What does this mean? General Motors can now create a “.gm” domain. Coke can have a “.coke” domain. The possibilities are endless. There are many arguments both for and against this new plan. Some argue that banks and other financial institutions could use a branded domain to help avoid fraud. Luxury brands could use a branded domain to help ensure customers are purchasing real goods and help reduce counterfeit products. Both are valid arguments.

Personally, I this will not work in the long run. First, only big companies will have the money to purchase a “vanity domain” (which is what it really is), ultimately pushing out competition from smaller companies. Honestly, I am curious as to how the board came up with the $185K price tag.

Second, I am curious how search engines like Google, Bing, and the like will rate these new domains in organic search. I would think they would automatically get a high page rank, since it is what I would consider a “qualified” domain. In my opinion, this is the same as an uber-expensive PPC campaign that is mixed in with organic results. These new domains won’t have to go through all the traditional tried-and-true SEO best practices, which will again, push small businesses further down in organic results. Google just finished attempting to level the playing field after the JC Penny mess that took place this past Christmas season.

ICANN said they will work hard to address all the concerns that have been brought to their attention.  I certainly hope they do.

There were some interesting little nuggets of information in research released today by the Pew Research Center, including:

• Twitter “barely registers” as a referring source for traffic
• 85% of its users visited USAToday.com between one and three times per month
• Yahoo News (and not Google News) has the largest news audience

The one tidbit I found very interesting is that most of the “news sites” (including Yahoo and Google) are aggregators. Why would I find this interesting? Simple. Aggregators aren’t anywhere near new. What is even more interesting is that a majority of traffic from aggregator, the Drudge Report (yes, that site), accounted for between 5 and 10 percent of the traffic to the New York Times and USA Today during the period studied. It also accounted for 15 percent of the traffic to the Washington Post, 20 percent to the New York Post and an astonishing 30 percent to the Daily Mail. This means the Drudge Report, a 15-year-old aggregator, is more popular than Facebook if you follow the math. Amazing!

So this is just another reminder that it isn’t all about social media.

First, while Google may not consider them today, that does  not mean they may not in the future. Algorithms are constantly evolving, so it is always a good idea to follow best practices. This can save time in the long run if they are suddenly important again and need to be populated at a later date.

It is also important to remember that while Google is the big boy on the block right now, that may not always be the case. Since Microsoft has re-branded their search engine (Bing), they are starting to make a dent, while small at the moment, in Google’s market share. Additionally, according to current research, Yahoo and Bing still consider meta tags important.

To quote a former boss, meta tags are one of those things that if you do them right, they may not “help,” but if you do them wrong, it can ultimately count against you. Take the time to understand best practices when writing best practices and take the time to do them the right way. Ultimately, it is definitely worth the time.

Google Trends provides important insight into what terms are most commonly searched as it relates to total search-volume across different regions of the world, and in what languages. Google claims they update Trends daily. “Hot Trends” represent the top fastest moving search terms hourly within the United States.

This information can provide valuable insight into the search habits of different individuals globally. A search engine professional can then take that information and those search terms and augment a site’s SEO strategy. Additionally, enter up to five of your keywords and see how those terms are searched on Google over a period of time. This can really help a company’s SEO plan on track.

Ultimately, Google Trends is just one tool in an SEO professional’s bag of tricks. Tkae

Some may wonder what exactly is a social media audit and how best to determine its ROI.  At first, everyone was on the social media/Tweeting/Facbooking/blogging band wagon. Most figured “it won’t take much time” and “it couldn’t hurt.” Well, while that may had initially been the case, over time, just like with anything, the little tasks are what ultimately take up the most time. Therefore, a social media audit makes sense.

It is important to look at what outlets are currently in use, how much time is spent posting and managing them and what type of feedback and communication a company is receiving. A good way to see which social media channel is giving a company the most “bang for the buck” is to provide social media channel specific offers and see what type of response a company receives. This will help identify what type of customer comes from each channel and what type of order or feedback is received.

While this may sound time consuming at first, ultimately, by taking some time upfront and conducting a social media audit periodically, it will save time and effort in the long run.

“Won’t this go faster is I just buy links?”

“Why is this taking so long?”

As someone who hears these questions regularly, it is always important to explain why it makes sense to follow the path of the SEO straight and narrow. Well, here is a perfect example why.

The New York Times recently did an article on an SEO investigation of JC Penny and their organic search placement. Guess what they found? Link farms! Apparently these weren’t even cleverly hidden link farms, but blatantly obvious black hat SEO techniques.

When I was a young girl my mother used to tell me to think of the following before I did something: “when Mom finds out what I did, and she will find out, will it be worth the punishment?” While I hated hearing this as a child and teenager, it actually makes sense when it comes to your SEO plan.

Any improvements that may result from black hat techniques will be short lived. Now, if you are planning to go in, make some fast money from an SEO client and get out, well then, your mission will probably be accomplished. However, if you have any scruples or business ethics at all, you will explain to your client that when it comes to SEO, slow and steady ALWAYS wins the race.

It started when Christina Aguilera flubbed a line in the National Anthem. Twitter immediately went ablaze about it, pushing it to the top of the Trending List. It continued throughout the game on both Twitter and Facebook reviewing every commercial and every play during the game, and even the half-time show.

So why should someone care? This information is gold for those in the market research field. It is better than working with a small focus group because it is a huge cross-section of people.

So if a company has been unsure if social media is a worthwhile venture, I would say it definitely is!

Kenneth Cole Tweet

Now, in full disclosure, I have always liked the Kenneth Cole brand. Also, I am far from the “P.C. police.” However, there are certain things you just don’t make light of; the 9-11 terror attacks, slavery and the holocaust, to name a few. What is going on in Egypt should be added to that list.

Social media has played a large part in the uprising in Egypt. It has been one of the primary ways to get two-way information. Additionally, many companies use Twitter to promote their brands. The combination of the two here? I have to disagree. It was definitely in poor taste.

Now some may say that he was crazy like a fox. That there is no such thing as bad PR. Not sure if I really agree. I think this is a perfect example of how social media can backfire. Ultimately, I believe this will hurt his brand.

For example, the study found that two in five Americans say that they have received a good suggestion for something to try as a result of their use of social media (40%), 15% say they have made a connection regarding a job opportunity, and one in ten say they have found a new apartment or house through their social media use (9%). A total of 2,331 adults surveyed online between December 6 and 13, 2010 by Harris Interactive.

On the other side of the coin, a number of study participants reported they were offended by posts, comments or photos from “friends.” Many believe, however, those issues can be quelled through better privacy settings.

Ultimately, just like with any shiny and new toy, social media will continue to have some growing pains. At the same time, it seems that the positives of social media outweighs the negatives. Everyone has to decide individually how social media will work best for each individual.

Just like in Iran last year, the youth of Egypt has taken to the streets in protest of their President and demands for a more free life. They are using sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to get their message out and stay in contact with family members.

Unfortunately, just like in Iran, the Internet and cell phone systems were quickly shut down in an effort to create a media blackout. This ultimately has made the situation worse. Despite calls from the United States to allow access to the Internet, social media sites and cell phones, overall access is still minimal, at best.

The past situation in Iran and the current situation in Egypt shows exactly how powerful social media has become. It has gone well beyond a source of fun or getting back in touch with old friends. It is now a source for hard news and ways to stay in touch with people and media outlets from around the world. In fact, social media has been the source for many news agencies as they attempt to cover this difficult situation. It shows exactly how much the Internet has changed our lives and has been a catalyst for social justice.

Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten is a specialist in SEO, social media, blogging and content development.