15 Ways Clients Can Build a Better Relationship With Their SEO Provider

After running a link agency for the past few years, I can safely say that some clients are easy to work with and some are nightmares. I can also say that the ones who are easy and fun to work with are the ones that truly bring out my passion for the work that we do, and as I see with my own employees, being receptive to listening to someone else's perspective is something that I highly value.

It doesn't matter if a client's niche is exciting or if their site is so amazing that I want to spend hours on it every week. A client who is willing to view our arrangement as a give and take relationship is the client for me.

Here are 15 pieces of advice that will help you build a better relationship with your SEO provider.

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5 Ways to Have Killer Content in 2014

If there's one thing we heard ad nauseam in 2013 (and 2012, 2011, 2010...), it was that "content is king." Frankly, this phrase has been said so many times that it has lost its meaning. What exactly does that mean?

Content will continue to be a key part in SEO moving into 2014. I don't think that will ever change. But your strategy has to adapt if you're going to keep up.

Here are five ways to make sure your content will sustain in the New Year and move you past your competitors.

1. Marketing Automation to Measure It

Dave Snyder already hit the key KPIs to measure for content marketing, which is highly recommended reading. "Content has value beyond simple search engine optimization," Snyder wrote.

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Why Content Marketing is a Definitive Method for Success in 2014

Over the course of the past year, content marketing has really taken the spotlight. While the importance of quality content has been preached for a long time, in 2013 it proved to be the talk of the digital marketing industry and beyond.

A regular marketing tool for many companies, content creation became a prime method for success in 2013 and will become a definitive one in 2014.

While "content" is a common term, the past year has consisted of truly digging in and finding the precise definition and methods that go along with it. As a result of this yearlong brainstorm came a good amount of content strategy insights.

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Home Depot's Richard the Cat Mocks How-To Helpless Humans

Think Grumpy Cat is the only moody spokescat on the Internet? Think again.

The Home Depot is using another surly feline, Richard the Cat, in its online springtime promotional efforts.

According to his Tumblr bio, Richard the Cat is an outdoor expert stuck with "‘how-to' helpless humans."

Distinctively disdainful of people -- particularly when it comes to springtime gardening -- Richard tweets messages like, "When the humans #DigIn outside, they say they're ‘planting.' So far, they've successfully grown a garden of weeds," from his Twitter handle, @RichardtheCat, which had 660 followers as of Wednesday.

However, according to an email from a Home Depot rep, "once you get to know Richard, you realize he's not so much surly as he is a mature feline who is impatient with the people (and pets) who surround him and are operating with less experience and knowledge than he."

The rep says Home Depot has created native experiences for Richard to "engrain him in spring scenery."

Home Depot's springtime campaign is tied together with the hashtag #DigIn on networks including Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Read More : No.1 Most Read Article of 2013: Home Depot's Richard the Cat Mocks How-To Helpless Humans

New Year 2014 Google Logo Keeps On Disco Dancing

Today’s Google logo ushers in the New Year with the same logo as yesterday’s New Year’s Eve disco-themed logo, with one small change: 2013 is now 2014.

The interactive logo includes the same spinning disco ball and vibrating speakers, but now the dancing numbers are 2014, as a sweaty number “3″ makes its way off the light-up dance floor. (The number appears to be mouthing something, but I’m not sure what it’s saying.) Clicking the logo returns results for “New Year 2014.”

Under the search box, is a link to the “Google Zeitgeist 2013″ site, a page with all the top searches performed on Google during the last year.

Search Engine Land wishes all our readers and happy and healthy 2014!

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Top 10 SEO New Year's Resolutions for a Successful 2014

It's been quite a year for SEO folk everywhere.

As 2013 shutters its doors and 2014 beckons, it's an opportune time to reevaluate, reassess, and revisit SEO tactics.

In the spirit of a New Year's Eve edition, I'm presenting some of the most popular (according to the US Government) New Years Resolutions through an SEO lens, in the hope of spreading some good cheer and great strategy along with a very happy new year to you and yours!

Without further ado... below are the top 10 SEO resolutions for your 2014 success!

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6 Major Google Changes Reveal the Future of SEO

The last few weeks have been amazing. Google has made some big changes and they are all part of a longer term strategy that has many components.

In short, Google is doing a brilliant job of pushing people away from tactical SEO behavior and toward a more strategic approach.

You could argue that "tactical SEO is dead", but that's not quite right. And don't run around saying "SEO is dead" because that is far from the truth, and I might just scream at you.

Instead, let's take a few steps back and understand the big picture. Here's a look at the major developments, some of Google's initiatives driving this change, and the overall impact these changes will have on SEO.

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