Holy smokes, I don't think our product and development teams have slept since Thanksgiving; they're probably really dreaming of figgy pudding with all the new features they've been creating. These four features: universal search, historical link metrics, custom reports, and branded keywords are definitely squee-worthy. Plus, there's a bonus that you might've not heard about yet.

I realize that for you die-hard Mozzers -- yes, those of you checking your RSS reader while everyone else watched shiny disco balls drop from the sky -- this may be a little bit of a repeat. This is more for those of you who are like me and spent most of your holiday break playing with your family's new puppy, eating pumpkin pie, and airing grievances at Festivus parties. (My cat swore he'd finally get a job in 2012, lazy bum.)

Onto the features...

Custom Automated Reports: Make the data talk for you.

"I need that report..." You know what follows. Or you know the reminders that pop up on your calendar every Monday or every 1st of the month telling you it's time for reports.

Take a deep breath. SEOmoz reports now are customized and automated! Instead of logging in every week or month just to pull numbers for your boss, client, or other person-in-need, you can concentrate on making the perfect swirl of cream in your coffee or working on improving your site's SEO while being assured your report's arriving on time.

Send up to 5 people .pdf reports of your keyword SERPs, crawl errors, and more. Make your boss happy and be a superhero. Learn how to set them up.

Branded Keywords: Separate and track them as a group

One of the most important segmentation you can do in your SEO analytics is to look at the differences in rankings and traffic between your branded and non-branded keywords. By setting up some simple rules, you'll be able to automatically label which keywords are branded. (You can also add other labels for other groups your business may need.) You'll be able to filter to clearly see improvements or declines.

Tip: Don't forget to set up your Google Analytics profile to your campaign so you can dive into traffic, in addition to your rankings.

Why is this important?

To really dive deeply into SEO, you need to recognize differences in keywords. Different groupings have different needs -- sometimes even different customers! -- and need to be optimized differently.

Your brand's name is generally a powerful signal. Typically, most companies find that branded keywords generate the majority of their organic traffic. But if your brand name's dropping that's a sign you need to work on some brand building and getting your name out there.

Instead of setting up crazy filters in Google Analytics, you can now see both your rankings and your traffic as they change without pain. And it's so easy to set up!

You want to gain insights into your groupings of keywords so you can give shape to your plans for SERP improvements. As I was filtering through my own analytics for this post, I found through this feature that my non-profit GeekGirlCon needs to spend some more time on non-branded keywords since 80%+ of our organic traffic's coming through via our brand! Group behavior helps you see keywords more clearly and come up with better actionable plans. More on this update.

Universal Search: Holy local search SERP!

Fresh out of the Moz laboratories, we just launched our first venue into Universal Search yesterday. Like you, we've been closely monitoring the rise of Universal Search results and seeing Google's results serving up more personalized results. There's local, video, shopping, images, news, and more. Traditional organic rankings are being pushed further and further down the page. How's an SEO to keep up?

We're working on making it easier for you to track your SERPs and know exactly where you stand in Universal Search.

Why is this important?

Rankings are more than just 10 SERPs these days, especially if people are looking for your business locally or a certain product you sell. The more relevant information -- whether it's location, hours, phone number, catalog, pictures of the outside of your shop -- that they can find the better.

Plus, if you show up multiple times on the first page, you look like the authority over your competitors. Clearly, she who has the most SERPs wins. (Someone please make me that t-shirt.)

Now when you start tracking keywords with local results too, we'll let you know where you are. And you'll also be able to figure out where you aren't if that keyword has local rankings, but just not for you.

Looking at how Google personalizes everyone's searches based on local gives you a different way of looking at your page optimization. You may realize that some terms are extremely important locally and other's not so much. You may find new competitors or that known competitors don't rank well for local.

The more relevant you can be for Google's Universal Search, the more relevant you're going to be for your customers in the long-run. Which just translates into customer happiness. How-to dig into your local SERP rankings in PRO.

Historical Link Metrics: Rock your data

We now keep track of your historical link metrics. That's right, access information from your numbers going back to October 2011 or when you first set up your campaign, whichever came first.

Instead of digging back through spreadsheets that you downloaded, you can access this information right in SEOmoz's PRO app in your campaign. See your improvements in link building just jump right out at you. Or see where the competition is leaving you in the dust.

Don't run around collecting old numbers when you can start investigating your site's link metrics' strengths and weaknesses today. Read more on accessing this invaluable resource.

Bonus...New Link Directory

Yes, we updated the Link Directory and rolled it in glitter just for you! Directory listings can still help your link juice a little bit. But you want to make sure those sites are quality ones, so the signal doesn't go the wrong way. Filter directories by category, DA, and MozRank and add your voice by thumbing them up or down. Start evaluating quality directories today.

*beep beep* --> That's Roger Mozbot sharing in the excitement.

Hope you enjoy all the New Year's gifts from us at SEOmoz and that they enhance your SEO reporting, planning, and execution. Like you, we have big goals for 2012, and our number one goal is to help you achieve your inbound marketing goals with the best analytics we can provide.

Want more info? Join tomorrow's webinar!

For more insights into these new features, tune into tomorrow's webinar at 10:30am PST (6:30pm GMT) for Upgrade Your SEO Reporting with Local Rankings, Historical Link Metrics, Branded Keywords, and Custom Reports. Join Mozzers Adam Feldstein, Karen Semyan, Samantha Britney, Miranda Rensch, and me as we walk you through SEOmoz latest PRO tool updates -- universal rank tracking for local search, historical link metrics, branded keywords, and custom reports -- and give you tips and tricks on how to make them work for your SEO and greater inbound marketing efforts. Bring your questions! Register today; it's free.

Please let us know how you're enjoying these new features and how you're using them to make your site(s) even more awesome.