Start 2011 off right with this suggested SEO checklist.

• My office wants a checklist of things we should update regarding our SEO efforts moving into 2011. Do you have some feedback on maintenance to-do items on which we should be concentrating to best position ourselves for the remainder of 2011?

Answer: This is a great question and was just addressed in a recent help thread on the popular Webmaster World forums.

Briefly, the thread detailed some general issues that all users should consider when reviewing their websites in the New Year, namely:

• Update your copyright notice.
  
• Review 404 error log & fix repeat offenders (make sure to review your site in Google Webmaster Tools as well to identify these errors and others).
  
• Review keyword referrals & choose which keywords get more content.
  
• Check the competition backlinks & identify ones to replicate.
  
• Make a New Year's resolution to work hard & stop being a lazy affiliate :).
  
• Read more, daily on SEO topics.
  
• Research new topics and keywords, add targeted pages to your website.
  
• Review existing pages/keyword combos, and adjust accordingly.
  
• Post new/more unique quality content pages on a daily basis.
  
• Find new/more ways of getting free quality in-links.
  
• Keep one eye on the top competitors.
  

These are ALL great suggestions and yes, we believe you should do them all. But what struck us most in this thread was a great comment by moderator Tedster, who stated the following:

"Make sure Google sees that you are running a true business, not just a website. This means that signs of audience engagement are essential in some form - and the more the better."

We couldn't agree more!

As SEO...