Back from PubCon, Jessica Lee and Bruce Clay point out some of the highlights of the conference. Matt Cutts, head of Google’s web spam team, was the featured keynote, and he shared his opinion that, despite some attention-seeking claims, SEO is not dead. Liveblog coverage of the keynote recalls Matt’s logic: SEO is not dead because SEO is a type of marketing. And marketing appeals to human nature and that’s never going to go away.” Marketing, it seems, only evolves. Jessica points to a move toward holistic digital marketing strategies, and the introduction of Marketing Land, a new sister site of industry gold standard news site Search Engine Land that will cover the growing realm of Internet marketing, including social media, affiliate marketing, email marketing and more.

Then Aaron Landerkin, software development manager, walks through how to use the Keyword Suggest Tool in the SEOToolSet suite of diagnostic SEO tools. The tool gathers keyword data primarily through Microsoft. It looks into adCenter numbers, including demographics for people searching for keywords, and categories in which a keyword is classified. This comes in handy, for instance, if you’re trying to target keywords that are broad and part of many categories as it helps to know what categories the search engine associates it with. To use the tool, enter a seed word or set of seed words and get suggestions based on one of three factors: 1) related searches; 2) larger keyword phrases that include the seed words; and 3) other words advertisers bid on when bidding on the seed word or phrase. Info on average cost per click, click through rate and categories are also presented.

Wrapping up the show, Aaron, Virginia Nussey and Michael Terry discuss currently proposed legislation in the U.S. Congress that would greatly hamper protected speech rights online. It creates a slippery slope that could lead to popular sites going out of commission as they would have to police content to the point where it’s not profitable to run the site. Content would be required to be taken down with as little as a copyright holders say so. The act appears to be stalling in response to public pressure.

Bruce Clay and Jessica Lee are in Las Vegas this week attending, blogging, speaking at and having a good time at PubCon. Maryann Robbins, Aaron Landerkin and Virginia Nussey take over the podcast in their absence, analyzing the conference news and information as covered by blogs and reports on Twitter. Overall “site quality” is a buzz phrase from the conference, and by aiming for a high-quality site as a whole, SEOs can avoid scrutiny by Google. Site quality includes relevance and timeliness of content, site architecture and more.

Calling into the show from Las Vegas is Michael Dorausch, chiropractor at ADIO Chiropractic in Los Angeles, and a well-known SEO and webmaster and frequent speaker on local search. He shares points from his presentation on local search rankings, including tips for gleaning data from your in-store customers that can be leveraged in online marketing. He also talks about dealing with negative reviews and how Internet users interpret reviews.

Finally, the hosts devote time to Google’s social network Google+ and news surrounding it. Newly offered business pages and available with categories of local businesses and places, products or brands, companies or organizations, and arts, entertainment or sports. And it looks like +1s are officially expected to play a role in ranking results in search and in AdWords. An article by Bruce Clay Australia introduces businesses to the opportunities of Google+ business pages and their affect on search marketing.

The mobile Internet market is one of the most rapidly advancing, with new devices and marketing opportunities introduced regularly. Google has released Android 4.0, the latest version of its operating system for mobile devices. Analysis of the release explains Google’s goal to “inspire the same kind of devotion to Android that Apple owners have for their hardware. It also wants to match Apple service for service, including music and media, so there’s no perceived gap or deficiency in Android’s feature set.” Google is also advancing the options available to mobile advertisers with new features and ad types for AdWords, namely ad circulars and deep-linking.

Kristy Bolsinger (@kristy), social business consultant at Ant’s Eye View and blogger at kristybolsinger.com, shares social media best practices. She discusses how to determine how a business should regulate employees’ social media use, the challenge of determining ROI from social media, and the process of socializing a product or service beyond the brand. She also explains her advice not to use social media as a business’s only online presence, and examines the marketing implications of a new feature that groups news feed stories by topic.

Then Aaron, Jessica and Virginia look at ways to help your Facebook content be visible in the Top News Feed. The most engaging content is rewarded by EdgeRank, Facebook’s ranking algorithm. Similar to the goals of all online content, a brand can improve its chances of being viewed in Top Stories by including photos, videos, questions, surveys and content that provokes discussion.

The search engine industry is nothing if not fast moving. And as leaders and losers jockey for power, Bruce, Jessica and Virginia start the show by looking at what’s happening at Google, Bing and Yahoo lately. Google is rumored to be willing to help finance the purchase of Yahoo, which raises questions of what Google’s ulterior motive might be. The hosts also discuss Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s comments about Bing’s search quality, namely, that Bing and Google are the same 70% of the time.

The critical role link building plays in SEO efforts for any search engine is clear. Julie Joyce, co-founder of link building and social media marketing company Link Fish Media, Link Week columnist at Search Engine Land and blogger at SEO Chicks. Julie talks about tactics for link building on a budget, the lasting effect of a good reputation, and how to deal with the long life cycle of link building when clients expect results.

Then Aaron, Jessica and Virginia look at the ongoing tech war between the Web’s superpowers: Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple. Google has its hands in just about everything from hardware to software to services and beyond. Amazon’s moves into the hardware space can be traced directly back to a wish to enable consumers to use the shopping service. Whether these companies are losing sight of what they’re good at or putting themselves in dominant positions remains to be seen.

Google takes front and center on today’s show. First Bruce, Jessica and Virginia explore what it’s like to compete against Google properties for search real estate. While it may be an ethically questionable for Google to directly use the knowledge of the ranking algorithm to help its own properties rank in search results, beliefs about what makes a quality website may infuse the organization, leading to indirect ranking benefits.

This week Google got the attention of SEOs by announcing organic search encryption. SEOs have been quick to call out Google for reducing search referral data. Another far-reaching implication of encrypted organic search, as Bruce explains, is an increased level of personalization. Google is able to build a detailed picture of individual signed-in users’ search and click behavior, and can leverage this data for increased ad targeting and enhanced personalization of search results.

Then Jessica, Michael and Virginia discuss between Google+ and Facebook’s social networks and sharing features. The expectations of online privacy are changing, and Google and Facebook attempt to keep up with what users will allow by introducing new features and settings.

Content marketing and planning is the theme of the show today. Over the last few months, any conversation on Web content leads to a discussion of Google’s Panda Updates. The original Panda Update from February and subsequent updates address the quality and value of content on the Web. Rankings of sites like article farms, aggregator sites and other content models, like Q&A sites and affiliate sites, suffered as a result of the effort. Bruce talks about possible targets of the Panda Update, including engagement and a debate of value vs. quality.

Neal Rodriguez, managing director at Shovecom LLC, Internet marketing columnist for Forbes, blogger/vlogger, catches up with Virginia on the streets of New York City. Neal has interviewed a number of industry professionals as a video blogger, and shares tips on how to find good interview candidates and how to optimize videos for search visibility.

Jessica, Michael and Virginia then discuss the process of content engineering, or content strategy and planning where the writing, marketing and analytics teams all work together to create content that is useful to the audience.In order to maintain a steady stream of original content, it helps to put in place an editorial calendar. An organization can create a system of self-promotion and momentum by planning content topics ahead of time.

Today’s show examines the importance of SEO awareness in business. Starting the show, Bruce explains the value of the SEO site audit or assessment. The first step in improving a site is identifying issues to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong. Along with Jessica Lee and Virginia Nussey, Bruce looks at when it makes sense to assess a site yourself and when it’s best to have an agency or consultant evaluate the site. Assessments are frequently provided to large brands that ask for an annual upkeep review, as well as those seeking an independent third-party opinion. Assessments also make sense for small businesses requiring SEO knowledge to make intelligent decisions about ways to improve the site.

Bruce presented SEO training in India in August, meeting a great demand for SEO education there. Siddharth Lal, managing director of Bruce Clay India, has practiced SEO in Australia and India and talks to Virginia about SEO best practices there. He’s found that spam tactics common in India are likely the result of lacking training and awareness. At the SEO training course, teams from AOL and Ibibo and more came to learn about practices not favored by search engines. He shares a rundown of the country’s popular social networks and search engines and looks at the effect of the Panda Update among companies in India.

Then Virginia talks to SEOToolSet training attendees at September’s course in Simi Valley, CA. She talks to Stirling Flynn, director of technology at Living on the Edge; Chase Anderson, marketing analyst at Belcaro Group Inc.; and Allison Kulage and Rebecca Huber, president and director of client services at Bare Knuckle Marketing. From an SEO beginner’s perspective, Stirling explains he’s learned stuff he can use right away. At his organization they’re finding that rebuilding a site is a great opportunity to have SEO involved at the outset. As an experienced SEO, Chase comes to maintain the dialogue around SEO at his organization, which recognizes the importance of buy-in at all levels addressing the many agendas at play. And Allison and Rebecca use SEO education to inform their clients about how to indicate a site’s authority.

At the Wappow Search and Social Conference in Kauai, Hawaii, Bruce Clay and Jessica Lee have been engaged in an intimate environment of educational sharing and networking. The pair sit poolside as they look at the show’s events, from inner-tubing through the rain forest to Bruce’s keynote on SEOs taking advantage of the opportunity in social media. Bruce explains that social media signals allow for the greater personalization of search for individuals. Much of the trouble of ambiguous queries has been alleviated, as have many ad targeting problems. Not only are rankings in SERPs affected by social signals, but +1s displayed alongside results has been shown to change click-through rates significantly.

Gillian Muessig, founding president of SEOmoz and host of the tech-entrepreneurship podcast CEO Coach, then talks to Jessica about her time at the conference, the future directions of social media and search, and her presentation at the conference on the interplay of social and mobile. While social media used to be considered a soft science, the presentations at this week’s seminar-style conference point to how social media is now analyzed in terms of ROI and monetization, and hard-number value is able to be assigned to social media efforts. There’s still a good deal of understanding that needs to be gained in small business and big corporation settings alike. Gillian explains that the understanding gap has two pieces: first, knowing the social principles of a mobile consumer on the go; and second, engaging with mobile users in a way that’s applicable to the real world. These two points are key for converting socially connected mobile users into customers.

Then Jessica talks to Ian Lurie. Last year on SEM Synergy, Ian shared insights into measuring success in SEO and PPC through analytics action plans. In his conversation with Jessica this week, he turns his analytical eye toward how social media engagement affects search results. At the conference, Ian gave a presentation comparing the value of social media responses such as comments and Likes on Facebook and retweets on Twitter to links as a search engine ranking factor. He also talks about the implications of recent changes to popular social networks like Facebook and Google+ and potential consequences of competition between these two Internet giants.

Today’s show has a social focus, with Facebook’s slew of major changes this week and Bruce preparing for a trip to the Wappow Search and Social conference. First, Bruce, Jessica and Virginia preview Bruce’s keynote address for the conference, a look at the need for social media and search marketers to understand one another, work together and integrate each other’s initiatives. They also talk about the increasing socialization of search, thanks to social indicators’ influence on search results.

Then Marty Weintraub, president of aimClear and author of Killer Facebook Ads, talks shares some practical and tactical advice for advertising on Facebook. The book includes an extensive appendix of Facebook targeting segments, which was the thrust of why Marty wanted to write the book in the first place. It’s a resource that the team at aimClear uses constantly to identify very specific audiences on the platform, known among marketers for its tightly focused targeting capabilities. Marty also shares a hack that allows advertisers to find related keywords and concepts that might be relevant targets.

Then Aaron, Jessica and Virginia discuss the interplay between social, local and mobile marketing online. A track at SMX East centered around the SoLoMo space and the intersection of these three distinct yet synergistic Internet marketing practices. Small and local businesses can cultivate a rich online presence through targeted social, local and mobile marketing strategies. If done with a plan and goals at the outset, it can be a highly efficient use of resources for maximum reach and ROI.

This week, Bruce and Virginia have spent their days in the Javits Center in New York City attending SMX East. In between liveblogging sessions, Virginia interviewed conference speakers to talk about their areas of expertise and the sessions they spoke on.

Starting off the show Virginia talks to John W. Ellis, a paid search specialist, about his suggestions for ad remarketing as well as some insights into a paid search platform that’s great for small businesses, Google AdWords Express.

Then Virginia speaks with local business specialist Mike Ramsey, also known as Nifty Marketing. Mike spoke on the session Hard Core Local SEO Tactics, part of the best of SMX Advanced track. Mike shares some of his tactics for integrated O-pack local optimization, including citation building, link building and reviews.

Then Jessica, Aaron and Virginia take a look at some of the most recent headlines in search. They examine Google’s acquisition of Zagat and what that means for local search, as well as Bing and Twitter’s renewed partnership and what that means for social search.