• Google Says Mobile Optimized Sites Will Factor Into Landing Page Quality And Perform Better In AdWords – As a result of this change, ads that have mobile optimized landing pages will perform better in AdWords and drive more traffic, according to Google.
• A Look at How Display Drives Performance for Marketers Today – 3 video interviews/case studies with businesses utlizing the display network in various ways.
• Microsoft Advertising adCenter Optimization Timelines for the 2011 Holiday Season – adCenter’s recommendations for what to focus on when in your PPC campaigns.  September is for testing, October analyzing, November competing, and December converting.
• 17 Experts on the Top 3 Must-Check PPC Metrics – Wordstream asks 17 pros for their top 3 PPC metrics.  Not surprisingly, CPA, CTR figure prominently, while opinions on impression share and ad position data varied.

SEO

• SEO Audit in 20 Minutes [Infographic] – How to perform an SEO website audit in 20 minutes.
• Google News Launches “Standout” Tag for Featured Content – Google recently introduced a new link rel attribute that news organizations can use to mark their best work.  You can mark up to seven pieces of content per week. Google News will use this information as a signal for labeling news stories as “featured” on the Google News home page and in News search results.
• Google: Parking Your WWW Domain Will Hurt Your Site – So make sure to 301 redirect to the version you are using.
• How Do You Get To The Top Of Google News? – 2011 Google News ranking factors.

Analytics

• It’s Now Easier to Set Up Google Analytics Site Search Tracking for Your Custom Search Engine – Google updated the way we can generate new code to place on your site, which makes it far easier to track the metrics that drive conversions, search trends, and the entire search funnel.

Social Media

• Five Facebook Changes and What You Need to Know – With all the changes that were released and announced at F8, this article will keep you up to date and explain how these changes will affect you and your business.
• Facebook Gives $10 Million in Free Advertising to Small Businesses – Starting in early 2012 Facebook will be giving selected small businesses $50 in Facebook advertising. The program is being tagged as a way to build brand awareness with a group that feels social media is unnecessary.

Local Search Engine Optimization

• Bing Rolls Out Integrated Marketing Approach to Their Local Business Portal – Bing has rolled out a number of upgrades to their Business Portal. In addition to their mixed model approach to deals, they have added collateral generation capabilities, a loyalty program and a school fund raising program to help promote the effort.

• Decline In Searches At Vertical Sites Giving Way to More Searches At Google & Bing – Comscore has an interesting post detailing a decline in “vertical search” (travel, local, product, jobs) queries for the first time in several years. This decline in searches at vertical sites has been mirrored by an attendant increase of share of searches at the general search sites.

B2C

• Mobile Cart Page Design and Testing Tips – The article on mobile design for ecommernce, focuses on optimization of the cart summary page, examining abandonment, clicks to the checkout page, and clicks to other pages that result in conitnued shopping
• Bing Launches a Deal Aggregator – Bing has launched a deal aggregator that allows visitors to view the daily deals for sites like Groupon and Living Social in one spot, along with deals for individual retailers such as Macy’s and Nordstrom’s.
• Do’s and Don’ts of Search, Online Marketing, and Holiday Prep – This interview with Google’s Todd Pollack discussing the ever changing ecommerce landscape, and includes some tips to implement during this upcoming holiday season.

Web Design

• 9 A/B Tests Mere Marketing Mortals Can Use to Increase Leads – Ideas for A/B Tests You Can Try on Your Website Today.

Mobile

• Conversion rates better for mobile sites and apps – Compared to traditional sites, mobile optimized sites and apps convert at a much higher rate.
• Android ad impressions up sharply as iOS flattens out – iOS still has more impressions, but just as with handset sales, Android ad impressions are also up significantly.