Recently, we launched our new annual blog awards series where we’ll be recognizing our 10 favorite blogs from a variety of categories. There are a lot of really great blogs out there that we at YoungEntrepreneur.com read and learn from on a regular basis, and our goal is to highlight these blogs so you too can enjoy them.
This week, we’re recognizing the top 10 blogs in the Marketing category. Marketing is absolutely a top priority for all entrepreneurs. It doesn’t matter how good your ideas are. If you don’t market them correctly, your business will flop. That’s just the cold, hard truth. Luckily for you, the 10 blogs receiving YoungEntrepreneur.com Top Blog Awards serve up all the tips and tricks you need to start spreading the word and reaching your customers.
Our selection process
In case you missed our first round of awards, let’s quickly recap how it works.
When we came up with the idea for distributing YoungEntrepreneur.com Top Blog Awards, we wanted to give these out to blogs we truly love. These awards aren’t about typical metrics (subscribers, comments, rankings, etc.), but instead, they’re about exposing the blogs we believe have the highest quality content and provide the best overall experience for readers.
Is this scientific? No. Subjective? Of course. But do we carefully scrutinize every option to ensure all award-winning blogs are truly special? You bet.
So, let us give you a quick rundown of the categories we used to judge these blogs.
- Visual Aesthetics—Let’s face it: It’s hard to get into a blog that still uses the default WordPress theme. Design matters, and it’s important for making new visitors feel comfortable. We looked for blogs that were easy on the eyes.
- Quality & Consistent Content—Our favorite blogs are the ones that produce great content on a regular basis, rather than one good post to several filler posts.
- Overall Experience—The overall experience includes everything from how the author interacts in the comments to how well posts are categorized so you can easily find the content you’re looking for.
*Please note these blogs are not listed in any particular order. All 10 blogs are YoungEntrepreneur.com Top Blog Award winners and thus are equal.
And the awards go to…
Search Engine Journal—Search Engine Journal covers all things SEM related. The blog is updated a few times each day with the latest information on everything from PPC advertising to viral marketing. Search engine marketing is something all entrepreneurs and small business owners should look into because it levels the playing field between you and the big boys. Search Engine Journal can show you the most effective ways for reaching buyers searching for your products and services. Twitter: @sejournal
Copyblogger—The tagline says it all. “Copywriting tips for online marketing success.” Great copywriting is the backbone of any successful marketing campaign. Great copy is what turns website visitors into customers. Every day, Copyblogger offers up new tips and proven methods for sucking readers in, earning their trust, and generating more sales. This blog is an absolute must read. Twitter: @copyblogger
Econsultancy—Since its beginnings in 1999, Econsultancy has grown to become one of the most widely read digital marketing blogs. The contributors are all very well versed in various aspects of digital marketing and online retail, offering you the latest reports and tips to make more of your online presence. Twitter: @Econsultancy
Seth Godin’s Blog—Do I really need to tell you who Seth Godin is? If you haven’t read his blogs, articles, speeches, eBooks or books, you have a lot of great reading to do. The bestselling author was named “the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age” by Business Week, and in his blog, he shares entrepreneurial and marketing advice on a daily basis. We love Seth Godin! Twitter: @ThisIsSethsBlog
Marketing Pilgrim—Launched by Andy Beal in 2005, Marketing Pilgrim covers all things related to internet marketing and online advertising. You’ll get access to the latest news on search and online marketing, with tips and tricks businesses of all sizes can implement. The thing we really like about Marketing Pilgrim is that they just go deeper into topics than anyone else. We always learn something new from this blog. Twitter: @andybeal
Danny Brown—Danny Brown talks about social media, marketing, PR and more on this exceptional blog. All entrepreneurs can benefit by learning how to engage consumers in a meaningful way in this age of social media marketing. Stop wasting time with social media, and start getting results. Twitter: @DannyBrown
Revenews—Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about affiliate marketing. For more than 10 years, Revenews has been the go-to source for affiliate marketing news and strategies. The blog has a panel of authors who each bring something unique to the table. You’ll get to read tips from PPC experts, conversion specialists, mobile advertising gurus, and more. Twitter: @Revenews
SEOmoz—What more can we say about SEOmoz that hasn’t already been said? Without a doubt, SEOmoz is the most recognized name in the industry. This blog continues to be a breath of fresh air in an industry that’s plagued by so-called experts doling out dangerous advice. Twitter: @SEOmoz
Duct Tape Marketing—Duct Tape Marketing is written specifically for the small business owner. The tips in this blog help you find smarter, simpler, more affordable methods for marketing your small business. If “do more with less” is your mantra, you’ll love the Duct Tape Marketing blog. Twitter: @ducttape
Conversation Agent—Valeria Maltoni helps businesses adapt to this new age of PR and marketing. The blog covers everything from social media marketing to PR, and most times, it talks about how all these different things intersect in this web 2.0 world. Twitter: @ConversationAge
Congratulations to the winners of the YoungEntrepeneur.com Top Blog Awards for Marketing! Keep your eyes open for our upcoming awards in our next category. We’d love to hear about other blogs you think should be nominated for next year’s Top Marketing Blog Awards here on YoungEntrepreneur.com.
Excellent list. It’s great to see Revenews credited as it’s been working for a long time and not many people know about it. Congrats to all. Great blogs here.
Holy monkeys – now this is some esteemed company!
Thanks sincerely for including my blog with such a collection of folks I really admire. Any recognition of what you’re doing is always nice, and a pleasant way of seeing you’re doing something right.
But to be recognized with these guys? I do believe I can retire happy now!
Cheers guys, sincerely.
SEOMoooooz!
If these are in descending order then I think we need a recount…nice selections though.
[...] I found out that this blog was one of the recipients of Young Entrepreneur’s Top 10 Marketing Blogs Award. While I was uber-happy to be recognized by such an organization to start with, my jaw literally [...]
Really pleased to see this story! I’m four months into determining how the hell to monetise 30 years of too serious PR/Journalism experience and repressed humor. The avalanche of me-too blogs is choking me at the moment… Reminds me of my look-see into real estate get rich schemes… before the recession. I’ll now focus on these blogs and John Chow for awhile. Again, many thanks for this, guys.
Hey thanks for including Duct Tape Marketing – just published post #2000 all written by me so it’s still cool to get this kind of recognition.
Glad I found this site too.
@Danny: You have a fantastic blog – more than worthy of being included with the others!
@Salah: They aren’t in any order. They’re all award winners, so all equal.
@NZmoores: The key is differentiation. It might seem like there are a ton of people doing the same thing, but what no one else has is you – your unique personality, sense of humor, and style. Something tells me you’ll be on a list like this one day if you stick with it!
@John Jantsch: Wow! 2000 posts! That’s incredible! DTM is outstanding. Keep it up!
Thanks to all for the comments!
Great compilations, i’ve just visited these websites and from my observation, they deserve it. Kudos.
These are undoubtedly some of the best marketing blogs. The criteria you have used are simple,clear and understandable. In the criteria ‘Overall experience’, apart from author interaction and the way posts are categorized, The readership of the blogs also counts, what do you think? Fair and unbiased Judgment. Great list!
Excellent work guys. You saved me the hassle of looking for them myself. SEOMoz is a definite favourite although all have their own strengths and areas of expertise.
I’ve visited a few of these blogs, but you just saved me a few hours of searching. seomoz.org is pretty good. Thanks!
Great list you have listed here Adam. I have to say, have not heard of ConversationAgent up until this point…will definitely have to check it out.
Interesting you have Search Engine Journal listed first, as it’s one of my favorite sites. I’m crazed about seo and this site is always so informative…lots of great contributors on that site.
Thanks for sharing this list. I will make sure to pass it along.
you guys are rock. excellent list about world’s best blogs. SEOmoz is my favorite blog because it provides latest information about SEO which is the need of hour. I am doing SEO for Yonsal Ltd. and this blog is helping me a lot.
Search Engine Journal is the most favorite blog among those.
Thanks for sharing. It was so useful.
Robert
Seth and Duct Tape are two of my favs. I’ll have to check out some of the others.
Shameless plug my marketing blog, all about marketing, branding, business, advertising and life stillisms.com
Maybe I’ll be a winner next year