From time to time we will be running posts by some “friends of Marketing Pilgrim”. How do you become a friend? Just like in the real world, it’s pretty simple in that you just need to get to know us. We’re harmless .

“I know, it’s only SEO, but I like it.” – with apologies to The Rolling Stones

Much of the buzz in the SEO world of late has been about the recent updates to the Google Algorithm called “Panda.” A great many have reported their sites took a hit on the SERPs, while an equal, or perhaps greater number of others applauded the changes because it benefited them in some way. Although I haven’t yet studied it fully, my own observations tell me that most of the sites scraping content off the websites I’m responsible for have all but disappeared. Panda must have dried up their revenue stream because they’ve been very quiet for several months now.

Last week, SEOMoz hosted a Search Ranking Factors webinar or #mozinar (to you Twitter folks out there) that highlighted the latest and greatest in what plays into search results. Search marketing presents huge opportunity for businesses. In fact, for many local and small businesses their success often relies on appearing in the SERPs. If you happened to miss the webinar, here are the top 15 things to consider when doing SEO.

1. Correlation Isn’t Causation – We all knew that this was coming. If you follow SEOMoz heavily this is one of the most commonly used phrases but for good reason. The illustration pointed out that although their study may bring about correlations between variables it isn’t meant to suggest that they cause one another.

This isn’t a hidden fact; link building is the missing piece of most online marketing plans. Onsite SEO and content are just part of the game, but there is no part of code you can change that will have an impact on ranking like good, strong, focused links to your site’s pages. Naturally, link building is the one thing we all hate doing. Most SEOs, when you mention link building, will either groan and put their headphones back on, or just cry. But it is a necessary part of SEO.