In relation to SEO projects, it is relatively unimportant but can give an indication of how much work needs to be done in gaining inbound links.
What do you think of using XML sitemaps?
I use them. They are an additional tool to help the search engines when they crawl a site. There is no requirement for any sitemap and your pages will get indexed without them if you pay close attention to navigation within your site.
What SEO tools do you regularly use?
Keyword analysis tools, keyword density tools, index checking, backlink checking, wordprocessor to check spelling and grammar, HTML validation and others.
Under what circumstances would you look to exclude pages from search engines using robots.txt vs meta robots tag?
Usually I would use the robots.txt to keep a search engine from indexing an entire directory on a site. This would often be directories dealing with admin functions or directories that only contain script or image libraries.
What areas do you think are currently the most important in organically ranking a site?
Text on page! Search engines utilize text and only text in providing search results. That text is found in many place including the URL and title of your pages as well as the visible text you place on your pages.
Do you have experience in copywriting and can you provide some writing samples?
My experience in "copywriting" is limited to my site at www.afreshpath.com. It is a blog about outdoor recreation in Nevada and so far is placing well in search results.
Have you ever had something you've written reach the front-page of Digg? Sphinn? Or be Stumbled?
Not yet! I am not particularly worried about it but I do try to write in such a way that others would be inticed to submit my articles.
Explain to me what META tags matter in today's world?
The most important META tag for SEO is your page description. Search engines do make use of this tag but it does not outweigh the title or visible text. The META keywords tag is not much of a factor in the major search engines but should not be overlooked
