Top 10 Most Influential Blog Posts for '07

As 2007 quickly comes to a close we have seen a lot of changes, shake-ups, mergers, mix-ups - whatever you want to call it - in the Internet marketing industry. I stumbled upon a great blog post that combines a few of the better stories and articles of the year in review.

There is a lot of good information here, so please take the time read any that you may have not see before now.

You will not be disappointed! Enjoy:)

1. Andy Hagans’ Ultimate Guide to Linkbaiting and SMM
   I don’t remember if social media sites were as widely popular in the beginning of 2007 as they are now, but this guide provides almost all of the details you need to start creating link bait for promotional efforts in high traffic’d social media websites. Need more assistance? Here are some more specific link bait and viral marketing examples to get you on your way.
   
   
2. But is it SPAM?
   I could probably include a dozen posts from SEOBook that I find of value, but the specific examples herein provide a thought provoking discussion on what you should or should not be doing for your own search engine marketing strategy.
   
   
3. Google Local Search Glossary
   The promise of local search has a bit more luster on Cape Cod than in other places, and this collection of local search terms and definitions is one of the first places to reference when considering how to implement local SEO strategies.
   
   
4. The First Question You Should Ask Your SEO Consultant
   Brian Provost caused a real stir when he wrote this post about the field of SEO consulting, but it made me think a lot more about why I am an SEO consultant and where I want to be, 1, 5 and 10 (plus) years out down the road.
   
   
5. Google’s Power - The Only Thing to Fear, Is Fear Itself
   Maybe I am missing the point, but this post provides inspiration and motivation on ways to create self-sustaining business models and depend less on the stability of other entities (or sole entities) for revenue generation. A must read if you are out there forging your way with an online business model.
   
   
6. Blogging Is About Writing
   Guest authored by Lorelle VanFossen, this post basically sums up about 100 other “how-to-blog” posts out there today, detailing 30 blog writing tips, suggestions and best practices. Of course there is material more detailed out there, but start here to figure out which areas of blog writing you need to improve first.
   
   
7. The SEO Playbook - Welcome to the Rabbit Hole Alice
   This post on SEO strategy is a must read for those getting into the search engine marketing space or even the fairly experienced looking to touch up their skills and background. Easy to digest concepts with an incredible amount of third party links and reference points to follow.
   
   
8. The First Principle of Social Web Apps and its Implications
   What interested me most about “First Principles” is the sheer simplicity of the concept. “For each ‘complete’ user interaction”, the user must receive more value than the energy expended, to complete a given task. Basically, this idea needs to be applied to every online marketing strategy recommended and implemented.
   
   
9. Newsflash: You’re Damn Right It’s a Popularity Contest
   When people started complaining about social media sites like Sphinn, popularity and popular people, Rae Hoffman’s “straight up” way of communicating what really is a key component of search engine marketing was simply a breath of fresh air amidst a lot noise pollution.
   
   
10. “There Are No Secrets” and other SEO Myths
    Are there SEO secrets? I really don’t know because I don’t know if you know what I know about search engines and search engine rankings. It all sounds so easy in blog format; then you roll up your sleeves and need to determine just how easy, and how many secrets there really are.