More PNG optimization, building charts, and landing page optimization – Monday July 27th Roundup

Vancouver just got over the apocalypse. Red skies with lightning darting across like some kind of chthonic force was tearing from the earth and rising into the air. Oh, also there were fireworks or something.

This week we have more PNG optimization, telling stories with charts, landing page optimization, and lots of rants.

• We start the week with our friends over at Elasticpath and some great tips on doing keyword research with Google Alerts. Its actually a pretty clever, since it allows you to passively research your keyterms (thus mixing up how your brain is thinking about these).
• Next up, Adage with Social Media: Taking Cues from Indie Music. The key point here needs to be repeated over and over and over again, the size of your network is less important than the quality of your relationships. When you get down to it, people want to communicate with and feel connected to the movements, projects, and people that&hellip I don’t want to say “love” here because that’s too specific, but perhaps that which interests them. If you allow the people interested in you, your project, or your brand to connect and engage, then you’re building all sorts of trendy marketing buzzwords, but more important you’re building up peoples euphoria over being a part of what they… oh f&*% it, what they love.Also, as a post script, this means actually engaging, like 2+ direction communication. This means listening, responding, and being a part of something, not posting your favourite gawker post of the day—not that I should talk, though in my defense a 144 character limit makes it almost impossible to hold any kind of real conversation. I guess that’s why its microblogging (aka. micro-broadcasting) and not chat or something.

• Even more awesome PNG optimization techniques with the “PNG Optimization Guide”. Median noise can reduce PNG file sizes? No way.
• While we’re on optimization, 3 Ways to Speed up Your Site with PHP.

• What’s this? Starting the analytics section with a story about charts? How dare I! Well, to quote Avinash (ok, not really quote) analytics is about telling stories, and when a picture is worth a thousand words, then two in the hand is wo… where was I? Right, how the New York Times uses great charts and visualizations to explain how multiple data sets converge into clear patterns.
• Eric Peterson has an interview with Bill Gassman (Gartner) on Google Analytics

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• Finally, a cool little blog thats new to the roundup: 90percentofeverything has Why conversion rate uplift percentages can be confusing, and how to interpret them.

• Search engine land has 8 Dimensions Of Excellent Landing Pages

• I was directed today to things marketing people like. Like Things Whitepeople Like, but not quite as funny.
• Ever want to know statistics on vampire fans? Well Nielsen has got them (but then they’ve got everything). 2.88 female fans to every male fan? Good god I wish I knew that when I was younger.
• We end this week with one of my most cited blogs saying something that I don’t agree with at all: that not having a local search option is a problem for Google. Seriously? They provide local searches integrated into maps search (much more useful than a link and meta description), and they give local results priority in the SERPs so you can just use normal search to find what you’re looking for (as it should be). Meanwhile, the real strength of local search (beyond the Yellowpagesesque search-for-a-phone-number) is mobile search, being able to tell what is near you when you’re on the go, which maps is amazing for, but just in case you cant run it (or have a poor data plan) they have mobile local search—that is, text based local search—too. Simple no?There’s just no reason to split local and global searches, when they already have maps—an area based search option.