My general take on this sort of scenario is first to eliminate all the redundant hostnames with round-robin DNS, through adding extra server power with software-based load-balancing in the interim with a solution like InterWorx, and breaking out database servers.   If you do that, you should have a nice little server cluster that's crazy efficient.and scalable.  You can add a CDN to the mix if you like as well.  With all of that, SEO should work the same way as on a single server.

Sitemaps can then be generated dynamically really easily (in under 25 lines of code, most of the time).

If you just want a way to mirror static files, you'll want to look at rsync.

And finally, as for S3, my personal opinion is to stay away.  I'm an SEO, but I also spent 7 years building a hosting company.  Those solutions sound great in their marketing, but are scientifically less reliable than standard hosting, and you can verify that via public uptime tracking sites like HyperSpin.

Actually, Google does understand International sites pretty well, so this may be one of the only scenarios where I wouldn't worry too much about duplicate content (although, if you can custom tailor to the local audience better, you'll probably be better off for it).   If you jump into Webmaster Tools, you have an option under Configure -> Settings -> Geographic Target, that allows you to give an extra vote of confidence for your AU site being just for AU people.   I'd also definitely consider hosting the .AU site in Australia and the .com in the U.S.- that is a ranking factor when we talk International SEO.

Over the long term, I'd keep an eye out for both domains appearing in the same index (ie. your .com showing in google.com.au).  That would be cause for some alarm, but it really shouldn't happen; they should just pick up the site that you've obviously targeted for that region of the world.

They do get indexed and they can help as much as any other link.  And, like everything, you're best off doing it without embarrassing your brand.  So,

YES:  If you want to plop a PR rep on a forum to make a good 15 or so useful contributions to the conversation, with a real signature, like you might attach to an email, compliant with that particular forum's signature guidelines.

NO:  If you want to buy 100,000 forum signature links blasted using a piece of software.

As with everything, chase the marketing, not the algorithm.  That will get you a lot further than worrying about what Google will be doing in 2013, because even if you dodge a bullet in the short-term, Google's end goals are always the same.

I'm seeing more and more questions like this after searching, and not seeing any of the "experts" signing off on it.  Motivated me to post a blog on this, if you have one you'd like me to link to for helping to confirm the issue, let me know and I'll gladly do it.

And good luck slangdon, didn't realize until just now that you were with Bankrate.. I've used that site loads of times!

Actually, here's a 3rd example, on google.com itself:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/14/picture62u.png/

Got this when searching 'keywordtoolexternal' (because for some reason I don't bookmark stuff like this).

This is odd. I don't see the 'https' when doing the site: search, but I do get the 'Untitled' result for your homepage when searching for your brand name. How long ago did your designer make the change? This seems like the kind of problem that could just go away on it's own... I can say that your source really doesn't look out of line to a point to where it should warrant this sort of issue.

Agree here.  Using the free newswires is a waste of time, but using PRWeb/PRNewsWire correctly seems to yield consistent results (with emphasis on 'correctly' here, as there is a lot to writing and distributing a solid release).

Agree here.  Using the free newswires is a waste of time, but using PRWeb/PRNewsWire correctly seems to yield consistent results (with emphasis on 'correctly' here, as there is a lot to writing and distributing a solid release).

They do get indexed and they can help as much as any other link.  And, like everything, you're best off doing it without embarrassing your brand.  So,

YES:  If you want to plop a PR rep on a forum to make a good 15 or so useful contributions to the conversation, with a real signature, like you might attach to an email, compliant with that particular forum's signature guidelines.

NO:  If you want to buy 100,000 forum signature links blasted using a piece of software.

As with everything, chase the marketing, not the algorithm.  That will get you a lot further than worrying about what Google will be doing in 2013, because even if you dodge a bullet in the short-term, Google's end goals are always the same.