To say that the digital marketing industry moves rapidly would be a considerable understatement. With everyone moving fast and breaking things, it’s easy to fall behind on the news that really matters.
With that in mind, I’ve gathered 25 of what I consider essential sources of the latest marketing news. From breaking headlines to in-depth analysis of emerging trends, these publications will see you right when it comes to keeping up with the ever-changing world of digital marketing.
Here’s a quick list of our 25 favorite digital marketing news sources on the web:
- Inside Google Ads Blog
- Search Engine Land
- Search Engine Watch
- Search Engine Journal
- SEM Post
- Moz
- Distilled
- Search Engine Roundtable
- Media Post
- Small Business Trends
- Social Media Today
- SocialTimes
- Social Media Examiner
- Buffer
- Mashable
- Copyblogger
- Contently
- Content Marketing Institute
- CoSchedule
- Unbounce
- Optimizely
- The Daily Egg
- KISSmetrics
- The Verge
- Ars Technica
But keep reading to learn more about each of these marketing news sources in the full list below!
Internet Marketing News
Inside Google Ads Blog
Some news sources break Google Ads developments so fast you’d think they were constantly hitting refresh on the official Inside Google Ads blog. Obviously the definitive place to get (officially sanctioned) news about new Google Ads features, the AdWords blog is the news source for PPC marketers who need to know what’s going on as it happens. Remember, however, that when it comes to the juicier gossip about Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords), you’ll have to look elsewhere…
Search Engine Land
If you’re in search, you’re probably already an avid reader of Search Engine Land. The publication also organizes and hosts the hotly anticipated Search Marketing Expo (SMX) conference every year. The industry’s go-to news source for both breaking headlines and comprehensive analysis, Search Engine Land should be in every search marketer’s RSS feed.
Image via Search Engine Land
Search Engine Watch
Another must-read for search marketers, Search Engine Watch provides a wide range of coverage of everything that’s going on in digital marketing. Although SEW does offer breaking news and timely content, it also provides analysis of developing trends and actionable how-to articles that will help you become a better search marketer.
Search Engine Journal
Over the years, SEJ has grown from a small but dedicated blog into a diverse and reliable source of Internet marketing news with its finger on the pulse of everything search, social, SEO, and content. SEJ is also in the events business, running the impressive SEJ Summit, and also hosts the Marketing Nerds podcast, a series that’s as entertaining as it is informative.
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SEM Post
The SEM Post, run by Jennifer Slegg, is always one of the first sites to break news stories about the industry’s biggest events, and I’m sure that even the “big boys” of Internet marketing news have been beaten to the punch by the SEM Post on at least a couple of occasions. If you want to stay up-to-date on what’s going on in search, be sure to subscribe to the SEM Post’s RSS feed and follow them on Twitter – they usually update several times per day, making it one of the best places to keep up with our rapidly changing industry.
Moz
I feel like every time I mention Moz here on the WordStream blog I end up gushing about how great they are, but it’s hard not to. One of the digital marketing industry’s best-known and most-loved companies, Moz also creates top-tier content about content, SEO, and wider digital marketing trends. From Rand’s Whiteboard Fridays to Dr. Pete’s in-depth analysis of search’s most mysterious enigmas, there’s always something worth reading (or watching) at Moz.
Image via Moz
Distilled
Although our friends at Distilled have an office in New York, I personally think of them as our comrades across the Pond, as their main office is based in my former home of London. Aside from my affinity for the Distilled team as my fellow countrymen, Distilled is one of the best sources for content relating to PPC, SEO, and digital strategy. Always brimming with genuine insight and a keen eye for trends to watch out for, the Distilled blog is essential reading for marketers hoping to stay ahead of the curve.
Search Engine Roundtable
Barry Schwartz’s blog, Search Engine Roundtable, is another essential read for Internet marketers. Few news sources, independent or otherwise, manage to combine breaking hard news coverage with analysis and context the way Search Engine Roundtable does, and between the daily recaps, the active and engaging forum, and the regularly posted video content, there’s more the enough to keep even the most diligent newshound satisfied.
Media Post
Media Post is one of the most comprehensive online advertising, digital marketing, and media news sources out there. Although their coverage is diverse, ranging from TV audiences and print circulations to social media and search marketing, the quality of their editorial standards certainly doesn’t suffer for it, and they’re often among the first to break major stories. One of the best all-round news sources you should be reading if you aren’t already.
Image via MediaPost
Small Business Trends
Small Business Trends is another of my favorite all-rounder news sources. Covering everything from venture capital developments to trends in entrepreneurialism and striking out on your own, Small Business Trends also boasts great coverage of many aspects of digital media and marketing, making it a worthwhile addition to your (rapidly growing) reading list.
Social Media Marketing News
Social Media Today
Whenever anything of note happens in the social media world, Social Media Today is often among the first to report on it. Featuring a wide range of content beyond its hard news coverage, SMT is an indispensable ally to social media marketers who need the latest news as it happens.
SocialTimes
Although SocialTimes is not an independent news site, but rather a site owned and operated by AdWeek, that doesn’t diminish the quality of its coverage or its value to social media marketers. In fact, SocialTimes is one of the very best places to get social media news from an advertising-centric perspective, a relative rarity today, despite social media advertising’s rapidly growing popularity.
Image via AdWeek / SocialTimes
Social Media Examiner
One of the things I like most about Social Media Examiner is that it isn’t content to merely report on the news, but also offer actionable tips on how you can use it. This blend of hard news and applied strategy should put SME on every social media marketer’s to-read list, preferably over a nice hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning.
Buffer
It’s difficult to imagine the world of social media without Buffer. Ever since they shocked pretty much everyone with their radical approach to corporate transparency, the Buffer team has continued to raise eyebrows and the bar with the quality of their content and their timely insights into trending topics. In a rising ocean of content about social, Buffer continues to stand out.
Mashable
Just over 10 years ago, Pete Cashmore launched Mashable from his home in Aberdeen, Scotland. Today, Mashable is one of the titans of Internet publishing, boasting a social media following of tens of millions and some of the best marketing news content out there. When it comes to news on developments in social media, Mashable is tough to beat.
Image via Mashable
Content Marketing News
Unlike other aspects of digital marketing, there is very little actual news on which to report in the realm of content marketing. When there is, it’s usually tangentially related to a more newsworthy industry, such as SEO, rather than considered an entity unto itself. That said, there are several resources that I personally read on a regular basis to help me stay abreast of changes and trends in content that I think you’ll also find valuable.
Copyblogger
When it comes to content, nobody does it better than Copyblogger. Granted, Copyblogger is a little light when it comes to breaking news, but then again, content marketing isn’t exactly the most newsworthy topic, in the truest sense of the word. However, for content marketers seeking to hone their craft, Copyblogger is an invaluable resource, and therefore worthy of inclusion in this round-up. Subscribe to their RSS feed right now.
Contently
I absolutely love the guys over at Contently. Not only do they offer an awesome free portfolio builder for content producers and journalists who’ve made the switch to content, they also publish two excellent blogs/newsletters: The Content Strategist and The Freelancer, both of which are always at the top of my reading list.
Image via Contently
Content Marketing Institute
Few organizations have done as much to advance content marketing both as an industry and to industry than the Content Marketing Institute. For many years, CMI has been the most vocal advocacy and support organization for content producers of all types, and the CMI blog and whitepapers are nothing short of essential reading for content marketers.
CoSchedule
I first discovered CoSchedule thanks to its Headline Analyzer, a remarkably nifty free tool that evaluates the strength of your headlines. Since then, I’ve become a regular and loyal reader of the CoSchedule blog. Offering some of the most actionable content tips out there, CoSchedule consistently publishes useful content that helps me do my job better.
Conversion Rate Optimization News
Similarly to content marketing, the burgeoning field of conversion rate optimization is also difficult to define from a news perspective. However, with more marketers than ever before paying close attention to the adjustments and optimizations that allow them to wring every last drop of value from their initiatives, I wanted to include a section for blogs and resources that you’ll find as valuable as I do.
Unbounce
Everyone on the marketing team here at WordStream loves Unbounce. Aside from being the home of the inimitable Oli Gardner, whose witty (and sometimes colorful, mildly NSFW) blog posts are as entertaining to read as they are useful, the Unbounce content team produces some of the best CRO content on the Web. Keep up the great work, guys!
Image via Unbounce
Optimizely
Like Unbounce, Optimizely manages to make an awesome product and maintain an equally impressive blog. Optimizely is among my go-to resources when I want to know what’s going on in CRO trends, what changes I can make to optimize my content, and generally anything else about A/B testing and optimization. Oh, and the tote bags they were giving away at Opticon were awesome. Yes, I collect industry tote bags, and no, I’m not ashamed to admit it.
The Daily Egg
The Daily Egg, the blog of Crazy Egg, is another great CRO blog. I’m consistently impressed by both the quality and frequency of The Daily Egg’s content, and when it comes to a solid all-round blog that covers a wide range of topics relating to CRO, it’s one of the best.
KISSmetrics
The KISSmetrics blog publishes some of the most fascinating, actionable marketing content you’re likely to find. From how to leverage emotions to increase email signups to optimizing your landing pages, there’s something for every digital marketer. Highly recommended reading.
Miscellaneous Digital Marketing & Tech News
The resources below fit several of the above categories, so I’ve collected them here. However, unlike many miscellaneous sections, just because these resources aren’t easily categorized doesn’t make them any less valuable or worthwhile.
The Verge
Although The Verge’s editorial range is incredibly wide, covering everything from robotics technologies to virtual reality, it’s also an excellent source of breaking news for what’s going on in search and social media. In addition, The Verge offers some of the snappiest, liveliest writing I’ve come across online – a genuine pleasure in today’s oversaturated media environment. If you’re looking for intelligent, insightful social media news (along with other fascinatingly geeky stuff), look no further. The Verge also has arguably the best logo of any of these sites.
Ars Technica
Ars Technica is similar to The Verge in that it covers a huge range of topics, but its news reporting is among the very best the Web has to offer. Aside from its always-timely reporting on the hottest trends and breaking news in search and social media, Ars Technica’s fearlessly independent editorial stance is both a reminder of what Internet journalism should be, and a standard to which we should all aspire.
Don’t forget to keep up with WordStream’s news too!
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