What's in Your RSS Reader?

By Jeff Campbell, VP Product Development & Innovation


My mantra (and Rick Pitino’s apparently) is “Success Is A Choice.” I’ve blogged numerous times that self-education is the key to getting ahead in this industry and that the knowledge is readily available in the 100’s of blogs, websites, and networks out there. Sure, you can get the full list of “Top” SEM/SEO blogs here, see Barry Schwartz’s Top 76, or enjoy Rand’s Top 50, but I’m interested in what you find useful. Please use the comments section to list your top 3 to 5 industry favorites (be it SEO, PPC, or WA). I’ll start…

I read the following most often (outside of this one, of course), but as my role has changed over the years, so has this list:

1. Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik
Why: Google’s “Analytics Evangelist” doles out tactical advice. No comments on other blogs, no predictions, no regurgitation of the news…this is a “how to” blog if you are looking to learn and master WA.
2. Sphinn Hot Topics
Why: A good aggregator of PPC, SEO, and Social Marketing news and discussions. Users submit and “Sphinn” the articles they like and the more popular posts gain higher placement (warning: just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean it’s news). It’s in the most prominent spot as the content changes frequently.
3. AdAge Digital
Why: When major digital news crosses the wires, you can read it here. Also a great place to learn about what other Omnicom agencies or competitors are up to. Advertising Age is read by everyone who’s anyone in the ad biz, and it’s probably best if you are able to hold a conversation with those people. ;)

Three very diverse blogs…if I was to add a fourth, it would be a ClickZ or MediaPost, where you can get general Search industry news/updates. What about you? Please help others optimize their RSS Readers & Bookmarks!

Posted by: Jeff Campbell, VP Product Development & Innovation

8 comments:

Dave McAnally said...

Slightly Shady SEO - Despite the name, this is hands down one of the most straightforward all killa no filla blogs out there. XMCP has a great writing style and his programming background brings a unique perspective to his posts.

Blue Hat SEO - You feel evil reading some of his posts! Not for the faint of heart.

SEO Moz - I think everybody in the SEO community has this one in their RSS. I don't so much learn new tactics here, but somebody from the moz gang ends up at every single conference in the galaxy and their coverage is usually pretty decent.

Bryson said...

D-mac and I have different taste in blogs sometimes. Shady and Fishkin are insightful sometimes, but Shady and Blue Hat have methods that shouldn't be used by brands with anything to lose, and the SEOMoz crew can be annoyingly unprofessional and cute. Personally I follow a few SEO blogs, some marketing blogs, some developer blogs and some mobile blogs. I keep a running list in my technorati faves and a list of great posts in my del.icio.us bookmarks.

David Levy said...

Personally, I like to have some good diversity in the sites/blogs that I follow. A mix of digital industry news and analysis, search specific insights, and monitoring our competition. More specifically:

Marketing Pilgrim - great for breaking news and insight on all things digital.

iCrossing's Blog and OneUpWeb's Blog - by reading competitor's blogs, it helps me understand the way they think about search so that we can stay one step ahead in our client discussions.

Search Engine Land - I know this isn't a very exciting pick, but it's a good source for keeping up with the latest goings on in the search space...along with some often times simple advice that can keep us all grounded.

Nathan Janitz said...

I tend to like D-mac's picks as well (sorry Bryson). I wouldn't dream of doing some of the stuff that they suggest, but it is still a great thing to know.

My Google Reader tends to run the gambit on topics. I like to keep a running list of topics like SEO, SEM, Online Marketing, and WA (which actually makes up about half my list). My top three tend to be:

1) Marketing Pilgrim
Why: Andy Beal and co cover a wide verity of topics. They do cover news topics and comment on other posts, but actually do so in a true conversation way (read as they actually bring something to the table).

2)Web Analytics Demystified
Why: from news topics, to tips, to WA salary trends…..this blog covers everything WA. Eric Peterson really knows how to explain “how to” in rookie friendly way.

3) AdWords Blog
Why: This isn’t the most exciting blog, but I keep it in my reader because it is often better to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. Although it gives some decent tips (most of them revolve around spending more money on Google), it is often one of the first places Google let’s people know about changes to AdWords. It really allows me to be more proactive in identifying possible upcoming problems for clients.

Anonymous said...

My priority is keeping my carpel-tunnel from flaring up while keeping a finger on the roller coaster-like pulse of our industry. That said I keep to more high-level sources like:

Sphinn - if a lot of other industry-types are interested, there's a pretty good chance I'll find it applicable to my world. Plus, hey...it's the social web!

Search Engine Watch - another solid high level source with less of the grass roots I get with Sphinn. They're my USA Today of Search.

Download Squad - once a week they come out with a post called Googleholic which has a great roundup of info, news and gossip on the monster search engine - much of which hasn't been reported by other news sources or Google themselves.

These are hardly the only sources I rely on, but they are definitely 3 of the most reliable, unique and ultimately indispensable out there.

Buck Dossey said...

Following Zac's SEW RSS, don't forget about their SEW Blog Feed which has great Search Engine Commentary from leading Search experts.

John Battelle's Blog usually has some relevant info as well. Great search commentary and he keeps it light.

Finally, my favorite is DMNews' Search Blog. Definitely a "here's what's important in Search" perspective.

Aaron Goldman said...

I keep up on most of the ones already metioned plus...

iMediaConnection.com Search Feed - tends to be a bit 101 but many large agencies and Fortune 5 clients monitor this site so it's good to know what they are reading.

Online Marketing Blog - Lee Odden does a great job of covering all the latest search news and does some of the best conference blogging around.

Natural Search and Mobile SEO Blog - can't believe noone has mentioned our very own Bryson Meunier's blog! This is the truly the seminal blog on mobile search.

Bryson said...

Thanks, AG! I do what I can to keep people informed about the opportunity in mobile search marketing.

 
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