From the Editor:

It's a new year, and with the new year comes our most popular newsletter topic: search engines. To get the new year rolling, we're discussing how to optimize for global audiences and make the most of your Search Engine Traffic.

This month, we've got something new: Ani Lopez's "Taking Your Website Worldwide" webinar and series. Read the posts, then check out the video. Also: get hints for using Google Analytics to boost your SEO and PPC.

Online Persuasion:
The Power of Social Proof

You've got style, pop. You've got usability. What's left? Join us on January 26th to learn about how you can wield the power of social proof to motivate your visitors to ACT!

When faced with a decision, we often simply look to see what others are doing, then do likewise. Psychologists call this "Social Proof" and -- harnessed properly -- it is diabolically effective marketing technique. 

Ratings, reviews, testimonials, "best-sellers"... these are just a few obvious examples of using Social Proof to influence customer behavior. But that only scratches the surface...

Taking Your Website Worldwide

Are you trying to take your companys web presence international? There's a lot to think about: from domain names to URL structure to content optimization. It's not a simple task. In this webinar, Ani Lopez explains the steps required to rank internationally.

Subdomains? Domains? Directories? What kind of content structure is best for international websites? From TLD's to language folders, Ani explains the technical details that you need to consider when you go global.

International SEO Series and Webinar Part 2: Multilingual Content Optimization

The secret to content optimization in multi-lingual settings can be summed up in one word: localization. In this post, Ani explains how to research your localization options, and be sure that you're chasing the right keywords.

PPC Pre-Campaign Research with Google Analytics: Part 1 - Keyword Research

Starting a new PPC campaign? Some keyword research may be in order, and the best starting point is often your site itself. In this post, Alex explains how your web analytics can give you valuable pointers when trying to decide on what keywords to pursue.

Not so! Even if these things are free, you've still made a commitment to your users, and under-performing with these can hurt your users trust.

Still trying to wrap your head around Regex? In this post, Kent explains how to use a series of regex expressions to analyze keyword length and understand how phrases drive traffic to your website.

From the Net:
SEO, the Semantic Web and Information Discovery

In a nutshell, the semantic web is one where data is structured in such a way that it can be processed both directly and indirectly by machines. This concept opens up a host of opportunities for search engines to better index and understand data, and search engines really, really like this. SEO Skeptic discusses the semantic web, and what it's going to mean for search engine optimization.