I tell ya… this is a whacky business we are in (those in SEO at least) – Not so long ago the spectre that is the death of ranking reports raised it’s conventionally wise head – which we poo poo’d here in this space for a few reasons.

A little history…

Back in August, when last we noted this anomaly, this was born; the Evolution of SEO
Which, while acknowledging the need for geo-targeting and analytics, we put forth the theory that all is not lost (just evolved)… and even took some flak for that position.

But that wasn’t enough so some volunteers pitched in and we realized, ‘Yes Virginia, rankings DO matter’ and also outlined some take-away’s from the (limited) study. The next round of these, a more expanded research session, starts next week and we’ll see where it leads.

Who killed ranking reports?

Now, there is no way I am delusional, nor in denial. One thing I am known for is being a recovering personalized search addict and have covered it extensively as with other behavioural metrics that search engines use these days. This is about having the tightest grasp on the art of SEO as one possibly can, not about fantastical statements.

This is where the rubber really does hit the road my fine reader; the death of ranking reports is premature and over-stated. What research we have done shows that behavioural metrics (SERP interactions, query revisions) and geo-location factors are having as much of an effect on re-rankings as personalization does in many query spaces.

BUT… and it’s a HUGE one, it is not some massive flux that serves drastically different results to different users. This simply is not evident as things are far more subtle than that (download the entire Google re-ranking study).

Keyword anaysis with Advanced segments and custom reporting

In the first part on Google Analytics for SEO we looked at advanced segmentation and custom reporting for search traffic analysis. This time around we’re going to look at different metrics and key indicators for keywords and phrases that are being used to reach your site.

What’s important with this is that we’re looking to adapt our SEO programs by better understanding how various keywords/phrases are performing.

Before we get going, it should once again be stressed, be creative. These are but some examples to start you down the path of crafting approaches that best work your situation.

A new series on the Trail

Hiya kids… in the hopes of truly joining the 21st century I figured making the Trail more engaging with some video was a good idea. For those that didn’t know, I have been hanging out on IM BroadCast, which is a new vertical in the marketing world that’s all about the video.

Each week, likely on Fridays, we’ll be having the vids I figured you might like. So let’s git r going shall we?

SEO Video of the week

Using title tags effectively

While not a ‘new’ vid, it came to light this week once again as Loren posted it on IMB. It is still a great vid that really helps peeps understand the intricacies of crafting page titles.

..more SEO videos

Playing with advanced segments and custom reporting

Recently the folks at Google Analytics rolled out some new features in the form of Advanced Segmentation and Custom Reporting. It is still in beta and being released to accounts over the last few weeks; yours truly just got access last week – so let’s look at some potential metrics and reporting that we can do in line with our SEO programs.

Three of the main areas we look at are;

1. Search traffic – how much traffic are search engines sending, growth rates and conversions
2. Keywords – which terms are bringing the most traffic and affecting conversions
3. Content performance – which content items are performing the best and search traffic growth.

Miss me? Of course you did

Follow the trail -

In case you haven't been paying attention, like I know U are... ahem... here's a few posts I've put up this week;

Collective Thoughts - for those writers and content generators among you, a litle guide to thinking outside the box with; Researching blog posts with Buzz monitoring

UserNameCheck - and in a new switch, posted on the SR internet marketing blog - where my pal Samir is now going to be helping with - in a post; UserNameCheck a very cool tool...

As for the trail, working on the new Google Analytics segmentation and will have a post on Analytics for SEO up tomorrow if I get it finished ;0) - likely at least a 3 part series for that...

I hope your week is going well, kind of spotty here...sigh...

Peace...!