eric Enge co-authored a book entitled, The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization. He says he delves deeply into topics surrounding local search in the book. For more information on the book, visit here.

Although most social media sites do not pass PageRank, they are still beneficial in search. As Spencer explains, social media is a way for companies to get publicity and juice from bloggers and journalists. He says social is not a direct benefit for search, but instead, an indirect benefit.

Social media builds relationships and communities. If businesses are actively involved in social media, they have the ability to use intervention and persuasion when they need to.

Incidentally, Covario has a new tool called Social Media Insight that is part of the company’s CMO Dashboard. It not only helps advertising efforts, but it also tracks social networks.

Spencer also co-authored a new book entitled, The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization. Although the book was released last year, Spencer says it is still very relevant to what is happening today in SEO.

Saam says that everyone within a business needs to be on the same level with statistics. If they are not, smart decisions cannot be made.

He advises SEOs to conduct a Binary Test. In medical terminology, this would mean that a patient either lives or dies. In other words, there is no middle ground between the two. Saam says online calculators are very helpful since they provide users with the required sample size for testing. To utilize these calculators, he suggests doing a Google search for an A/B calculator for confidence intervals.

The second test Saam recommends is a T-Test. This test consists of an array of data with some variability associated with it.  In SEO, he says this test could be a ranking improvement of 1-10 or 1-100. A T-Test gives users the statistical confidence level based on two different collections of data, which determines if “A” is better than “B.” Avvo uses Excel to conduct this test.

Although some people believe that more tests are needed, Saam doesn’t necessarily agree. For example, he says what happens if you survey 20 people and find that the 10 men surveyed are 4′ taller than the 10 women surveyed? If this were true, most people would feel comfortable saying that men are taller than women. However, if the survey found that the men were 4″ taller than the 10 women, then people would be less comfortable saying men are taller than women.

“Depending on that variability on the data, you need different levels of sample size to have confidence in your decision,” says Saam.

Is your testing helping you make smart decisions?

By applying attribution to the wrong place, marketers are not able to understand how different channels contribute to the sales process. Zwicky says this of marketers, “Basically, they’re undercutting their own opportunities.”

He goes on to stress the importance of finding the true sources of value in order to increase conversions and, ultimately, grow the business.

Zwicky also talks with WebProNews about a new Eightfold Logic product for link building. The product applies a dating service model to the process of link building. Just like an online dating service, users begin by filling out a profile that explains what they want in a link, instead of a date.

Once a match is found, the system contacts the party and advises it to review the match. At this point, if the user wants an introduction and both parties agree, the system connects the two.

“It isn’t designed to overwhelm you with a lot of links; it’s designed to deliver you high-valued, contextually relevant links, which… in the end, is really more valuable,” says Zwicky.

For more information on the product, sign up here.