The Best PPC Blogs and Forums in 2020
The best sources for PPC knowledge in one place.
To keep up with the constant changes in the PPC industry, you need to know where to look for information.
There is a ton of good info out there. Unfortunately, there is also a ton of garbage too.
Some PPC blogs used to be popular, but are now dead. Others are still going, but provide outdated information. There are the industry standards, like SEJ journal and Search Engine Land. But sometimes the best place to look for PPC info is to ask the community itself.
These communities thrive on Reddit, groups in Facebook, Slack and LinkedIn, or on Twitter.
To help you find the best PPC blogs and PPC forums, we created this post. We include the following:
- PPC blogs
- PPC subreddits
- PPC Facebook groups
- PPC Slack groups
- PPC LinkedIn groups
- PPC Twitter hashtags
- PPC newsletters
We hope that after you read this article, you won't have to go anywhere else to get the latest information on the PPC industry.
Inside Google Ads
Of course, the first place where you should look for information on PPC is the official Google Ads blog. Google invented paid search when it became the dominant search browser in the 2000's. As such, it remains the best place to go to get the official Google line.
Google Ads Best Practices
The majority of PPC blogs are awash with advice on how to run your campaigns. But why not listen to what Google recommends thmselves? This is where you can utilize the Google Help center. On their Best Practices page, you can find the specific recommendations Google has handed out for writing ad copy, finding keywords, adjusting bids and more.
Top PPC Blogs
After Google, it is helpful to look at the various industry blogs out there. While Google is a good source of information, they have their own interests too. So it is helpful to get an outside perspective. And this is where industry blogs can come in handy. Here we've picked out the top ones worth reading.
Search Engine Land
Search Engine Land is a fantastic source for news on search engine marketing. Updated daily with several posts, this is the blog you want to check in on daily to keep up with changes in the industry.
Twitter: 449,220
Facebook: 200,981
LinkedIn: 61,926
Instagram: 13,877
YouTube: 9,430
Search Engine Journal
SEJ is another great source of news on the PPC industry. Similar to Search Engine Land, it is worth checking in here on a regular basis for updates on where paid search is headed.
Twitter: 208,395 (2020)
Facebook: 185,178 (2020)
LinkedIn: 75,339 (2020)
YouTube: 8,750 (2020)
Instagram: 5,757 (2020)
Pinterest: 445 (2020)
Reddit: 54 (2020)
Search Engine Watch
Similar to the previous blog, Search Engine Watch also reports on changes in the SEM and PPC, but the posts tend to be more analytical in nature and long-form content, rather than just summarizing news reports.
Twitter: 206,781 (2020)
Facebook: 44,318 (2020)
LinkedIn: 38,898 (2020)
WordStream
WordStream provides software and services to help online marketers maximize the performance of their paid search and social campaigns, driving traffic, leads, and sales for lower costs. WordStream has been recognized for thought leadership in digital marketing through its blog and free learning resources including PPC University, and also offers award-winning free tools.
Twitter: 256,360
Facebook: 73,811
LinkedIn: 25,779
YouTube: 4,890
Instagram: 3,459
Reddit is a goldmine for PPC goodness. Because of the way Reddit is structured, spam is highly discouraged and any company that does too much self-promotion in the various communities will quickly get banned. As such, Reddit will be filled with marketers asking other marketers for advice on all aspects of paid search.
But what subreddits to follow? There are many out there, but we've compiled our favorites.
r/PPC
53,992 members
This community is the most active subreddit that focuses specifically on paid search advertising. While many posts come from beginners seeking advice on how to get started with PPC, other posts have experts vehemently debating about trends, strategies and prospects for the industry. Add in Reddit's dose of humor, and it is an entertainment place to look for PPC information.
r/marketing
255,000 members
For marketing professionals to discuss and ask questions related to the marketing industry. Traditional, digital, email, content, SEO, print & online advertising, social media, email, design, analytics, web design, and public relations.
r/askmarketing
25,400 members
Have a question about marketing? This is your place to ask. Here we have a good community to start your forage into marketing with. While the topics don't focus specifically on PPC, but marketing as a whole, the importance that paid search has to overall marketing campaigns makes this a useful place to ask experts for information.
r/digitalmarketing
72,000 members
Similar to the previous Reddit community, here the focus is on digital marketing overall and not just on PPC. Also a great place to look for information on your paid search campaigns.
There also exist many Facebook groups with useful information about PPC marketing. Our favorites include the following.
SaaS Growth Hacks
While the focus of SaaS Growth Hacks is on software as a service companies, paid advertising is a significant component for any marketing activities in this field. Here you can find lots of helpful tips from marketers on the best strategies to grow their SaaS companies through PPC.
Google Ads for Savvy Digital Marketers
This Facebook group is smaller and focuses specifically on Google Ads. But the close-knite community ensures that peope know each other and are ready to help answer questions and exchange knowledge.
Quora
Pay-Per-Click
While many consider Quora to be a dying platform, that doesn't change the fact that for the last five years there were thousands of people answering questions on there related to PPC and digital marketing. These were often industry leaders, and their insight remains valuable, despite the platform losing a bit of its shine lately.
Be sure to check the answers from top contributors and you will be sure to find a lot of helpful information from some of the best minds in the industry.
Slack
Online Geniuses
Online Geniuses is the largest Slack community for marketers. It contains thousands of industry experts and is available for free, with also a Pro community of dedicated marketers, an online marketplace and talent network that is part of the paid version. Over 25,000 industry experts participate in Online Geniuses from across the globe, including VPs, CMOs, freelancers, consultants, and agency owners from every niche in the digital marketing ecosystem.
#ppcchat
This is one of the more active hashtags in the PPC world with an actual community behind it. The folks on there are always eager to share and help. Every Tuesday at 12:00 eastern time you will have experts answering people's questions and topics being discussed. You can also discuss topics for upcoming weeks.
YouTube
The Paid Search Podcast
One of the most popular podcasts on paid search out there. Two PPC marketers get together each week to discuss everything related to paid search marketing. Literally every topic is covered, from the smallest features to big picture topics like the future of Google Ads in general.
Popular PPC Blogs
Unbounce
When you organize your Google Ads campaigns, only half of the job is getting your potential customers to click on an ad. The other half is getting that ad to take the customer to a beautiful landing page where they are likely to convert.
That's why Unbounce's blog is so helpful. Unbounce is a tool that focuses on landing page optimization, but their blog provides a wealth of information on how to create killer landing pages that convert and bring results. That's why their blog is helpful for any PPC marketer.
Twitter: 81,422
Facebook: 42,117
LinkedIn: 13,339
Instagram: 6,005
YouTube: 5,320
PPC Hero
About blog: Blog PPC Hero is a blog written by the experts at Hanapin Marketing, a PPC advertising agency in Bloomington, IN. We are dedicated to educating the PPC industry on cutting edge trends and updates. PPC Hero provides tips on the expert skills and management techniques of successful pay per click advertising management.
Frequency: 1 post per day
Domain Authority: 56
Twitter: 34,069
Facebook: 4,855
Instagram: 420
Brad Geddes Blog
One of the oldest blogs related to PPC and Google Ads. Brad Geddes is an expert that has over 20 years experience in the PPC world. While the blog is not updated as frequently as it once was, it still remains a treasure trove of useful information.
Adanalysis
This is where Brad Geddes does most of his writing lately, the company blog for his PPC management software.
Conclusion
This isn't a comprehensive list. There's tons of other blogs out there and communities. I'm sure we missed a ton. But there are the ones we find the best. In any case, if you pick just three links from this list to rely on for your PPC information, you can be sure to be up to date with the latest PPC trends.
