As an avid blogger and someone who loves staying up-to-date on the latest trends in digital marketing as well as entrepreneurship, I wanted to compile a list of the top seven blogs I read every week.
There isn’t a specific criteria that makes these better than any of the others out there, but they just resonate the most with me. They also do the following really well:
- Offer actionable tips.
- Provide statistical findings that support their recommendations.
- Consistently push out new content.
- Avoid fluff. They seek to educate over just sell.
- Write engaging and easy-to-read content.
- Understand who they’re writing for and deliver content their target audience will consume.
I love being able to continually learn and add to my knowledge base. This enables me to be more creative with my blog and the work I do for my clients.
As you read this blog post, I hope you’ll be empowered to find blogs you can subscribe to and read every week within your area of expertise. Something that inspires you to live your best life, to level up, and to be the best version of you.
Let’s get started…
1) Search Engine Journal
I’ve followed SEJ for a good 5+ years now. They write content specifically about digital marketing and stay on top of the latest trends, especially with SEO and PPC (i.e., Google algorithm changes and updates to ads).
Outside of that, they also write about social media marketing and content marketing. Each of their articles is easy to read, on average 1,500 words, and they accept really great content contributors who are experienced within the space.
2) Ryan Robinson’s Blog
I can’t recall exactly how I stumbled on Ryan’s blog, but when I did, I subscribed right away and have been reading his content for over a year now. There are two things you’ll get out of his blog:
- Detailed, comprehensive content on how to start a blog and turn it into a profitable income stream.
- Inspiration for side-hustlers who want to create additional revenue streams.
The other thing I appreciate about Ryan’s blog is that he’s authentic, and the style of his writing is very approachable. I’d recommend this blog to anyone who’s looking to tap into starting a side-hustle within blogging.
3) Problogger
I’ve always loved the story of how Problogger’s founder, Darren Rowse, got started. When he decided to take on blogging as a full-time gig, his wife gave him six months to make it work. This pushed him to figure out how to make money blogging beyond just Google AdSense earnings. He wrote a ton of content every day for six months straight and implemented guest blogging, affiliate marketing, and much more to make it happen.
Here’s what I love about Problogger:
- Job board. You can check out companies that are hiring for freelance, contract, part-time, and full-time writers.
- He offers a blogging e-course for just $99, entitled “31 Days to Build a Better Blog” ― I’ve actually purchased this. Although I haven’t gone through the entire course yet, from what I’ve completed so far, the content is great and extensive with actionable tips.
- The content is diverse, providing content ideas for making money blogging and the best times to publish your blog posts, etc.
4) GaryVee’s Blog
If he doesn’t try to trademark the “F” word, I don’t know who else will. I’ve followed Gary for over seven years now. His content has always resonated with me because he’s real, authentic, and unfiltered. He also has a great sense of humility and is modest enough to call himself out on mistakes he’s made as well as being real with what the path of entrepreneurship entails.
While the media does an amazing job making business successes seem like an overnight achievement, Gary is the opposite. He calls entrepreneurship as it is. There are great rewards, but before you can experience those, you have to be okay going through months and even years just grinding.
Here’s what I love about his content/blog:
- He provides tremendous value, and it’s all free. Just check out his blog post on How to Grow and Distribute Your Brand’s Social Media Content.
- He genuinely digs the “process” more than he does the “results” of what hard work yields. This is a concept I often stress as well because the process is where the magic really happens, and most give up along the way because of the amount of work it entails.
5) HubSpot’s Marketing Blog
From the earlier days of simple webinars and some blogging positioned at MSPs, HubSpot has come a long way. I’ve followed HubSpot since 2009 and have seen how much they’ve grown as a company, and their content output has followed.
I love their content for two reasons: it’s educational and it’s helpful.
Their content topics are the most diverse of all the blogs I’ve mentioned so far because HubSpot covers the following: social media, content marketing, email, SEO, PPC, general digital ads and traditional, video marketing, etc.
6) Buffer
If you’re looking to dive deep into learning social media marketing, with the best trends and tips on how to execute the best strategies, then Buffer’s blog is the place to go.
They provide comprehensive content on how to leverage nearly every platform, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat, etc., and provide actionable tips as well as examples of brands that are doing it right.
Here’s what you’ll get from their content:
- Ideas on how to start and spruce up your current social media marketing efforts.
- How other brands are making social media work for them, and the strategies you can emulate to do the same for yourself.
7) CrazyEgg
Outside of generating really great content, the top thing on every single blogger’s, side-hustler’s, and entrepreneur’s mind is how to convert website visitors into leads and sales.
That’s why I follow CrazyEgg’s blog. They provide the following:
- Real-world examples of how to implement CTAs (calls-to-action) that work and testing them for yourself.
- CRO (conversion rate optimization) strategies for landing pages to drive online conversions with website visitors.
- Diverse content covering design, copywriting, content marketing, social media, UX/UI, email, and analytics.
Final Thoughts
When starting out, the digital landscape can feel overwhelming, with more resources and options than any person could ever read.
I don’t have any affiliation to any of the blogs I’ve mentioned, but I wanted to share them with you because I find they’re always a great place to start for anyone who’s eager to learn more about digital marketing in general.
So subscribe to them, keep learning, and make it happen for you.
