So much insightful information this week it was hard to choose – but we think we selected some of the very best.

Starting off with a 2012 review of all Google updates which will definitely inform and a WordPress theme change SEO check list which is invaluable.

If  you are a small business owner looking for a link building strategy that works – you can read it here.  Also an epic post you will  want to tuck away and read over and over again from Jason Acidre – it’s everything you need to know about inbound strategy and is a fantastic resource.

Our light-hearted post this week gets stuck into social media experts – it’s very amusing and we also feature a post from one of our favourite bloggers Mark Schaefer – he shares his wisdom on great titles for blogposts – always valuable and interesting.

Photo this week – Okiroto Stream, Muriwai Beach.

SEO / Search Engine Optimisation

Wow! 2012 has been a huge year for Google and SEO and this blow by blow summary covers Panda, Penguin, Google notifications, trust and reputation, exact match domains, the Pirate update and a lot more. This yearly summary is in early like the malls and their Christmas decorations.

The Evolution of Content Marketing – An SEO View: The US Edition (Part 2)

In this post 5 top US SEO/content strategy experts are asked about the increasing role of content marketing in SEO, measurement of content marketing results, the cost to business and some great examples of companies getting the combination very right. Some very useful insights.

A WordPress Theme Change SEO Checklist

This one is perfectly timed – we are gearing up to move to a new WordPress theme ourselves. Distilled always gives great value and this is no exception. A nice, easy to follow check-list to make sure you don’t lose ground when you move to a new theme. Watch this space for our new design over the coming weeks.

There is always a ton of stuff around link building when you are a big industry player like Kissmetrics or SEOmoz but often these tactics just do not work for a small business. A small local business is unlikely to have the budget, time resources or social reach for a combination of epic content, infographics and linkable, shareable content that goes viral. This post gets real about what works for the little guys.

Social Media / Content Marketing

This massive post from Jason Acidre covers Xight’s comprehensive inbound strategy. He begins with a technical SEO audit then works through keyword mapping to content creation and promotion. It’s all here – social media, local business citation sites, sales funnel optimisation, guest posting… phew! File this away as a reference.
Yes, I know your head will be spinning after that last one so here is something a bit lighter. The Onion is always good for a laugh with its biting satire and here they get stuck into social media experts (excuse the surprising number of typos – proofing please Techcrunch). Unfortunately the reason it is so amusing is because it is actually true in more cases than it should be.
Mark Shaefer’s {Grow} blog is one of the finest around and here he shares wisdom on effective titles for blog posts. He hand picks a range of awful and awesome post titles and shares why they do or do not work. Some of the titles he picks are so bad you wonder what these people could have been thinking!
What do you do when you run out of ideas for new content? This one takes us through the process of identifying your key personas, looks at pillars and state of mind, identifies a few great web tools to generate ideas and ends with good old fashioned talking and listening.

Thanks for taking the time to visit the Weekend Wrap! Don’t forget to share with the social buttons at the top 🙂

Til next time

Midge