If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for a way to gain a competitive edge online…
Rank higher in the SERPs.
Increase social engagement.
Convert your visitors.
Make money online.
All critical if you want to be successful as a blogger, marketer or business owner.
But, how do you do it all, and do it well?
While sipping an Extra Dry on the beach back home in Australia during Christmas break, I started thinking about this question.
I’m a big believer that in order to be the best, you need to learn from the best.
So, I put together a list of 80 online marketing experts that have directly influenced the way I approach online marketing. Some are household names, some you will have never heard of.
These people are the best at what they do and hold nothing back when it comes to sharing the strategies and tactics they used to get there.
If you’re looking for actionable content in specific areas, I segmented the list into the following categories:
Within each category, I list the expert, provide a mug shot, a short description about why they’re awesome, list a few of their best posts, and link to their Twitter account.
As a self-taught marketer, these are people that I look to for new ways to get a competitive edge online.
Enjoy!
#1. Pat Flynn, Smart Passive Income Blog
Pat Flynn is the self-proclaimed crash test dummy of online business. He puts all his successes and failures out there for everyone to see. This transparency, coupled with super actionable data-backed content makes the Smart Passive Income blog a must-read for any blogger or business owner in 2015.
Must-Reads:
1. The Email Marketing Checklist
2. How To Sell Without Selling – The Art of No-Pitch Promotion
3. Podcast Teasers and Proof You Need to Publish Videos Directly to Facebook Too
#2. Gael Breton, Authority Hacker
Gael Breton has turned Authority Hacker into a go-to resource for anyone wanting practical advice on how to get a website from a no-name brand to an authoirty website generating five figures in passive income. He covers everything from social media to SEO, and has a fantastic podcast interviewing some of the best minds in online marketing. All his content is 100% actionable.
Must-Reads:
1. The Step-By-Step Guide To Selling With Solution-Oriented Blog Posts
2. How We Transferred A Successful Blog Post Into $2,500/Month Passive Income
3. Buzzstream Review & Outreach Link Building Tutorial
#3. Ramsay Taplin, Blog Tyrant
Ramsay Taplin is the proud CEO of a couch-based blogging business. When he was in his early 20s he built, grew and sold a fitness blog for $20,000. Ever since he has been building and selling blogs for serious cash in a number of niches. He shares his most actionable tips and strategies on Blog Tyrant. He’s also one of the only bloggers to get offered a guest post spot on Glen Allsop’s Viperchill 🙂 Grab this RSS feed!
Must-Reads:
1. 16 Of The Most Brilliant Tactics In Blogging History
2. The Biggest Thing In Blogging. Why Content Is NOT King.
3. How To Start A Free Blog And Quickly Become A Blogging Superhero
#4. Ana Hoffman, Traffic Generation Cafe
The title says it all. Ana Hoffman is the queen of generating SERIOUS traffic on a budget. Her content encompasses a range of actionable strategies you can implement immediately to grow your email list and leverage search and social channels to drive qualified traffic to your blog. I’ve used many of the tactics she has written about to drive thousands of visitors to my blog.
Must-Reads:
1. Be Memorable: 10 Practical Ways To Get Influencers’ Attention
2. SEO Traffic 2014: Your One-Stop Reference Guide For Non-SEOs
3. SEO Case Study: Page One, Result One
#5. Yaro Starak, Entrepreneurs-Journey
Yaro Starak is one of the most well respected online marketers around. He has perfected a lucrative blueprint that he has used to turn hundreds of part-time blogs into passive money-making machines. His formula: Create a blog…build a list…sell your own digital products. If you’re serious about making a living online, sign up to Yaro’s blog.
Must-Reads:
1. How Much Traffic Does Your Blog Need To Make $100,000 A Year?
2. Case Study: Natalie MacNeil Blogs Her Way To Half A Million A Year
3. The Secret Of My Blog’s Success – The Pillar Article
#6. Darren Rowse, ProBlogger
Darren Rowse is the mastermind behind the reputable ProBlogger website. He has been making a living online since 2004 and holds nothing back when it comes to sharing the strategies and tactics he used to make it happen. This blog is another must-read if you’re looking to make money online.
Must-Reads:
1. Spend 10 Minutes Doing This Every Day And You Could Transform Your Blogging
2. Five Ways To Grow Your Blog Without Relying On Google Traffic
3. Ten Steps To Help Turn Your Blog Into A Number One Best Selling Book
#7. Jon Morrow, Boost Blog Traffic
Jon Morrow is a former Copyblogger Associate Editor. However, after years of watching people write awesome content only to have it go unrewarded, he decided to start Boost Blog Traffic. Jon takes you behind the scenes and shares you all the strategies he has used to build a six figure blog and live a private waterside condo in West Palm Beach Florida.
Must-Reads:
1. 27 WordPress Hacks Every Serious Blogger Needs To Know
2. Why Your Site Gets Such Pitiful Traffic (And What To Do About It)
3. 9 Irresistible Incentives That Will Grow Your Blog Like Crazy
#8. Adam Connell, Blogging Wizard
Adam Connell founded Blogging Wizard after successfully launching and growing several websites across a number of verticals. He shares a ton of actionable online marketing strategies anyone in any niche can use to drive traffic, build an email list, and generate a passive revenue stream.
Must-Reads:
1. The Ultimate Guide To List Building For Bloggers
2. Complete Guide To Building Your Blog And Getting More Email Subscribers
3. The Definitive Guide For Successful Blog Post Promotion
#9. Kristi Hines, Kikolani
Kristi Hines is a professional blogger and freelance writer. She regularly contributes to major publications such as Search Engine Journal, Social Media Examiner and UnBounce. In 2010, her former blog, Kikolani, was named a Top 10 Social Media Blog by Social Media Examiner. If you’re looking for actionable well-written content related to SEO, social media and copywriting, Kristi’s blog should be one of your first stops.
Must-Reads:
1. Easy A/B Testing With Visual Website Optimizer
2. How To Price Your Services And Earn What You’re Worth
3. 32 Experts Share Their Best Blog Post Promotion Tips
#10. Chris Ducker, ChrisDucker.com
Chris Ducker is a serial entrepreneur, blogger and podcaster who shares all the tools, tips and tactics you’ll need to start, grow and run a business in the 21st century. If you haven’t done so already, check out his free business bootcamp course. You won’t regret it.
Must-Reads:
1. 10 Online Influencers That Will Affect Positive Change In Your Business
2. 10 Lessons Learned While Writing My First Book
3. How To Embrace A Winning Approach To Goal Setting
#11. Derek Halpern, Social Triggers
This has been one of my favorite blogs for a while now. Why? Derek Halpern gives you direct access to the proven strategies and tactics of New York Times Best-Selling Authors, world-renowned academic researchers and pulls back the curtains to show you what makes people “tick” online.
Must-Reads:
1. How To Get Your First 5,000 Subscribers
2. How To Double Your Sales On Your Next Launch (Without Doubling Your Sales)
3. 7 Ways That Content Goes Viral
#12. Bryan Harris, VideoFruit
Bryan Harris burst onto the scene in 2014. This guy is a master at reverse engineering the strategies successful marketers and entrepreneurs use to start, grow and monetize their digital assets. Bryan shares the exact techniques he used to grow VideoFruit to 10,000 subscribers and over $200,000 in sales….in it’s FIRST year! I’m excited to see what he does in 2015!
Must-Reads:
1. How to use a giveaway to get 2,239 email subscribers in 10 days
2. 11 Ways To Turn Readers Into Email Subscribers
3. $13,000 In Monthly Recurring Revenue In 90 Days (Case Study)
#13. Noah Kagan, Okdork
If I could follow one person in 2015, Noah Kagan would likely be it. He was the #30 employee at facebook, masterminded the marketing strategy that helped mint.com earn a $200 million sales tag and recently grew AppSumo to reach over 1 billion people. His no bullshit, test-validate approach has changed the way I approach online marketing. I think I might have read every article he has indexed on world wide web 🙂 If you want to learn how to get BIG results FAST, you need to subscribe and follow this guy right now!
Must-Reads:
1. How We Grew Okdork 200% With These Exact SEO Tips
2. Why Content Goes Viral: What Analyzing 100 Million Articles Taught Us
#14. Sean Ellis, GrowthHackers
Sean Ellis ‘ name is synonymous with the term growth hacking. He helped companies such as Dropbox, Eventbrite, Lookout, LogMeln and Uproar grow into multi-billion dollar companies. Now, he is the founder and CEO of Qualaroo and GrowthHackers. Sean also writes great content on his blog, Startup Marketing.
Must-Reads:
1. The Beginners Guide To Conversion Rate Optimization
2. Key Elements Of A Massively Scalable Startup
3. How I Got 1,000 Clicks For $25 On A Twitter Ad Today
#15. Andrew Chen, andrewchen.co
Andrew Chen is one of the most cited experts when it comes to growth hacking. In fact, he has written over 550 essays on the subject, being featured in the New York Times, Fortune, Wired and the Wall Street Journal. He covers everything from mobile design to fundraising to growth hacking strategies. He is an investor/ advisor for tech startups, including AngiesList, Qualaroo, AppSumo and ZenPayroll.
Must-Reads:
1. There’s Only A Few Ways To Scale User Growth And Here’s The List
2. How To Design Successful Social Products With Habit-Forming Feedback Loops
3. Zero To Product/ Market Fit
#16. Lincoln Murphy, 16 Ventures
Lincoln Murphy provides shares some of the best strategies related to growth strategy and tactics for SaaS-based companies that you will find anywhere on the web. Since 2006, Murphy has helped over 300 SaaS companies accelerate their growth through customer acquisition and retention. He is a regular contributor to reputable publications such as Inc.com, Venture Beat, ZDNet and Venture Hacks. If you’re in the SaaS niche, you need to be following Mr. Murphy here!
Must-Reads:
1. 22 Ways To Reduce Customer Churn With Growth Hacking
2. Customer Development Hacks For SaaS Startups
3. Drive Growth With These “Invite-A-Friend” Hacks
#17. Peep Laja, ConversionXL
Peep Laja is the face of the well-known ConversionXL blog and is widely recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the conversion optimization field. Peep has started several companies and consulted all over the world. He has been featured on ProBlogger, Okdork, ThinkTraffic, Smashing Magazine KISSmetrics, and is the founder of ConversionXL Live 2015 conference. The ConversionXL is a personal “Top 3” when it comes to CRO.
Must-Reads:
1. The Better Than Ultimate Guide To Landing Page Optimization
2. 10 Google Analytics Reports That Tell You Where Your Site Is Leaking Money
3. How To Analyze Your A/B Test Results With Google Analytics
#18. Tommy Walker, Shopify
Tommy Walker is the former editor of the ConversionXL blog. He has written several of the most actionable conversion optimization articles you’ll find anywhere on the web. He now leads the marketing for Shopify and is the host of Inside The Mind.
Must-Reads:
1. How To Dramatically Improve Your Conversion Rates In 2015 Using These 3 Analytics Reports
2. 3 Frameworks To Help Prioritize and Conduct Your Conversion Testing
3. How To Calculate and Increase Customer Lifetime Value
#19. Oli Gardner, UnBounce
Oli Gardner is a conversion expert and co-founder of the landing page builder, UnBounce. Oli has torn apart more landing pages than anyone on the planet and definitely isn’t afraid to tell it how it is. His Page Fights webinar with Peep Laja is a MUST-WATCH. He master-minded the Smart Marketers Landing Page course, one of the best conversion optimization courses out there. I personally use UnBounce for all my SEM landing pages.
Must-Reads:
1. 22 Brutally Honest Landing Page Critiques
2. 6 Things I Do To My Landing Pages When My Conversion Rates Suck
3. 8 Ways To Convert Free Trial Users Into Customers Through Email Marketing
#20. Michael Aagaard, ContentVerve
Michael Aagaard is an international speaker and senior conversion rate optimization expert. His blog, ContentVerve, is one of the most referenced sources on copywriting, CRO and content marketing anywhere on the web. Michael provides a unique case study approach – testing and validating his way to actionable strategies anyone can learn from. Always a great read!
Must-Reads:
1. 10 Experts Reveal Their Biggest Testing Mistakes
2. 31.03% Increase In Sales By Tweaking A CTA On A Payment Page
3. 18.59% Increase In Downloads By Tweaking One Bullet Point
#21. Tim Ash, SiteTuners
Tim Ash is the CEO of SiteTuners, one of the first online marketing agencies to focus exclusively on conversion rate optimization. He is the author of the best-selling book Landing Page Optimization and is the Chairperson of the Conversion Conference, the only international event series focused solely on website CRO. Needless to say, this guy is another must-follow!
Must-Reads:
1. 7 Things You’re Doing Wrong On Your Landing Pages And How To Fix Them
2. 3 Things Every Retailer Should Know About Mobile Visitors
3. Responsive Web Design vs. Mobile Website Version: Which One Is Right For You?
#22. Rich Page, rich-page.com
Rich Page has been analyzing, testing and optimizing websites for over 10 years. He previously worked for Adobe as conversion solution specialist, helping their key clients with testing and optimization strategies (including, Vodafone, Skype, Tesco and Nationwide). He is also the author of “Website Optimization: An Hour A Day“.
Must-Reads:
1. 12 Simple A/B Tests You Should Be Running Right Now to Increase Sales or Leads
2. 25 Ways to Increase Online Sales Without Spending a Penny
3. How to Test and Improve Your Website If Your Traffic is Too Low for A/B Testing
#23. Brian Massey, Customer Creation Equation
Brian Massey is the conversion scientist at Conversion Sciences. Brian has over 20 years experience as a computer programmer, entrepreneur, corporate marketer, writer and speaker at national conferences such as PubCon and InnoTech. He is the author of Your Customer Creation Equation: Unexpected Website Formulas of The Conversion Scientist and contributes to Search Engine Journal and Content Marketing Institute.
Must-Reads:
1. Maximizing Webinar Registration Conversion Rates
2. The Battle for Your Marketing Dollars: Email vs. Social Media
3. How To Throw A Great Twitter Chat
#24. Chris Goward, WiderFunnel
Founder of WiderFunnel, the conversion optimization company, author of You Should Test That!, and a widely recognized keynote speaker. Chris is another expert that regularly writes and shares some of the most actionable content on conversion optimization.
Must-Reads:
1. 8 Steps To Amazing Website Segmentation Success
2. A/B Split Testing vs Multivariate: Pros and Cons
3. The 2 Ways to Use Heatmaps to Light the Fire Under your Website Tests
#25. Bryan Eisenberg, bryaneisenberg.com
Bryan Eisenberg coined the term CRO. He is co-author of the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, USA Today and New York Times best-selling books “Call To Action” and “Always Be Testing”. Eisenberg is an internationally-recognized keynote speaker and was named a “Top 10 User Experience Guru” by eConsultancy.
Must-Reads:
1. How To Convert More Blog Visitors
2. How to Get More Leads with Persuasive Scenario Planning
3. How to Design High-Converting Mobile Landing Pages
#26. Brian Dean, Backlinko
Brian Dean is a legend when it comes to link building and traffic generation. His skyscraper technique helped me write a blog post that generated 10,199 visits in 30 days (without spending a penny). He co-authored the advanced link building guide with Neil Patel and has grown Backlinko into a world-renowned SEO authority.
Must-Reads:
1. 17 Insanely Actionable List Building Strategies
2. How I Increased My Search Traffic by 110% in 14 Days
3. How to Create a Squeeze Page That Converts at 21.7% (Case Study)
#27. Rand Fishkin, Moz
A man that needs no introduction. Rand Fishkin is arguably the most recognizable face in the SEO industry. He is the founder of Moz and the Inbound marketing forum. His Whiteboard Fridays are an absolute must-watch!
Must-Reads:
1. A Visual Guide To Keyword Targeting And On-Page SEO
2. The Greatest Misconception In Content Marketing
3. Keyword Research and Targeting (Without Exact Match)
#28. David Mihm, davidmihm.com
David Mihm is a local search optimization specialist and director for local search strategy for Moz. He is the co-author of the annual Local Search Ranking Factors report. If you’re looking to fine tune your local search results, David is the first person you should look to.
Must-Reads:
1. The 2014 Local Search Ranking Factors
2. Why “Barnacle SEO” Is Making A Big Comeback In Local
#29. Nick Eubanks, SeoNick
Nick Eubanks is an SEO expert that blogs on a range of advanced SEO topics. He is the author of Master Keyword Research In 7 Days. Nick’s website is a space that he uses to test and validate a range of content and SEO experiments. He has leveraged search to organically grow several websites to millions of visitors without spending $1 on paid advertising. He approaches SEO from a unique technical and mathematical perspective, and is a master of keyword research.
Must-Reads:
1. How To Build A Keyword Matrix (And Why You Need One)
2. How To Increase Traffic By Osmosis: Absorbing Visitors To Reach Over 200,000
#30. Cyrus Shepard, Moz Author
Cyrus Shepard is an SEO expert and regularly posts great content to the Moz blog.
Must-Reads:
1. 7 Advanced Concepts Of On-Page SEO
2. 12 Ways To Increase Traffic From Google Without Building Links
#31. Paddy Moogan, paddymoogan.com
Paddy Moogan is the Head of Growth Markets for Distilled. He is an SEO expert and author of the The Link Building Book. He is a regular speaker at industry conferences and has blogged for numerous reputable publications such as Moz, Search Engine Land and SMX.
Must-Reads:
1. Guest Blogging Link Building Using Buzzstream
2. The Future Of Link Building
#32. Glen Gabe, G-Squared Interactive
Glen Gabe is a digital marketing consultant with a strong focus on SEO, SEM and web analytics. He is a columnist at Search Engine Watch and has posted some of the most in-depth and actionable content related to SEO audits that I’ve read anywhere on the web.
Must-Reads:
1. 6 Dangerous Rel Canonical Problems Based on Crawling 11M+ Pages in 2014
2. XML Sitemaps – 8 Facts, Tips and Recommendations For The Advanced SEO
#33. Will Critchlow, Distilled
Will Critchlow is the founder of Distilled, an online marketing company with offices in London, New York and Seattle. Will has worked with some of the largest brands in the world, and masterminded the SearchLove conference held in the US and UK.
Must-Reads:
1. Build Different Things – Why You’re Not Done When Your Website Is Responsive
2. Is Voice The Next Biggest Thing In Mobile
#34. Aleyda Solis, aleydasolis.com
Aleyda Solis is an international SEO expert, entrepreneur and blogger. She has worked as the head of digital strategy at WooRank and head of international SEO at SEER Interactive. Aleyda is a regular speaker at conferences such as MozCon, SearchLove and SMX London. She
Must-Reads:
1. 7 Factors To Check When Doing SEO for International Sites
2. How To Leverage Content Curation In SEO
#35. Danny Sullivan, MarketingLand
Danny Sullivan is the founding editor of Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. If you want to know what is happening in the search engines before it actually happens, follow Danny.
Must-Reads:
1. How A Single Guest Post May Have Gotten An Entire Site Penalized By Google
2. Google Authorship May Be Dead, But Author Rank Is Not
#36. Barry Schwartz, Search Engine Roundtable
Barry Schwartz is another one of those guys who knows what is happening in the world of search before it hits the headlines. He is the former News Editor at Search Engine Watch. Barry has also held advisory roles at Google, Yahoo!, Bing and several other large internet startups. A must follow if you want to be at the forefront of all the major search trends and changes.
Must-Reads:
1. Google Launches New Local SEO Algorithm
2. Google: Stop Using PageRank As A Metric, We Won’t Be Updating In The Future
#37. Jason Acidre, Kaiser The Sage
KaiserTheSage is the personal blog of Jason Acidre – a Manila-based search strategist. He uses the blog to test different search marketing strategies. Jason is a regular contributor to large SEO blogs such as Moz. His content is always easy-to-read and super actionable. I’ve been reading his content across the web for years, and recommend you do the same 🙂
Must-Reads:
1. Generating Better Content Ideas
2. (More) Enterprise Link Building Strategies
#38. Darren Shaw, Whitespark
Darren Shaw is the founder of Whitespark. He is a local SEO expert and regular speaker at conferences such as MozCon, SearchLove and SearchFest. Darren spams the shit out of Twitter with local SEO tips and strategies, and I love it! If you’re looking for a go-to resource on local SEO, Darren is your man.
Must-Reads:
1. How To NOT Suck At Local SEO
#39. Mike Blumenthal, blumenthals
Mike Blumenthal is another one of those must-follow guys from the world of local search. Mike is widely cited as the foremost local search expert in North America. He is the founder of LocalU and co-founder of GiveFiveStars. His blog is arguably the most respected in the industry. Check it out (NOW)!
Must-Reads:
1. Guide To Using Call Tracking For Local Search
2. Google Test Search Results – 11 Ads, One Directory and 3 Stinkers
#40. Andrew Shotland, Local SEO Guide
Andrew Shotland is a local SEO expert. He worked as the head of business and product development at Insider Pages where he developed an SEO strategy that generated 3 million monthly unique visitors, almost entirely through organic search. His blog is one of the top resources on local SEO you’ll find anywhere on the web.
Must-Reads:
1. 5 Ways SEMrush Makes Me Look Like An SEO Wizard To Clients
2.Anatomy Of A Local SEO Campaign
#41. Ann Smarty, Viral Content Buzz
Ann Smarty is widely recognized as one of the leading SEO authorities. She has started numerous high profile sites including MyBlogU and MyBlogGuest. She is the brand manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas and heavily cited across some of the largest online SEO publications. If you want to learn SEO, start following Ann today.
Must-Reads:
1. How to Get Interviewed by Popular Blogs (Even If You’re Not a Big Shot)
2. How To Build Relationships With Influencers Through Content
#42. Paul Shapiro, Search Wilderness
Paul Shapiro is the Director of SEO at Catalyst Search Marketing. His personal blog, Search Wilderness, is loaded with actionable SEM tips and strategies. Paul is regularly featured on Search Engine Land, Okdork and Content Marketing Institute. He tweets out a ton of great SEO content too. Definitely recommend following Paul in 2015.
Must-Reads:
1. The Linkedin Publishing Platform and SEO: Examining 3,000 Posts to See What Works in the SERPS
2. Free SEO Tools That I Love (and Actually Use): Keyword Research
#43. Larry Kim, WordStream
Larry Kim is the most influential figure in the PPC world. He is the founder of WordStream and the top columnist at Inc Magazine and Search Engine Land. Larry is at the forefront of the industry. If you want to know how to crush it in the SEM space, follow Larry and read everything he publishes. I have a Google Alert set up for this guy 🙂
Must-Reads:
1. The 10 Best PPC Marketing Hacks Of All Time
2. The Power User’s Guide to Google Analytics Hacks, Tips and Tricks
#44. Brad Geddes, Certified Knowledge
Brad Geddes is the official AdWords seminar leader, founder of AdAlysis and author of Advanced Google AdWords. He is one of the top authorities in pay per click space and is a must-follow for anyone wanting to learn how to use AdWords to grow their business.
Must-Reads:
1. How Ad Rotation Affects Your AdWords Ad Testing
2. The Best Ads Testing Metrics For Lead Generation Campaigns
#45. Andrew Lolk, White Shark Media
Andrew Lolk is the founder of White Shark Media, one of the fastest growing digital marketing agencies in North America. His AdWords eBook is one of the most thorough free books on PPC you’ll read anywhere on the web. He is regularly featured on PPCHero and Search Engine Journal and is recognized as one of the most influential people in the PPC industry.
Must-Reads:
1. [eBook] How To Manage AdWords Successfully From A – Z
2. You Should Start Using Call Out Extensions Now
#46. Perry Marshall, perrymarshall.com
Perry Marshall is the world’s #1 expert on sales growth through 80/20 leverage. He is a best-selling author on Google and Facebook ads and is one of the biggest names in the PPC industry.
Must-Reads:
1. Google AdWords and Gorilla Marketing Expert [podcast]
2. 5 Days To Success With Google AdWords [Free eCourse]
#47. Rick Backus, CPC Strategy
Rick Backus is the founder and CEO of CPC Strategy, a company specializing in PPC management and Google Shopping campaigns. Rick runs PPC campaigns for companies such as SEARS and Verizon and is at the forefront of the PPC industry. He consistently publishes great content on the topic of Google Shopping and the latest PPC trends. I came across Rick about a year ago, and I’m glad I did. Lots to be learned here!
Must-Reads:
1. 6 Strategies To Decrease Shopping Cart Abandonment
2. 5 Must-Have Competitive Intelligence Tools For Online Retailers
#48. Mary Weinstein, CPC Strategy
Mary Weinstein is a member of the CPC Strategy is a self-proclaimed PPC and retail search junkie. She is extremely active on the CPC Strategy blog, publishing super actionable content on a seemingly daily basis. Her Twitter account is one of the best resources for PPC/ AdWords information anywhere on the web. If you don;t subscribe to the blog, you have to at least follow her on Twitter.
Must-Reads:
1. PPC Advanced Strategy: New Strategy to Outrank Competition on AdWords
2. Simple Google Data Hacks Online Retailers Aren’t Using to Increase Sales
#49. Matthew Umbro, PPCchat
Matt Umbro is the founder of PPCChat, a weekly Twitter chat where industry specialists discuss, analyze and debate various PPC topics using the hashtag #PPCChat. He specializes in eCommerce PPC, is the head of content production at PPC Hero. Matthew was the Paid Search Director at Exclusive Concepts and has experience working with over 100 clients across various industries to build profitable PPC campaigns. He is also a speaker at the most notable PPC marketing conference in the country, Hero Conf.
Must-Reads:
1. How To Unleash The Power of AdWords Ad Customizers
2. 4 Steps For Better PPC Performance In Lead Generation Campaigns
#50. Lisa Raehsler, Big Click Co
Lisa Raehsler is the founder of Big Click Co and is an industry-recognized expert in SEM and PPC for search engines, display, retargeting, and social media ad campaigns. She is a Google AdWords Partner and columnist for Search Engine Watch and Clickz. Her Twitter account is full of great SEM/ PPC content.
Must-Reads:
1. Improve Your AdWords Performance With These 3 Google Analytics Reports
2. A Guide to Google AdWords Bid Adjustments & 10 Top Strategies
#51. Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute
Joe Pulizzi is the founder of Content Marketing Institute and is widely considered the ‘grandfather’ of content marketing. Joe is an entrepreneur, speaker, and world-renowned author on the subject. Follow him!
Must-Reads:
1. 9 Content Marketing Strategy Questions You Need To Answer
2. 7 Thoughts That Will Change Your Content Marketing Strategy
#52. Joanna Wiebe, CopyHackers
Joanna Wiebe’s introduction says it all: “I teach startups how to convert like mofos using li’l ol’ words, old-skool copywriting and new-skool smartz.” Her content speaks for itself.
Must-Reads:
1. How To Market Your Webinars
2. 6 Proven Ways To Boost The Conversion Rates of Your CTA Buttons
Brian Clark is the founder and CEO of Copyblogger Media, the company behind the Rainmaker Platform, StudioPress and Sythesis. Both the Guardian and Advertising Age have recognized Copyblogger as one of the most powerful and influential blogs in the world. In 2014, Forbes recognized Brian as a Top 10 Online Marketing Expert.
Must-Reads:
1. 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work
2. The Two Most Important Words In Blogging
#54. Neil Patel, Quicksprout
Neil Patel is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor and blogger. Neil started two SaaS analytics companies, Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics. He is recognized as one of the top online marketers on the planet and publishes amazing content and guides on his Quicksprout blog. Neil is definitely in my top 3!
Must-Reads:
1. Advanced Content Marketing Guide
2. The Definitive Guide To Copywriting
#55. Loz James, ContentChampion
Loz James one of the best content marketing podcasts on the internet. His podcast delivers proven content marketing tips and strategies that will take your blog or business to another level. I’ve spent many hours plugged into his podcast and I suggest you do the same.
Must-Reads:
1. Blogging and Guest Blogging With Jon Morrow
2. How To Research and Plan A Content Marketing Strategy
#56. Michael Brenner, B2B Marketing Insider
Michael Brenner is the head of strategy at Newscred and former VP of marketing and content strategy at SAP. He is a speaker, author and blogger at B2B Marketing Insider. He is the co-founder of Business 2 Community and is featured in The Economist, The Guardian and Forbes. Michael delivers oodles of super valuable content marketing material. Learn from the best!
Must-Reads:
1. 21 Questions To Help Define Your Content Marketing Strategy
2. Top 8 Social Networks For Business
#57. Jay Baer, jaybaer.com
Jay Baer is a NY Times best-selling author, coach and keynote speaker. He has consulted 30 of the Fortune 500 and is the second most retweeted person by B2B marketers on the planet. Jay has spent 20 years in digital marketing, consulting over 700 companies. His current company, Convince and Convert provides social media and content marketing services to companies such as Saleforce, Oracle and Billabong. A true social media power influencer!
Must-Reads:
1. How To Create A Content Marketing Strategy
2. 5 Shifts To Fix Your Social Media Metrics
#58. Ian Cleary, razorsocial
Ian Cleary is the brains behind the award-winning social media tech blog, razorsocial. It is regarded as one of the top social media blogs on the planet. Ian is a regular contributor to publications such as Social Media Examiner and Venture Beat. He speaker at conferences around the world. If you want to learn about the latest tools and technologies that will help you become more productive and successful on social media, look no further than razorsocial.
Must-Reads:
1. How To Promote Your Blog Post To Get 1,000 Shares
2. How To Improve Social Sharing By 97%
#59. Jon Loomer, jonloomer.com
Jon Loomer is THE man when it comes to facebook marketing. He publishes the best content on the subject. Period.
Must-Reads:
1. 8 Effective Strategies For Building Facebook Page Likes
2. How To Drive More Traffic With Facebook Ads
#60. Matthew Barby, matthewbarby.com
Matthew Barby is another one of those bloggers I’ve been following for a long. He always publishes super actionable content on a range of digital marketing subjects. He has been featured on a number of big brand sites such as Search Engine Land, Forbes, Moz and Social Media Today. Subscribe to his blog and follow him on twitter. I don’t care who you are, you’ll learn a lot!
Must-Reads:
1. Growing A Social Media Following From Nothing
2. Exploiting Facebook Open Graph To Email Your Facebook Followers
#61. Kevan Lee, buffer
Kevan Lee is the lead content marketing and social media guru over at Buffer. As most of us know, Buffer is an awesome tool, but the content they publish every day on their blog is just as good. If you’re looking for creative strategies to grow your social media presence, boost engagement and stay up-to-date with the latest trends, Buffer is a one-stop-shop…thanks to Kevan 🙂
Must-Reads:
1. The Ideal Length of All Online Content
2. The 15-Minute Social Media Audit Everyone Can Do
#62. Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner
Michael Stelzner is the founder of Social Media Examiner, the world’s largest online social media magazine. He is the host of the Social Media Marketing podcast and best-selling author. Arguably the biggest name in social media, Michael is a must-follow.
Must-Reads:
1. Gmail Tabs: A Gameplan For Marketers
2. Marketing Partnerships: How To Extend Your Reach With Content Collaboration
#63. Aaron Lee, askaaronlee.com
Aaron Lee is an entrepreneur and social media manager. He helped grow Post Planner and was named the #5 social media power influencer in 2013. If you want to learn how to grow your business with social media, Aaron Lee can help you get there.
Must-Reads:
1. 31 Experts Give Their Best Small Business Tips For Standing Out On Social Media
2. 8 Piece-of-Cake Ways To Get More Pinterest Followers
#64. Jeff Bullas, jeffbullas.com
Jeff Bullas is one of the most recognized social media experts on the planet. His blog is read in over 190 countries and receives over 4 million page views a year. Jeff is cited as the #8 social media talent on the planet by Forbes. He is a machine, publishing fresh actionable social media content on a seemingly daily basis.
Must-Reads:
1. 34 Tips and Tactics To Rapidly Grow Your Social Networks
2. 11 Tips To Double Your Twitter Followers
Amy Portfield is a social media strategist and co-author of Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies. She has been featured on Social Media Examiner, The Huffington Post, Mashable and Forbes. Amy’s podcast is a must-listen.
Must-Reads:
1. How To Hyper Target Your Facebook Ads
2. How To Launch A Product Online
#66. Chad White, Email Marketing Rules
Chad White has written thousands of articles related to digital and email marketing. His research and commentary have appeared in more than 100 publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Chad is currently the lead research analyst at Salesforce Marketing Cloud. His blog is one of the best free email marketing resources on the web.
Must-Reads:
1. 120 Email Marketing Rules To Live By
2. Getting Subscribers One Click Closer To Checkout
#67. Jeanne Jennings, jeannejennings
Jeanne Jennings is recognized as one of the top email marketing influencers in the world according to Vocus and Cision. Jeanne has over 20 years experience, previously acting as the head of email product development for Reed Business Information US, a division of Reed-Elsevier and, at that time, the country’s largest B2B publisher.
Must-Reads:
1. 15 Types of Email Marketing Tests Your Should Be Doing
2. Subject Line Tips and Trends
#68. Sundeep Kapur, emailyogi.com
Sundeep Kapur publishes content geared towards helping marketers communicate better with consumers through social, mobile and email marketing channels. Highly recommend checking his blog out.
Must-Reads:
1. 12 Simple and Effective Segmentation Strategies
2. 15 Ideas To Reconnect With Your Consumer
#69. Ryan Deiss, DigitalMarketer
Ryan Deiss is the co-founder Idea Incubator LP and CEO of DigitalMarketer.com. Over the last 36 months Ryan and his team have sent well over a BILLION permission-based emails and approximately 3,000 split and multi-variant tests. He is another top 5 when it comes to online marketing expertise, however his kick-ass email marketing funnels place him in this section of the list.
Must-Reads:
1. How To Build An Email Marketing Machine
2. How We Grew A Blog From Zero To 6 Million
#70. Avinash Kaushik, Occam’s Razor
To many, Avinash Kaushik is the face of web analytics. It’s hard to find anyone more accomplished in this industry than Avinash. He is the author of two best selling books: Web Analytics 2.0, Web Analytics: An Hour A Day, a digital marketing evangelist for Google, and the Co-Founder and Chief Education Officer for Market Motive. His content is a little more on the advanced side, but an absolute eye-opener!
Must-Reads:
1. YouTube Marketing and Analytics: A Primer for Magnificent Success
2. Smart Dashboard Modules: Insightful Dimensions and Best Metrics
#71. Himanshu Sharma, Optimize Smart
Himanshu Sharma has more than 9 years experience running SEO, PPC and web analytics campaigns for small, medium and large name brands. His blog is one of my favorite resources on the topic of web analytics. He takes complex subjects and breaks them down into easy-to-understand guides that anyone can take and improve their analytics strategy. Plus, he’s been directly coached by Avinash himself, and it’s reflected in the content he publishes. Definitely bookmark Himanshu!
Must-Reads:
1. Advanced Conversion Funnel Analysis for The Nerds
2. How To Do ROI Analysis In Google Universal Analytics
#72. Justin Cutroni, cutroni.com
Justin Cutroni is an author, blogger, international speaker and Analytics Evangelist for Google. He is the brains and voice behind the Google Analytics training courses. Justin is the essentially the spokesperson for Google Analytics. The content he writes and shares will not only teach you everything you need to know to become adept at web analytics, you’ll be at the forefront of the latest Google Analytics news and updates.
Must-Reads:
1. Digital Analytics Fundamentals
2. Google Analytics Platform Principles
#73. Daniel Waisberg, online-behavior.com
Daniel Waisberg is the Analytics Advocate for Google and founder of online-behavior.com, a web analytics blog frequented by some of the best minds in the industry. Daniel has planned and executed numerous conversion and web analytics strategies for large international brands.
Must-Reads:
1. A Guide To Running Successful A/B Tests
2. 5 Events You Must Track With Google Analytics
#74. Jeff Sauer, jeffalytics
Jeff Sauer is an independent digital marketing consultant that some of the best analytics content on the web. Jeff has grown his company, Three Deep Marketing, into a $6 million business and named to the Inc 5000 list. He has worked with some of biggest brands in the world and was named the 2012 CIO of the Year in Minneapolis/St. Paul for emerging companies. His blog is a goldmine of valuable analytics content. Please check it out!
Must-Reads:
1. True ROI Measurement for E-Commerce Websites Using AdWords, Google Analytics and Excel
2. 22 Reasons Your Website Sucks
#75. Annie Cushing, annielytics.com
Annie Cushing is the queen of extracting actionable insights from data. She has written a truck loads of great analytics posts on Search Engine Land and her personal blog. She is definitely one of the top resources online for learning how to make sense of your data and use it to grow your business. Highly recommend!
Must-Reads:
1. The Definitive Guide To Campaign Tagging In Google Analytics
2. How To Clean Up Google Analytics’ Content Reports
#76. Zac Johnson, Zac Johnson
Zac Johnson is one the most successful affiliate marketers on the planet. He has built an affiliate network that earns him over 7 figures a year. His Rise of the Entrpreneur podcast is a must-watch. He interviews some of the most successful online entrepreneurs, getting down to the nitty-gritty of how they make money online. Learn from one of the best in the game!
Must-Reads:
1. How John Chow Makes $83,320.59 In A Month With His Blog
2. 4 Inspirational 6 Figure Blog Success Stories
#77. John Chow, johnchow.com
John Chow is the king of monetizing online traffic. He is a world renowned affiliate marketer, blogger, speaker and author. He burst onto the scene when he took his blog from zero to $40,000/ month revenue in just two years. Since then he has grown his blog into a 7 figures a year business. He shares his top tips and strategies for making boat loads of money…fast.
Must-Reads:
1. 9 Hard Truths Every Affiliate Marketer Must Use To Make More Money Online
2. The Best Blogging Advice I Received From Richard Branson
#78. Matthew Woodward, matthewwoodward.co.uk
Matthew Woodward is an expert SEO and affiliate marketer. I’ve been reading his blog religiously for about 18 months now, and many of the strategies and tactics I’ve used to grow my blog from zero to 50,000 visits in 6 months have been inspired by his NO-BS blog posts. His blog now maked over $20,000/ month. Follow Matt, he holds nothing back!
Must-Reads:
1. 6 Things You Must Learn From Arnold Schwarzenegger
2. Stuart Walker Makes Matthew Woodward Look Stupid On His Own Blog
#79. Jeremy Shoemaker, shoemoney.com
Jeremy Shoemaker has made millions in affiliate income over the past 5 years. He chronicles the ups and downs and exact strategies he uses to make insane money online. Shoemoney has been the Best Affiliate Marketing Blog and ranks in Technorati’s Top 50 Blogs for the last 3 years with over 30,000 daily readers. Enough said. Follow him!
Must-Reads:
1. What was it like to make my first million dollars?
2. How To Use A Little-Known Google AdWords Feature To Promote Your Blog Content
#80. Charles Ngo, charlesngo.com
Charles Ngo is one of the most well-known and respected affiliate marketers in the world. His story is legend. Within a few months of learning affiliate marketing he was able to turn $4,000 into $1,000,000 profit. His free affiliate marketing materials are better than 99% of the paid courses available online.
Must-Reads:
1. The Ingredients Needed For $10K A Day Campaigns
2.Get More Done By Lunch Than Others Do By Lunch
There are plenty of other great bloggers and online marketers out there. But, this is the short list of folks that have taught me the most over the past few years.
Read through these blogs and you’ll not only learn a ton, but come away with a long list of strategies and tactics you can start implementing to grow your blog or business.
If you know of other great blogs not listed in here please drop a link in the comments below.
Also, if you liked this post, please share it on social media 🙂
A round-up of epicness. A great resource. Thanks for creating this Robbie! I love how you divided the experts into different categories and linked to their must read articles. Keep up the good work buddy!
Cheers Jeffrey!
Pretty amazing list man! Bookmarked 🙂
Awesome list – thanks for including me Robbie! 🙂
Cheers Kristi! Thanks for teaching me a boat load over the past couple years. Always enjoy reading your content.
What a list. This is great Robbie.
Thanks Loren 😛
Hey Robbie that is one massive post !!
Whew.
I’m glad to see so many of the folks I follow closely on here. A few like Anne Cushing, I hadn’t heard of. Thanks for bringing us this post !
By the way, I had read your Skyscraper Technique post yesterday and was completely amazed at the work you did. Because of it, I finally started getting in touch with some influencers who had shared/linked to a post from another blog than I had written a longer version of.
Here’s to seeing how that works !
Thanks for the inspiration. 😀
Gerturde, let me know how you fare 🙂
No mention of Ryan Holiday for Growth Hacking? He only wrote the book on the subject :p
Nope, but I’ll check him out 🙂 This was more of a reflection on the people I had come across and learned from since entering the industry. Not sure how I missed Ryan, but appreciate the point in his direction 🙂 Cheers!
Hey Robbie
This list is EPIC!
Thanks for including me in amongst such incredible marketers – I’m honoured.
This list is so good perhaps you’re actually ‘a marketer to watch in 2015’, yourself 🙂
Cheers!
Loz
Hey Loz,
Not sure I’d go that far 😛 Although, I’m getting some good traction. Always nice to get positive feedback. Keep up the great work!
As usual, enough here to keep me going for days! Already a couple of new faces in this list which I bookmarked. Thanks for sharing Robbie
Cheers Jake! Glad it’s helpful.
Awesome list man. Definitely going to refer to this whenever the time comes to learn a new skill.
Cheers Michael!
Amazing list! Love the presentation too – very easy to read through.
Thanks so much for including me. I really appreciate it.
Ramsay
Welcome! Keep the great content and advice coming. Love the monetization strategies!
Good list Robbie, though most of the SEOs on the list I just want to slap in the face. Think there are some great up and coming SEO’s blogs (like mine!) well worth checking out in 2015.
Hey Takeshi,
Thanks for reaching out. I’ll check out your blog. Also, feel free to drop some links in the comments that point to a few more of the up-and-comers. Always love to find new resources 🙂 Cheers!
Damn Robbie
Yet another beast mode article
Great example of putting in the work, and reaping the rewards!
Kia Ora from NZ!
Daniel Daines-Hutt
I have to agree with Takeshi. The list of SEOs is quite poor. Some are known more for self-promoting than thought leadership, esp. for 2015. I would love to see someone take a another stab at this.
Hey Jenn,
Thanks for weighing in. Feel to drop some names. Always like to explore new resources, and happy to add 🙂
Awesome list Robbie, clearly a lot of time went in to this…and then some!
I took the liberty of curating your top 80 in to a Twitter list for reference, hope you don’t mind!
The list is here – http://bit.ly/80Experts
No problem Ed! Hope you get as much from that list as I did 🙂
Cheers!
wah! man truely inspired and a fan of mathews and now yours as well nice list will check others as well Thanks
Hi Robbie! Wow, what an amazing list! It’s incredible to see all the names on here. Thanks so much for the thoughtful mention of Buffer and our blog. That means so much to us!
No worries, Kevan! Use buffer everyday, and read the blog nearly as often 🙂
I noticed you’re from Idaho. Whereabouts? I live in Boise.
Is it wrong to say that this is gotta be a link magnet of epic proportions? Because I just did.
A few links 🙂 More of a social share magnet…
Wow I just checked this out you were not kidding :0! Your social media background is so invaluable. Thanks for sharing so many great ideas!
Cheers Craig, glad you liked it. Stay tuned though, on February 23 I’ll be launching a monster case study showing my readers how to generate over 10,000 social shares with 9 blog posts (without spending a cent) 🙂
Great stuff – thank you so much.
Have a fantastic year.
Reinhard
Great list Robbie. I’ll definitely be trawling through each of these to try and extract as much knowledge as I can. Just noticed you made a type under Gael Bretton – should be authority instead of authoirty 🙂
Cheers mate!
Well, this is quite a list.
Usually I follow, John Chow, Neil Pattel, Matthew Woodward and Zac Johnson.
There are many other professional bloggers, which I follow from time to time and I learn many useful things from them.
thanks Robbie for sharing this great list on the best of the marketing experts around their given specialisation. I’m surely going to follow them from now on.
Thanks again.
Cheers Ranjan! Plenty of good info to be found in that list 🙂
Hi Robbie,
What a great list! I have followed and learned from some of the above experts. But I also include you as another online marketing expert who gives actionable business tips. All you need to do is to find your own place on the marketplace.
Thanks Paul, I really appreciate that. I’m working on it 🙂
I have created three twitter lists on my company’s twitter account for marketing, social media and conversion rate experts and blogs to keep up with them. But this is seriously epic. How much time did you give creating this list, Robbie?
I am going to add there what I have missed there?
You don’t want to know how long that post took me Ajay 🙂 Glad you’re finding it helpful. There are some great resources in there.
Hi Robbie,
Great list of online marketing expert!! World’s best online marketer expert advice and some great post of them in one place. I am following these guys and learn new things from their post – Sean Ellis, Kristi Hines, Neil Patel, Lerry Kim, Brian Dean, Rand and Cyrus Shepard.
Thanks for such valuable post
Cheers Anant! Glad you’re finding it to be a helpful resource.
Great Post ! You do really a nice post , i got lot of ideas through your post.
Thanks Krishna! Appreciate the feedback, and glad you enjoyed the post.
Perfect list, some I already accompany but has many others who did not yet know, great guide experts. 😉
Wow! I am really impressed with this article, thank you for sharing! The article is well put together with easy to click links and just the right amount of description for each.
Keep sharing your experience of blogging and marketing knowledge with us!
Will do, Chris! Glad you found the post helpful.
This is a gem! Thanks so much for sharing! I will share with all of my connections. Happy holidays!
Cheers Jenn!
Thank you for the information of online marketing in this page.
This is one stellar list! Thank you so much.
Hi Robbie
Outstanding list! So glad I came across it and your site.
I especially like how you broke down the sites into categories. Makes it a lot easier to find particular experts in areas of interest.
I’m looking forward to the day where my site sits nicely into that blogging category! 😉 Just sayin’
– Jeff
Thanks Jeff! Glad you found the list helpful.
This is a great post, a lot of these lists tend to be out of date, but this is full of current and active blogs and sites, thanks! 🙂
Thanks Vic! I’ll be updating it in the coming weeks 🙂
Its seems you have done a great research on the list! thanks for the post! really appreciated !
This is a great post, many of these lists tend to be updated, but it is full of blogs and websites and current assets, thank you! :
Hey Robie, thanks for putting this list. I’ll try my best to read their blogs and will definitely connect with each of them on Twitter. You made my day. 🙂
WoW great blog post and awesome list. Thanks for posting. I’m now checking Facebook to see if I can find some of these leaders fan pages. Good stuff.
Cheers Josh!
Wow, awesome list Robbie. Rise and Shine boy 🙂
Haha cheers Adil!
Robbie – You forgot to add Amy Porterfield’s blog or podcast. You may wanna fix that. But an outstanding post nonetheless. I signed up to your email list and already stoked on the content you sent. Hope you network with you sometime.
Cheers Dustin! I do need to update the list. Appreciate the input. Amy does provide some great information!
Great Post
Awesome list, Robbie!
Thanks Anna!
Fantastic Post! What an excellent resource and a great list. Well done.
This blog post is an inspiration, how about adding Robbie Richards to the list, lol.
Blake
Hahaha thanks Blake! Guess I’m too modest. That list needs to be updated. Some new faces that deserve a shout out now for sure 🙂
Thank you to taking all the efforts to share the experts list in digital marketing. Good to know few new experts in a given domain specialization than to my regular list. Thank you much.
Thanks for the awesome list. I recognised lot of the names in there and seen how they have become industry leaders. A few not heard of before but will check them out.