It’s been said that the only constant in SEO is that it’s constantly changing. We would have to agree.

This is why, to stay on top of our game, we have to research and read a lot of industry news and advice.

Reading SEO Sites
This would be us if the book said The Art of SEO Strategy Gif credit

Our team tends to go to multiple sources because no single SEO site is enough for the constant changes and updates in the SEO world.

Let’s jump right into the top SEO websites to watch in the next year (in no particular order):

  1. Search Engine Land
  2. Moz
  3. Content Marketing Institute
  4. Backlinko
  5. Ahrefs
  6. SEMrush
  7. Digital Strike
  8. Search Engine Journal
  9. Yoast
  10. Neil Patel

1. Search Engine Land

Website: https://searchengineland.com/

Search Engine Land provides insights into Google Search, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engine updates and other industry trends. It shares plenty of high-quality content creation tactics, link-building strategies, user experience insights, and more that help its readers launch successful SEO campaigns.

From daily news coverage to in-depth analysis of new search platform features, Search Engine Land is one of the go-to websites for many, many SEO professionals—including the team here at Digital Strike!

Home page of Search Engine Land website.

2. Moz

Website: https://moz.com/

With over half a million active members, Moz is the largest community of SEOs. The company uses that community to share industry knowledge and shed some light on the mysteries of search engines and constant organic Search algorithm updates.

It has endless resources for everyone, from beginner to pro, so it’s one of the best places to start if you’re looking to learn more about SEO and hone your own tactics.

Image of the MOZ blog.

3. Content Marketing Institute

Website: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/

The SEO topic umbrella is wide and covers pretty much everything, including content marketing. Now, content doesn’t necessarily mean SEO, but it also doesn’t not mean SEO, which is why it’s on this list.

Content Marketing Institute is a leader in content marketing education and training. If you’re new to content strategy and creation, CMI is a good place to start to grow your knowledge. It has guides and templates that will get you on the right path, covering topics like the dangers of duplicate content, what title tags to use on your webpage, what meta descriptions pop on SERPs, copywriting best practices, and more.

Home page of Content Marketing Institute.

4. Backlinko

Website: https://backlinko.com/blog

Brian Dean has made a name for himself and his blog, Backlinko, by publishing massive studies and guides full of SEO advice.

He claims to share only tips and strategies that work and will get you higher rankings in SERPs. He publishes posts about how he increased his organic traffic by crazy-high metrics in a short amount of time and definitive guides for building backlinks and conducting keyword research.

Backlinko SEO guides as shown on their homepage.

5. Ahrefs

Website: https://ahrefs.com/

Ahrefs has one of the biggest databases of backlinks. Since everything the light touches is SEO (in this case, off-page SEO), backlinks are a ginormous part of that.

But Ahrefs doesn’t only do backlinks; it has detailed tutorials, case studies, and articles from industry experts, including professional SEO consultants. It’s always a good idea to have Ahrefs in your bookmarks folder.

Ahrefs blog.

6. SEMrush

Website: https://www.semrush.com/

SEMrush is another powerful tool in your marketing arsenal, and it’s no wonder since it’s made by marketers for marketers. It originated as an in-house tool for its own marketing efforts, but then it became one of the biggest SEO tools in the industry.

SEMrush offers a blog and webinars full of information to help you grow your SEO knowledge and your business. Want to learn more about Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns, on-page SEO, and the importance of social media marketing? Trust us: SEMrush absolutely has an in-depth guide available on the topic for free.

SEMrush homepage.

7. DIGITAL STRIKE

Website: https://www.digitalstrike.com/blog/

That’s right; we’re going to plug our own blog in a list of top SEO sites to watch, because we have no shame, and we think you’d really enjoy it.

Our blog has a lot of helpful SEO posts for professionals in marketing at all levels. Information about email marketing, Google Analytics, SEO audits, and more can all be found on our blog, written by our team of experts. We do our best to make sure our content is easy to understand for business owners who don’t have a big marketing team at their disposal and need to do it themselves.

We also send our BULLSEYE newsletter once a month. That’s right; you won’t be bombarded with emails. All you’ll get is a friendly email from your friendly neighborhood digital marketing agency, jam-packed with creative content, insights into the industry, goofy memes, and company updates. We like to think we make it easy to keep up with digital marketing trends without being dull.

Digital Strike - Targeted Marketing home page.

8. Search Engine Journal

Website: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/

Search Engine Journal is a helpful website full of marketing news and information. Even though it discusses a lot more than just SEO, it’s known for its astute insights and helpful strategies into the complexities of search engine optimization.

Whether you want to know about industry news or predicted SEO trends for the next year, SEJ is the place to be.

Search Engine Journal homepage.

9. Yoast

Website: https://yoast.com/

We’ve written before about how the Yoast WordPress plugin is basically spell check for your SEO. It’s a helpful tool for those just starting out writing SEO content, those who are not well-versed in web development, and/or for those of us who need a second set of eyes just in case.

Yoast also offers SEO basics and training on its website so you can grow your knowledge. It’s a good place to start if you have questions that need answers, such as “Which pages should I noindex or nofollow?” and “Why doesn’t Google index my content properly?”

Homepage of Yoast.com, which allows people to download the free or premium version of YOAST, an SEO plugin for WordPress.

10. Neil Patel

Website: https://neilpatel.com/

Can you even mention SEO guides without mentioning Neil Patel? Probably not.

Like Backlinko and Brian Dean, Neil Patel has built a name for himself as a knowledgeable SEO expert. He posts massive guides on SEO—including on-page optimization, local SEO, and technical SEO—and content marketing. They’re free and in depth, so it’s no surprise that they are regularly regarded as some of the best resources around.

If you’re just starting out, his blog is full of 101 guides that are comprehensive and easy to understand.

Homepage of Neil Patel's top SEO website.

Need Help Developing an SEO Strategy?

SEO is about communicating to Google (and other search platforms) that your site is worth displaying on search engine results pages. A customized solution from Digital Strike SEO specialists can help you grow your business. We know SEO best practices that empower opportunities to drive website traffic, boost keyword rankings, enhance click-through rates (CTRs), and more.

While conducting research through some of the top SEO websites on the internet is a great digital marketing strategy, sometimes nothing beats the collective knowledge of a team at an SEO agency. Digital Strike has spent a long time building our SEO company here in St. Louis, Missouri, and we are proud to offer the online marketing solutions that work for big and small businesses alike. Do you want to convert searchers into leads and grow your customer base? Drop us a line. It all starts with a free consultation.

Digital Strike

Learn more about Digital Strike

Recent Posts

An arrow points from one website to another, representing the concept of backlinks, or one website linking back to another website.

Are Backlinks Important Anymore?

Google dropped a bombshell recently: backlinks aren’t actually all that important to ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) as many initially believed. This revelation has … Read More

TikTok Search Engine: The New Google?

Google has dominated the market as the preferred search engine for most internet users, but is there a new platform on the horizon? A recent survey … Read More

Google Business Profile: What Are Views & How Are They Measured?

Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is invaluable to any local business. And as the tool evolves over time, Google rolls out new features to … Read More

Hands typing on a keyboard with a search bar overlaying the image. Red filter. Visual representation of Google SGE, Google Search Generative Experience.

Google SGE Will Revamp the Search Experience

Beep boop. Artificial intelligence is once again manning the helm of Google’s new search experience. So, buckle up, everyone. You’re in for a hopefully-not-so-bumpy ride with … Read More

Why Is My Website Not Showing Up On Google?

You’re waiting for your website to perform well on Google, Bing, and other search engines. And waiting. And waiting… After some checking, you discover that your … Read More

5 Critical Elements of a Recession Marketing Plan

A question on everyone’s mind lately is, “Are we heading toward a recession?” The answer is not always clear but, according to the Associated Press, six … Read More

All About the Click-Through Rate – CTR Explained

You need benchmarks to determine the success of your paid ad campaigns. One such metric? Click-through rate, otherwise known as CTR. At a glance, CTR can … Read More

How to Drive Traffic To Your Site

Everybody Asks: How to Drive Traffic To Your Site But nobody asks how your site is doing. (Doing great, thanks for asking!) All jokes aside, online … Read More

Google Core Web Vitals: What They Are & When They’ll Take Effect

Benjamin Franklin once said that the only guarantees in life are death and taxes. Maybe it’s time we add Google updates to that list. If you’re … Read More

12 Easy Technical SEO Audit Tips for Marketing Managers at Any Level

If you’ve spent any amount of time in the digital marketing industry, you know just how crucial search engine optimization (SEO) is for the success of … Read More

Migration Strategy

When A Website Migration Strategy Goes Awry

As much as we don’t want to admit it, the Digital Strike offices are not always overrun with sunshine, victories, and vintage ‘80s high-five montages. Truth … Read More

The Life of Content: Keep, Add, Combine, or Kill

In a recent newsletter here at Digital Strike, we covered a few topics that made headlines in 2019 and are guaranteed to continue to trend as … Read More

The Google BERT Update: What It Is and What It Means for Your Website

BERT is being hailed as the biggest change in search since Google released RankBrain five years ago.  That fanfare is warranted because it’s going to change … Read More

Landing Page vs. Homepage: What's the Difference?

Landing Page vs Homepage vs Website: What’s the Difference?

Landing page vs homepage vs website: oh my! Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore. We’re someplace far more confusing: the internet. And if you … Read More

How Does UX Affect SEO?

You know when you go to a website and it’s just…bad? You can’t find the navigation menu, the page isn’t loading correctly, or pop-ups are keeping … Read More

Location Page Google Will Love

How to Build a Location Page Google Will Love [Infographic]

Ready to crush your local SEO with a top-notch location page? Hold up, wait a minute. What is a location page? And what is local SEO? … Read More

Content Creation or Link Building

What Should Come First: Content Creation or Link Building?

What came first – the chicken or the links? Wait. No. That’s not right. The content or the links! It’s a question we get asked a … Read More

Why You Should Have a Blog

Why You Should Have a Blog: 5 Benefits of Blogging for Business Owners

No content marketing plan is complete without a robust business blogging strategy. If you’re a business owner, ask yourself if your want: People to keep coming … Read More

Organic Search Opportunity

Organic Search Opportunity is Changing (Again)

Is SEO opportunity actually shrinking? Organic search opportunity has always been a constantly changing field.  Algorithm changes send everyone into a tizzy a few times a … Read More

How to Write Headlines

Here’s How to Write Headlines Like a Pro (You’re Welcome)

Once you know how to write headlines, you can pretty much rule the world. First impressions are crucial, right? If you make a bad impression in … Read More

How long does SEO take to work?

How Long Does SEO Take to Work?

TL;DR: SEO results take more time than you think. Almost every SEO client we have asks us, How long does SEO take for my website to … Read More

When Should I Use a Canonical Tag or 301 Redirect

When Should I Use a Canonical Tag or a 301 Redirect?

It’s a phrase knowledgeable SEO specialists say all the time – “canonical tag.” Or maybe they say “rel=canonical” and you’re sitting in the meeting like: Then … Read More

Does PPC Affect Organic Rankings?

A Digital Marketing Misconception: Does PPC Affect SEO?

In the digital marketing world, there are a lot of misconceptions and myths (myth-conceptions, if you will) about how organic search engine optimization and pay-per-click campaigns work together. We’ve heard and seen it all. … Read More

Why You Shouldn't Trust Yoast 100%

Why You Shouldn’t Trust Yoast 100%

Are you going crazy trying to get all of the dots on the Yoast SEO plugin to turn green? Do you have nightmares every night of … Read More

“How is HubSpot different from SEO?”: An honest answer to an actual client question

“Have you heard about inbound marketing?” This is how a recent client call started. Then, to make things worse, they proceeded to ask, “How is HubSpot … Read More

Design responsively: The importance of mobile-friendliness to your site redesign strategy

Back in 2014, mobile searches surpassed desktop searches, and search engine optimization was never the same. What does this mean for your company? First and foremost, … Read More

Why you aren’t ranking first in Google for [INSERT KEYWORD] … And why that’s okay

You might be wondering: “Why am I not ranking first in Google for [INSERT KEYWORD]?” It’s not a bad question—it shows you value your business’ position … Read More

Local SEO ranking factors: What gets you into the game, and what makes you stand out

Just because you’re on the track doesn’t mean you’ll win the race. Maybe you bought the shoes and paid the entrance fee, but if you didn’t … Read More

5 Must-Have Elements of Every Small Business Online Marketing Plan

Image Credit Of course, this is by no means an exhaustive list, but the following could be considered the most conducive to the budget of even … Read More