SearchInfluence

• Google+: A Year of Missed Opportunities - Mashable.com

Google+, the proposed “Facebook killer,” is turning out to be more Elmer Fudd than Brutus. Our blog noted the early successes of Google+ over a year ago, citing its sleek design and seamless integration of Google profiles and contacts. Yet Facebook’s de facto archenemy stumbled at the start gate, disallowing aliases and stalling for four months before allowing brands and news platforms to set up profiles. The numbers are startling: users spent an average of 3.3 minutes on G+ in January, compared to seven hours on Facebook. In the last year Facebook has grown from 700 million users to 900 million, a growth that exceeds the entirety of the G+ population. For small businesses interested in the clean, professional, design of G+, note that historically Google has added layers of complexity to augment their online platforms. With a growing sentiment that the Facebook juggernaut has shed its user-friendly coat, the question is: can Google take advantage of the sea change?

Applying for a job is something that we all have to do at one point or another in our careers – unless you won the lottery at 18, or are an heir to a billion dollar empire where you can lounge on a beach in Cabo while waiters bring you Mai Tai’s all day. For the rest of us, the job market is something we will become all too familiar with. From crafting that perfect cover email to making sure your online presence is spick-and-span, here are a few tips you can use.

Every month, our Read This! series brings you the best in practical web marketing and online presence-building pieces from across the net. Read on for this month’s selection:

The Direct Path to Finding Prospects and Customers Online

Direct marketing is focused on the customer, speaking directly to them in order to grow the brand. Find out why this discipline accounts for over half of all ad spend and how to communicate with your prospects to turn them into loyal fans.

5 Tips For More Impact From Social Media Participation

We’re proud to publish this new infographic from the talented team at Avalaunch Media. If you’re a small business owner, check out this array of useful mobile tools and apps to maximize your potential.

The world of technology is changing rapidly and small business owners need to utilize it in order to compete in the business world. With the rise in instant information through smart phones and high-tech mobile devices, it’s extremely important that business owners know which apps to pay attention to, get listed on, and spend their time searching.

1. Mapping the Mobile Future, Apple To Drop Google Maps for In-House Creation — Marketing Pilgrim

A permanent split between Apple and Google is on the horizon. In a key test of the company’s post-Jobs era leadership, Apple is planning to do away with Google Maps on their devices to make way for an in-house project. They’ve vowed to stick with the familiar “cleaner, faster, and more reliable” design strategy, but there are bound to be some surprises — check out this article for all the information that’s available right now.

12 Most Valuable Personality Traits of Top SEO Consultants — 12 Most

This article is an oldie, but a goodie on the 12 best qualifications for a top SEO consultant. Sure you are driven, intelligent and articulate, but if you do not feel that you combine your technical, artistic, and analytical sides, perhaps it is time for a refresher course.

Google Glasses: Don’t Plan on Buying Them for Christmas – Washington Post

SEO Secrets, Tips & Tricks – Why it’s Not Worth Your Your Time — Graywolf’s SEO

Everyone wants to say they have a surefire array of “secret ingredients” that will launch your website to optimization superstardom — but like most things in life, it’s not that easy. Michael Gray takes on the phenomenon, eschewing the tips-and-tricks way of thinking for old-fashioned discovery of what works, why it works, and how to make it work again when something goes wrong.

Google Points Out 5 Common SEO Mistakes [VIDEO] — Marketing Pilgrim

A few months ago I came upon an EpicFail image that I found amusing. The image was of a supposed Google review. The review was actually a positive review, but it was the content that really grabs one’s attention:

“Wendy’s SoNnNnNnN This place is BAWLIN’ yo. Chicken nuggitz be crispy like you never SEEN. I tried one and I was like ‘WHAAAAT! Are you serious Wendy?’ Mean girls workin’ the frier tho. This one chick wouldn’t let me holla. I was like ‘please you ugly anyway.’”

1.
Google Is Watching You (Or Not): New Privacy Policy Takes Effect Today – Search Engine Land

– Google says their new privacy policy will open the door to new products and services for the public. The idea is to simplify privacy across all of Google’s properties without affecting user’s experience. Browsing and search history controls should remain unchanged, so why are there so many articles warning “Google is watching you?”

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What Susan G Komen Doesn’t Understand About Communities and You Should – SEOMoz

Everyone has heard of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder, but he owes much of his success to his father Edward Zuckerberg, DDS. Zuckerberg describes himself as the actual “Father of Facebook”, teaching Mark the ins and outs of computer programming on their Atari 800. In an effort to promote his Westchester, NY dental office he turns to Facebook and other social media tools. According to Zuckerberg, “It’s a tremendous marketing tool for business. It certainly is the biggest bang for your marketing buck”. So how exactly does Zuckerberg use Facebook and other social media you might ask?