Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short, has been a growing vertical of digital marketing since the creation of search engines. In the early days of search engines like Alta Vista and Ask Jeeves, there were a few tried and true tactics that guaranteed (a rare use of the word in the industry) that your site would rank well and drive the maximum possible Organic traffic.
However, the simplicity of these search engines also made them obsolete as soon as the likes of Google, Bing, Yandex, and DuckDuckGo entered the market. With algorithms that account for nearly everything worth considering, search engines could no longer be gamed so easily.
But with that complexity came a superior user experience, mass market adoption, and a huge incentive to play by the rules.
Learning SEO became an integral part of being a good SEO and overall digital marketer. As such, if you are serious about your knowledge of the SEO current events and general SEO knowledge, you must keep on top of industry news and official announcements.
Luckily, because there is a huge demand for this type of news, there are plenty of publications offering free information on the topic of SEO. Navigating these resources with little to no prior experience can be difficult so we decided to put together our top SEO blogs and resources to learn SEO.
Best SEO Blogs
Because of the plethora of available resources, we wanted to categorize each blog into either technical, general, local, and content marketing specific. Most blogs will fall into the general category as they will not be limited to just one topic of SEO. However, some excel at a particular area and may be better suited for you depending on what you are looking for.
Additionally, the resources listed are not exhaustive and you may be able to find even more out there that you like. These are simply the ones we read ourselves and would recommend to others.
Best Technical SEO Blogs
1. SEO by the Sea
Site: https://www.seobythesea.com/
Twitter: @bill_slawski
Bill Slawski is a certified nerd when it comes to combing through technical documentations and patents put out by Google. Practicing SEO since 1996, he has arguably been there since the beginning and has a ton of historical evidence to back up his hypotheses about how the Google algorithm really works.
While statements from Google representatives can sound like concrete rejections of theories about the algorithm, documents describing what they have patents on can hint at the possibility of that not being the case. Many SEOs still struggle believing that click-through data doesn’t affect search results and posts like this are the reason why.
Though the technical level of the writing may not be suitable for absolute beginners, the concepts are extremely relevant to anyone wishing to better understand how Google Search works. Moreover, many publications simply cover Bill’s writing a few days after he publishes so you can skip the middleman by going straight to the source.
2. Builtvisible
Site: https://builtvisible.com/blog/
Twitter: @Builtvisible
While not a blog exclusively about technical SEO, Builtvisible often dips its toes into the highly technical areas to share some really cool insight.
The blog offers regular posts which are more often than not are on the topics of general SEO and marketing. However, with a wide range of contributing writers, some amazing (and super technical) posts go into the deep end of SEO most (including myself) would find a little intimidating.
If you have the dev skills and are looking to learn more about SEO, this type of content might be the best way to find opportunities to leverage your skills and pave a way forward into the realm of SEO.
On the other hand, if you already know a ton about SEO and are looking for an edge over everyone still doing just content or just off-page, this can also be a great resource.
Though we put Builtvisible in the technical section, there are great posts on their blog that do not require core knowledge of technical SEO and programming. Because there is a great diversity of writers from different backgrounds, there’s something for everyone and you can begin appreciating their content even if you are just starting out.
3. ohgm
Site: https://ohgm.co.uk/
Twitter: @ohgm
ohgm is a somewhat reductive blog format focusing primarily on technical SEO. Though it may be simplistic in its appearance, Oliver H.G. Mason, who runs the blog, offers great insight on topics most SEO blogs don’t bother addressing.
Because of this, it’s worth adding ohgm to your reading list if you are keen on improving your technical SEO prowess and staying ahead of the average search marketer, this is a great resource for you.
Best General SEO Blogs
1. Search Engine Roundtable
Site: https://www.seroundtable.com/
Twitter: @rustybrick
SERoundtable is a no-nonsense, to the point, blog run by Barry Schwartz. Though he does conduct in person interviews with industry experts and also create weekly roundups of all the stories he’s covered, the blog is focused on reporting statements and tweets as soon as they go live.
This offers great help to anyone looking to be in the loop on the latest SEO current events without having to read detailed articles with numerous details not directly related to the story. And because of Barry’s dedication to running his blog, the only times he skips a beat in his reporting are Jewish holidays (for which he still schedules posts to go live to make sure there is new content on his blog).
Though some of his posts are simply there to call attention to tweets by the likes of John Mueller, the immediacy of his articles makes him one of the best syndicators out there. In fact, a great way to approach SEO news is to read his blog and look elsewhere in the next day or two for deeper coverage of the stories you found most interesting.
The only true complaint for his content is that it can sometimes feel exclusive of complete SEO beginners. With quick blurbs that assume you’ve been following most stories for the last few years, someone still new to search marketing could become lost without the background information offered by other blogs.
2. Search Engine Journal
Site: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/
Twitter: @sejournal
On the other end of the spectrum of depth is SEJ (Search Engine Journal). With dozens of regular contributors from all over the industry, most blog entries are structured and planned well in advance of their publish time. As a result, many are a pleasant read with ample breaks in the text and unique imagery to go along with the post.
Many of the writers are industry leaders sharing their latest findings. However, there are also regular contributors that publish daily to keep the publish schedule going at a high pace.
While SEJ is home to a ton of great posts like the one about how GSC and GA collect analytics data by our founder, most posts often feel like SEO buzz capitalizing on being fresh content.
SEJ grew tremendously over the years and it was in part due to the creation of a ton of content. Unfortunately, that means that not all posts offer a ton of value and it is up to you to discern between what’s worth a read and what is simply an entertaining piece related to SEO.
As a rule of thumb, if it looks like click-bait, it most likely is and you should steer clear unless you want to kill some time or want to find out what everyone on SEO Twitter is talking about.
3. Search Engine Land
Site: https://searchengineland.com/
Twitter: @sengineland
Founded by Danny Sullivan and Chris Sherman, Search Engine Land has withstood the test of time in the world of SEO.
Comparable to the style of SEJ (minus the ultra click baity posts), there is always great new content on Search Engine Land with amazing contributors. Though Danny Sullivan has decided to take his talents to Google as their search liaison, the blog continues to prosper and features plenty of extremely valuable posts on topics beyond just SEO.
Though the content is on par with the best of them, the site has been long overdue for a design upgrade. In my opinion, this is partially the reason why SEJ has been able to capitalize on SEO blogging with their imagery and style the way they have. However, if you are after insightful information and don’t want to sift through a ton of fluff, Search Engine Land may be a better choice.
Best Local SEO Blogs
1. MobileMoxie
Site: https://mobilemoxie.com/blog/
Twitter: @MobileMoxie
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mobilemoxie
Finding a blog focused on the local aspects of SEO isn’t always easy. Many blogs either cover everything in the world of SEO (see “general SEO blogs” above) or avoid niches like local search altogether. This is where Cindy Krum’s MobileMoxie blog comes in.
With a regular cadence of articles primarily on the topic of local search, this is a great source of all the latest information you will need to understand what impacts the local results. If you are learning SEO for your local business, this blog is a must. In addition to the blog content, they also publish videos on YouTube which feature conference talks, roundtable discussions, and more.
2. Blumenthals
Site: http://blumenthals.com/blog/
Twitter: @mblumenthal
If you frequent SEO blogs like the ones mentioned here, you’ve probably come across mentions of Mike Blumenthal. He is often cited for his takes on local search changes and rightfully so.
As a local search thought leader, he understands the intricacies of what affects local results and breaks them down in his blog using images and GIFs (soft G) to demonstrate exactly where the changes or A/B tests are occurring in the search results. While his publish schedule is a little less consistent than that of MobileMoxie, the posts are extremely insightful and deserve to be read by anyone interested in local SEO.
In addition to his blog, Mike Blumenthal is a regular contributor to other publications. If you follow his Twitter and visit other blogs mentioned here, you are likely to be in the loop on his work. However, if you are still learning SEO and want a review of everything that’s been happening in local search, it is worthwhile to dig into the topics covered on his blog. Google search, specifically local search, changes constantly and it is helpful to know what existed before.
Best Content Marketing Blogs
1. Moz
Site: https://moz.com/blog/category/content
Twitter: @moz
Moz (formerly known as SEOMoz) has been around for a long time and has compiled a ton of great resources on many topics of SEO. Since their reach was beyond just SEO, the rebranding was the obvious move as they covered much more than strictly SEO.
Their coverage of content marketing earned them a spot on our list because of how often they lean into content as a topic of discussion. From Rand Fishkin’s Whiteboard Fridays (back when he was with Moz) to their current content-specific posts and non-Rand Whiteboard Fridays, content is definitely king over at Moz.
Whether you prefer to read or watch to learn about content marketing, you will be thoroughly engaged by what you find on this blog.
2. Content Marketing Institute (CMI)
Site: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/blog/
Twitter: @CMIContent
With a hyper focus on content marketing, CMI is the go-to source for the latest in the realm of content. While the posts do not have search marketing in mind every time, you probably already know that SEO content is not a thing (if you read our blog).
This blog is a particularly great one to include in your reading list as it will often offer the non-SEO approach to content. Realizing that Organic traffic is not the end game of every article being published is extremely important to every SEO specialist or someone who aspires to be one.
3. Contently
Site: https://contently.com/strategist/
Twitter: @contently
Another great resource for your content marketing needs is Contently’s Content Strategist blog. With topics ranging from creation and execution to performance measurement, most of the content strategy you need to know will appear here in some form.
What makes The Content Strategist especially great are their takes on creating engaging content and storytelling. While a lot of today’s content marketing involves hacking a title that leads to more clicks or focusing on keywords that get your page to rank, many of Contently’s posts explain how to keep a reader’s attention.
They also practice what they preach with a writing style that is engaging and will keep you interested.
Other SEO Learning Resources
While the blogs mentioned above are great to get you started, there are even more options to choose from if you just can’t get enough. If you still haven’t found what you wanted, the below resources have our respect (even though we might not frequent them as often):
iPullRank Learning Center
If you are reading this, you are probably already aware of the iPullRank blog and other resources like our Learning Center that features guides, white papers, and even an SEO movie!
But we couldn’t write this post without at least one shameless plug of all the great work the iPullRank team has been doing this whole time. If you love technical, general, and content oriented blogs, we have you covered. Additionally, iPullRank is regularly hosting webinars on timely topics in the world of SEO and digital marketing. Read our content on the iPR blog and follow us on our Twitter channel.
Conclusion
You are now equipped with all the resources you need to begin learning about SEO or improving your current knowledge base. Though with just 24 hours in a day, you probably will have to pick and choose which articles you dedicate your time to, it will not take long for you to choose your favorite SEO and content blogs from the list above.
We hope you found this roundup useful but if you have more suggestions for blogs, feel free to comment below with your favorite resource.
The post Best SEO Blogs & Resources to Learn SEO appeared first on iPullRank.
