expertSEM

Without further ado, here’s the top ten list of articles read by Location3 this week:

I. How blogging has changed in last three years

This article discusses some new findings by PostRank that deal with blogging. Essentially, blogging is definitely different than it was three years ago, but it’s also in better shape than it was then. People aren’t engaging with the actual blog post as much (i.e., commenting directly on site) but they are participating in off-site engagement, such as sharing on social networks. Read more blogging stats on Read Write Web.

II. Search shows ten years ago

Feeling sentimental about search? Check out this article that discusses the nature of search marketing tradeshows back when Location3 was just a newborn. It’s interesting to see how different things are today, not just on the tradeshow circuit, but with regards to the educational content in the sessions. And what’s equally interesting, all the things that have stayed the same. Read the full article from search veteran Danny Sullivan on Search Engine Land.

III. October search market share

Good news for Microsoft and Google, not so good for Yahoo! Bing took 9.9% of search market share in October 2009, Google rose to 65.4% and Yahoo! dropped 0.8% to 18%. Find out all the October search stats from comScore.

IV. Non-Latin-character domain names and search

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) opened registration this week for domain names using non-Latin characters, permitting Arabic, Chinese and Japanese characters to be included in URLs. Egypt will be the first to introduce Arabic script and Google CEO Eric Schmidt stated that the Chinese language will dominate the Internet and social media in just five years. SEOers foresee potential problems causes by this (e.g., squatters and spammers), but also see the many opportunities (namely, online brand protection and the ability to better rank for non-Latin keywords ). Check out the full story on the MediaPost SearchBlog.

V. Site speed, Google’s next ranking factor

Search should be like flipping through a magazine, according to Matt Cutts. What he means is that it should be super fast. That’s why Google plans to factor site speed–how fast a site or page loads–into their ranking algorithm in 2010. Find out what exactly this means and how it could affect your ranking.

VI. SEO industry trends of 2009

I bet you can guess the biggest trend of 2009. That’s right: Twitter. A few other others include Google Webmaster Tools updates, canonical tagging, increased importance of links, Google Caffeine and sculpting pagerank with nofollows. Read more about these trends and learn of some other big ones in 2009.

VII. What online channels should you use?

It depends on your product or service. If your offering is part of a lifestyle (e.g., kayaks, Harleys, music), you should connect with customers on social networks. These impassioned customers are continually raving about and discussing this interest and you need to be there to join in. Conversely, if your product is simply part of a one-time purchase decision (e.g., couches and other home furnishings), you should target them on search, where they can get a quick answer to their problem. But there are some products that span both types. Find out more about this on MediaPost’s SearchInsider.

VIII. Web 2.0/SES Chicago recaps

Didn’t make it to Web 2.0 or SES Chicago this year? Or attended, but couldn’t make to all the sessions you were interested in? Visit the Web 2.0 site and SES Blog for comprehensive lists of news and coverage.

IX. Growth of Mobile and Local

BIA/Kelsey Group recently released the results of their Mobile Market View survey. Findings showed that smartphone use increased significantly, consequently indicating an increase in data consumption. Additionally, mobile users are increasing searching for products or services on a local level. I think we all know this, but it’s nice to have concrete data to back it up. Check out more in-depth results on the BIA/Kelsey blog.

X. Cyber Monday is Just Around the Corner. Are You Ready?

Get tips on how to prepare your search campaigns for the biggest online shopping day of the year. Advice includes incorporate holiday-themed keywords and messaging, use gift cards messaging and get started now to reach those that start researching early. Find more tips in the Search Engine Land post. We’ve also written some posts about Cyber Monday over the years. Check out a few of our previous blogs for more insight and advice.