The past year has taught us that the SEO industry is more than simply "changing." Sure, there are a lot of different announcements that tell us what to do and what not to do when it comes to SEO, but there are several other things to keep up with if you want to keep informed. For example, different features are constantly being added to SEO tools, companies are constantly coming out with different findings and research, and Google is never far when it comes to giving advice about how SEO works. There are always plenty of videos to analyze and tactics to try.
When it comes to keeping up with all this news, you don't always want to go straight to a news publication, and you might not always feel like reading a blog. Different platforms will report on this news differently, so it's best to have a few solid sources where you know you can count on the information being relevant, timely, and easy to understand.
Top Resources for Finding the Latest SEO News
The amount of SEO resources out there is incredibly overwhelming, but below are the 10 most thorough and quality resources we've found to bring you the news and give you solid SEO advice:
1. Google Webmaster Central Blog
Whenever you read a blog post and it references an announcement from Google, this is usually where it comes from. This is the source of all Google updates, advice, and oftentimes tutorials on how to work with certain changes or updates to Google tools (most notably Google Analytics). This resource doesn't usually report on things that aren't related to Google, however, so it can really only be called the best resource out there if you're looking for Google news (which is a good chunk of SEO news in general, but it's certainly not all).
As discussed above, Google's head of Webspam Matt Cutts is constantly creating videos to help give us SEO advice and clear up questions that the SEO community sends to him to answer. This YouTube channel also puts out a lot of "how to" videos and other videos of Google employees and staff answering questions.
Again, this is a resource that is specific to Google news, but it's excellent if video is how you like to understand information. It might not be the best for hearing about the latest announcements or news, but it's the best when it comes to learning what announcements and changes might mean to you and how you should move forward.
3. Search Engine Land
This is arguably the most popular SEO blog out there, and it's not affiliated with Google in any way. Search Engine Land has some of the most knowledgeable SEO industry leaders contributing content on everything from Google updates, to Bing changes, to case studies from companies around the world. The portfolio of information is impressive, and they're constantly publishing new stuff and keeping their content updated whenever new information becomes available.
4. Moz Blogs
Moz is another SEO company that is incredibly popular in the SEO community. What's cool about this site is that there are four different blogs that you can easily switch back and forth between. The blogs include:
- Moz Blog. The Moz blog typically features very authoritative figures in the industry, and this is where you'll usually find reports on the latest search engine announcements. It is very similar to Search Engine Land in terms of their quick turnaround with news stories and variety of different subjects.
5. Search Engine Journal
This is a multi-author blog that covers a variety of SEO topics. What makes this blog unique is that it really does feature a good pool of writers. There is always a new writer here and there offering a different perspective, but you still have some of the same writers each day to keep things consistent. What makes this blog cool is that they are constantly getting breaking interviews and stories, but it still feels more like a community than all serious. There are always lots of comments and social shares, and the authors are great about responding. Note: I'm Editor of this site so I may be biased!
6. Search Engine Watch
This is another pretty standard blog. You've got several different categories, different authors, and a place that always gets the news from Google instantly. This blog updates their content a lot and, in my opinion, has one of the best designs out there. It's easy to browse information, and they have an excellent service where you can ask a question and have it sent straight to the author. You always find top quality here.
Matt Cutts is the head of Google Webspam, so anytime there is a big Google announcement you can bet that he is involved in one way or another. This is another blog that focuses only on Google news, but because the news is coming right from the source it's definitely one not to miss.
Cutts might not always report on the latest news, however, so I would read this blog along with another. Nonetheless, it's good to keep your eye out for whenever he does write an article, no matter how infrequent that may be, because it's usually pretty unique and becomes quoted all around all of the other SEO blogs instantly.
This is a great blog that takes the latest information and then explains what it means to you. Oftentimes the sheer amount of news in the SEO industry or complexity of one announcement is overwhelming, but this blog makes it easier. They focus on the biggest news and then make sure that you know exactly how you can take that news and make it work to your advantage. It's a good mix of staying informed while also becoming educated on the issues.
Bruce Clay has been in the SEO industry since the SEO industry began. He is constantly speaking at conferences, and his company creates tools and some of the best content our there to keep you informed. This blog doesn't post content nearly as frequently as some of the others (many of these blogs post several pieces per day, but Bruce Clay sticks to only a few articles per week), but all of the content is long-form and thorough. Again, this is a good blog to supplement with another blog; especially if you're really looking for breaking news.
10. Alltop SEO
This is the only resource on this list of its kind. While Alltop doesn't publish content on its own, it is an excellent resource that pulls together all of the other SEO resources out there. Companies can sign up to be a part of the Alltop list, and if you're approved then your company is added along with your five most recent posts right under your company name. It makes it easy for people to click on links and see all of the top content around the SEO industry on any particular day.
Alltop is full of hundreds of categories, so you have to make sure you visit the SEO category. Once you do, I recommend searching the page for something specific to make all of the links more manageable. If you don't need something specific, browsing is pretty easy with their format.
The Takeaway
Of course, there are quite a few different resources out there that might be a little bit more specified to a certain task, catered toward beginners, focus on tutorials, or giving you quick tips. In short, the resources above encompass a good mix of all sorts of different SEO aspects, but if it's something specific you're after you'll surely be able to find it with a quick Google search.
Do you know of any other great resources for finding the latest SEO news? Let us know what you like best in the comments below.