James Spillane
Digital marketing is an industry that is constantly evolving, and to stay relevant marketers need to continually educate themselves. One specific area that’s rapidly developing is Paid Search. Paid search is when a company advertises with sponsored listings and pays a fee every time the ad is clicked (pay-per-click) or when the ad is displayed (cost-per-impression).
There are many online resources to help keep your paid search game strong. Here are 13+ websites you should spend time with to stay in-the-know with all things paid search.
Inbound
Inbound is a community of over 100,000 marketers that began in 2012. The website exists as a way for individuals to post content, job openings, and all things marketing. The posts get upvoted so the most popular ones always appear at the top.
When you register with Inbound you’re able to choose which type of content you’d like to see in your feed. You can also filter by different hubs so if you’re looking for something specific, say PPC, it’s easy to find only PPC-related content.
Growth Hackers
Growth Hackers is a similar concept as Inbound. Users submit content and each piece is voted on by the community, with more popular posts rising to the top of the list. You’re able to follow specific topics related to your marketing field of interest. The paid marketing topic is a great source for “search engine marketing, display advertising, traditional advertising such as TV and radio advertising, affiliate marketing, performance marketing, and other paid campaigns.”
Search Engine Land
Search Engine Land is an offshoot of Marketing Land and, as you can guess, is all things search related. The SEM tab allows you to read articles regarding SEM, PPC news and industry trends. What’s also helpful, is that you can sign up for an email newsletter to receive only articles from the SEM section.
Search Engine Watch
Search Engine Watch is an old dog by digital marketing standards– the site launched in 1997 as an extension of a 1996 study called “A Webmaster’s Guide To Search Engines.” The website is focused on providing “tips and information about searching the web, analysis of the search engine industry and help to site owners trying to improve their online visibility.”
The PPC category on the website supplies paid search advertising guides and articles on Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and other PPC tools and platforms.
Search Engine Journal
Search Engine Journal began in 2003 as a community-based approach to search engine content. Most of the articles are contributed pieces from digital marketing experts around the globe. The paid search section can be segmented between all paid search articles, or paid search 101 which will give you the basics in the industry.
The SEM Post
The SEM Post is a fairly new site founded in 2014 by editor and longtime speaker Jennifer Slegg. The site features posts by Slegg and other hand-selected industry experts. The pay per click tab is a great space for PPC trends and current news.
Beyond The Paid
Beyond the Paid is run by PPC guru Melissa Mackey. Mackey has been doing Adwords since 2002 and currently works as the Search Supervisor at gyro. The entire site is dedicated to paid media, with sections on SEM, PPC strategy, Adwords, Bing ads, search marketing conferences and PPC books.
#PPCChat
PPC Chat was founded in 2011 by Matthew Umbro and is a weekly discussion on Twitter that brings together PPC experts and digital marketers around the world. The discussion topic is chosen by Umbro and the conversation occurs every Tuesday at noon EST surrounding the hashtag #ppcchat.
Participants discuss everything from fundamental concepts to advanced theories. The hashtag can also be followed throughout the week to share and discover PPC-focused news and content.
PPC Hero
PPC Hero is run by Hanapin Marketing, an Indiana-based agency that focuses solely on PPC advertising, and is the “most-trafficked PPC blog” on the internet. Each post is written by a Hanapin Account Manager and all of the agency’s managers are Google AdWords and Bing Ads certified.
Adwords Blog
What better way to get news and tips regarding Adwords than straight from the source? The Adwords blog is a great way to stay in-the-know with all Google product updates, features and news.
Bing Ads Blog
Same goes for Bing Ads. The company blog is the best source for all things Bing. Any new features will be posted here first, then blogged about hundreds of times over by outlets across the web.
Wordstream
Wordstream was founded by Larry Kim in 2007. Kim is a huge name in the digital marketing world and has won numerous awards including most influential PPC expert in 2014, Most Influential Search Engine Marketer of 2014 and Most Retweeted SEM.
The PPC U tab on Wordstream features numerous articles and free training courses to turn you into a guru in no time.
Adstage
Adstage is a technology and design company that helps customers build and manage effective online advertising campaigns. The company blog can be segmented into how-tos, guides, interviews, news or press releases. For the best PPC information, visitors should check out the “This Week in Ad Tech” section, which features curated articles and tips from the online advertising world.
Moz
Although Moz doesn’t specifically specialize in PPC, it can still be a great resource for those looking to boost their digital marketing knowledge. The website launched in 2004 as a consulting company and has since grown into an SEO and digital marketing powerhouse. The company blog posts about everything from advice and research, to how-tos and insights.
Lead Horse
Lead Horse is a digital marketing agency based out of Atlanta that is certified partners with Google and Bing. The agency blog features beneficial articles about business, call tracking, digital marketing strategy, future of advertising, marketing for startups, and paid search strategy.
We hope this list added a few more resources to your PPC arsenal. Did we miss any, what is your favorite site for PPC-related news and tips?
This article was written for Business 2 Community by James Spillane.
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