Now that 2012 has come to a close, it's time to take a look back at the posts and community members that made the biggest impacts on the Moz blog throughout the year!
This year offered unlimited awesomeness to highlight, but we had to pick and choose. The list includes top posts based on unique pageviews, thumbs up, total number of comments, and linking root domains. We also highlight the community members who left top comments (by thumbs up) and those who left the highest amount of comments throughout the year.
If there are any posts you didn't get a chance to read (or any epic posts you can't wait to re-read), my advice is to grab your favorite mug, fill it with a tasty treat, and curl up in your favorite cozy place to catch up on the best of the Moz blog in 2012. I'm excited to hear your thoughts on your favorite posts, why you think they did so well, and what you'd like to see more of in 2013!
A quick-reference list of the Top Posts of 2012:
Unique pageviews
Thumbs up
Total number of comments
Linking root domains
And one for the community members who Mozzed our socks off:
Top comments (by thumbs up)
Top users (by total comments)
Data disclaimer: This data was gathered within the last 24 hours, so the numbers may change slightly (if so, my apologies). A huge thank you goes to Casey Henry, who helped me gather and compile a fair amount of the data used. All of the data used is current and reliable to the best of my knowledge, but keep in mind that I'm no data scientist like our wonderful Matt Peters. :)
Before we dive into the posts, let's look at this year's top ten post topics:
- Link Building
- Content & Blogging
- Social Media
- Search Engine Trends
- On-Page / Site Optimization
- Analytics
- Technical SEO Issues
- Whiteboard Friday
- Intermediate & Advanced SEO
- Search Industry
Top posts of 2012 by unique pageviews
Traffic surge, anyone? Our 2012 unique pageviews were off the charts! Although Rand's updated post from 2007 claims the number one spot by a large margin, nine other amazing posts aren't far behind. One note about the YouMoz posts in this category: the pageviews are counted after the posts were promoted to the main blog. Here are the top ten most viewed posts of the year:
1. 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic (Updated 2012)
January 17th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
As content marketing continues to thrive, driving traffic to your blog has never been more important. Rand expands on his epic 2007 (yep, you read that right) post on blogging and offers updated tactics that work for bloggers of all shapes and sizes.
2. SEO Pricing: 600+ Agencies Share Costs of Services & Pricing Models
January 3rd, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Ever wonder what pricing models other agencies are following? This post highlights the findings of our 2011 survey asking consultants and agencies of all demographics to contribute their pricing models and cost structures, along with a snazzy, shareable infographic.
3. 12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Every Time
March 5th, 2012 - Posted by neilpatel
There's nothing worse than setting up a blog that's susceptible to injury. Neil Patel shares his tips for running a happy, healthy blog that will give you years of love and affection.
4. 11 Google Analytics Tricks to Use for Your Website
March 1st, 2012 - Posted by Eugen Oprea
This awesome post started out in YouMoz and was quickly promoted to the main blog after winning the hearts of our community members. GA tricks for all!
5. 6 Changes Every SEO Should Make BEFORE the Over-Optimization Penalty Hits - Whiteboard Friday
April 19th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
After Google announced their decision to penalize websites engaging in over-optimization practices, Rand's Whiteboard Friday on the topic shared tips to help site owners avoid the penalties. Needless to say, it was considered one of our "2012 lifesaver" posts. This doozy ranked highly in all top post categories, so in order to showcase more awesome content, I've listed it in this first category only.
6. Are You Setting Up WordPress For SEO Success?
May 7th, 2012 - Posted by evolvingSEO
Talk about clearing up WordPress confusion! Dan Shure hits it out of the park with his tips on setting up WordPress like an SEO pro.
7. The New SEO Process (Quit Being Kanye)
February 20th, 2012 - Posted by iPullRank
In true Mike King fashion, SEO and rap wizardry join forces to paint a picture of the future in an eloquent, tactic-heavy way.
8. The Noob Guide to Link Building
May 8th, 2012 - Posted by iPullRank
As a companion piece to the Noob Guide to Online Marketing, this post deconstructs each step of the link building process for fledgling SEOs.
9. How to Perform the World's Greatest SEO Audit
June 6th, 2012 - Posted by Steve Webb
Another top post started out in YouMoz (woo hoo!) and won the community over, pushing the post into Moz blog history. Steve Webb walks us through the steps of an insanely thorough SEO audit process.
10. Google Analytics Certification and How to Pass the GAIQ Test
February 24th, 2012 - Posted by Slingshot SEO
YouMoz, you're making me blush! Studying for the Google Analytics Individual Qualification test has never been more fun than with these tips to help you pass with flying colors (and cats).
Top posts of 2012 by thumbs up
Last year, we had 41 posts with over 100 thumbs up. This year, 71 posts meet the mark! Surprisingly, only four of these top posts coincide with the top ten trafficked posts of 2012. Are our top trafficked post numbers reflecting new users who don't have accounts in order to thumb-up posts, or is something else to blame? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Now, check out this year's top ten posts by thumbs up:
1. The New SEO Process (Quit Being Kanye)
February 20th, 2012 - Posted by iPullRank
The King does it again - this post is a must-read!
2. 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic (Updated 2012)
January 17th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Coming in hot on this list, too? w00t w00t!
3. Moz's $18 Million Venture Financing: Our Story, Metrics and Future
May 1st, 2012 - Posted by randfish
One of our most exciting announcements of 2012 was delivered in the form of this epically-wonderful post by Rand. It still makes me happy dance when I read it :)
4. How Google Makes Liars Out of the Good Guys in SEO
February 28th, 2012 - Posted by wilreynolds
Before the explosion of #RCS, Wil Reynolds spent some time evangelizing for the good guys in SEO whose choices still seem to go unrewarded by Google.
5. The Death of Link Building and the Rebirth of Link Earning - Whiteboard Friday
October 19th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
As algo updates are released, site owners are finding ways to adapt. In this Whiteboard Friday post, Rand discusses the egress of old link building practices and the ingress of link earning strategies, with much of our community standing by his side.
6. Prediction: Anchor Text is Weakening...And May Be Replaced by Co-Occurrence - Whiteboard Friday
November 16th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Due to the increase in co-occurence of terms and links in search queries, in text content, and in links, Rand's Whiteboard Friday on the topic had the Moz community a-buzz!
7. SEO Pricing: 600+ Agencies Share Costs of Services & Pricing Models
January 3rd, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Hooray for pricing data collected from respondents around the world!
8. The New On-Page Optimization - Whiteboard Friday
March 29th, 2012 - Posted by JoannaLord
In her very first Whiteboard Friday, Joanna Lord discusses advanced techniques for optimizing your landing page to help serve the evolution of web marketers.
9. How to Perform the World's Greatest SEO Audit
June 6th, 2012 - Posted by Steve Webb
The Moz community has spoken, and this audit post wins!
10. Getting On-Page SEO Right in 2012 and Beyond - Whiteboard Friday
October 12th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
And the crowd went wild! But really, people loved this post and came in masses to learn about how to optimize their on-page strategy in a world of ever-changing algorithms.
Top posts of 2012 by total number of comments
The Moz community wowed us again this year with an impressive amount of comments on the blog. As an editor, I'm continuously blown away by how many in-depth, thoughtful comments our posts get on a daily basis. Giving SEO community members a platform to voice their opinions is something we live for at the Mozplex, and you fine folks sure are taking advantage of it - huzzah! Here are the posts that drove the largest discussions in 2012:
1. How to Perform the World's Greatest SEO Audit
June 6th, 2012 - Posted by Steve Webb
It's starting to feel a bit like deja vu. :)
2. Prediction: Anchor Text is Weakening...And May Be Replaced by Co-Occurrence - Whiteboard Friday
November 16th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Catchy title, valuable information. This one's a must-read before 2013!
3. Comment Marketing as an Inbound Tactic - Whiteboard Friday
May 31st, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Rand really swept the floor this year with stunning Whiteboard Fridays. This awesome post outlines white-hat comment marketing techniques that will help you build strong relationships with users from all corners of the web.
4. Google's EMD Algo Update - Early Data
September 29th, 2012 - Posted by Dr. Pete
Our resident algo watchdog is at it again. Dr. Pete reports on early findings in the EMD algo update to help prepare users for what's to come.
5. 17 Types of Link Spam to Avoid
May 15th, 2012 - Posted by Carson Ward
We all know how bad link spam tastes. Carson Ward cautions against link building strategies that will make your business look like it comes straight from the can, rather than from being prepared from scratch.
6. Moz's $18 Million Venture Financing: Our Story, Metrics and Future
May 1st, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Moz gets a big chance to share the TAGFEE love, with some great new partners to help celebrate!
7. The Death of Link Building and the Rebirth of Link Earning - Whiteboard Friday
October 19th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
The hot topic of new and old link building strategies stirred a reaction from the Moz community, and everyone got a chance to speak in the comments.
8. How Garbage Ranks in the SERPs: a Case Study
March 15th, 2012 - Posted by Eppie Vojt
When this post was published to YouMoz, we knew it would be a winner. Eppie Vojt shows us how "garbage" sites may still rank ahead of your own site, despite the love and care that went into creating it.
9. Negative SEO: Myths, Realities, and Precautions - Whiteboard Friday
April 26th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Knowledge is power, and this edition of Whiteboard Friday highlights negative SEO practices to prevent you from being the subject of malicious intent. Think of it as your protection course on SEO black magic.
10. Guest Blogging - Enough is Enough
August 27th, 2012 - Posted by Carson Ward
Although guest blogging is a big part of content strategy, it's an incomplete strategy on its own. Learn why there's more to life than guest blogging through this epic post!
Top posts of 2012 by linking root domains
In the true spirit of SEO, we must look at this year's posts with the highest number of backlinks. To do so, we pulled the number of linking root domains rather than the total number of backlinks to tally up the winners (note that this data was taken before the latest Mozscape index). Last year's 2011 roundup featured an impressive 12 posts with over 100 linking root domains, and this year we've got even bigger news: five posts had over 200 linking root domains. 200 LINKING ROOT DOMAINS?! Holy canoli, Batman! I guess SEO is still alive and kicking :)
1. 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic (Updated 2012)
January 17th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Clenching a second number one spot in our top ten list, this post is clearly a must-read.
2. How WPMU.org Recovered From The Penguin Update
May 28th, 2012 - Posted by Ross Hudgens
This post was a 2012 fan-favorite. Ross Hudgens walks us through a case study of Penguin proportions and shows us how one site bounced back from the penalties.
3. SEO Pricing: 600+ Agencies Share Costs of Services & Pricing Models
January 3rd, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Data FTW, again!
4. How Authorship (and Google+) Will Change Linkbuilding
April 15th, 2012 - Posted by Tom Anthony
No wonder Link Building was the most popular post topic of 2012. Tom Anthony predicts how Google+ and Authorship will change the link building landscape for good.
5. Penguins, Pandas, and Panic at the Zoo
May 2nd, 2012 - Posted by Dr. Pete
A gaggle of Google updates later, our brave algo hunter Dr. Pete lays out next steps for what you should (and should not) do to prevent penalties from hitting your site.
6. How Google+ Uses SEO to Steal Search from Facebook and Twitter
January 4th, 2012 - Posted by Cyrus Shepard
Google+ is the newest kid on the playground of social media channels, but it's beginning to steal the thunder from the veterans.
7. Why Every Marketer Now Needs a Google+ Strategy
January 16th, 2012 - Posted by randfish
Speaking of G+ gaining traction quicker than a ThunderCat, this post highlights why every marketer needs a G+ strategy implemented into their marketing game plan.
8. The New SEO Process (Quit Being Kanye)
February 20th, 2012 - Posted by iPullRank
Kanye's got nothin' on King.
9. The Noob Guide to Link Building
May 8th, 2012 - Posted by iPullRank
Link building 101. Enough said.
10. Unnatural Link Warnings and Blog Networks
March 26th, 2012 - Posted by Carson Ward
Spam, spam, and more spam. Carson Ward walks us through identifying spammy blog networks, and fixing and recovering from unnatural link penalties.
Top comments of 2012 by thumbs up
Our community members aren't just commenting on our daily blog posts; they're supporting each others' opinions, as well. Group hug! Here are the comments (some serious and some not-so-much) that got the most love from other community members this year:
1. Kris Roadruck | October 19th, 2012 
The Death of Link Building and the Rebirth of Link Earning - Whiteboard Friday
2. Dan Deceuster | February 17th, 2012 
The Last Linkbuilding Strategy Your Business Will Ever Need
3. Sajeet Nair | March 5th, 2012 
12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Every Time
4. Matthew C. Egan | September 25th, 2012 
How Many SEO Consultants Actually Know What They're Talking About?
5. wrttnwrd | March 13th, 2012 
The Brand of SEO and the Trend of Inbound Marketing
6. Kane Jamison | May 7th, 2012 
Are You Setting Up WordPress For SEO Success?
7. Sajeet Nair | February 14th, 2012 
Be Careful Using AdWords for Keyword Research
8. Kane Jamison | June 11th, 201 
The Bigfoot Update (AKA Dr. Pete Goes Crazy)
9. Asif Dilshad | March 8th, 2012 
Visualizing the Marketing Funnel - Whiteboard Friday
10. SEOTakeaways | January 6th, 2012 
All About Anchor Text - Whiteboard Friday
Top users of 2012 by total comments
It's time for the movers and shakers who went above and beyond in their comment discussions this year. Who was the most active in 2012, you ask? If you're around the blog often, the faces below will look familiar. If not, give them a holler and connect! Here are our top ten (associates and staff removed) commenters of the year:
1. moosahemani
mozPoints: 2193 | Rank: 14
2. James Norquay - Australian SEO
mozPoints: 2688 | Rank: 11
3. SEODinosaur
mozPoints: 1012 | Rank: 56
4. Brian Reynolds
mozPoints: 215 | Rank: 394
5. GrowTraffic
mozPoints: 350 | Rank: 205
6. Jeff Downer
mozPoints: 234 | Rank: 345
7. Asif Dilshad
mozPoints: 302 | Rank: 243
8. David O'Donnell
mozPoints: 847 | Rank: 69
9. algogmbh_petra
mozPoints: 1466 | Rank: 31
10. Jonathon Colman
mozPoints: 776 | Rank: 79
And there you have it, folks! Hopefully this post was as fun for you to read as it was for me to put together. I'm so thankful to be part of such a wonderful community, and after looking back at the amazingness that was last year, I can't wait for what the new year has to offer.
What was your favorite post of 2012? Is there anything you'd like to see more of in 2013? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Hey Ashley, what about a shout out to the Q&A massive? Egol, Ryan etc are helping people all, day every day but are just not so active on the front end of the site. :)
Legit question.
Thanks for reading, marcusmiller. We love our Q&A folks and value their hard work. However, this post's focus is blog-specific, and Q&A is a separate entity. We'll definitely think about writing a post highlighting our Q&A members in the near future!
So many faces above but only TWO girls!!! Me and Joanna's. We do need more women here!!
Right?! Quite sad isn't it. :( I checked and last year we had 5 women on the list (you were on it last year too). We should be going up and not down... something we'll have to work on for sure!
Daaaaaaamn! I wish I had that kind of traffic and link acquisition from my blog :'( fml
You have to work hard to achieve this. It’s not impossible but not so easy as well.
Yeah, just got to keep going at it :)
I've had some quite popular posts that people liked after I shared it with a few communities on Facebook, somewhere to start building a readership base.
You can have that traffic for sure, Jazy. Just visit the link- "21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic. It was one of the best researched and articulate article. Certainly one of the biggest posts for the previous year and really made a big turnaround for all the bloggers.
What a super list and all in one place. I could sit here for days reading this all day...or all week. So, I think I'll bookmark so that I can come back and read one or two a day.
Oh, and I so agree with algogmbh_petra. It would be really nice to see more women here.
I don’t believe I am in List. This is the nice way to encourage and incentivize your loyal followers. I think I have to face tough competition next Year. Good work.
Kudos Asif!
You are doing a great job, as all the others listed here (and the ones who are just out of the list for few comments or thumbs up).
Recognitions are important, and - let's not negate it - they are making you feel good and more motivated. But, remember, they are the consequence of giving, being empathetic and humble while trying to offer your grain of value to the discussion.
A Community is good as far as the people in the Community make it alive and boiling with ideas, discussions and good laughs.
So, and this is a message from a long time member of the Moz Community for all the others, who are still silent readers:
Agree with your all points. You can see some of my comments are indorsing others and some……. As far as I know this is first post on Seomoz so I don’t try to achieve anything the only goal is to share my thoughts.
As far as community is concerned I think all of us (Mozers) hate spam and our community buried the spammers under thumbs down flood s/he does not thinks to do it again. But we have to more conscious about spam because after this post many spammers tries to achieve some hidden objectives.
Asif... I was not blaming you at all, but, to avoid any misunderstandings, I edited my comment in order to make it more clear :).
I know I am just taking some liberties to talk with you. Don’t worry Sir even if you say something to me I will not mind because I learn from you. :)
Congrats Asif. Your avatar was in my mind when I first saw the "top comment section" in this post :)
Even more happier that after me i see another Pakistani in the main stream!
Good work mate!
I hope we will see more Pakistani here next year because of IT boom. Many SEOs are step in and SEOmoz should be the first classroom for them.
Watching my name there (twice) seriously made my day, although i think that there is one more comment of mine which got 32 likes and should also be featured here :) (Sorry if I am being little too greedy)
This post is surely the one which should be bookmarked, some amazing posts out there, congratulations to all the contributors.
Note to Self - High time I submit a Guest post to SEOMOZ
Cheers,
Sajeet
Same happened to me I suddenly shocked when I see my name. When it come to SEOmoz we became all greedy that’s why I am worried about next year we can see more spammers to bombard the community with spam. As loyal community member and contributor we should have to work with moz staff to control upcoming spam and save our community.
Note to Self - High time I submit a Guest post to SEOMOZ
Do it or I'll snap your face ;-)
Wow! I didn't expect that my post would get so much traffic. That's huge!
Thanks so much for the opportunity Mozzers! Will come back with new and better content in 2013.
My god I made the list! Oh, nevermind. Maybe next year :)
Congrats to all those that make the SEOMoz community such an awesome place!
Yikes! More articles for me to read! Thanks for compiling a list of amazing articles!
Happy New Yeay SEO community! Best wished from Ukraine! ;)
Great great list. For me now 2013 will be the year of Social Media. It is slowly but surely becoming so much a part of what we do. So watch your back people. Give users an incentive to LIKE your work. You know what I mean.
Whoa! This list is Gold. Thanks much Ashley for collecting all this data and special thanks to all SEOMoz contributors for sharing their awesome knowledge. Cheers!
Great job, everyone! I believe this kind of content truly deserves the most natural links ever, with lots of tweets and shares.
Also, these posts are a VERY good hint of what's interesting for the community. Bookmarked :)
Really very remarkable links that you have mentioned here, Thanks for arranging them into different categories and making us easier to understand.
Woot I made the Top 10 SEOmoz hecklers list! Very cool data to have it all ranked like that and interesting to see that Thumbs Up lead to fewer domain links than commenting does.
The last face I expected to see on this post was mine. Thank you for the recognition.
P.S. Will being on this list help me get a MozCation here in Indianapolis? lol
Thanks for your involvement in the Moz community, Jeff! We're excited to check out the Indianapolis MozCation entry this year :)
2nd most comments in 2012 =)
Funny enough I had several people in 2012 mention to me at events, conferences and even people who I was interviewing saying "hey I always see you comment on SEOmoz"
Then I guess commenting can point to being a good inbound tactic. I should also add this post must be the 'best' "best of 2012" post on SEOmoz.
I love these lists, because they reflect the health of a Community! And the Moz Community is very well alive and kicking.
By the way... even if I'm out of the competition... 340 comments in 2012 were mine. You.Can.Do.Better dudes :)
It's great that SEOmoz honors its contributors this way. I was thinking however that there should be separate rankings for contributions of staff members and community members. There is a difference between staff members who are paid to write for SEOmoz and community members who contribute solely out of desire to help the community. These rankings don't make that distinction.
Not a bad idea for another post, Kevin. We'll look into pulling that together!
I find it great collection of all top posts all together in one post. Thanks Ashley..you are Appreciated.
Hi Moosa Hamani we friends called him(He-Man) glad to see u on first position.....Asif congratulate to u also.....
Just catching up on the SEOmoz blog posts I missed over the xmas break and got a nice surprise when I noticed I was in the top commenters for 2012! :D
I'd be interested to see the stats for the Q&A forum also.
Appreciate the article. I've read about half of the articles so far and looking forward to reading the rest. These year end post are a great way to find some great articles that you might have missed throughout the year.
Thanks Ash for posting a year long book of SEO info. Great. It is kind of reminder when thinking about some posts and refresher course for all read posts. I feel like going through the revision period before the final exam season. Once again a big thanks for the post, regards
You're quite welcome, Brahmadas. Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading!
I really like this post... Thanks for sharing it.
#5 could have saved alot of people over penalties, I will have to look at the other ones!
Thanks for all the great comments, everybody! I'd love to hear about what you'd like to see more of on the blog in 2013. Feel free to discuss!
Dang! Looks like I'll have to up my comments this year ;) Great post Ashley, thanks for the interesting view of what's going on at SEOmoz!
Excellent, thanks! I'll be reading some of these through my lunch break (we are treated like slaves in our office). It would also be great to see the "Worst Of" for the year! The most thumbs down, the most hated posts etc. It's always good to get some perspective. I'm joking, of course. Or am I?!??!
Where's the Rank for most number of first comment in WBF? i can't believe this.
Thx,
I have gone through many articles. And i wanted to read more articles which you have added here. I have bookmarked this page i shall go through when i have time.
I also want to share with you guys which i wrote at Time for You to Go One Level UP- SEO Understanding and Ranking Factors
Please review it and comment once you have spare time.
Congrats to those on the list
Great summary Ashley - a lot of great articles/comments to revisit here. I must have just missed out the top 10 list of users by comments :P
It's really interesting the post from Russ (which is excellent) was 2nd in top linked to posts, but didn't appear in any of the other lists. You would think there would be a correlation between traffic + links. I am guessing it's because that post got cited in a lot of news/blogs due to the nature of the post and timing e.g. when Pengiun was so hot. It also shows how well case studies do in terms of links e.g. sharing actual tactics + results + figures.
Now come one, we all know the only purpose of links is to pass page rank and aid search engine rankings. They're not for getting traffic... hang on....
Woooo, this list is full of all expert marketers thanks to all of them for contributing and sharing their knowledge.
I would like to be get included in the list of 2013.
Great Stuff by SEOMOZ Community!! wish 2013 will get more SEOMoz members and SEOMoz get more success.!!
Thanks for a great post. I am going to spend some time now and go thorugh all of the above top posts. To me its a best list and i can bookmark this for future reference. Thanks once again for sharing great knowledge.
This post is excellent for 1 reason. It made me read up on aeveral posts i clearly missed...
Really good list, already read most of those throughout the year but seem to have missed some which I can catch up on now. Should do one next with most 'Thumbs Down' :)
Previous year it was 3rd position in the list of top users and that place was not really comfortable for me so here i go and achieve the 1st place :)
Thanks you @SEOmoz for making the difference not only in my life but in the SEO Community in general.
Just because I am not counted here anymore :P
can't agree more :)
Congrats, Moosa! Thanks for being such a big part of the Moz community!
Thanks Ash, I guess this kind of posts (once a year) are very encouraging and force people to involve better in the community...
Wonderfull Post.. I really liked the way you posted information in this blog.. Its really great that you shared all these links with us.. Keep Posting..