74 Compelling Fill-in-the-Blank Blog Post Titles [Infographic]
By Sam Kusinitz
Headlines are just as important now as they were back when print publishing dominated online. Titles are what causes a reader to scan the first few sentences of a blog, they're what drives someone to actually "click" on a link. Coming up with compelling blog titles is not an easy task. It takes almost as much creativity as writing the post itself. Thankfully, Sam Kusinitz has provided us with 74 fill-in-the-blank titles to choose from. I love it when Hubspot publishes this type of content, because it’s a time-saver for writers who struggle with titles. While we should all seek to improve in this area, it’s always nice to know you have options.
SEO Evolved: Why Quality Content Is Instrumental to Off-Page SEO
By Erik Devaney
Off-page SEO, or links, is a point of exasperation for marketers who have come in contact with Google’s recent updates. Now that guest blogging, back links, and other link building tactics are frowned upon by Google, we’ve all been looking for new ways to generate off-page SEO. Right now, the most popular solution is creating great content that results in natural links. It’s something that makes black hat SEOs cringe, because it means they actually have to earn what was previously available to the highest bidder. And while guest blogging isn’t totally off the table, it’s definitely a murky situation.
So, if quality content is the answer, how can marketers “color inside the lines” while flying safely under Google’s radar? Hubspot’s very own Erik Devaney offers great advice on how they make it work. As you may or may not know, Hubspot’s Insider’s blog is driven by guest posts, and they’ve managed to do so successfully. Take a cue from the experts to see how it's done.
5 Subtle Writing Strategies That Drive Email Signups
Email lists are the bread and butter of inbound marketing. Sure, search engines make it easier for anonymous visitors to stumble upon your content, but without a way to connect with them on a regular basis, you’re at the mercy of Google algorithms and penalties. Email lists place some of the control back into our hands, so it’s imperative that we never stop refining strategies that drive email signups. That’s where Ramsay Taplin’s 5 subtle writing strategies come into play. This piece touches on a few tried & true strategies, and introduces new methods you may not have tried before.
The New Link Building Survey 2014 - Results
By James Agate
James Agate of Moz Blog shared the results of their Link Building Survey that was taken by 315 marketing professionals. The survey was designed to take the pulse of the industry to see how link building tactics are fairing amidst Google algorithm changes and an ever-evolving digital landscape. He found that most marketers are still engaged in link building tactics, whether directly or indirectly (through content marketing), and that the majority of marketers plan to increase their link building budgets over the next 12 months.
What does that mean for the rest of us? It means we need to ramp up our link building efforts and stop being afraid to get in the game. The fear of being a victim of Google penalties, lack of scalability, and the cost of content efforts all but paralyzes some professionals ability to successfully engage in off page SEO. James’ post adds value to this conversation, because he shares what tactics are deemed ineffective and which are valuable, according to the 315 respondents. It can never hurt to know what our peers think and how they’re spending their budgets. Links are the backbone of Google Search and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
12 Reasons to Integrate Visual Content Into Your Marketing Campaigns [Infographic]
By Sam Kusinitz
In case you still aren’t completely sold on the pros of using visual content in your marketing campaign, Sam Kusinitz has 12 reasons that should change your tune. His top 2 reasons are of course the most compelling: 1) Visual content is attention grabbing and 2) The brain processes visual content faster than written.
I know what some of you may be thinking “Sam is preaching to the choir. We already know the value of visual content.” Often times it’s not us (marketers) who need to be sold on a new approach, it’s our supervisor who controls the budget that needs persuading. The value of visual content is worth sounding like a broken record. Use this info graphic to convince management to invest in visual content.
Tune in next week for the top content marketing blogs published this week.
