Jason Murphy

The 6 Most Important Feeds You Are Ignoring

Dec 27, 2008 Business & Marketing, Search and SEO

It is difficult to be involved online as a marketer without being brainf*cked with too much data and information.

But if you only had 6 feeds to follow in the IM world, I’d recommend the ones below. You simply *cannot* exist online without Google (unless you are John Chow). So, unless you plan on riding the Cuil wave to your internet millions, I recommend you stop resisting and join the BORG by subscribing to the central nervous system directly.

I have placed these 6 blogs at the top of my netvibes page and I strongly suggest you do the same:

1 – The Official Google Blog (RSS)
How many times have you followed a link from another article to the OGB? Why not just hear everything from the horse’s mouth first? It’s not all business either, they often are finding fun ways to use Google products. For example, during the holidays you could track Santa or build a gingerbread house. Cool!

2 – Inside Adwords (RSS)
Let me ask you this, if you operated a store in a mall and the property owner came and told you a way that you could piggyback off their efforts and improve traffic by 1% or reduce operating costs by 1%, would you jump on that? Any business owner would. So if you are spending your dollars advertising within Google’s mega-opoly, wouldn’t you want to know of any tools or features that can bump your performance in one direction or the other? I sure would. This is why this blog is so close to the top of my list.

3 – Google Website Optimizer Blog (RSS)
Next on my list is another gem that MOST advertisers are simply not taking advantage of, and that’s Google Website Optimizer. Not only is Google’s Website Optimizer one of the simplest and easiest ways to setup split testing for your traffic, it also seamlessly integrates within Adwords and Analytics. Oh, and it’s free. Do it, do it, do it!

4 – Google Analytics Blog (RSS)
A lot of webmasters use Google Analytics because it is simple to integrate. But what a lot of webmasters don’t realize is how much depth Analytics data can go into. The GAB (Google Analytics Blog) is one of the best places for tips and tricks on how to utilize all that data. Plus any updates or new features and they’ll get full coverage here.

5 – Inside AdSense (RSS)
Hundreds of thousands of publishers rely on AdSense revenue to bring home the bacon. Therefore, the Inside AdSense blog is crucial for anyone making money from Google. Not only will you get updates on features and changes to policies, but you’ll also get some great tips on how to use AdSense more effectively. Keep in mind, Google is also trying to help you place ads that convert. By doing so, it keeps the advertisers happy, and it keeps your users happy. It’s a win-win (or as Michael Scott would say, a “win-win-win!”).

6 – AdWords Agency Blog (RSS)
And finally, the Adwords Agency Blog. I listed this one last not because it was the least important but because it fits the least amount of people. However, if you are an agency who has AdWords running for several clients, your situation among Google Advertisers is unique and this content is geared directly at you. This reading is pure gold! Even if you are just an advertiser without an agency, you’ll gain some perspective and a few hints from time by time by reading this blog.

By stopping the ignorance and tuning into the Googleplex University, you will soon be on your way to a Utopian marketer lifestyle. There are several other blogs that Google publishes, and if you wish to study those I’ve created a public page at Netvibes where you can one day earn your Google MBA (we wish, right?).

Tags: adsense, adwords, analytics, blog, google, rss, rss feed, website optimizer