To ring in 2012, here is a list of my top 12 most frequently read Search Engine Marketing resources. I visit most of these sites every day – so I tend to say “yep I read that earlier” a lot. If you want to be as much of a “Great News Everyone” downer as I can be, go ahead and give these a look. In all seriousness, I get a lot of great news, tactics, and strategic ideas from these websites. And I am very thankful to the people putting in the hours of work to make them so good. :List Below:
Alltop | http://sem.alltop.com/
The SEM information King. This is an aggregator of most SEM articles with some great usability and scanability. Alltop makes it easy to cruise through the top SEM stories of the day if you are short on time. This often leads to me finding new blogs to frequently visit. DAILY READ
All Things D | http://allthingsd.com/
This is the new kid on the block; at least to my reading list. So far it has been a great resource for breaking technology news, which includes search engine news and all things Internet media. Interestingly enough, it is owned by DOW Jones and published by the Wall Street Journal. Check this one out. DAILY READ
Search Engine Watch | http://searchenginewatch.com/ppc
One of the classics with a semi-recent redesign. This is a go-to site to find a wide variety of search engine articles written by experts in the field. I link to the PPC focused part of the site, but Search Engine Watch has dynamite content for SEO, Analytics and all things Internet marketing. DAILY READ
Search Engine Land | http://searchengineland.com/
The people who bring us SMX search marketing conference run a pretty good blog, too. Over 30k likes on Facebook and LinkedIn is a good sign that this is a go-to search destination. If you can’t make it to the world-class search conference – at least check out the blog on a regular basis. WEEKLY READ
Official Google AdWords Blog | http://adwords.blogspot.com/
Why not hear it from the horse’s mouth? Sure you can get conspiracy theory blog posts that cover an alpha AdWords test, but you may as well get the real details from Google. Besides covering their features in detail, they often share some industry insights and link to other useful tools that you may not have heard of. Worth a look every morning after you brush your teeth. DAILY READ
Google Retail Blog | http://googleretail.blogspot.com/
I happen to be a big fan of retail marketing and may or may not work for one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in the world. This Google blog is mainly filled with insights, strategy success stories, and infographics. Good stuff. WEEKLY READ
Search Engine Journal | http://www.searchenginejournal.com/
Another allstar cast of writers and guest blog posts. This is where you can find cutting edge strategy and real world insights from expert search marketers and key players in the industry. Another daily or weekly read. DAILY READ
TechCrunch | http://techcrunch.com/
Not necessarily a search website, but it has great web industry news that many times touches the world of search marketing. If you work with anything Internet, you should be on top of industry news like this. DAILY READ
SEOmoz | http://www.seomoz.org/blog
The great Rand Fishkin http://www.seomoz.org/users/profile/63 once said, “I know Jordon loves PPC, but I wish he would care more about SEO and read SEOmoz.” OK – maybe he didn’t say that, but I heard it loud and clear with the quality posts that he writes. I like to frequent The Moz about once per week to keep up on all of the SEO news and tactics. Plus they create some amazing infographics. WEEKLY READ
PPC Hero | http://www.ppchero.com/
Brought to us by Hanapin Marketing agency. They sometimes believe in quantity over quality, but there are some real gems within the pile of posts they produce. PPC Hero is a good resource for everyone from beginner to expert. You can tell that Hanapin has some talent within their walls. WEEKLY READ
Certified Knowledge | http://certifiedknowledge.org/blog/
One of the main partners in Market Motive, an expert SEM and SEO certification training course, Brad Geddes has created an expert knowledgebase at Certified Knowledge. He and his colleagues contribute to the blog and create high quality, thought provoking content. It’s a nice gesture to give us high quality free content, since he charges about $3000 for his class. WEEKLY READ
Uncrate | http://uncrate.com/
Almost nothing to do with search marketing, aside from some banner as buys within the site. And that’s the point. After a day full of search marketing at work and home, Uncrate is my 10 minute escape on the Internet. Delivering 3 or more incredibly cool guy things, it’s a man’s wishlist for his next splurge. DAILY READ / DREAM