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I don't believe the geo location of the ip address will matter much anymore (we have a high-ranking site with an ip address in Germany). I think the larger issues may be tied in with how fast the server is and the frequency of change of the ip address tied to the site (so if the ip address changes a ton). Even if it is a seo factor today, I would not expect it to be weighed heavily.

Would be interested in hearing different opinions/experience with this though.

Check our portfolio of sites and haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. Have my fingers crossed...

SEOmoz has some best practices: http://www.seomoz.org/learn-seo/domain (further reading http://www.seomad.com/SEOBlog/do-different-tlds-affect-seo.html)

Top-level Domain (TLD)

Top level domains (like .com) are the extensions associated with domain names. For best ranking results, avoid uncommon top-level domains (TLDs). Like hyphens, TLDs such as .info, .cc, .ws, and .name are spam indicators.

IMHO, I do believe it is better to have a .com. But ultimately, this is just one factor of hundreds...

I would pretty much rule out the article/directory submission, I would focus on creating great link baiting content (such as useful white papers, faq's and etc.) aimed at your target customers and promote these through your social media channels.

Yes. I would also distribute a press release and have the email link to it (or a link to your landing page) for additional info to keep the email minimum in length.

Don't use them. The major search engines do not use them and by not using them, you have less code which will ultimately reduce server processing time (incrementally matters in volume).

As long as it's good for customers, I wouldn't worry about the link juice (as it is not overwhelming and seems to be well-organized). The engagement metrics is what matters now-a-days.

Did any of your rankings dropped during the Penguin update? Panda update?

Agree totally with Matt. If the keyword is competitive (like shoes), no way you will rank high. However, If it's a long tail with no competition (cool shoes with blue laces) you could.

I don't think heavily. As long as the prospect can find the form easily (via menu item or small graphic), I wouldn't include one as it will take up too much valuable real estate on the home page.

Have some worthy of linking back (Link Bait). If the site sells shoes, you could be a page with conversion charts between US/UK shoes sizes, a guide for taken care of leather on shoes, different ways to tie shoelaces and etc. Once created get the word out on your social media and hopes of getting some inbound links.

I think the keyword "sales" is so ultracompetitive that unless someone is looking for fashions basic sales, it wouldn't even matter much. I used the same structure you did with all my products, and since Penguin it may not be the best, but I doubt that you will get a penalty or benefit from it.  I would continue to use the same pattern for the rest of the site if already implemented...

Organic rankings are based on many additional factors (server speed, engagement, usability) and so on that may not be factored in with the 4 metrics mentioned.

Like a mashup? I have always used Google maps for this sort of thing. I have never used Bing Maps but heard great things...

Sure, anything is possible--but highly unlikely. This is a common practice and as long as it's valuable and unique, don't worry about it. We have been doing this for years, and although doesn't help as much people think, certainly doesn't hurt us.

Typically when you do a 301 redirect, you keep the same position. However, keep both pages live until it get's reindexed.

Did a fast look and did not find anything. Typically it's an incorrect url...

Yes, indeed. As you know, Google wants to filter out pages that generally have the same content. By helping them, it will ultimately help everyone.

For us, we have separate parameters for tracking purposes. The pages are all the same (except for a tracking phone#) and we update the .htaccess file, as well as webmaster tools to not index these extra pages.

I think it complements it as opposes to helping it. With blended search results, the google local result may appear higher than the organic results for your actual site. But does it actually help your organic position? Probably not (at least not by much), but definitely would not hurt you. The stronger influence of organic rankings is the overall popularity of the site.

Hi Steve,

We use SeoSpyGlass and strongly recommend this and the whole suite. It cost a few dollars, but is well worth it...