Sphinn Weekly – Week 5
4th August – Reddit & Digg Launch Mobile Versions (BrentCsutoras)
Both Reddit and Digg now have mobile versions of their site, in-line with the vastly increasing demand for mobile internet. Although both sites would work well on your brand spanking new iPhone 3G, the problem I see is that the Digg and Reddit model relies on users clicking out of the sites to view the 3rd party content. With the majority of other sites not providing a mobile alternative and some embedding functionality such as Flash, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to read the linked content properly. I’m sure that regular social media fans are enjoying their new found freedom away from the bedroom computer, although content owners and publishers such as BBC and CNN still have the edge when it comes to mobile information.
Direct Link: Brent Csutoras
4th August – The Huge Collection of Google Analytics Tips (kevgibbo)
Ann Smarty provides some helpful tips for getting the most out of Google Analytics. A lot of Urchin’s functionality seems to have been lost post-Google acquisition, although a lot of cool data recording and analysis techniques can still be achieved with some insider knowledge. To dig even deeper into GA, I highly recommend Brian Clifton’s book “Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics”.
Direct Link: SearchEngineJournal
4th August – How to use URL Search to get thousands of visitors (tomcritchlow)
You’d be surprised how many people type domain names and URLs into search engines, often because the search engine is their homepage or they’re not sure if they’ve spelt it correctly. Patrick shares how his blog managed to generate traffic by ranking for the URL of a popular UK Government car tax registration/renewal page. If the real page is down or if your search listing appears more genuine, easy traffic could be gained.
Direct Link: BlogStorm
5th August – Examining a Search Ranking Fluctuation (vangogh)
XMCP list a number of factors that Google most likely considers when ranking a page/site or detecting spam.
Direct Link: SlightlyShadySEO
6th August – Find Customers and Backlinks by Adding Your Site to Coupon Directories (philbutler)
Coupon Directories are a great way to draw in new customers who scour the web for bargain and special offers. Ann mentions that the coupon listings can also help fill your brand name search results with positive reviews and also help towards link development. The post also gives a list of popular coupon directories.
Direct Link: SearchEngineJournal
6th August – Google Insights for Search Launches (MattMcGee)
Barry blogs about the launch of Google Insights, yet another data analysis tool launched by Google last week. Google Insights allows users to compare and filter regional and seasonal trends, helping advertisers plan their campaigns around past and new data. Check out the SEL post for an example of Insights in action.
Direct Link: SearchEngineLand
7th August – What 36,389,567 Searches Can Tell You About Google (TCSM)
Post of the week award (well, not really an award) goes to Pete, who explains how he estimates the clickthrough rate of each position in a search results page. The data comes from our old friend, the leaked AOL data, that everyone got excited about many years ago during SES San Jose.
Direct Link: TCSM
8th August – Top Website Usability Mistakes – 10 Costly Assumptions (DaveDavis)
Website owners and internet marketers often find it hard to take a step back from their site and look at it as a first time visitor might. Unfortunately in list format, the advice is simplistic although this shouldn’t neglect from the fact that the factors covered are often overlooked.
Direct Link: PalmerWebMarketing
