Summer is fast approaching its end. Pumpkin-flavored drinks and snacks have already begun to appear in coffee shops and liquor stores across the country, and before long, everyone will be sporting tasteful sweater/scarf combos and taking leisurely walks through the beautiful autumnal foliage of local parks.
Pretty soon, there will be nobody on the road, nobody on the beach. Just as Don Henley promised in his 1984 hit single “Boys of Summer,” our love for you will still be strong after the posts of summer have gone. However, contrary to Mr. Henley’s assertions, we can indeed look back. Here’s a round-up of the most popular posts from the WordStream blog in August.
And yes, in case you were wondering, I am listening to Don Henley as I write this post.
1. RIP Exact and Phrase Match in AdWords: For the second month in a row, Larry took top honors with his examination of another controversial move by Google – the decision to remove the (optional) Exact and Phrase keyword matching functionality from AdWords.
2. 3 Super-Actionable Keyword Research Tips to Try Right Now: In our second most-popular post of August, Elisa shares – you guessed it – three super-actionable keyword research tips that you can try, like, right now. Seriously, go ahead, try ‘em. I’d wager you’re not using at least one of these awesome keyword research techniques.
3. 26 Free Online Marketing Courses: Learn to be a Marketing Mastermind: Whether you’re an old hand in the marketing game or recently stumbled upon your calling in marketing, these resources will teach you more than a thing or two about how to up your game, courtesy of Megan Marrs.
4. Why SEO Rank Checking Tools Are Useless (And What to Use Instead): Megan made it into the top five for a second time with this post explaining why SEO rank checking tools are useless. However, rather than just point and laugh at SEO ranking software, Megan also tells you what tools you should be using. Megan is awesome, right?
5. 25 Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Website: What do we want? More traffic! When do we want it? Eventually! However, you don’t have to wait forever to start increasing traffic to your site. Follow my advice in this post and you’ll see your traffic start to climb in no time.
6. The 7 Best Questions & Answers from my Reddit SEO AMA (Ask Me Anything): Far be it from me to question how WordStream founder Larry Kim spends his working day (ahem), but he does seem to spend an awful lot of time on Reddit. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to be wasting his time looking at pictures of cats, but rather answering your questions about SEO and search marketing. Check out Larry’s responses to the seven best questions from his recent SEO AMA session in this post.
7. Google Testing Paid Local Search Ads?: When it comes to monetizing the SERPs, it seems there is little Google won’t do to make a buck. In this post, Elisa looks at whether Google is testing paid local results, and examines what this could mean for small businesses seeking to increase their visibility.
8. 16 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills: In this post, I give you not one, not two, but sixteen ways you can improve your writing skills. By the end of this post, you’ll be ready to start kicking ass, taking names, and writing better blog posts.
9. AdWords Now Lets You Measure Website Call Conversions: Miranda explains the newly offered website call conversion tracking functionality in AdWords. Is it as robust as WordStream’s own Call Tracking feature? Maybe, maybe not – but it’s always nice to have options, right?
10. Learn the Secrets of Online Community Management from Moz’s Erica McGillivray: If you’ve ever taken a deep breath and waded through the comment sections of your favorite sites, you might be wondering how it’s humanly possible to manage an online community and not go completely insane. In this fascinating interview, Elisa asks Moz’s senior community manager Erica McGillivray the tough questions and gets some interesting answers. Essential reading for would-be community managers and moderators of all stripes.