Download the 2013 SEO Factors & Trends Report Today! Plus Read the Latest SEO Newsletter

Extra, extra! Bruce Clay, Inc. has just released its  annual SEO Factors and Trends Report, a high-level snapshot of the multifaceted SEO reality where evolving SERPs, changing Google products and shifting searcher behavior converge to make one very complex optimization environment.

The top ten SEO factors of 2012:

• Linking Penalties
• Exact Match Domain Names
• (Not Provided) Keyword Data
• Local Results
• Google+ Local
• Responsive Design for Mobile
• Page Layout Update
• Knowledge Graph
• Social Media Reports
• Rich Snippets Updates

The report discusses how each of these factors are shaping SEO strategies today and includes recommended actions from senior Bruce Clay, Inc. analysts for how business owners can adapt and leverage them to best effect.

The current SEO trends of 2013 addressed are:

• Increasing reliance on connections, decreasing reliance on links
• Author identity contributes to trust signals
• Google rolls out updates quietly
• On‐page optimization
• Content marketing
• Social ranking signals
• Increasing weight for mobile‐friendly sites
• Growing importance of visual content
• Video optimization
• Tools helping SEO

The 2013 SEO Factors and Trends Report is available for free download. It is also the subject of Virginia’s article in the July edition of the SEO Newsletter: The 2013 SEO Factors & Trends Edition.

The SEO Newsletter: The 2013 SEO Factors & Trends Edition

In Prioritize Your Strategy with the ‘SEO Factors and Trends Midyear 2013 Report’, Virginia breaks down the SEO takeaways from the 20-page report. Virginia offers insights on:

• How to leverage SEO lessons from 2012
• Where to focus your SEO strategy in 2013
• How to decide which SERP technologies are a good match for your site and business

In the back-to-basics article, Spam Technique Over the Years and SEO that Lasts, Bruce recounts the early days of search engines, when SEO was somewhat of Wild West frontier and the line between solid SEO and spam was hazy. Bruce’s strong belief, since the very beginning, was that “it was a lot easier to be a friend than an enemy of a search engine,” and has built his SEO empire accordingly. Bruce explains:

• Unique insights on spam tactics from the man who’s had a front-row seat for nearly 20 years
• What kind of SEO Google calls “positive and constructive”
• The only kind of spam that is effective, if only temporarily

July’s “Hot Topic” focuses on Google’s release of “Explore” in Google Maps for Android and iOS. In “Education Matters,” discover the latest news surrounding Bruce Clay and Murray Newland’s upcoming book on content marketing.

In addition to these stories, the SEO Newsletter provides the inside scoop on notable industry news and upcoming events. Read all the stories here, or sign up to have the SEO Newsletter delivered directly to your inbox each month.

Kristi Kellogg is a journalist, news hound, professional copywriter, and social (media) butterfly. Currently, she is a senior SEO content writer for Conde Nast. Her articles appear in newspapers, magazines, across the Internet and in books such as "Content Marketing Strategies for Professionals" and "The Media Relations Guidebook." Formerly, she was the social media editor at Bruce Clay Inc.

See Kristi's author page for links to connect on social media.