Speedlink 1/2013: Search Trends, iZik Search, StumbleUpon YIR

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great week and starting the new year with a bang. This is my first Speedlink of the year and for those of you who are seeing this for the first time, it is my weekly roundup of great articles, videos, etc., that I stumbled upon on social media channels, blogs I subscribe to, YouTube, etc. In addition, I also receive emails from people who recommend their articles to be featured in here, so if you have something you wish to share that is relevant to my topic, feel free to send it to me via email for consideration.

Anyway, most noteworthy buzz this week IMO goes to the topic related to search and business trends for 2013. Most of the articles that I have read basically has one thing in common, that being, 2013 is the year of UX (user experience). UX is not just about quality content, it goes far beyond that. Your website being able to render in different devices, browsers, etc, is one good example. So make sure that you focus on that, if you really want to stay in the game and succeed with your online endeavors.

Another noteworthy news this week is Blekko’s launch of iZik.com, a search engine app specifically built for the iPad and Android tablets in mind. According to Blekko, every search on your tablet is transformed into a beautiful, glossy page that utilizes rich images, categories, and, of course, gesture controls. You can also use iZik on your normal PC, Laptops, whatever. What do you think? Is this one of those trends that I just mentioned above to improve UX?

Finally, take a look at this interesting “interactive infographic” published by StumbleUpon for their YIR (Year In Review), that shows you what users have been up to in 2012. There are some few mind boggling results, but nonetheless, it can help you figure out what works on that content discovery network.

As usual, in no particular order:

Inbound Marketing/SEO

• 10 Predictions for Inbound Marketing in 2013
• What is Evergreen Content and Why Should You Care?
• How to Be a Spammer in 20 Simple Steps
• The Duplicate Content Myth. Busted!
• AuthorRank Building: the Link Building of 2013?

Content Marketing/Small Business Bites

• How to Become an Influential Writer in the Age of Author Rank
• How to Use Contests and Giveaways to Get User-Generated Content
• 10 Ways to Convert More Customers (with Psychology)

Social Web/Cool Stuff and Other Roundups

• Incapsula Review: Is It The Best Way To Make Your Blog Faster and Safer?
• How To Make Your WordPress Site Load Faster in 2013 (in case you missed it)
• Thesis 2.0 Theme Review – WordPress Theme Framework ReInvented
• Marketing Day: January 4, 2013

That’s it! Enjoy, have a great weekend!