What's In Store for 2006?

The end of every year usually brings about a time of reflection for the year that has past and some predictions for the upcoming new year.  It's no different in the world of Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing.  Stuntdubl has a good recap of the important issues and trends that emerged in 2005 and his "predictions" for 2006.

Two main themes to notice in Stuntdubl's lists are links and content.  With Google's recent Jagger update, links from thematically related and trusted websites are now the only way to increase your link popularity.  And website owners will need to be more active in providing their audience with content that is fresh, relevant, and optimized.

I wish all the Duct Tape Marketing readers a Happy New Year and may everyone have their best year in 2006!

Newsweek article on SEO

There is an interesting (and short) article in Newsweek on the subject of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  It's a good read for the lay person. I suggest that if you are hiring an SEO firm, you better do your research to make sure that their techniques for optimizing your site (getting higher rankings) are considered ethical and not "black hat".

In addition, Matt Cutts - a Google software engineer - has responded to the article in his blog.  Give this a read as it goes into more depth and provides a better explanation of why certain sites rank better than others.  He also offers a tease for great ways to get links that will help in Google.