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KEEPING UP WITH SEO AND SOCIAL MEDIA: OCTOBER ROUNDUP 

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Another month has flown by, and it’s time for a quick recap of what’s been going on over the past few weeks when it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and social media marketing. Here are some of the search guides, social media blog posts, and marketing related infographics you might have missed during the month of October:

Moz released their 2014 local search ranking factors, providing detailed analysis of what it takes to secure solid placement in Google’s search results. If you’re not dialed into SEO it’s a lot of information to sift through, but you can read some of the main highlights and takeaways in a short(er) post on Moz’s blog.

Real Lawyers Have Blogs offered up a list in defense of their titular assertion, with a post of stats supporting the power of blogging for generating business. Plus, for anyone who thinks they’re too busy to maintain a blog, there’s also a nice post on repurposing authentic engagement for blog posts.

Also on the blogging front, Lawyernomics (by Avvo) featured a post on expanding your firm’s business with blogging. And, if you’re still struggling to get readers and build an audience, Quicksprout published a handy infographic on how to get your first 1,000 blog readers.

Sticking with the topic of acquiring an audience, Quicksprout also published a guide to getting your first 100 Twitter followers. Although the guide isn’t specific to the legal industry, many of the tactics could benefit firms of any size. Not only that, but the quick list of things to avoid (backed by actual data) is definitely worth checking out.

If you’re considering outsourcing some of your link building, Search Engine Land has a post on traits to consider when hiring a link builder. And, in a similar vein, Search Engine Watch published an article discussing the importance of personal connections, offering the reminder that “people build links.”

Sometimes it’s just as valuable to read about what NOT to do, and Search Engine Land has a great real-life example of how not to ask for reviews. This one’s worth a quick read, if for no other reason than to make you feel a whole lot better about how you’re handling online reviews.

Lastly, if your rankings have been negatively impacted by Google’s latest update, there’s a brief but informative post on how Panda 4.1 should change your content strategy. As usual, stick with high quality content and you should be just fine.

That’s it for now, but the articles above should give you a few action items to focus on in the coming month. And, as always, if I missed anything you think was worthy of inclusion, please feel free to let me know in the comment section below.

About the Author: Jason Arango is the Director of Marketing for GJEL Accident Attorneys. He’s been involved in online marketing since 2007, and has worked with companies such as Village Voice Media and Clear Channel Communications.