In our ongoing effort to help you find more high-quality websites in search results, today we’re launching an algorithmic change that looks at the layout of a webpage and the amount of content you see on the page once you click on a result.

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2012/01/page-layout-algorithm-improvement.html

It’s my opinion that if SPYW continues to roll out to all logged-in Google users and Google stays as aggressive as it’s been in the last 10 days with pushing Google+ for even logged-out users, the service will become a necessity for search and social marketers. In 2009 and 2010, Google’s integration with Twitter was remarkable – helping content get indexed in seconds, earning featured spots for logged-in users who were connected to each other on Twitter and showing up in all sorts of specially-marked-up results. Google’s taken that much, much further with SPYW, and while I’m no particular fan of using your market power to force users onto a platform they may not want, I’m also a realist.

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/why-every-marketer-now-needs-a-google-strategy

There’s a lot of advice on the internet — some good, some bad — about how to get high rankings and traffic from search engines. And since Google is constantly changing its algorithms to stay ahead of spammers and cheaters, there’s a small army of professional search engine optimizers who are constantly running tests and promoting their newest theories.

No doubt, gaining and maintaining an egde requires keeping up with the latest changes and advances. However, my approach is to start with fundamentals and ignore the latest tips and tricks until you’ve completed the basics.

So what are the SEO basics? You can get good advice from a number reliable sources (SEOMoz.org, searchengineland.com, I got started years ago with Aaron Wall’s seobook.com) but I think it makes sense to start with Google’s own SEO Guide.

The introduction states:

Search engine optimization is often about making small modifications
to parts of your website. When viewed individually, these changes
might seem like incremental improvements, but when combined with
other optimizations, they could have a noticeable impact on your
site's user experience and performance in organic search results.

None of the topics covered are secrets and all of them can be found elsewhere, but I think it makes sense to read the closest thing to Google’s SEO user manual. Complying with the recommendations being made directly by Google is the first phase of a new SEO project.

http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo

Rev up the Search Engines – Entrepreneur.com

SEO is about attracting quality leads and buyers ready to make a purchase. Here are six tips for getting the most out of an SEO initiative, according to SEO expert Steve Wiideman:

1. Start early. It can take up to six months for competitive search terms to see results through Google.
2. Content really is king. Make a list of the top 20 search keywords relevant to your business and create content that’s thematically linked with those terms.
3. Don’t use the same keywords over and over. Search engines have gotten smart enough to weed that out.
4. Focus on Google. The magic formula is relevance and popularity. Having a well-written and well-structured website is a big part of the battle. Mentions and links from bloggers and other websites can be a big boost as well.
5. How do you measure SEO? Create a benchmark. A good SEO expert can actually measure the amount of traffic that results in a lead or in somebody making a purchase.
6. If you choose to work with an SEO consultant, find one that specializes in the needs of startups and growing businesses. If he or she tries to guarantee you an instant No. 1 ranking in Google, run the other way.

For help optimizing your small business website, check out Westchester SEO firm Spring Marketing Strategies.