Are you wondering if your "SEO expert" has been around as long as he claims? Feeling like you've been in the business since the beginning of SEO time? Here are 18 ways to tell if you're an SEO O.G. )"old guard" or 'original gansta".( Plus, you'll find even more tips, thanks to a little help from my SEO friends. If you're new to the SEO world, you'll enjoy reading how much things have changed. And if you're an O.G. SEO too - enjoy!

The watchwords for this week's web-writing news are creativity and renewal. Content marketers focus on getting unstuck and infusing new life into their work, while search and social media marketers find yet more uses for Google+, and SEO pro's share creative new dance steps to accompany the latest industry changes. Enjoy this week's refreshments: Content Marketing Joe Pulizzi shares eight content marketing initiatives )"to seriously consider"( for 2012 at Junta42 .

Guest Author, Derek Cromwell Sometimes I look back on my career as a copywriter and content marketer' and I wonder how I even managed to feed my family and keep the bills paid in those early days. It's a wonder I didn't run off every single prospective client with the poor quality of my "proposals." During the first year or so of chasing clients, every proposal I sent was typed up in an email in a direct response to a query for business.

Welcome back! Today, Heather elaborates on her power words video blog series, focusing on the word "free." )Bet your eyes just snapped on the word already!( Like the word "you," "free" is a very powerful power word and yet one that many copywriters fail to use correctly. If you're just catching up,

I've been reading a few posts about how meditation can help the writing process. One person insists that meditation will make you a better writer . Another person uses it for business brainstorms . I would agree with these statements. Shutting down your external thoughts - even for a short time - can lead to transformative results. The challenge is, the word "meditation" means different things to different people. For some people,

Got fresh content? In this week's web writing news, content and social, SEO and search marketers alike are buzzing about Google's newest developments, both its "fresh" update in search marketing results and its )now limited( launch of Google+ branded/business pages . Catch up on the freshest here: Content Marketing Four types of timely content for Google's "fresh" update are posted at Search Engine Watch .

Guest Author, Nick Stamoulis E-commerce sites often struggle with their SEO. Boring, bland product descriptions make up the bulk of the content, the URL structures are often a mess and because they rely so heavily on graphics the site speed is very slow and most of the site looks blank to the search spiders. However, that doesn't mean that there is no hope for e-commerce sites when it comes to optimizing their content! SEO best practice guidelines still apply,

Greetings Web Writers, and welcome to Heather's latest SEO copywriting video how-to! Today, Heather expands on last week's "power words" vlog with harnessing the power of that magical customer-centric word: " you ." You . Such a seemingly simple word packs an incredible punch, as it centers your web copy around them . Coupled with customer-oriented web content, using "you" in your copy is a proven strategy for engaging the prospect and improving conversions.

I'm writing a shorter post this week as I've been hit with some crud that feels like the plague. OK, I'm sure that it's not the plague. I'm sure that it's just a cold. But still' it feels "plague-y" to me' I've been doing a lot of surfing while I've been stuck on the couch - and I've noticed a lot of sites making the same mistake. Instead of their home page providing an excellent introduction to the company's product or service,

This week's web writing news focuses on the fundamentals. Content marketers discuss conversions, search and SEO folks emphasize basic SEO and link building practices, while social media marketers talk influence. Get back to the marketing basics with this week's picks: Content Marketing So which brain is your website selling to? Smart read by Tim Ash at ClickZ . Is your content getting boring? Five ways to bring "sexy" back are shared at Content Marketing Institute .

In a most brutally honest and open interview, Marty Weintraub shares his journey from his humble beginnings as a college web writer to the CEO of aimClear, battling and beating a devastating cancer diagnosis and kicking online marketing butt along the way. We are most grateful to Marty for sharing this amazing insight into his life, both personal and professional. He more than met any expectations of an "expert interview." We were blown away, and we're sure you will be,

Good day! Today we're taking it back to "old school" copywriting, as Heather addresses how to boost your conversions with "power words." Back in the day - before SEO copywriting, even before Web writing - copywriters focused on adding "power words" to their content, such as their direct sales letters, to improve conversions. It's a tried and true strategy that's been used by copywriters for many, many years.

What's scarier than zombies, witches and vampires combined? Bad sales copy that sucks the life out of your conversions. You may say, "Well, our sales copy is performing OK - I check our analytics." And that's good. But I want to teach you how to transform your "good" sale copy into "great" - and turn your sales up to a Spinal Tap 11. And all it's going to take is a little bit of time. It's easy to develop a blind spot around our Websites.

Guest Author, Bharati Ahuja Recently we have been observing many changes affecting the SEO industry. These changes are all initiated by Google and have a direct impact on SEO campaigns in some way or another. The SEO industry has been exploding the web with blog posts, comments and opinions about these updations, most of which are like an accusation that Google is out to get at organic search with a vengeance and give preference, priority and partial treatment to paid search.

Greetings! Today's video blog captures Heather's five-part series on how to writer a killer website, from the home page to that oft-neglected, conversions star of a FAQ page. If you've been struggling with creating your own website, or could use some help with traffic, lead generation and conversions, then this five-step video blog guide should prove most useful in guiding you through the whole website creation process. There is stiff competition out there.

Are you looking for a way to prompt your prospects to "buy now?" Maybe you should make your product or service less available. In today's "I can get anything I want anytime I want it world," an approach like that seems counter-intuitive. Yet, the psychological principle of scarcity is alive and well online - and many top retailers are making lots of money from it every single day. What's the principle of scarcity? According to Robert Cialindi,

There's always room for improvement: such is the mantra of this week's latest and greatest web-writing news. Content marketers address ways to improve reader engagement, SEO & search pro's discuss myriad ways to better the craft, while social media marketers talk influencers and enhancing user experience.

Today we're honored to share our interview with Alan Bleiweiss , the outspoken search marketing industry leader widely known for his unabashed views )and rants(. A recognized author, speaker, and character, Alan is now the Director of Search Services at Click2Rank Consulting based in Lacey, Washington. So what led you to the involvement you've had over the years with SEO copywriting? It's the core principle of my path in the work world.

Crunched for time? Uninspired? Suffering blogger's block? Or maybe you just need to take a break already, maybe even - dare you say it - a vacation? You're not alone, by any means. A lot of bloggers struggle with the occupational hazard of being chained to creating exceptional content on a regular basis - even if their muse, time, and sanity are suffering. So in today's video blog, Heather shares five easy - note, easy - ways you can reuse your hard-labored,

Recently, InboundWriter released a report called The Impact of Real-Time Content Optimization: Does Access to Search and Social Intelligence Make You a More Effective Writer? Of course, you can guess that I'd be all over an SEO content writing study, so I definitely had to check this out. The report discusses three different content scenarios - category landing pages for eBeanstalk.com, a new blog network )Link Orbit,