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Hi Tormar,
You tend to find that almost every site has an XML sitemap tied in with Search Console, but an HTML sitemap doesn't really do much for Google and is more of a navigation aid for people to find places on large sites. You certainly won't get a penalty or benefit if you do or don't carry one.
Add one if you feel it will be beneficial, but don't if not.
-Andy
Articles should reside on your own blog / site or in specialist sites. For example, it's perfectly acceptable to write an article and become a contributing author on SEOmoz, but if you start adding links to your site, expect to get a slap from Mr RandFish 
Best way to get your articles out is to share them via Google+, LinkedIn Groups, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Collaborate with others, ask their views and if they would like to contribute to the article.
No quick wins any more I'm afraid.
Andy
You need to be careful with how this is handled otherwise it won't read right and just end up looking spammy.
When looking at keyword research, look at your main phrases (I choose 4-5 important ones) and then look at synonyms of these.
For example, if I was looking to optimise for the word "glasses", I would try to feature some of the following words in the content too:
This will give a good spread of meaning to word and show that thought has been put into the copy.
-Andy
You are in a highly competitive market and will be battling against sites that have huge marketing budgets so you need to look at much more than what is on your page. You are going to have to look at trust and authority and build those by getting some amazing links.
Between content, links and UX, I couldn't say that you need to do more of one than another - each play a vial role in how Google sees your site. I would also pay attention on click through rate (CTR) because if people are hitting a page and then leaving again, this will be harmful.
Spend some time looking at your site metrics but also look at where your visitors are coming from. Are they coming from Ireland? UK? Internationally? Is the .ie working against you?
There are so many questions that should be looked at, but I hope this gives you a few pointers.
-Andy
There is no limit or threshold. Just be careful not to build too many too fast and make sure the referring sites are good quality. Diversity with anchor text is important, as is a range of landing pages - don't send them all to the homepage.
Andy
Hi Isaac,
It isn't always about exact page matching in this manner - Google knows that a diary and 5-year diary are related and will deliver the page that they think is best suited - in this case, the homepage. However, I would be tempted to look at internal linking from the homepage to the 5-year diary page, and perhaps other related pages from within the site. It's all about creating a self-explanatory structure that gives weight to a page.
You could also look at strengthening this by building some backlinks to some of these internal pages too.
Also, you have a dead page that Google has indexed at the moment: http://www.toaddiaries.co.uk/shop/5-year-diary/castelli-5-year-diary
-Andy
You're welcome, but be careful with directories as they will do very little, unless they are industry specific ones.
Try and target sites within your niche where possible for a chance to get the best links back again.
Andy
Hi Alex,
This really depends on how the mobile site is created, but I would suggest you have a read of this MOZ post that talks about optimising a site for mobile.
-Andy
No, you need to redirect all URLs...
Have a read of this on using the change of address tool in Google.
-Andy
By good quality, I refer to anything that has a vested interest in your industry. This can be both new and old sites alike, and, for example, a website design site and a social media website could link to an SEO site and still be seen as being within your niche.
Hi,
You are correct that both can help. However, you don't want to artificially inflate pages with keywords or filler content that is only there to try and serve a purpose, as this will come back and bite you. If you can enhance your current pages, then this is a great way to improve what is already there. If you think that a subject requires a dedicated explanation though, then this can also help.
The example you gave 'does voltage optimisation work in hotels'... if you can write an article based on this without it just being the same as 'does voltage optimisation work', but with the word 'hotel' added in now and then, then yes, it's worthwhile. Also, don't write for Google - write for your viewers. Make each page as good as you possibly can.
-Andy
Hi Christopher,
If all you are talking about is a few thousand pages, I wouldn't worry about it. Google handles enormous sites that have hundreds of thousands of pages added and removed with huge frequency. I can't think of any reason why this would be a negative hit if all you are doing is correcting your content.
-Andy
Well, you can Sergio, but you will get nothing back from them.
Have a look at this list of directories SEOmoz has published and try to find something that is related to what you do.
It's all about keeping it on track.
Hi,
You will find a number of different views on how to do this but I always try and give the H1 to the more important message on the page. In terms of SEO, this really won't make much (if any) difference. However, try not to copy the actual page title and use this as the H1 as that is considered bad form.
-Andy
Hi Becky,
If the links are justified, don't worry. I have clients with 3-400 and no problems with their positions in Google.
That doesn't mean to say it will be the same case for everyone though - each site is different and sometimes you can have too many, but just think it through and if you come to the conclusion that most of the links aren't needed and are stuffing keywords in, then look to make changes.
But on the whole, it doesn't sound like an issue to me - there are no hard and fast rules around this.
-Andy
I have never had a bad response with a local directory yet and is something I do for clients looking to enhance a local profile. As for what you get in terms of SEO benefit, a lot will depend on the directory and the type of listing you get with it.
Local directories I have never found harmful as long as you choose the best of those that are available to you.
However, I never stop just at local so it is hard to say just what you will get exactly.
Andy
Google says to place the canonical tag in the HTTP header, and that to me, would suggest that this is where they look for it.
Someone else might have a work-around, but I don't don't think it makes for a good strategy.
-Andy
Edit - As Dirk said 
Hi Susan,
First of all, I would want to know what is causing the duplication before I would advise on how best to handle it.
Is it that you have pages that are both www and non-www?
For example, do you have http://newgreenair.com/website/blog/ and http://www.newgreenair.com/website/blog/?
-Andy
What was the error message you got back from Google, Brian?
It is possible for Google to only index parts of a site that are considered worthwhile, but are you sure they haven't just no-indexed the category pages on the site? This is quite common.
-Andy