This year TopRank CEO Lee Odden will be moderating a session on “SEO Competitive Analysis” and will be speaking at two sessions on “The Convergence of Search, Social, and Content Marketing” as well as “Content Marketing Optimization.”  Here’s the lineup!

Wednesday, November 16
11:15am-12:15pm – The Convergence of Search, Social, and Content Marketing

The Google Panda update just made great content critical. Social media is grabbing all the headlines. Search gets more powerful every year. But how do they all play together? How do you increase your odds of being found both in search and social media? How will you consistently create content your audience will enjoy? Join this panel as they provide case studies and walk you through a step-by-step approach that any organization can follow to grow their business online.

Moderator:
Anne F. Kennedy, SES Advisory Board, International Search Strategist, Beyond Ink USA

Speakers:
Lee Odden, SES Advisory Board & CEO, TopRank Online Marketing
Aaron Kahlow, Chairman & Founder, Online Marketing Summit
Arnie Kuenn, President, Vertical Measures

Wednesday, November 16
12:15pm-1:15pm - Meet the Experts: Roundtable Forum

Join the ALL NEW “Meet the Experts Roundtable Forum” at SES Chicago where attendees will have a unique opportunity to learn, network and share information with peers and leading industry specialists. Each roundtable discussion focuses on different key topics and features 2 experts.  TopRank’s Lee Odden will be participating in the Content Marketing & SEO discussion so be sure to watch for the table with that sign to ask him your questions.

Thursday, November 17
12:15-1:15pm – SEO Competitive Analysis

Competitive Analysis is one of the most important and informative components of an SEO strategy. Your competitors are a wealth of free information. From determining which links are providing your competitors with the most value, to deciphering what their most profitable keywords are, with the right systems in place you’ll be able to capitalize on their mistakes and learn from their successes.

This session will cover:

• On-site competitive analysis: Analyzing the structure of your competitors websites, the keywords they are targeting and how they are optimizing their content.
• Off-site competitive analysis: Analyzing how they are participating in key social networks, what their link building strategy is and which content has performed the best/worst for them.
• Competitor monitoring: What types of trends should you be on the lookout for? What tools are best for keeping track of what your competitors are doing?

Moderator:
Lee Odden, SES Advisory Board & CEO, TopRank Online Marketing

Speakers:
Chris Boggs, Director, SEO, Rosetta
Jin Han, Director of Online Media & Search, Compete Inc.

1:30-2:30pm – Content Marketing Optimization

The core of any search or social media marketing program centers on content. Digital assets, rich media, web pages, MS Office and PDF docs as well as content created and shared by consumers all offer opportunities for optimization. If it can be searched, it can be optimized!

Online marketing is increasingly competitive and brand marketers world-wide are seeking real advantages that will improve the efficiency and impact of their Social Media and SEO efforts. This session provides unique insight into content based optimization strategies and processes as well as tactics for sourcing, creation and promotion of optimized content on the social web.

Solo presentation by:
Lee Odden, SES Advisory Board & CEO, TopRank Online Marketing

Event Details
SES Chicago
November 14-18, 2011

Hyatt Regency
151 E. Wacker Dr.
Chicago, IL 60601

Register Now

If you’re looking for some additional sessions to attend be sure to read our post on: Grab Your Jacket – The Windy City Blows In Big Talent For SES Chicago 2011 for 6 Internet marketing sessions you wont want to miss.

We hope to see all of you at SES Chicago in a couple weeks. Be sure to follow the conference buzz on twitter under hashtags #SESconf and #SESchi. Check out SES Chicago’s information page for a full schedule of sessions and training. TopRank will also be live blogging and tweeting at the event @toprank and @leeodden,for those of you who don’t already follow us.

We’re sure when many people think of the food in Chicago deep dish pizza and ChicagoDog’s come to mind.   Do not fear!  We recently stumbled across a stunning visual gallery of reviews on 15 new restaurants in Chicago. Get your mind ready and your tastebuds optimized for a great experience at SES Chicago.

If you’re an internet marketing professional looking for the latest in industry trends, practical tools, and tips for executing on your own PPC or SEO strategy, then ad:tech New York is an event that you should not miss.  We are pleased to announce that TopRank CEO Lee Odden will be following in the footsteps of Melanie Mitchell, SVP of Search at Digitas, and serving as the Marketing Master for three sessions at the next ad:tech conference.

When asked about serving as a Marketing Master at Ad:Tech New York, Odden had this to say: “It is an honor to be selected to program the Search Marketing track at such an important conference as ad:tech.  We are privileged to have a great team of presenters from some of the top brand marketers around including Intel, REI, Volkswagen and Salesforce.com.  Attendees will gain practical insight about integrated Paid Search as well as SEO that they can put in practice the same day.”

Odden will serve as the Marketing Master for sessions on “Integrating Search with the Rest of Your marketing From Web Optimization to Strategies for Killer Keywords and More”, “Cases and Best Practices for Maximizing SEO-Managing and Monitoring, Stellar Copywriting and Beyond.” and the “Search Marketing Expo Theater Presentation” with 5-7 Search Marketing vendors.

Interested In A Sneak Peak?

Session #1
Integrating Paid Search with the Rest of Your marketing From Web Optimization to Strategies for Killer Keywords and More

Thursday, 11/10/2011, 10:15 am – 11:15 am, Performance Track, Room 13, Hall 1E, Level 1, Javits Center

How can search engine marketers optimize their online marketing approach and paid advertising to account for an ever changing landscape?  Digital marketers must take a proactive approach to develop new and innovative strategies for engaging their consumers.

Key Takeaways

TopRank Online Marketing has worked with PRWeb for many years and helped to launch their first Twitter Chat #prwebchat late in 2010 by having TopRank CEO Lee Odden as the first host. PRWeb’s parent company, Vocus, tapped Odden for the first #vocuschat this week. Below is an archive of the correspondence on SEO and Public Relations between Cassie Pean from Vocus and Odden during this social conversation.

Vocus will be publishing a roundup post from the inaugural Twitter Chat on their blog that will include the dialog between participating members.

Q1: Why is #SEO for #PR important? #vocuschat

A1: I like to say, if a brand has good news, why hide it? SEO extends reach & sharing for an audience that’s looking. #vocuschat

A1: Measurement & impact on biz outcomes are key focus areas for PR & SEO is extremely accountable & measurable. #vocuschat

A1: We’re doing more SEO training for PR agencies to develop skills & gain an advantage over trad PR firms #vocuschat

A1: For a ton of articles on #SEO for #PR, check our Online PR category

Q2: You often talk about push and pull #PR. What is the difference between the two? #vocuschat

A2: Traditional Push PR focuses on outbound messages (pitching, media relations) Pull optimizes content for search visibility #vocuschat

A2: Journalists, analysts & bloggers doing online research “pull” themselves to your content via search #vocuschat

A2: Best practices online PR is both Push & Pull PR tactics with allocation to each determined by the nature of the program vocuschat

Q3: What are some of the latest and greatest #SEO tactics for press releases? #vocuschat

A3: “Latest” tactics can waste resources if fundamentals are lacking. Many releases lack great writing, CTA & media #vocuschat

A3: There is no substitute for a well-written, compelling release supported by digital assets (image, video). Quality travels #vocuschat

A3: Tip: Try writing release as a news story & distribute via PRWeb (client). Do a series. U may be surprised by the pickups. #vocuschat

A3: Think of the release as a message hub. Write a blog post version, tweets, FB updates, G+updates, etc as spokes. #vocuschat

A3: Here’s a killer SEO for PR Resource: Top 10 SEO Tactics for PR #vocuschat

Q4: How is optimizing #PR and news content different from optimizing content for lead generation or making sales? #vocuschat

A4: Optimizing for Marketing content focuses on customer acquisition & product/service sales #vocuschat

A4: PR content SEO usually focuses on discovery via search by journalists, bloggers & analysts looking for credible sources #vocuschat

A4: But customers can find optimized news content too, & it can influence traffic to marketing content #vocuschat

A4: Rising need for measurement & accountability in PR brings more marketing objectives to news SEO. Convergence is now #vocuschat

Q5: What are some tips for writing quality content that still ranks well in search engines? #vocuschat

A5: Creative, compelling content need not be mutually exclusive with keyword optimized content. 1st step: know your audience #vocuschat

A5: Find out what your customers care about in terms of your news & how that manifests as search keywords & social topics #vocuschat

A5: Cool Google News Keyword Research Tool

A5: Writing news from the customer perspective creates opportunities for quality content that ranks well in search AND inspires #vocuschat

A5: Also hire a really talented SEO copywriter #vocuschat

Q6: What are some pitfalls to avoid when adding #SEO into #PR content strategies? #vocuschat

A6: First, read this: 6 Ways PR Pros Can Avoid Failing at SEO  #vocuschat

A6: SEO PR Fails often involve overuse of keywords, no link building, no social SEO, ignoring tech SEO #vocuschat

A6: @Vocus I may get in hot water (or uncomfortably warm) for this next one, but it must be said

A6: Careful of “SEO experts” in the PR world with great SEO vocabularies that couldn’t optimize if life or death. Qualify info #vocuschat

Thanks for the chat everyone and congratulations to Vocus on their first Twitter Chat.

Our B2B Marketing SEO client Marketo believes this may be at the cost of traditional advertising. With eyeballs moving from the traditional media to digital and online ($55 billion by 2014 according to Forrester) it’s a worthwhile argument.

For even more stats, check out this handy infographic from Marketo based on content marketing research conducted by MarketingProfs and Junta42:

Embed this content marketing infographic on your web site by copying and pasting the code below:

<p><a href=”http://blog.marketo.com/blog/2011/05/is-content-marketing-traditional-advertisings-new-rival-infographic.html” _mce_href=”http://blog.marketo.com/blog/2011/05/is-content-marketing-traditional-advertisings-new-rival-infographic.html”><img src=”http://blog.marketo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Content-Marketing-Infographic-by-Marketo.png” _mce_src=”http://blog.marketo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Content-Marketing-Infographic-by-Marketo.png” alt=”Content Marketing Infographic” border=”0″></a></p> <p>

Are content marketing and traditional advertising mutually exclusive? Or do you think they work better together?

Microsoft to Acquire Skype for $8.5 Billion IN CASH. Yes, you read that correctly. Just last week we posted about Google and Facebook in talks with the Internet Communications company. Skype will support Microsoft devices like Xbox and Kinect, Windows Phone and a wide array of Windows devices, and Microsoft will connect Skype users with Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live and other communities. Via Microsoft.

75% of journalists use Facebook and 69% use Twitter as a tool to assist in reporting. Society for New Communications Research and Middleberg Communications Announce Results of the 3rd Annual Survey of Media in the Wired World. Via Digital Journal

Buyersphere Report: 68% of buyers visit supplier websites and 65% use search engines to connect with information to help them make purchasing decisions. While social media use doubled, it’s still substantially less than “traditional” online channels. Connecting UK Social Media Marketing with Buyer Behavior. Via Grow.

How Real-Time Marketing Technology Can Transform Your Business. Today’s marketer is armed with an array of online marketing tools: Email campaigns, events, blogging, tweeting, PR, ebooks, white papers, apps, banner ads, Google Ad Words, social media outreach, search engine optimization and more. Which makes the most sense? Tap into the “interest graph” and customize recommendations with a master data management system or a complex of federated queries that extract data that then may be used in a data mart for special purposes. Via Forbes CIO Central.

A CMO’s Social-Media Secret Weapon: the Sales Team. Frontline staff like Customer Service and Sales represent the brand online and this article offers 3 tips on how to empower them with social media tools and resources. Via AdAge.

Audience Targeting Is Key Indicator of Online Marketing Success and Increased Digital Advertising Spend, According to New Survey: Agencies Using Audience Targeting Have Doubled Their Projected Increases. Via Bulldog Reporter.

Stop for the STAT:
By 2014 mobile internet should take over desktop internet usage. Via Tag Microsoft.

Facebook Strikes A Blow To Social Media Spammers. Advertising & Marketing communications on Facebook fall under CAN-SPAM according to this recent ruling. Via Forbes.

Facebook sends more traffic to news sites than Twitter. Facebook effect: Social network sways online news readership as people share, ‘like’ items. Via Washington Post.

Learn Authority Marketing from Authority Rules. Can you transform your business in 30 days?  We think you can.

A fantastic collection of marketing experts brought together by Copyblogger who have built businesses through their own brands and authority. Learn from their experiences and more at Authority Rules.

Google offers more guidance on building high-quality sites. Feeling the effects of Panda? It might not be Panda that’s causing problems for your website’s visibility on Google. They’ve rolled out numerous updates recently and the big focus on quality is something website owners should pay attention to. Via Google Webmaster Central Blog.

How to Establish a B2B Social Media Benchmarking Plan. Via Search Engine Watch.

The 2nd Wave of Location-Based Services. Via ClickZ.

How Female Influencers Communicate Online. Via eMarketer.

The big shift: Moving from impressions to engagement. Via PRSA.

Stop for the STAT:
84% use mobile search to look for information on local retailers. Econsultancy.

90 percent of online retailers said search-engine marketing was the most effective source used to acquire customers. Via Entrepreneur.

Twitter beats Facebook and LinkedIn as most popular tool for B2B PR social media. Via Bulldog Reporter.

On June 13th, Toronto Canada is THE place to be for the SES conference & TopRank’s presentation on Content Marketing Optimization

This is probably the last time anyone will get to see the “Content Marketing Optimization” presentation that TopRank has been giving at SES conferences over the past year, so be sure you get signed up for the conference and attend this session.  Attendees at SES Toronto can count on all new examples of how B2B and B2C marketers incorporating great content marketing strategy with SEO and social media to acquire new customers and grow brand awareness online.

Get more information on the SES Toronto site and register soon to get a big 20% TopRank discount. Code: TRB20

Facebook to Buy Skype? Now that would be BIG. Two reliable sources say Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is talking to Skype about either buying the company or forming a joint venture, according to Reuters. Via Mashable. According to Reuters, Google is talking to Skype too.

Why online retailers will miss out on $18 billion this year. 71% of online shoppers abandon their carts, which translates to about $18 billion in lost revenue. The solution? Remarketing. For specifics, follow the 5 tips from Ross Kramer in the article. Via iMedia Connection.

Google Places Business Photos Now Official. Google Business Photos is where Google sends photographers to your business – for free – and takes pictures to be places in your photos and videos section of your Google Place page. Via Search Engine Roundtable.

Stop for the STAT:
Groupon didn’t exist 18 months ago and is now worth an estimated $25 billion.
(Wired)

Globally, Online Shopping is More Popular Via Mobile Than PC. A new study from InMobi, “A Global Consumer Perspective on Mobile Shopping” involving 15,000 respondents in 14 countries reports consumers prefer shopping, browsing and researching on mobile devices than personal computersVia eM+C.

Ranking top of page two is better than bottom of page one on Google. According to a new study of click through rates on 250 of its customers, Optify reports that 60% of clicks go to positions 1, 2, 3. It’s a logical conclusion but always nice to see data behind these kinds of statistics. Via Optify.

Number of Households Watching TV is Shrinking. Penetration is dropping too, attributed by Nielsen to the shift to digital broadcasts from analog as well as the cost of owning a TV.  Our take is that in the way GenXers have moved from landline phones to mobile-only, it may be that consumers are shifting their TV watching to the internet via computer. Via Media Buyer Planner.

Learn How to Develop a Killer Social SEO Strategy at OMS Minneapolis June 7, 2011.

At this year’s Minneapolis OMS conference, you can learn how large and small brands alike have integrated Social Media, SEO and Content Marketing to increase sales and improve customer engagement. Presented by TopRank Online Marketing CEO, Lee Odden, this session will provide practical examples of BtoB and BtoC companies overcoming the competition with an agile, customer focused content marketing strategy.

For more details visit the OMS site and register early to get a 15% discount: Code TOPRANK15

Marketers optimistic about QR codes. 65% of US smartphone users have seen a QR code and marketers get the most value out of QR codes when placed on a product, in magazines, on a coupon or newspaper ad. Via eMarketer.

Measuring influence in the digital age: Impressions, likes and followers. Public Relations and Social Media measurement guru Katie Paine offers 4 tips on measuring what matters in social media. Via PRSA Public Relations Tactics.

Frito-Lay Adds 1.5 million Facebook fans in a single day. Impressive publicity stunt, but maybe they need to read Katie’s post above . Via AdWeek.

STOP for the STAT:
Facebook.com Now Accounts for Nearly 1 in 3 Online Display Ads in U.S (comScore)

Feeling insecure about your business social media involvement? Check out the social media maturity model for perspective from Vanessa DiMauro. Via Leader Networks Blog.

Content as an appreciating asset. 5 considerations for a content marketing strategy ranging from orientation to cost to promotion for content that appreciates in value. Via Econsultancy.

Google Dissolves Search Group Internally, Now Called “Knowledge”. Is Google getting out of the search business? Nah, it’s just a reflection of a change from “Organizing the world’s information” to “facilitating the creation of knowledge”. It remains to be seen if the corporate tagline will change as well. Via TechCrunch.

4 Out of Every 10 Consumers Talk About the Brands They Like & Dislike To Others. This new study “Shopitudes: Brand Loyalty and Engagement in the Social Media Age” reports the affluent are most influential and the group most likely to Follow on Twitter and like brands on Facebook? Families with children. Via Crowd Science Blog.

Gratuitous TopRank Marketing Promotion Goes Here. Well, not really. But here’s something we’d like to share:

May 24th – @TopRank will be at BlogWorld Expo in New York May 24th presenting on how to dominate your niche with Social SEO & Blogging. Last year’s BWE presentation by @TopRank was PACKED and this year’s presentation will offer new examples and tactics. Hope to see you there.

Mobile Marketing Spend to reach $56.5 billion by 2015. That’s 6 times the spend in 2010. Mobile is obviously hitting its stride this year with the proliferation of smartphones. The ATT & Verizon plus iPhone and Droid competitive spirit hasn’t hurt growth either. Via MarketingCharts.

The 7 Stages of News in a Twitter and Facebook Era. Insightful observations about social group behavior when it comes to news. Social sites like Twitter have eclipsed mainstream media when it comes to breaking news. Via GigaOM.

The Role of On-Page SEO Content: Relevance, Not Rankings. The bottom line with SEO is to make it easier for search engines to do what they do with your website. With the recent Panda update, that also means quality content and social engagement. On-page SEO is just the start, because links are still important and to inspire content and social engagement, a website’s content must be promoted and shared. Via Search Engine Watch.

Twitter To Buy TweetDeck For $40 Million – $50 Million. This is primarily a defensive move since UberMedia owns several other highly popular Twitter clients. Hopefully Twitter will make enhancements to Tweetdeck. Via TechCrunch.

Social Media Ad Revenues Will Reach $8.3 Billion by 2015. BIA/Kelsey reports that social media ad spending will account for 21.9% of all digital advertising revenue.  Like many other agencies, we’re seeing social network PPC and advertising provide attractive returns and that performance will only inspire more investment by advertisers. Via MediaPost.

Content Fuels Social Media Interaction.  A new study by AOL and Nielsen reports a significant (but not majority) of social messages point to or are about content on the web. Also, 53% of time spent on the internet is related to content consumption. The report also segments data by industry. Useful information for companies looking for insight into content consumption and sharing behaviors. Via MarketingProfs.

Google Ranks Highest on Corporate Reputation Survey. Evidence of the ubiquity of their search product and the fact that it simply works, Google is trusted by many, ranking higher the Johnson & Johnson and 3M. Via Harris Interactive.

Yahoo! Search Marketing Blog Closing May 31, consolidating to Yahoo Advertising Blog. Another sign of Yahoo’s focus change and while it’s better from them to be focused, it sucks for TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog because we lose a sweet blogroll link from a search engine. Via Yahoo SEM Blog.i

The 15 Most Popular Brands On Facebook. Via Business Insider.

Social media ROI: How 3 hospitals master the metrics. Via Ragan.

Social Media Measurement: Moving forward with the data and tools at hand. Via Marketing Sherpa.

How To Measure B2B Demand Generation. Via B2B Marketing Insider.

A Hint of What Google’s Social Network Might Look Like?. Via SEO by the SEA.

How to Build Marketing Content Around B2B Buying Triggers. Via MarketingProfs.

Marketers rely more heavily on SEO to increase website traffic. Via eMarketer.

Optimizing Social Media Pages for Search. Brands must ensure the content and conversations they create can be found. Via eMarketer.

Your Guide To The Royal Wedding 2011, Social Media Style. The last time Britain had a big Royal Wedding, one didn’t tweet about it, Facebook about it, Flickr about it and certainly didn’t air it on YouTube. One couldn’t. These things didn’t exist. But the 21st century British Monarchy is hip to the social media channels of today. Here’s how people tuned in to the Royal Wedding today, via social media. Via Search Engine Land.

LinkedIn Leads More Likely to Convert on B-to-B Sites, Study Finds. LinkedIn is becoming a bigger and better source for website traffic and conversions on B-to-B websites, according to a new study conducted by LeadFormix titled “How Effective is Social Media for B2B Lead Generation?” The findings were compiled from LinkedIn visitor data taken from 289 of LeadFormix’s clients’ websites over a period of 90 days. Via eMarketing and Commerce.

The original social network is dead. Friendster, the site that started social networking folds – due to lack of popularity. Not much more to say. May you rest in peace. Via The Independent.

14 Best Practices for Long-Term Social Media Success. Many companies are shooting from the hip with their approach to social media. Here are 14 tips from social media pundit Brian Solis on creating channels that meaningfully extend the focus of your business and that enhance relevant brand message without diluting it. Via Mashable.

Social Business Reality Check: Move Beyond the Hype. The real reason most businesses struggle with social media is that they underestimate the complexity and depth of the social Web, and fail to fully comprehend the potential of social tools before they dive in. Read this article for a practical approach to social media for business. Via PC World.

Worldwide Mobile Phone Market Grew 20% In Q1 2011, Fueled By Smartphone Boom. According to research firm IDC, the global mobile phone market ballooned in the first quarter of this year, growing 19.8 percent year-over-year, mostly due to the meteoric rise of smartphone shipments. Via TechCrunch.

Six problems with social search. Google uses third-party social signals, and its own +1 initiative, to get a sense of what people like. However, social signals are only democratic. They’re don’t reflect quality, just popularity. And while they may be harder for webmasters to game, they still involve factors that could bias or distort search results. Here are six of them. Via Econsultancy.

Yahoo Sells Delicious To YouTube Founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen via a “new Internet company, AVOS.” Via TechCrunch.

Facebook investors to offload $1 billion valuing it at $70 BILLION. Sellers have lowered their price after previously trying to offload shares at a price that valued the company at $90 billion, which would make Facebook more valuable than Time Warner Inc. Via Reuters.

Consumers Tap Into F-Factor. Facebook data indicates 500 million active users spend more than 700 billion minutes a month on the site and every month, more than 250 million people engage with Facebook across more than 2.5 million external websites. Via MarketingCharts.

Social PPC giving AdWords a run for it’s money: Facebook to Bring In $4.05 Billion in Ad Revenues This Year. Via eMarketer.

48% of Smartphone Users Watch Video on Them, 82% Notice Mobile Ads. Smartphones are spreading like wildfire and users are beginning to rely more and more on them according to a recent study, The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users, done by Google and Ipsos OTX. Via ReelSEO Blog.

10 Digital Marketing Infographics to Bookmark, Print Out or Stare at For a While. From a World of Infinite Information to the CMO Guide to Social Landscape, this post is chock full of infographic-ness. Via Business 2 Community.

News curation: finally, social media’s killer app? Facebookers share 30-billion plus pieces of information each month, and Twitter users output 1 billion tweets weekly – an overwhelming amount of information. Curation tools are changing all that. Via Fortune Tech.

The Curation Economy And The Three Cs Of Information Commerce. More wisdom from Brian Solis, this time in the form or his forward to a new book by Steve Rosenbaum, author of Curation Nation. Via Fast Company.

B2B: Focus on Your Customer’s Customer. Companies like Salesforce.com, Philips, and Oracle are focusing on enterprise-wide efforts to improve their marketing, sales, and support interactions. Often the best way for B2B companies to satisfy the multitude of business customers is to focus on the needs of their customers’ customers and this post explores the initiatives of Portuguese airport operator ANA Aeroportos de Portugal.
Via Harvard Business Review.

Know Your Customer’s Customers (Better Than They Do). A story about how Symrise, a global leader in flavors and fragrances, uses a proprietary consumer panel to grow their business with current customers. Via Fast Company.

Buy Cycle Link Building: A Content Marketing Guide for Link Strategists by Garrett French. Excellent article on how content marketers and link builders can play nicely together by tailoring content according to the target customer’s stage in the buying cycle.  Via Search Engine Watch.

Small Businesses Focus Social Efforts on Top Sites. American Express OPEN found that more small businesses were turning to social media for customer acquisition. By spring 2011, 44% were using social media to help their businesses, up from 39% in September 2010. As shown in the graph above, small businesses are focusing on the top social networking sites. Via eMarketer.

Google Realtime Search Quietly Adds Quora, Gowalla, Others – Google is slowly incorporating more social signals into the search experience. Via TechCrunch.

How Engaged Is Traffic from Social Sites? Web users who follow links from social sites are less interested in their content. According to data from Outbrain, just over 10% of external referrals are from social media sites, compared with approximately 41% from search and nearly a third from other content sites. Via eMarketer.

Facebook Launches ‘Send’ Button For More Selective Sharing, Announces 50 Million ‘Groups’. Via TechCrunch.

A First Look at Facebook’s New Deals. Facebook’s new Deals feature launched today in five U.S. cities and this post offers a first glimpse of how those offers look and function. Via Mashable and additional coverage from Search Engine Land.

5 reasons why social media is good for SEO by Stacey Acevero of Vocus. Via SEO Copywriting Blog.

B2C Case Study: Radio Shack Says Foursquare Users Spend 3.5X More. Foursquare users tend to purchase items like wireless devices that have a higher price point. “They are more tech-savvy, they’re younger, and they have higher disposable income” according to Adrian Parker, Radio Shack’s social media director. Via ClickZ.

60-Minute SEO Crash Course with TopRank Online Marketing – PRWeb is offering a free, one-hour crash course hosted by a TopRank Online Marketing search engine expert, Jolina Pettice. Also includes real-time SEO review of press releases. Register here.

Bing Doubles Search Market Share Year Over Year while Google Loses 15% Share YOY. Continuing a trend recorded by multiple research firms, the Microsoft Bing search engine roughly doubled its share of the US search market between March 2010 and March 2011, according to data from Compete. Via MarketingCharts.

Best Practices for Engaging With Consumers Through Social Media. Via WSJ.

Timeline of major Google algorithm updates 2003 – 2011. Via Level 343.

Three Steps to Generating Higher ROI From Content Marketing. Via MarketingProfs.

If you use Majestic SEO for link tracking and research, then get ready to get more out of Majestic with this Advanced Reports Tutorial. Via Majestic SEO.

Facebook is the social network with the highest rates of satisfying small-to-mid-sized businesses (SMBs), according to a Q1 2011 survey conducted by Borrell Associates. Via MarketingVOX.

A study of Fan Engagement on Facebook Fan Pages. Over 200 million fan pages were analyzed discovering that in terms of engagement, Audi beats Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Via Visibli.

B2B Case Study – Spotlight on business-to-business: Inside Intel’s Facebook attack strategy. Via Smart Blog on Social Media.

BtoC Case Study – How to Integrate Email Marketing with Social Media – Great example from Hallmark. Via MediaPost.