A Spot of SEO News

Well, your SEO blogger may have been under the weather lately, but that doesn’t stop the flood of SEO news coming in.  To hlep me get back in the swing of things, and to get you caught up, here’s just some of what’s been going on lately:

• German Internet sales grew in 2008. Despite the economic downturn gripping much of the world, German spending online saw 19% growth last year.  The growth is attributed to an increase in the number of online shoppers as well as an increase in average sale.  With Germany facing tough times offline, it’s uncertain how much sales will grow in 2009, even with 30 million shoppers online now.
• The US Hispanic market is embracing broadband and downloads. In the US, the online penetration rate of Hispanics is at 54%, still behind the general 69% penetration of the country.  Despite this, when comparing broadband penetration rates, Hispanics are at 68% (compared to 71% for the whole country).  Those residing in major cities like Miami or San Francisco were also more likely to subscribe to broadband.
• Small business are turning to the web in 2009. Small business have an uphill battle in 2009.  Many are already feeling the pinch, but they’re already recognizing where they need to focus this year. “They’re increasing their online activities, becoming more focused, and conducting segmentation research to better target their customers.”  All these and more should help small businesses to weather the storm better.
• Facebook hit 200 million users. Perhaps the most noteworthy item about this is that the fastest growing segment is now users aged 26-44. The NY Times wonders if Facebook is growing up too fast.
• And finally…Danny Sullivan wrote a great piece on URL shortening services and which one you should use.  If you’re using Twitter and other social media, you know these can be convenient things to have. Read Danny’s article to learn which ones are best for your link juice.