Research. As independent third-parties, trade publishers are in a unique position to conduct industry research. Last week I asked the question: will content marketing kill trade publications ? Gordon Plutsky seems to answer in the affirmative, contending that marketers need to set up their own content distribution channels , bypassing the trade media. Ted Bahr, on the other hand, not only won't concede the death of trade magazines but isn't willing even to give up on print versions of them. Conversation Aggregation. Ratings and Rankings. Not possible. Events (Online or Offline). MORE >>

Use a keyword research tool to help identify which terms to use. As prospects work their way through the research process, from general how-is-this-problem-being-solved-today research to specific types of products or services, make sure that your content fits their needs—and that the search engines can find it. ** technorati tags: search engine optimization SEO article marketing sites product pages keyword research tool product descriptions del.icio.us Of course, such pages are critical: no one will buy anything from you if they don't understand what you offer. MORE >>

Small Business Marketing Unleashed: Keyword Balance by WebProNews Doug Caverly provides some brief but helpful reminders about effective web copywriting from Heather Lloyd-Martin at the Small Business Marketing Unleashed conference, like don't overdo keyword stuffing; write with the buying cycle in mind (awareness, research, purchase); and using FAQ pages, how-to articles, blog posts and archived newsletters to extend your SEO potential. Any type of marketing copywriting is a blend of art and science. You can make great stuff happen with great writing and a lousy web site. dare ya. MORE >>

SEM Bootcamp: Five Steps to Organic Success by Search Engine Guide SEO educator Jennifer Laycock offers small business owners and SEO newbies "five steps that.can go a long way toward helping you build a good understanding of what organic optimization is all about," including search-friendly design, proper keyword research and on-page optimization. Welcome to the first post in the official Best of 2008 series, which will summarize and link to some of the best blog posts and online articles about SEO, social media, online marketing strategy and more. MORE >>

by Search Engine Watch The insightful Carrie Hill writes that "In doing a wide variety research into what is and isn't working for a small business Web site, I find the most frequent issues fall within the following six categories." These include duplicate content, lack of keyword research, ignoring link building, and.read her post ! Which social media sites are most helpful for SEO? What common mistakes should you avoid when optimizing a site for search? Which factors do search engine algorithms weight most heavily in determining search position? Social traffic (e.g. MORE >>