What’s your favorite marketing blog?
If you’re like your fellow marketers, your favorites offer succinct, clear, valuable, useful, and actionable articles.
Those common themes came from the 50-plus responses received after we posed the question on the Content Marketing Institute’s Slack, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn channels as well as a query on Help a Reporter Out.
Nine blogs earned multiple nods (in alphabetical order): Backlinko, Content Marketing Institute, HubSpot, Moz, Neil Patel/Quick Sprout, Orbit Media, Search Engine Land, Seth Godin, and Social Media Examiner.
But the replies also turned up some fresh names that haven’t been shared on many, if any, popular marketing blog lists.
Read on to see if your favorites are here, why your peers love these blogs, and new sources for inspiration and education. And tell us your favorite blog in the comments so we can grow this list.
Started by Tim Burd, AdLeaks is the choice for all things Facebook ads for Brandon Fargo of Brahvia Consulting. “It’s the largest community of Facebook marketers and the industry knowledge is incredible,” he says.
This blog helps readers solve SEO problems by giving real examples, which is what sets it apart from other marketing blogs, says Faizan Ali of wpbeginner.
“As an SEO and content marketing agency, we always refer to Brian Dean’s blog,” says David Sanchez of Mammoth Web Solutions. “It’s an incredible resource with extremely valuable and detailed strategies on how to create and distribute content that consistently ranks on the first page of search engines.”
Priscilla Tan of Content Kapow found Backlinko through a Google search. She says she always found SEO intimidating until she was led to the site. “Founder Brian Dean … includes tons of case studies and his personal experiences. He makes it insanely easy for us to apply his proven strategies right away.”
Other votes for Backlinko come from Postali’s Dan Foland, Daisy Campbell of Canz Marketing, Megan Meade of Software Path, Lily Ugbaja, and Katherine Rowland.
For proven techniques and must-know information about blog growth, Lily Ugbaja of FindingBalance.Mom says her go-to source is Blogging Wizard because it gets into detail and makes things easy to understand.
Brandon Fargo of Brahvia Consulting says this blog is one of his favorites for anything related to sales funnels. He considers Russell Brunson and his team among the top 1% of marketers in the world and says they know every trick in the book.
Clare Bittourna says the Codal team gets many good ideas from reading the CMI blog: “I’ve found this useful because you can learn how to implement and create an effective marketing strategy of your own. This blog has numerous articles about best practices.”
The CMI blog also got a thumbs-up from Jelle Van Brandt.
Vinish Garg of Outcome says Skyword’s Content Standard is consistently high quality.
Jelle Van Brandt of Vandeputte says marketers focused on content marketing strategy and planning will also appreciate Convince & Convert’s blog.
BONUS: As a nod to his home country, Jelle offers up the Dutch language blog, Frankwatching.
Michael Boley of the Zappos Family of Companies picks Copyblogger.
A great resource for content creators and reviewers, Copyblogger’s fun voice is reflected in these two titles: 11 Ways to Stay an Alert Copywriter and Content Marketer (If Taking a Nap is Not an Option) and What to Do When Your Eyes are Tired From More than 15 Years of Professional Proofreading.
Lindsey Whittaker of lilouinla picks the U.K.-based Daily Carnage. The curated post (and newsletter) is a daily take with regular features such as Be in the Know, a bulleted list of a few items to know that day; a Watch This segment; and an Ad from the Past; along with curated tips and ideas for its marketing audience.
For unconventional SEO strategies that actually work, Lily Ugbaja picks Detailed.
Want to talk about some crazy good content to help average marketers become superstars? Digital Marketer’s blog must be in the conversation, according to Pedro Campos of Pedro Converts. “You can find any type of content from analytics, paid traffic, content marketing, conversion optimization to SEO, email marketing, copywriting and even agency-specific strategies. What surprises me the most is the number of case studies they do, super detailed and also highly practical.”
The Drum is worth a read, says Oksana Chyketa of Albacross.com: “It provides its readers with the up-to-the-minute news, information, and jobs in the modern marketing sector, including digital, advertising, design, social media, public relations, media as well as brand marketing.”
Tracy Hill of Lumity says Henneke’s blog is a favorite for ongoing writing improvement and encouragement.
Gina Ventola of Ventola Mediation says Fig Advertising’s blog is one of her two favorites. “(It) appeals to large companies as well as small-business owners, such as our firm,” she says.
Mark Schaefer’s {grow} is must-read content for modern marketers, says Jeff Riddall of Mintent. “He provides honest, informed commentary on where marketing is headed and what it takes for brands and marketers to succeed with a distinct focus on human to human engagement.”
They don’t post often, but when they do their pieces change the way Jakub Kliszczak of CrazyCall does SEO and content marketing. “They share unusual advice and info regarding how to write blog posts and how to do on- and off-site SEO,” he says. “Thanks to their insights I’ve been able to majorly improve my writing as well as the conversion rates on anything I produce.”
“When marketers want to get started or improve their marketing efforts, there’s only one that comes to mind: HubSpot’s marketing blog,” says Annaliese Henwood, freelance marketing writer. “You don’t have to be a beginner or even an experienced marketer to find value here. They cover everything for the newbie and experienced alike. Their categories range from defining terms for the beginners to marketing enhancements and beyond. It truly is an all-you-could-need blog.”
Caroline Quinn of LeadBridge wears many hats in marketing – account-based, content, lead generation – in a fast-paced B2B organization. “HubSpot has become a go-to for any templates, scripts, or quick guides to help me quickly kickstart new projects,” she says.
HubSpot’s blog includes ideas and inspiration for all types of marketing, and news and trends of what’s happening in the industry, according to Rafaella Aguiar of Kicksta. She says, “If you’re a beginner marketer it’s a great source to learn from that isn’t confusing.”
Brad Ormsby of Colorstone Marketing, Michael Boley of the Zappos Family of Companies, and Corina El Ramy of Chasing Our Financial Freedom also give it a thumbs-up.
Lindsey Whittaker of lilouinla also gives a shoutout to the Instagram marketing blog Later.
The blog touches on design, marketing, e-commerce, photography, product updates, along with articles on Snapchat and Pinterest.
Kathleen R. Lee of Lee Media Strategies has a new favorite – FlyWheel’s blog, Layout. “It’s really hip and trendy and is simply a lot of fun to read,” she says.
“You won’t find thinly veiled sales pitches or cheap SEO grabs here,” says Shauna Ward of Matcha. “What you will find is the perfect mix of inspiration, strategy, and tactics without the fluff. Topics range from management to storytelling to industry news, so there’s truly something for everyone. A recent favorite post of mine: Ann Handley on Writing, Marketing, and ‘Poking Your Nose Out’.”
Ana M. Marin of PwC’s Academy Communication waits for her morning coffee to kick in while reading Marketing Dive along with oft-cited blogs from Neil Patel, Buffer, Moz, and Social Media Examiner. “They provide the news in a flash. I find the changes, who launched or planned what, newest campaigns, and algorithms,” she says.
Giuseppe Caltabiano loves the strategy section of Marketing Week’s blog. “I am a strategist and this publication gives me a daily dose of comments and news. A bit U.K.-centric, but it’s my favorite today,” he says.
“I can’t get enough of Neil Patel and his Marketing School with Eric Siu. These guys are smart, articulate, and entertaining marketing gurus who share their golden tips and ideas day after day,” says Nate Masterson of Maple Holistics. “Patel is basically the godfather of SEO and digital marketing, so listening to his advice is a no-brainer.” (Editor’s note: Marketing School is an audio blog, or what some may call a podcast.)
Binu Francis of DataOne Innovation Labs says MarketingProfs is one of his go-to blogs among “too much technical marketing content scattered across a million publications.”
Another favorite of Lily Ugbaja, she likes this blog for simple email marketing tips that work.
Another pick from Oksana Chyketa of Albacross.com is Modern B2B Marketing. The agency’s blog provides lots of useful information on a wide range of disciplines including digital marketing transformation, marketing automation, vertical specific experience, training, leadership and management support, and change management implementation.
“Arguably the most tried and trusted tool for SEO marketers, the Moz blog is the one to read if you want to stay on top of marketing industry news and search engine marketing initiatives,” says Katherine Rowland of Your Parking Space. “It has everything from step-by-step how-to’s to chatty videos, and works hard to dissect a number of different topics within SEO.”
Brad Ormsby of Colorstone Marketing agrees. “Moz is great for more specific information about SEO and inbound marketing. It would be considered a more advanced blog than HubSpot because they dive into things like writing structured markup as well as covering broad topics like Google algorithm updates.”
Moz also was mentioned as a favorite by Jelle Van Brandt.
Quick Sprout and Neil Patel go hand in hand based on the responses received.
As Hamna Amjad of Gigworker explains, “It’s impossible if you are in the digital marketing field and haven’t heard about Neil Patel. You can search any digital marketing topic on Google and his blog would pop up on the first page. The reason behind his blog’s popularity is his helpful, easy to understand and well-explained content.
“I’ve learned a lot from his blog about content marketing, social media marketing, SEO, PPC, e-commerce and many other topics. His well-researched articles are extremely helpful for new entrepreneurs who want to learn about marketing and also for other business experts who want to keep themselves up-to-date with new marketing trends.”
Neil and Quick Sprout also were picked as faves by Aro Ibtehaj, Corina El Ramy, Adrian Philip, and Katherine Rowland.
This blog is perfect for anyone looking for a one-stop shop that offers everything you need to know about social media marketing, says Oksana Chyketa.
“When I get that email saying he has a new article out, I’m excited to read it,” says Jason Schemmel of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. “Andy and his team do a wonderful job of taking digital situations and breaking them down to where anyone can understand what he’s talking about.”
Kristen McCabe of G2Crowd has similar thoughts: “You get such actionable insights and ideas; the standards to publish are high, leading to great content. Plus, when Andy himself publishes, he breaks it down with screenshots to walk you through the process. This post on how to find your top converting content using Google Analytics is one example.”
Steve Sonn of S2 Marketing Communications says Andy, Orbit staff, and guest bloggers do an amazing job of creating high-quality content that’s well worth the time to read it. “Each post offers just the right mix of strategy and tactics that you can use immediately to improve your content marketing, SEO or website,” he says.
“I love the blog for integrated marketing, communications, and PR content when developing longer term strategies,” says Caroline Quinn of LeadBridge. “(It has been a) great resource as I shifted into a new role in a nimble, fast-moving marketing environment from a global enterprise marketing team with a lot of specialized resources and siloed teams.”
“We return to this blogging website time and time again because they regularly publish informative and thorough content related to search engines,” says Niles Koenigsberg of Fig Advertising. “Their content helps us discover new areas of SEO that we should focus our attention on and they provide useful tips on how to streamline the SEO process as well.”
Joe Lawlor of Digital Dynasty says Search Engine Land is a great place to go to for insights on search engines like algorithm updates, new advertising features, things they plan on rolling out, etc. “I’ve learned a lot reading from this blog because it’s updated frequently and I’m always on top of my game if a client hears about something new and asks me about it.”
Bernard May of National Positions concurs: “For industry news, I pop over to Search Engine Land every morning so I can read up on what’s new, what’s changed, and what my team needs to know in order to do the best job possible.”
35. SEMrush (under community tab)
“I love SEMRush because they publish fascinating case studies on current trends and topics that many people love to read about,” says Trevor Brown of Blade HQ. He particularly liked this recent one that came out around the movie Avengers Endgame.
“Seth Godin’s blog is pure gold,” says Binu Francis of DataOne Innovation Labs. Non-technical, strategy, and the ideological part of marketing is best covered on Seth’s blog. “I try and find time every week to sit down and read all his blogs. It’s amazing how insightful each one of them is and is pure joy for a marketing enthusiast like me,” Binu says. He offers a couple of his favorites, including this short one on A/J testing and a longer one about losing money on every transaction.
Heidi Baumgart of Anchor & Scale says the blog always inspires thought on whatever she’s working on. “They are succinct enough to apply to just about anything,” she says.
Mike Myers of Nationwide explains, “It’s the way he’s able to distill anything down to its simplest form. He makes it look easy, but I’m sure it’s not.”
Nan Devlin of Visit Tillamook Coast and Aro Ibtehaj also give Seth’s blog a thumbs-up.
Lily Ugbaja picks this one for detailed, cutting-edge marketing advice.
Gina Ventola says Spin Sucks is another of her favorites because its content works for people marketing small and big businesses.
Erin McCoy of Killer Infographics says Social Media Examiner offers long, thorough, and actionable articles on the latest trends, tools, and strategies for marketers. “I regularly reference the original research they publish. It’s a resource I return to, whether I’m looking for new ideas or developing a visual strategy for an upcoming marketing campaign.”
Social Media Examiner is one of the go-to blogs for Sara Corbin of Good Karma Marketing. “It gives much more advanced marketing advice, such as how to find out what ads your competitors are running, and who they are targeting.”
Hamna Amjad of Gigworker and Bernard May of National Positions also pick this blog as a favorite for social media.
Sara Corbin says Social Media Today is her go-to morning read: “Their articles are informative, but easy to read. They keep me up to date on the marketing trends and provide infographics for nice easy reads.”
Whether you’re launching a startup or spending the big bucks, Sumo has content just for you, says Yaniv Masjedi of Nextiva. “They cover almost every internet-based marketing platform, offer engaging insight across a wide range of tactics, and feature content from both in-house marketing geniuses and well-known guest posters,” he says. “It’s a fantastic bookmark for reference material or just a great cup-of-coffee, get-your-day-started kind of channel.”
A favorite of Jordan Brannon of Coalition Technologies, Think With Google’s content is replete with data, not personal opinions or anecdotes. “It’s presented in a variety of engaging formats and covers a wide range of topics helpful to today’s marketing teams,” he says.
What’s your favorite?
Now, it’s your turn. Tell us your go-to resources for the practical and inspirational. Include a few words about why you’re drawn to that blog and/or share a favorite article link.
Only a couple days left for the early-bird savings to this September’s Content Marketing World. Register today to see your favorite speakers and to find some new presenters who can educate and inspire you. Use code CMIBLOG100 to save an additional $100.
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute