Category: Marketing Automation

You didn’t think we’d launch a podcast network without a new HubSpot show, did you?
We’re excited to announce our new flagship podcast, The Shake Up, featuring comedian Alexis Gay and Venture Capitalist Brianne Kimmel. It’s produced by Senior Producer, Matthew Brown and brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. 
The Shake Up offers business leaders unfiltered insights into companies that dared to be different. Alexis and Brianne talk with business leaders from disruptive companies like Square, Daily Harvest, and Nerdwallet about their investments and go-to-market strategies.
Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, now we’re going to tell you how we did it, including:

Our planning process
Building the format of the show
The structure of a successful podcast team

Let’s dive in.

How Can We Be Better and Different?
Once we know our business objective, audience, and budget we set out to put together a show concept that will resonate with our audience and help us hit our goals.
To do that, we needed to know what our audience is listening to today.
According to Chartable, there are over 8,334 branded podcasts on Apple Podcasts.
While we couldn’t audit all of them (we’re only human), we did want to understand the tactics used by the top podcasts in the business category. So, we did an audit.
We evaluated 20 high-performing business podcasts and gained five insights.

Male Voices: 87% of the hosts were male.

News & Commentary: 18 out of 20 podcasts provided commentary on industry news.

Broadcast Communications: Very few shows used audience engagement tactics to connect the audience with the hosts.

Business & Academic: The tone of the shows was lackluster and many used jargon.

This audit gave us the context to define our strategy.
How would our show be better and different?

Diverse Voices: A commitment to diverse voices across hosts and guests.

Research & Stories: Focusing editorially on relevant stories with added depth.

Audience Engagement: Featuring our hosts and implementing tactics to engage the audience on social media.

Business & Entertainment: We don’t have to be boring and unfashionable to talk business.

These became our editorial guidelines for the rest of the show.
Deciding on the Show Format
Next, we set our show format.
There are a few common podcast formats that have the ability to grow an audience.

Interview: A show type that brings on an expert guest for a Q&A.

Chat Cast: A co-hosted format where hosts provide commentary and criticism on a variety of topics.

Debate: A co-hosted format where hosts take one side of the argument. Debating the facts, figures, and opinions on a given topic.

Narrative: A journalistic-style podcast that includes research, scripts, and a strong storyline.

After exploring various formats, we went with a hybrid format — Chat Cast + Interview.
Bringing together the energy of a chat cast with the expertise of an interview.

Sample Episode topic: Why Is Every Company Suddenly A Media Company

Segment 1: The Context
In the opening segment, our co-hosts will provide context and talk through some fun facts and stats about the episode topic Ex.) HubSpot acquired The Hustle

Segment 2: The Debate / Discuss
In this segment, we’ll give our hosts a series of questions on the topic and questions we are featuring for some off-the-cuff opinions on both. Ex.) Should more SaaS companies follow suit? What happens to media companies if all companies are media companies?

Segment 3: The Interview
In this segment, we’ll bring on the business leader of the company/topic we are discussing to get the real story behind the decision and the other decisions that have made them successful. Ex.) Kipp Bodnar about the Hustle Acquisition

Finally, we had to figure out how we were going to make this thing.  
Your Podcast Team
To build a high-quality podcast, you need to invest in a team.
There are countless things that need to happen in the making of a show. We have broken down those responsibilities into eight core roles, but there are often teams of much more, and there are also teams of much less who are doing 3-4 jobs each:

Executive Producer — The showrunner. Head of operations, creates a vision for the overall show, leads pre-production through post-production, and manages the staff and logistics.

Senior Producer — Establishes content and narrative arc for each episode, writes and edits the scripts, coaches the host, manages the production calendar, research, prep; as well as produce interviews, tape edits, and does preliminary sound design.

Producer — Booking, research, interview prep, transcriptions, edits tape, creates outlines, and works on scripts.

Editor — Oversees the development of story ideas and gives critical feedback on story frameworks and scripts.

Host — Storyteller who shapes the show through their editorial decisions and personality. They prepare for interviews and write / edit scripts.

Managing Producer —New podcast development and builds management processes/paths necessary for a successful program.

Engineer —The first and final stop in the production process. Creates the soundscape for the show by editing and mastering audio to create a seamless listening experience.

Editorial Director — Shapes the vision and leads all planning and execution for podcasts. Drives the creative conception from ideation to execution. Collaborates with company leaders on distribution.

This list does not include the folks involved outside of podcast creation, including the creative team involved with making promotional assets, the person responsible for the communication plan of the show, and more.
Another layer of difficulty here is the decision of whether to build a team in-house or search for a podcast production agency that can fill these roles for you.
Resourcing was one of the biggest challenges in the creation of The Shake Up. We’ll let you behind the scenes on some of our decisions:

Internal or external talent for hosts: A host will make or break a podcast. Simple as that. They can either draw an audience in or push them away. We had a very specific vision for the hosts of our show and for that reason, we chose to lead an external search for talent. We chose Alexis and Brianne because of their combination of dynamism and experience, among other things.

Hire a sound engineer or bring in an agency: Engineers perfect the sound of your show. Because of the quality of sound we wanted for this show, we decided to bring in an agency because of the heavy expertise of their team and the resources they have for the job.

We were also lucky enough to have a Senior Producer, Matthew Brown, on staff, who has won awards for previous shows like The Growth Show.
So if you’re looking to invest in a team to create podcasts, use this list as a starting point to gain an understanding of the different moving parts, and carefully consider the decision of hiring for these roles, or bringing in some external help.
But the list is just a starting point, and if there’s anything that we can recommend about podcast creation, it’s the quote from Lao Tzu, “There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.” And your opponent, in this case, is the amount of work involved in creating a show.
Invest in the resources to do it right, and understand that it takes a village.
What Are You Waiting For?
Podcasts aren’t a new medium, but they are having a moment.

Spotify has heavily invested in the podcast portion of their platform, striking exclusive deals with podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience, and designing a total rehaul of the podcast UI.
Statista predicts the industry will have a CAGR of 17%, reaching 164 million listeners in the US by 2023.
Apple, not to be outdone, is making a bet on podcast subscriptions.

Will podcast marketing become as standard as content marketing? Will having a podcast become as ubiquitous as having a blog?
Time will tell, but it’s clear that this is the “wave” that many podcasters predicted.
At HubSpot, we have chosen to invest heavily in media going forward, and podcasts are a large part of that strategy. The HubSpot Podcast Network and The Shake Up are the first parts of that.
If, after reading this, you choose to invest in building one, here is a checklist you should follow:

Define your audience and their problem.
Decide if a podcast is a good medium to provide a solution to that problem.
Audit the podcasts in your target space, figure out how you can be better and different.
Propose the theme and format of your show.
Build a podcast team: host, producer, sound engineer.
You’re off to the races.

We are incredibly proud of the hard work that went into launching The Shake Up. Listen to it here on your favorite podcast platform.

We just launched MVP for a tool that can help you to automate YouTube channel contact information extraction and we are looking for early adopters. Prospety enables simplified YouTube creator discovery and automated standard and contact information retrieval. Our features will allow you to:
Discover over 1M of YouTube creators with advanced search and retrieve their contacts. Information is updated every 30 days, so you will receive up to date results. Extract standard and contact information from your own lists of YouTube channels. Retrieve emails even if they are protected by reCaptcha or YouTube limits are applied. Pay per successfully retrieved email. No upfront commitments. Receive your data in no time and in an efficient manner.
Early adopters will receive 1000 free credits, access to the private community group, and premium support. They will be able to request features, provide valuable feedback, and shape the product roadmap. If you are interested or have any questions – do not hesitate and let me know. Feel free to contact me via DM or leave a comment.
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Customer expectations have changed since the beginning of 2020. Research shows that consumers have become more thoughtful and selective since the pandemic. They want to build a connection with the companies they’re buying from.  So, where does inbound marketing fit into all this? When done right, inbound marketing provides consumers with tailored content at each…
The post Here’s How Inbound Marketing Drives The Ultimate Customer Experience appeared first on Benchmark Email.

“Curation” is one of those words that’s always conveyed coolness to me.
Take, for example, curating an art gallery, or curating music for a soundtrack. Cool, right? Content curation can be just as cool – and just as important.
Where do you get started on content curation?

In this blog post, you’ll find an explanation of what it is, how it can serve your brand and a series of tools you can use at every experience level.
What is content curation?
Content curation consists of finding material relevant to your audience from a variety of sources and sharing it strategically through your communication channels.
Say you’re a marketing agency. You could write a blog post with a roundup of top product demos and add some context on why you picked them. That list of demos would be curated by you based on what you believe your audience will find most valuable.
So, now that we’ve answered, “What is curated content? ” Let’s get into the benefits of this approach.
Benefits of Content Curation
One of the biggest benefits of content curation is that it adds value to your audience.
There’s so much information out there today and most consumers don’t have the time (or the desire) to sift through hours of content. That’s where you come in.
You can figure out what matters most to them, find the content they care the most about and present it to them in a perfect bow. Who wouldn’t want that?
Think about your favorite music station, whether it’s on the radio or a streaming platform like Spotify or Pandora. While you could listen to hours of music and create your own playlists, it’s even better when someone does it for you and delivers all the hits you love most.
That develops into trust. Even if the curator drops a song you haven’t heard before, you give it a chance knowing there’s a good chance you’ll end up liking it.
The same goes for content curation. As you deliver great content, your audience starts to trust you and see you as a thought leader.
Furthermore, content curation is a great strategy for those weeks when you’re low on original content.
It’s easier to gather content from other sources than start from scratch. So when in doubt, curate content that other experts in your industry have covered.
What makes a successful content curator?
1. Content curation should be personal.

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The beauty of news roundup NextDraft is the personal touch and context that its chief curator, Dave Pell, gives to each story.
I don’t just want a bunch of browsable links – I want to know why I should read this stuff, and how it pertains to me. That personalized context creates a type of bond between curator and reader that link aggregators doesn’t humanize quite as much.
2. Content curation should build value.
No matter which industry your customers are in, all of them want to stay informed but also save time.
Just like you, they have demands and can’t possibly keep up with all the latest news in their industry – but they want to. Solving this problem through content curation presents a huge opportunity for brands to build a relationship with their audience.
If you can deliver a curated experience that saves your customers time in getting the information they need, you’ve taken a major step on the path of building trust and loyalty.
3. Content curation should offset promotional content.
Customers can grow tired of brands ceaselessly promoting their own wares, which is why brands must think beyond products or features.
The relationship customers have with brands today transcends the product itself. After all, that’s part of the foundation of inbound marketing. While a product may initially attract you to a specific brand, it’s likely something else – like great content or remarkable service – that keeps you around.
4. Content curation shouldn’t take all day.
Once you’ve decided to curate content, the hard part begins gathering content. While bookmarking and reading lists may work in the beginning, those are not sustainable options.
Instead, there are curation tools specifically designed to help you gather, sift through, and curate content. Here’s our list below, categorized by level of expertise.

For Beginning Curators
If you occasionally share a relevant post with your customers, you’re already curating content. To build this into a scalable strategy, here are free curation tools to help you start getting in the habit of curating content, without being overwhelmed by complex tools, subscription fees, or convoluted dashboards.

1. Flipboard

Flipboard is a mobile and desktop app that allows you to create mini-magazines with links to your favorite news stories, blog posts, and websites.
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After creating these magazines, you can open them up to the public so consumers can follow your content and share them on social media networks.
You can also include your own blog posts and links in your magazine, making it an opportunity for readers to learn more about your business.
To start using Flipboard, all you need to do is download the app and create an account. You can also look through the magazines of other users and share their stories in your own mini “publication with a quick tap.
Here’s a quick demo that walks you through how to use the app:

2. Pocket

Pocket is a great place to get into the habit of accruing content to save and read later.

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Instead of a laundry list of bookmarks or countless emails you’ve sent to yourself with links, it stores all your chosen images, articles, and videos in one place for reference.
You can group articles with tags, and the site’s built-in search functionality makes finding those articles easy. Plus, it integrates with over 500 other apps, like Evernote, easy easy synching.
And as a bonus, Pocket tweets out their @PocketHits for the most-saved articles on their platform – a must-follow if you’re active on Twitter.

3. Elink.io

Collecting content from various websites and sharing them in a way that is presentable and context is key to successful content curation.
Elink.io takes the pain out of content curation and allows anyone to save links on the go and turn them into beautiful, shareable content.

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You can convert your links into a web page and embed them on a website or send them as a newsletter. They have a whopping 30+ responsive templates that you can customize to your liking. With over 80,000 users worldwide, elink is one of the best tools when it comes to fast and beautiful content curation.

4. Twitter Lists

Twitter can be hard to keep up with if you don’t organize the accounts you follow. That’s where Twitter Lists come in handy: curated groups of Twitter users that you can categorize and follow separately from the rest of your feed.

Say you curate marketing content, you could create a Twitter list for email marketing, another for blogging, and so on. Even better, you can make it public so that other Twitter users can access your lists as well.
Furthermore, if you create a Pocket account (mentioned above), you can easily save articles from Twitter directly into your account.
Click here to learn how to start your first Twitter list.
5. Newsletters
Whatever industry you’re in, stay on the lookout for newsletter subscriptions. And if a good one doesn’t exist in your industry, that’s the perfect opportunity to create one.
But before you start your own newsletter, learn from what other outlets are doing. Here are a few that are doing a great job in original content curation:

The Hustle – Every day, The Hustle brings business and tech news right to your inbox. The team expertly breaks down top news in a witty, sharp tone that its audience enjoys – plus links to read the original content.

The Daily Carnage – Want to stay updated on all things marketing? Carney’s got you covered. Their daily newsletter includes snippets of news in the marketing world along with a longer section that provides context for an external article they link to.

The Daily Skimm – What this newsletter excels at is the tone and the brand voice. The team behind The Skimm knows exactly that its readers want the TLDR version of top news stories in a digestible way. Their newsletter does just that and that’s why it resonates so well with readers.

Quartz Daily Brief: Quartz has figured out how to make a text-heavy newsletter a stalwart in the news business with its Daily Brief. The beauty of the newsletter, because it’s text-based, is the cross-platform functionality. Without heavy images, the Daily Brief loads quickly on phones, tablets, and desktops, making it easy to read on any device.

Internet Brunch: Digital agency Big Spaceship created Internet Brunch to help folks “find the best news, GIFs, and trends from across the Internet.” From holidays to current events, to celebrity birthdays, this roundup is sure to cover the important stuff that helps readers stay in the loop.

For Intermediate Content Curators
Here are some great sources for when you’ve got the basics covered and you’re looking for something a little more comprehensive.

6. Scoop.it

I like to think of Scoop.it as a nexus of content curation and social media, with a Pinterest-like user interface.

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Start with a topic of interest, and Scoop.it will generate the most relevant articles to view and share as well as suggest relevant topics
Why we recommend Scoop.it:

Their smart engine can monitor the topics you’re most interested in and identify related content you may like.
Easy integration with WordPress.
Content creation for multiple channels, including websites, emails, and social media

Pricing: $0 to $79/month, with customized pricing available for enterprise accounts.

7. Feedly

If you’re stepping up your content curation game, Feedly should be at the top of your list. This tool is a news aggregator powered by artificial intelligence, one the brand has named Leo. Image Source
When you add a few of your favorite sources to Feedly, you can aggregate and browse these feeds in one place from your desktop and mobile devices.
This tool is best for filtering the content you’re interested in. Feedly leverages Leo to identify the content you care most about and filter out the ones you don’t.
Pricing: $6 to $12 a month, with a customizable plan available for enterprise accounts.

8. Sniply

You might be wondering why Sniply, a conversion platform, is on this list.
Well, this tool actually goes hand-in-hand with content curation.
Let’s say you have a monthly newsletter in which you include links to articles pertaining to your industry. With a tool like Sniply, you can place a call-to-action (CTA) on the page you’re linking to. This way, you can redirect users back to your content and help them convert.

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It’s also a custom link shortener, so you can create branded links that are short enough to share on Twitter and the like.
Pricing: $29 – $299/month

7. Quuu

Want to focus your content curation on social media? Consider Quuu. Image Source
Quuu integrates with most major social media scheduling tools, including HubSpot, and allows you to discover and share content.
Why we recommend Quuu:

It auto-categorizes your content, making it easier to sift through later.
It offers reader-mode to make your experience free of distractions.
The integrated scheduling dashboard makes it easy to share the content you discover.

Pricing: $0 to $15.83/month

9. UpContent

Are you looking for a one-stop shop for your content curation? UpContent’s got you covered.

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UpContent’s top features include:

Content recommendations backed by machine learning algorithms.
Approval workflows to ensure articles meant brands’ guidelines.
Integration with top web hosting, social media scheduling, and email marketing software.

Pricing: $15 to $265/month
For Advanced Content Curators
Now we’re getting into some serious, enterprise-level curation software. These solutions are ideal for companies looking for a proven platform capable of supporting a team of users, editors, and content curators.
Enterprise-level curation requires advanced algorithms to find identify relevant content, a centralized publishing platform, and customizable publishing options.

10. Curata

The power of Curata lies in its ability to recommend and help you discover relevant content relevant to their respective audiences without manual labor.

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Users can fine-tune, customize, and categorize content sources for review, and then distribute them – all from one central platform.
You can then use Curata’s publishing and promotion tools to repurpose curated content across your blog, social media accounts, newsletter, and automated marketing platforms.
Pricing: Not available
Which Tool Is Right For You?
Before you select the best tools for your business, it’s important to understand the role content curation will play in your marketing operations and the size of your team.
If you’re a one-person marketing department, for example, the beginner and intermediate options should suffice for your needs. As your business and team grow, content curation may play a larger role and require more powerful software.
At that point, some of the advanced tools will help save time curating and ensure everyone is on the same page. Regardless of your team or business size, content curation should become a part of your content marketing strategy.
Great curators build trust with their audiences and become an indispensable resource, as they distribute content their audiences care most about.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a 7% rate of job growth is expected for marketing managers from 2019 to 2029.
To help stand out from your competition in the hiring process as well as feel entirely confident in your ability to perform in your social media role, you may want to take a social media course.

In this blog post, we’ll cover some of the best social media marketing courses that are available today.
Best Social Media Marketing Courses
1. Social Media Certification

Price: Free
Platform: HubSpot Academy
HubSpot’s Social Media Certification course is a robust program designed to help you attract customers and partners, and build brand loyalty. Because social media is the key to inbound marketing, this course ties in the two concepts seamlessly.
The course is flexible enough so that you can work on it on your time. It covers essential topics such as measuring ROI, extending reach, social media content creation, and social listening. You might also select to take specific lessons within the HubSpot Academy course — for instance, this one on Social Media Advertising.
Notable Takeaway: Learn how to create an inbound social media marketing strategy.
2. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

Price: Free
Platform: Google Digital Garage
Google’s social media certification has over 300,000 students and provides courses in social media, mobile marketing, SEO, and web optimization.
The courses explain paid and organic search and teach you how to develop search-engine-optimized web pages.
Learning how to optimize pages for search on a popular search engine (for free) sounds like a win-win. At the completion of the course, you’ll receive a digital certificate you can add to your LinkedIn profile and resume.
Notable Takeaway: Better understand SEO and its relationship with digital marketing.
3. Social Ads 101

Price: Free
Platform: Wordstream
WordStream offers the necessary educational resources to develop a strong understanding of social media advertisements. This includes social media ads on a variety of platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Tik Tok, and LinkedIn.
There’s also information about why and how to advertise on social media as well as education around best practices while advertising across these platforms.
Lastly, you’ll learn about social media ad metrics and social shopping — this way, you can effectively track measure your success as well as target your audience when and where they’re ready to make a purchase.
Notable Feature: Learn about social ads on the major platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Tik Tok, and LinkedIn.
4. Social Media Training for Beginners

Price: Free
Platform: Constant Contact
Constant Contact is a great educational resource for beginners and those who are new to the world of social media marketing.
There are step-by-step instructions on how to create and maintain your social media presence across every major platform. This includes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google My Business, YouTube, and Snapchat.
Notable Feature: Learn everything you need to get started in social media marketing.
5. Online Social Media Marketing Classes

Price: Free or paid (depending on the social media course)
Platform: Skillshare
On Skillshare, you can pick classes that suit your interests and save classes to refer to later. There’s a variety of business topics you can take classes on.
As for social media marketing specifically, you can filter social media marketing classes by the time that they take to complete, whether they’re free or premium, whether or not the topic is trending, and more.
Notable Takeaway: Select the specific social media marketing topic and lesson time that best suits your need.
6. Acadium Digital Marketing Course

Price: Free
Platform: Acadium
Acadium is an apprenticeship and mentorship program — there are a number of lessons within the Digital Marketing Course that you can take before, after, or during your apprenticeship.
The courses offered cover an array of digital marketing topics including but not limited to social media marketing, paid advertising, email marketing, SEO, and content marketing.
Notable Takeaway: Get a full understanding of digital marketing while working an apprenticeship in which you can develop real-world experience.
7. Social Media 101 Training

Price: $97
Platform: Boot Camp Digital
Digital Marketing 101 by Boot Camp Digital is an impactful, video-led training that takes you on a deep dive into the basics of digital marketing and using it for social media. This is beginner-level training and can be completed in six hours.
Boot Camp’s clientele includes Nike, NASA, GE, and Georgia-Pacific, and the platform gives buyers unlimited access once purchased. It provides a digital marketing template, ROI information, benchmarking, and a bonus-free digital tools course.
Notable Takeaway: Learn about digital marketing and work through a comprehensive section on social media marketing and strategy.
8. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Social Media, and E-Commerce

Price: $585
Platform: Wharton, University of Pennsylvania
Wharton’s course is considered an intermediate dive into the intersection of digital marketing, social media marketing, and ecommerce. It’s a self-paced, six-week class that demands three hours of your time each week.
This course is structured specifically for marketing professionals, small business owners, and consumers who want to know social media techniques. You’ll learn how to produce marketing campaigns that are effective for your business.
Notable Takeaway: Marketing course designed for professionals.
9. The Strategy of Content Marketing

Price: Enroll for free
Platform: University of California, Davis
In this online class offered by the University of California, Davis, you’ll learn how to create a content marketing strategy and develop an understanding of the ecosystem surrounding that strategy. Ample time will also be spent working on strategic writing and framing.
The different types of content marketing will be reviewed along with how they’re integral to social media marketing.There are five weeks worth of material paired with videos, exercises, readings, and quizzes.
Notable Takeaway: Learn about the power of integrating your content marketing and social media marketing strategies.
10. Social Media Marketing Masterclass

Price: $149.99
Platform: Udemy
Rather than a complete level one course in social media, this offering, by Udemy is a Masterclass on the subject, uniquely centered around ethical digital marketing techniques.
You’ll learn how to set up a powerful marketing strategy and a schedule that aligns with accomplishing business goals.
You’ll also dive into how social media marketing integrates with your business, email marketing, and building an online community. This course can be completed in 20 hours, and gives you a certificate of completion at its end.
Notable Takeaway: Learn how to build a social media marketing strategy and schedule for your unique business.
Find Your Ideal Social Media Marketing Course
Social media marketing can be extremely powerful when done right — and understanding how to apply the most effective and up-to-date strategies will help you stand out from other social media marketers and strategists so you can propel your career.
So, identity the right course for your experience level, budget, and goals — then get started learning.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Running a successful website means staying alert for errors like broken pages or slow performance. However, sometimes there are problems that you just can’t avoid, and 404 errors are one of them.
A 404 occurs when a user requests a page on your website that doesn’t exist, thus throwing a 404 error page prompting users to return to the right place. No matter how many resources you put into ensuring your website never goes down … there’s always a chance that users could end up here.
It’s inconvenient, but a fact of life. And the reaction of visitors when they land on a nonexistent page can range from “taking it in stride” to “totally losing their minds.”
While there’s nothing you can do about the latter, you can make things a little less of a pain by having a creative error 404 message. This can do wonders to make your website visitors crack a smile in an otherwise frustrating situation.
To get your website design juices flowing, this post will showcase some of our favorite website error pages. Hopefully, you’ll be able to take away a few ideas to snazz up your own 404 message.

What is a 404 Error?
A 404 error is a standard HTTP error message code that means the website you were trying to reach couldn’t be found on the server. It’s a client-side error, meaning either the webpage was removed or moved and the URL wasn’t changed accordingly, or the person just typed in the URL incorrectly.
For the most part, you can configure your server to create a customized 404 error page. (If you’re a HubSpot customer, click here to learn how to customize your 404 page in HubSpot.)
Some customized 404 error pages include a hero image, witty description, site map, search form, or basic contact information.
The Best 404 Web Page Examples
Over the years, websites have found different ways to inform visitors of a 404 error and channel them back to the right place, some simply, some creatively, and some hilariously. Let’s start by looking at some creative 404 pages, then check out some funny examples that are sure to delight anyone who comes across them.
Page Not Found: TK Creative 404 Error Pages
1. Pipcorn

While a 404 page can easily stick out from a website, Pipcorn’s error page aligns perfectly with the rest of the site’s branding. There’s a nice animated background, a friendly text prompt directing visitors to search the website (complete with a clever pun), and a piece of popcorn used as the “0” in “404.”

2. Spotify

Music streaming giant Spotify has covered its bases with a clever 404 page. With a witty pun off Kanye West’s album “808s and Heartbreak” and a record animation, the website briefly entertains and then sends visitors back to the page they came from.

3. Genially

One simple way to ease the tension on your 404 page is to add a quick “Oops!” message — it helps your site feel more personable as you guide users back to the right place. In the case of Genially’s site, the page also includes a nifty illustration paired with some playful copy.

4. Adobe

As you would expect, Adobe’s 404 error page is both useful and visually pleasing. It lists out popular links that visitors might want alongside some cool digital artwork serving as a visual metaphor for a broken or lost page. Honestly, websites should use visual metaphors more often.

5. Clorox

The 404 page for Clorox cleaning products rotates between three lighthearted photos to signal to visitors that they’ve made a misstep. It’s a smart use of branding to add a brief delight moment while helping out lost users.

6. Duma Collective

Other times, you might not need a witty blurb — just tell visitors that there’s no page at the address and let them move on. Entertainment consulting agency Duma Collective does just this with its error page, though it’s complemented by a background image for some minor flair.

7. Chillhouse

Speaking of flair, self-care brand Chillhouse has put in the extra work to reroute its visitors in style. The 404 page is branded appropriately and even takes visitors on a little journey through a few image stills before they go back to the homepage.

8. Bitly

If you enter an incorrect Bitly link, you’ll be taken to Bitly’s 404 page. We assume this happens a fair amount, which is why the 404 page gets straight to the point. It explains what might have gone wrong and prompts users to visit the Bitly homepage if that’s what they’re after.

9. Ikea

Ikea’s 404 page is similarly minimalist but still manages to sneak some smart branding in there. This example shows that your error pages don’t need to be elaborate to get the point across, but there’s nothing wrong with injecting some fun either.

10. Moxie Design Co.

Sure, “blew up the Internet” might be a bit hyperbolic, but it tells visitors that Moxie Design Co. doesn’t take itself too seriously with small slip-ups like this one. Also, a search bar is conveniently placed at the bottom to send you on your way.

11. McKissack & McKissack

Ah, the classic “we lost the page” trick. Again, an easy way to present a 404 without alienating your audience. If you’re an agency like McKissack & McKissack that manages many client interactions, clear and concise copy is essential for all of your site’s pages, including error pages.

12. CSS Tricks

Ever ripped away a website’s wrapping to see what’s underneath? That’s the concept that CSS Tricks was going for in their 404 error page. This is both witty and reminiscent of what the website is all about: smart use of page styling.

13. Good Old Games

For other websites, you unwrap the front end and there’s … just the vast emptiness of space. This page is a clever reference to GOG Galaxy, which is Good Old Games’ native video game client. Thankfully, a little video game character is there to give visitors a place to report an error if they want.

14. Canva

For something a little different, check out Canva’s 404 page. It includes not just an error message, but a nifty tile puzzle visitors can play for some brief entertainment. There’s no harm in letting your visitors slack off for a couple of minutes, right?

15. Innotech

Similar to Canva’s approach, Innotech features a Pong-esque game on its 404 page to provide some brief entertainment. Chances are you’ll remember a website like this. Plus, the fun detour complements a truly impressive website — seriously, when you’re done playing, head to the home page and take it all in.

16. Myriad

Video agency Myriad has opted for a quirky, on-brand 404 page design that mimics the classic SMPTE color bars that appear on old tapes and TVs. It’s a funny throwback to older technologies while representing the more modern problem of a nonexistent web page.

17. KonMari

Known for her popular cleaning and organization methods and brand, Marie Kondo has brought a similar feel to her website’s 404 page. The copy briefly and humorously harkens back to her tidying philosophy — a small but well-branded detail that fans will recognize.

18. BrandCrowd

Not only is the illustration on this error page detailed and engaging — the copy is clever, too. We love the reference to the Semisonic song “Closing Time”: “You can click anywhere else, but you can’t click here.”

19. Hot Dot Productions

Hot Dot’s error page stays true to its tagline, “the intersection of new technologies and design.” The page is animated by hundreds of tiny dots that change direction in response to where you move your cursor. It’s mesmerizing and a great showcase of the agency’s design capabilities.

20. OrangeCoat

If you’re going to give an error message, why not entertain the user for a few seconds while you help them out? Following a friendly greeting, OrangeCoat offers a flowchart that actually helps users figure out why they reached an error page in the first place.

21. Ervin & Smith

This 404 page does more than redirect users back to active pages. Instead, Ervin & Smith’s 404 page invites you to scroll down and learn why you need a digital marketing agency, and why to choose Ervin & Smith in particular, capped off with a contact form. True to its mission, this agency shows that any page can be a conversion opportunity.

22. DayCloud Studios

… or, your 404 can just be a place to waste time for a minute, as can be seen on the website for DayCloud Studios. Moving the cursor around the screen reveals a 404 message illuminated by lasers shooting from a cat’s eyes. Because why not?

23. Headspace

Another instance of a website smartly incorporating its brand messaging into a 404 page — guided meditation app Headspace makes the effort to calm users, encouraging us to take a deep breath, then return to the main site.

24. Wildwood Bakery

Some websites thus far have integrated clever branded copy in their pages, while others have hosted full-blown online games on theirs. But, there’s nothing wrong with a brief push back in the right direction. Wildwood Bakery’s exquisite site keeps things short and sweet (literally).

 
Page Not Found: TK Funny 404 Error Pages
25. Astuteo

Design agency Astuteo’s 404 page is a perfect balance of elegant visuals, humor, and helpfulness. The minimal layout gives users the information they need alongside another amusing visual metaphor, a sinking cargo ship and a fleeing figure.

26. LEGO

There’s few words needed on LEGO’s 404 error page — the character’s expression makes everything clear. Plus, fans of the LEGO movie franchise will enjoy the fun reference in the copy.

27. Magnt

In this funny error message, Magnt pokes fun at the fact that, yes, they could have broken something — or, you just can’t type. The visual serves as a quick way to quickly illustrate their point.

28. IconFinder

IconFinder’s error page is simple but delightful. The company’s mascot wearing a robe and appearing weary is a relatable nod to lost visitors. No worries though, since the site lists some of its links to visit down below.

29. Sweet Dreams

Apparently, the team at sleep aid company Sweet Dreams took too many of its products according to the website’s 404 page. Not only is this page humorous — it also blends well with the rest of the site’s front-end aesthetic and messaging for a cohesive feel.

30. GitHub

The line “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” refers to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi mind trick on Stormtroopers in Star Wars Episode IV, and it’s become a well-known phrase used to tell someone they’re pursuing the wrong course of action. GitHub plays on this famous line in their 404 error message.

31. Patagonia

Patagonia’s custom 404 page captures the brand’s vibe perfectly, complete with a boomerang video of a frisbee twirler, a clever pun combining “404” and “aloha,” and links to its product pages. It’s a friendly and funny way to greet visitors who wound up in the wrong place.

32. Cloud Sigma

Check it out: Cloud Sigma’s letting us in on some behind-the-scenes action. Their 404 error page pretends to be a “junior developer’s homepage” — that junior developer being, well, a cat.

33. AMC Theatres

You might have been to an AMC movie theater before, but you’ve hopefully never seen their website’s 404 page. The website makes use of a quick, funny, and relevant one-liner before it sends you back to the right place.

34. Bruno

It’s no coincidence that creative agencies are great at coming up with cool 404 pages. Here’s another one from the creatives at Bruno that plays off the 2000 cult comedy classic Dude, Where’s My Car? No, it has nothing to do with the company or website, but it’s sure to get a chuckle.

35. NPR

At first, NPR’s error page seems like nothing special. But keep reading and you’ll see how they cleverly link to some of their great stories about lost people, places, and things, like a piece on Amelia Earhart and one on Waldo. This might just make lost users feel a little less alone.

36. Medium

Medium takes a similar approach to NPR’s 404 page, recommending articles about getting lost and losing things. Check these articles out if you have time — they’re quite good reads.

37. HomeStarRunner

HomeStarRunner.com, home to a Flash-animated cartoon series, has had a series of hilarious 404 error pages over the years. The most recent features characters from the cartoon series in a scene that could’ve come straight out of one of their episodes. If you turn the sound on when you load the page, you’ll hear their character Strong Bad — known for yelling phrases out loud — saying, “404’d!”

38. Blizzard Entertainment

Here’s a simple idea that ends up looking slick: Blizzard Entertainment’s 404 page features an animated character lost in an actual blizzard and some humor that World of Warcraft fans will appreciate.

39. Hello Big Idea

A quick trip around marketing and social media experts Hello Big Idea’s website will tell you what you need to know about its bold and blunt style of copy. And, of course, its 404 error page is no exception.

40. HubSpot

It happens to us, too! This is the message we put up to tell our site visitors that there are some website issues. Our goal was to stay true to HubSpot’s brand voice by being as lovable, empathetic, and helpful as possible.

Turn a 404 Error Page Into a Delight Moment
Nobody wants to land on a 404 page — they’re annoying and unexpected. However, you can’t really avoid them, so it’s always a good idea to have a 404 page to fall back on for your website.
And, from a user experience perspective, your 404 page should be a small speed bump, not a brick wall. The right design can be the difference between a frustrated bounce and a possible conversion, so why not make it fun?
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2015 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

To a prospect seeking out a new service provider, the process can be a little overwhelming. It’s easy to wonder: Who are the real people behind all the smoke and mirrors?
Adding a “Meet the Team” page or section to your website is an easy, effective way to give your business an accessible face. As one of your most important pages, it gives prospects an idea of who exactly they’ll be working with, and shows potential employees that you’re proud of the people on your team.
For some inspiration, see how these companies introduce visitors to their most important creative assets: their people.

Cool ‘Meet the Team’ Pages
1. Yokel Local

Yokel Local is a HubSpot Agency Partner that positions itself as an extension of its clients’ marketing teams. For that reason, this agency showcases its staff to highlight the humans behind the brand.
What’s pleasing about this particular page is the simplicity: The grid design provides a modern feel, and clicking on a face opens a box with more information about the team member, including their bio, credentials, and social profiles.
Why this works: Yokel Local doesn’t go overboard with its “Meet the Team” page, and it doesn’t need to — everything potential clients need to know is presented in a clean grid format. This way, it’s clear who’s behind the agency.

2. Philly Reps

As a contrast to more elaborate designs we’ll see later in this list, Philly Reps is another agency that takes a cleaner, more minimal approach to its team page. Members are presented in grayscale images that take up the majority of screen space for a nice consistent look and feel.
Below images are brief descriptions of each member. Notice how Philly Reps has made each description roughly the same length to maintain balance and alignment between grid elements. Most won’t notice this detail, but it results in a page with maximum readability.
Why this works: Large grayscale headshots of team members bring character and personality to the brand while maintaining visual consistency.

3. Digital Marmalade

Since most employee bios read a lot like a list of stats (“10 years in the industry … 4 years at the company … Managed 80 website redesign projects … “) the folks at Digital Marmalade decided to have a little fun with the format.
Each employee at the London-based marketing agency has a trading card-style profile detailing their actual marketing accomplishments and personal facts, as well as their fictional superhero abilities. It’s a quirky twist that gives visitors a colorful snapshot of the agency’s team, highlighting both their impressive experience and friendly culture.
Why this works: Digital Marmalade balances its show of technical proficiency and fun with employee stats that list both skills and “superpowers.” Additionally, headshots are all similar in composition and background.

4. CloudHorizon

CloudHorizon is a mobile product development company. On its about page, it says, “Some of the more rewarding projects we have had the honour to be involved in, started with simple ideas and grew profitable businesses from the ground up.”
With this in mind, CloudHorizon’s “Meet our team” section is a great way to illustrate that idea. When you hover over an image of a team member, their thumbnail flips to reveal a photo from their childhood with a small caption of what they wanted to be when they grew up.
Why this works: This clever idea highlights both the diversity of backgrounds that the CloudHorizon team brings, as well as the uniqueness of each member. It also provides a sense of friendly nostalgia to new visitors.

5. Bolden

Bolden’s team bios are more conventional than some of the others on this list, but what they lack in invention they make up for in style.
Hovering over each team member’s picture produces a darker alternative almost like an image negative, revealing the employee’s name along with an outfit change. This is a great example of a minimal, accessible “Meet the Team” page that manages to look cool and introduce the faces behind the agency without going over the top.
Why this works: Bolden implements a subtle but unique and effective hover effect for its team member cards for some extra visual flair. As a digital design agency, these small moments show capability.

6. Rock Kitchen Harris

Rock Kitchen Harris, a full-service agency, decided to skip the photos altogether and showcase the cartoon versions of their employees instead.
Each employee at the English agency had a custom caricature drawn up, and every single one has a different personality. While some employees opted for representations reminiscent of LinkedIn profile pictures, others got a little creative with it, dressing their cartoon selves up as Ewoks and other characters. Employees can also be easily filtered by specialty.
Why this works: The choice to make renderings of each employee brings a lot of character and personality to this agency’s website. Plus, it gives the chance for employees to have a bit of extra fun as well.

7. FCINQ

FCINQ, a creative studio, introduces us to their team with a collage of colorful bubbles.
Hovering over an employee’s circle produces a zoomed-in effect, and clicking expands their headshot with their name and social profiles. The splashy setup is a stylish alternative to the expected rows of team photos and names.
Why this works: FCINQ’s team section is a nice departure from the standard grid layout while staying intuitive and informative.

8. Zulu Alpha Kilo

This Canadian agency presents its founding team with refreshing comedic flair. While many agency leaders choose to represent themselves with stoic business portraits, the three leaders of Zulu Alpha Kilo opted for playful photos and cheeky bios.
Here’s an excerpt from the bio of Marcus Alpha — the agency’s “Ultra Chief Creative Director Officer”:
Marcus has a reputation for pushing his creative teams further than any other creative director. He makes them work late nights, weekends and through holidays in pursuit of that one truly breakthrough creative idea. And when they’ve finally cracked it after weeks of grueling and thankless work, Marcus will triumphantly stand in front of the client and present it as an idea he had in the shower that morning instead.
Why this works: Zulu Alpha Kilo leverages humor with its portraits and text content to draw potential clients in search of a partner on the quirky side.

9. Stink Studios

We love this expertly color-coordinated slideshow of team members from Stink Studios. This creative agency has offices in five major cities around the world — including New York, Paris, and Berlin — but having a personable “Meet the Team” section helps give their business an accessible edge. They don’t call themselves “a global company with a local feel” for nothing.
Why this works: The broken grid layout of this website’s team page is colorful, inviting, clean, and a touch playful as well.

10. CRUX

The video pros at the agency CRUX have crafted a truly captivating website that makes excellent use of their medium. The entire website is presented as a “video” inside an editing program; visitors can “play” the video by scrolling or via the timeline at the bottom of the screen.
When you reach the “About” section, each team member drifts into focus alongside a humorous description. This website is unlike anything we’ve seen before and establishes this team as unique, ambitious thinkers and creators.
Why this works: CRUX takes a one-of-a-kind approach to its team page (and its entire website) that cleverly combines visual features of a website with those of a video editing program.

11. Drexler

As one of the more artsy entries in this list, this “Meet the Team” section from Drexler is proof that you don’t need a whole page devoted to introducing your employees — just a section can do the trick.
This simple but polished team member marquee appears down the homepage and plays with scrolling to reveal each team member’s portrait. The “hands-on” portrait aesthetic is certainly unique as well, creating a homepage that only this group could think up.
Why this works: Drexler utilizes scrolling to present team photos in a scanning pattern, complete with peculiar but captivating portraits.

12. Matchstic

As a branding agency, Matchstic knows the importance of identity, creativity, and individuality. Not only does its “Who We Are” section provide that identity by highlighting the human element of their brand, but it also shows their creative side. When you hover over each thumbnail, a goofy illustration is overlaid onto the photo.
In addition, the custom cursor, which only shows up on the About page, is a strong callback to the Matchstic brand, implying a kinetic energy that starts with the lighting of a match.
Why this works: Matchstic applies a cartoon-style hover effect to its employee portraits, implying fun, imagination, and creativity behind the otherwise straightforward profiles. The custom cursor is an extra, delightful touch.

13. Atlassian

Atlassian, a company behind many of the software solutions used in businesses worldwide, highlights photos of their team on their “people” page, interacting at the office and hard at work.
Below, they showcase their leadership team with colorful headshots that break out of colorful background boxes, similar to Matchstic. When you hover over, vector graphics appear relating to the individual’s unique role.
In addition, a popup appears on click with social icons and a bio. What’s particularly interesting is the option to download their headshot, some extra utility for media professionals.
Why this works: Atlassian’s people page is both professional and quirky, with useful features like bios, social media links, and an option to download headshots.

14. Heart Creative

Heart Creative presents its team members on its “about us” page, and hovering the cursor over portraits reveals some extra character behind each employee. Given the agency specializes in culinary endeavors, these alternate photos are usually food-related.
For some added navigational ease, users can sort cards by team. Selecting an option from the dropdown will show the relevant members. You have the option to visit each individual’s LinkedIn profile as well.
Why this works: Heart Creative lends a touch of fun to its “Meet the Team” section by displaying alternative portraits on mouseover. Each team member shows off what they love, which puts some extra personality behind the brand.

15. LiveChat

LiveChat, an AI customer service and chatbot solution, approached their team page in a completely different way. Instead of just listing out each team member’s roles and experience, they created a photo for each team member that illustrates who they are in a conceptual, fun, and metaphorical way. Given the size of the company, this was quite the endeavor.
LiveChat’s approach is extremely effective for showcasing the uniqueness of their team, and it compels the website visitor to take the team to look at each picture and read each bio. This results in longer time on page, an important engagement metric.
Why this works: The LiveChat team page places enormous emphasis on each member’s personality and interests. It’s clear that LiveChat values everyone and knows the real strength of any business is the people.

16. Etsy

Many large companies forgo the traditional “Meet the Team” page because there are so many team members that it doesn’t make sense to display them all. At Etsy, though, they acknowledge all the people that make the popular online marketplace possible with a tiled “people board” that scrolls for days.
Why this works: While impractical to provide bios of every team member, Etsy compromises with a collage of team portraits as a testament to the strength behind the company.

17. UWG

Digital content specialists UWG have created a stunning team page that’s as much about personality as it is about personnel. Team members are shown in lively portraits against solid backgrounds. Most images are squares, but the page occasionally breaks this pattern for some visual variety. For more information about a team member, you can click a portrait to open a modal.
Why this works: This team page is simple, yet bold and effective. Each portrait is packed with personality, and together the images form a vibrant collage. It’s the kind of “Meet the Team” page that makes you actually want to meet the team.

18. The Correspondent

The Correspondent is an organization that offers news without fear-mongering or financial gain. In true journalistic style, the site features each team member in a beautifully rendered cartoon style, providing an artistic feel to the page.
Clicking on each thumbnail leads the website visitor to a place where they can subscribe to that particular writer and view a feed of their pieces. Best of all, the individual’s mission is displayed across the top and contact information in the sidebar.
Why this works: Sketch renderings of every team member lend to the publication aesthetic of The Correspondent. Readers can easily find a particular writer’s stories as well by clicking a card.

19. Bluleadz

What better way to convey the personality of your team than to display their favorite gifs on mouse hover? That’s what digital marketing agency Bluleadz does. You can almost imagine these folks in the scenarios their gifs represent.
Another useful feature of this “Meet the Crew” page is the ability to filter Bluleadz employees by function. Each button at the bottom corresponds to a team and brings up the individuals who “make the magic happen” in that area of the business.
Why this works: Yet another way to add personality to a team page, Blueleadz includes a favorite gif for each team member. It’s fun, entertaining, and potentially converting.

20. Media Junction

Bold blocky pops of color? Yes, please. HubSpot Elite Agency Partner Media Junction displays their team thumbnails on solid backgrounds with vector shadows. Each photo is a little silly, and many of them bring their furry friends into the picture with them.
In addition, their leadership team’s thumbnails are clickable so that you can read more about them and even send them a message for more information.
Why this works: Media Junction is afraid to show its playful side on the team page — images are colorful, inviting, and animated for a dash of style that keeps users on the page.

“Meet the Team” Page Best Practices
So, what can we learn from these exceptional examples? Here are some tips and design best practices that you can take away and apply to your own team page:
High-Quality Images
Most visitors will expect your team page to feature photos of your employees. Make sure these photos are high-quality and visually consistent (including dimensions). From there, you can add as much personality as you want. Or, you could try an illustrated alternative, as we saw in some examples above.
Employee Descriptions
At the very least, each member profile should include a photo, name, and job title. For more details, you might choose to add a short bio of each employee that outlines their role, experience, accomplishments, and interests. This is especially fitting for agencies that collaborate extensively and in-person with clients — you’ll want to build trust, and bios are a great way to get there.
Social Links
In addition to your employees’ names, titles, and bios, you might also choose to link to their social media profiles on your team page. While not necessary, this can help potential clients reach out to members through another preferred channel.
A LinkedIn profile link is likely enough, as you can be confident that employees will keep their posts professional on the site. However, link to other profiles (e.g., Twitter, Instagram) with caution, as you can’t be sure their conduct on these sites is company-appropriate.
Personality
Yes, simply saying “personality” may seem like a cop-out answer. We’re being intentionally vague here because each company will have its own approach to adding some extra character to their “Meet the Team” page. Depending on your brand, this might mean incorporating fun portraits, humorous descriptions, or eye-catching effects.
As we’ve seen, the best team pages inject personality in a way that aligns with their branding. Some pages lean formal but sneak in some fun elements, some are clearly aiming for humor, and others play it more serious. In all cases, the pages maintain a professional feel, even those that are funny.
You don’t need to go overboard here, but adding a little something extra can show your company is willing to go above and beyond for the best customer experience. It also helps your business stand out in the minds of users who might be wading through dozens of competing sites.
Show Off Your Team in Style
“Meet the Team” pages resonate because people like to buy from real people. The best practice is to determine what your brand stands for, then create a “Meet the Team” and About page that conveys that in the strongest possible way. Whether that’s going for an elaborate, eye-catching page or a simpler grid display, visitors will appreciate being able to put a face to your brand.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a new blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of Black business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.
Since the early 2000s, social media has impacted every aspect of people’s lives, including business. Entrepreneurs from all over the world have and continue to use social media as a tool to launch their brand, connect with people, and garner new customers.
Social media quickly replaced flyers as a form of marketing, and now business owners are investing their time into marketing strategies to reach 4.2 billion social media users worldwide.
Additionally, a Forbes article stated that 84% of respondents who completed a CMO Survey report using social media for brand building. One might even argue that social media is just as critical as a company’s website.
Social media has served as a staple in the Black community to connect in creative and hilarious ways through pictures, videos, words, and more. In fact, we’re so connected that it can take only a few minutes for people, services, or products to go viral on major social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, or Snapchat.
These sites have also helped Black-owned businesses gain visibility and engage with users in free, innovative ways.
I spoke with three social media experts who shared a list of strategies, resources, and success stories Black business owners can use to increase their following and expand their audiences. Let’s dive in.

6 Social Media Strategies for Black Business Owners
1. Build a community by creating engaging content.
Social media manager coach and content strategist Bolaji Ajibare believes creating engaging content is one of the main strategies Black-owned businesses should leverage.
Ajibare, who is popularly called TheSocialMediaOga, says that business owners should create material that allows them to interact with their followers. Entrepreneurs can grow their community by asking their audience what kind of information they’d like to see on their page to serve them properly.
Ajibare says it’s a good idea for users to incorporate various information to appeal to followers — including promotional, inspirational, and educational content, to display balanced material on their page.
Content and design strategist Alicia Noelle further emphasizes that business owners should post creative content that influences people to interact with them. Creating polls and responding to followers in the comments section are a couple of ways that business owners can communicate with their followers. Noelle says these efforts are the critical difference from simply gaining followers.
“I think that that’s what small businesses are going to have to realize as they change their marketing tactics in 2021, and beyond — that people are no longer going to buy from you because it looks pretty,” Noelle said. “They want to feel like they belong in your community, and you have to create that atmosphere for them.”

Social media expert and CEO of Thames Media Solutions, Michelle Thames, shared similar sentiments. Thames states that people forget that humans are on the other side of social media, and they still want to feel like they’re a part of a community.
“You have to nurture your audience by giving them tools and the resources,” she said. 

Thames adds, “Whether you have a product-based business or a service-based business, you have to solve [your audience’s] problem and let them know why they need to come to you.”

Noelle and Thames mentioned natural hair care line Mielle Organics as an example of a Black-owned business that has successfully curated a community around their social media pages.
Image Source
Social media influencers promote their line, and the company also offers promotions and giveaways. Mielle Organics features customers who use their products on their social pages, as well.
2. Write captions that resonate with your followers. 
Noelle recommends that business owners develop prompts for their captions to complement their graphics or videos before they post.
According to the content and design strategist, every caption needs to tell a story that resonates or connects with a business’s audience. The text should be more than two sentences and should also include a call-to-action encouraging followers to subscribe to the company’s email list, sign up for discounts, or buy an item.
Noelle used Breanna Aponte as an example of an entrepreneur who writes good captions. She says that Aponte tells stories with her posts that resonate with her followers. Even though her posts may be unrelated to her business, she can still sell her social media services because of her authenticity.
Image Source
Noelle suggests that business owners create captions that put followers in a different mindset and influence them to want to read what they have to say.
Business owners can share a behind-the-scenes look of their brand on their IG Stories, Twitter Fleets, or Facebook Stories.
Mattie James is an example of an entrepreneur who uses her Stories feature effectively as an influencer. James posts consistent content highlighting her family, daily routine, links to brand promotions, and more.
The Stories feature for all platforms is also a great way for entrepreneurs to promote what they have to offer and communicate with followers who respond to their posts via DM.
Thames recommends that businesses should spend 30 minutes to an hour each day engaging with customers and followers to prove that they’re a trusted, reliable source. This effort also makes followers feel like business owners care.
3. Create videos and reels.
Using videos and Instagram Reels is critical for businesses to maintain engagement and attract new followers.
“If you’re looking to do videos, Reels are going to help you get in front of more people because Instagram prioritizes their new features. Reels is a new feature, and they want to make sure that users use it,” Thames said.
Thames revealed she gained roughly 1,200 followers in 30 days using Instagram Reels, and she doesn’t even post every day. She emphasized that business owners’ Reels need to either be entertaining or educational. They should also be short, quick, and to the point, since people often have short attention spans on social media, proving why the feature is so popular.
She incorporated Instagram Reels into her clients’ social media strategy by encouraging them to make posts three to four times a week. She also mentions that entrepreneurs should be using IG Video and TikTok.
Marketing strategists Candace Junée and Ashley France are two entrepreneurs who use videos and IG Reels very well.

4. Post multiple times a week.
No matter if it’s a photo, Reel, story, or video, business owners should post on their page multiple times a week to not only secure sales, but to stay relevant.
Noelle identifies this strategy as the rapid-fire strategy for social media. She suggests business owners who sell products to post a minimum of once a day, but ideally two to three times a day by creating content using the other aforementioned strategies.  
If it is a service-based business, Noelle recommends businesses to post at least three times a week since solopreneurs usually lead this type of company, which can make this effort a daunting task. This strategy can also work for product-based businesses if they’re unable to post multiple times a day.
Mahdi Woodard is a marketing and branding guru who does a great job posting frequently on his page. Woodard posts simple but highly effective content to keep his followers engaged. He uses inspirational quotes and videos to promote his brand.

5. Leverage hashtags.
Hashtags are frequently used on platforms such Instagram and TikTok. Entrepreneurs use hashtags to attract potential followers and customers because it’s an easy way to be found, especially when they use niche and location-based hashtags.
Users tend to use hashtags a lot on Instagram and TikTok. Hashtagged words or phrases are one of the best free marketing tools if used correctly.
For instance, I found all three social media experts by using the #socialmediaexperts hashtag on Instagram for this blog post.
6. Use templates.
Bolaji says templates can be a beneficial tool for entrepreneurs because it makes your content layout look clean and consistent. It also makes life easier for business owners because they can use templates to publish their material quickly and efficiently.
Millennial money expert and founder of My Fab Finance, Tonya Rapley, uses templates on her Instagram page. Her page has a consistent color scheme which makes her page look cohesive and appealing.
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Every strategy mentioned above is guaranteed to help businesses grow, but Bolaji admits that sometimes business owners can’t use the same approach that got them to 1,000 followers to get 10,000. Even if they’re using all of these strategies, business owners have to stay up-to-speed and learn what method works best for them at various levels of their success.
7 Social Media Tools Black-Owned Businesses Can Use
The strategies listed above are beneficial, but business owners can’t produce quality content for followers if they don’t have the effective tools to make the process easier. Social media tools are essential for business owners to cater to their customers’ needs and provide excellent customer service through proper planning.
Take a look at the tools the social media experts suggested Black-owned businesses use, below.
1. Canva
Canva is a platform used for graphic design. Users can use the tool to create social media graphics, templates, documents, and other visual content.
Price:
Free Version: $0.00
Pro Version: $9.99/month or $119.99/year
Enterprise Version: $30.00/month per person
2. Flodesk
Flodesk is an email marketing service provider that’s built for creators to design and send automated marketing emails to help grow their following.
Price:
$38/month
$418/year
3. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that has a social network integration feature that gives users the ability to share content onTwitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinetrest and YouTube.
Price:
Professional: $49/month
Team: $129/month
Business: $599/month
4. Later
Later is an all-in-one social marketing platform that allows businesses to plan, analyze, and publish content for the top social networks.
Price:
Free Version: $0/month
Starter: $12.50/month
Growth: $20.83/month
Advance: $33.33/month
5. Planoly
Created as the first visual planner for Instagram, Planoly plans, schedules, and measures content across social networks such as Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.
Price:
Free Version: $0
Solo: $7 billed annually or $9 month to month
Duo; $15 billed annually or $19 month to month
Custom: $23 billed annually or $29 month to month
6. Pixistock
Pixistock is a Black-owned visual content creation service that offers photos and graphics for websites and social media feeds.
Price:
Member Pricing

1-5 photos: $35 each
6-9 photos: $30 each
10-19 photos: $28 each
20-29 photos: $25 each
30-49 photos: $20 each
50+ photos: $18 each

Non-Member Pricing

1-5 photos: $45 each
6-9 photos: $40 each
10-19 photos: $38 each
20-29 photos: $35 each
30-49 photos: $30 each
50+ photos: $28 each

7. Airtable
Airtable is a low-code, cloud collaborative platform that allows users to build software tools that fit their needs. Users can customize their workflow and collaborate with other creators and creatives.
Price:
Free Version: $0
Plus: $12/month or $10 per seat/month billed annually
Pro: $24/month or $20 per seat/month billed annually
Although it takes commitment and time, social media provides Black entrepreneurs and creatives a space where their voices can be heard. I hope these suggestions will help Black-owned businesses share their talent — whether it be a service or a product — with the world.

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is incredibly important for marketers. When you optimize your web pages — including your blog posts — you’re making your website more visible to people who are using search engines (like Google) to find your product or service.But does your blog content really help your business organically rank on search engines?
In this article, you’ll find the answer to this question and more. Get ready for an in-depth exploration into the world of blog SEO, the factors that affect it, and tips to start optimizing your blog site for the search engines.

Although it’s clear blog content does contribute to your SEO, Google’s many algorithm updates can make publishing the right kind of blog content tricky if you don’t know where to start. Some blog ranking factors have stood the test of time while others are considered “old-school.” Here are a few of the top-ranking factors that can, directly and indirectly, affect blog SEO.
Pro tip: As a rule of thumb, take time to understand what each of these factors does, but don’t try to implement them all at once. They each serve a specific purpose and should be used to meet a specific SEO goal for your blog. Listen to HubSpot’s Matt Barby and Victor Pan take on this topic in this podcast episode.

Factors That Affect Blog SEO
1. Dwell Time
Although dwell time is an indirect ranking factor for Google, it’s a critical factor in the user experience — and we know that user experience is king when it comes to SEO. Dwell time is the length of a time a reader spends on a page on your blog site. From the moment a visitor clicks on your site in the SERP, to the moment they exit the page is considered dwell time. This metric indirectly tells search engines like Google how valuable your content is to the reader. It makes sense that the longer they spend on the page, the more relevant it is to them.
However, there’s a reason this metric is an indirect indicator for SEO — it’s completely subjective. The search engine algorithms don’t know your content strategy. Your blog could be focused on short-form content that takes just a minute or two to read. You might also include pertinent information at the beginning of your blog posts to give the best reader experience, which means less time spent on the page. So yes, dwell time can affect SEO, but don’t manipulate your content to change this metric if it doesn’t make sense for your content strategy.
2. Page Speed
We mentioned earlier that visual elements on your blog can affect page speed, but that isn’t the only thing that can move this needle. Unnecessary code and overuse of plugins can also contribute to a sluggish blog site. Removing junk code can help your pages load faster, thus improving page speed. If you’re not sure how to find and remove junk code, check out HTML-Cleaner. It’s an easy-to-use tool that doesn’t require coding knowledge. It simply shows you the unnecessary code and lets you remove it with the click of a button.
I also recommend taking an inventory of your blog site plugins. Decide which ones you need to keep your blog running day-to-day and which ones were installed as a fix for a temporary issue. Plugins that affect the front-end of your site are a threat to page speed, and odds are, you can uninstall more of these plugins than you think to increase your overall site speed.
3. Mobile Responsiveness
More than half of Google’s search traffic in the United States comes from mobile devices. On an individual level, your blog site might follow that same trend. There’s no way around it — optimizing your blog site for mobile is a factor that will affect your SEO metrics. But what exactly does it mean to optimize a website for mobile? The industry rule-of-thumb is to keep things simple. Most pre-made site themes these days are already mobile-friendly, so all you’ll need to do is tweak a CTA button here and enlarge a font size there. Then, keep an eye on how your site is performing on mobile by taking a look at your Google Analytics dashboard and running a mobile site speed test regularly.
4. Index Date
Search engines aim to provide the most relevant and accurate information available. A factor search engines use when determining what’s relevant and accurate is the date a search engine indexes the content. Indexing means a search engine finds content and adds it to its index. Later, the page can be retrieved and displayed in the SERP when a user searches for keywords related to the indexed page.
You might be wondering: Is the date the content was indexed the same as the date it was published?
The answer: yes and no. If a blog post is published for the first time, it’s likely that say, a Google crawler, will index that post the same day you publish it. But content can be backdated for several legitimate reasons, too, like archiving information or updating a sentence or two.
One way to positively affect this SEO factor is to implement a historical optimization strategy. This strategy works well on blogs that have been established for a few years and have a fair amount of content already. By updating these older posts with new perspectives and data, you’ll be able to significantly impact your blog SEO without creating a lot of net new content. Site crawlers will reindex the page — taking into account the updated content — and give it another opportunity to compete in the SERP. It’s truly a win-win.
5. Recent Data
Recent data, another indirect ranking factor of SEO, should be included in blog posts. Recent data gives visitors relevant and accurate information which makes for a positive reader experience. When you include a link to a credible site that has original, up-to-date data, you’re telling the search engine that this site is helpful and relevant to your readers (which is a plus for that other site). You’re also telling the search engine that this type of data is in some way related to the content you publish. Over time, your readers will come to appreciate the content which can be confirmed using other metrics like increased time on page or lower bounce rate.
Sign up here to take our free Content Marketing Certification course and learn about content creation, strategy, and promotion.

How to Optimize Blog Content for Search Engines
1. Identify the target audience for your blog.
No matter what industry your blog targets, you’ll want to identify and speak to the primary audience that will be reading your content. Understanding who your audience is and what you want them to do when they click on your article will help guide your blog strategy.
Buyer personas are an effective way to target readers using their buying behaviors, demographics, and psychographics. Without this insight, you could be producing grammatically correct and accurate content that few people will click on because it doesn’t speak to them on a personal level.
2. Conduct keyword research.
Now that you’ve selected your target audience and prepared a buyer persona, it’s time to find out what content your readers want to consume. Keyword research can be a heavy task to take on if you don’t begin with a strategy. Therefore, I recommend starting with the topics your blog will cover, then expand or contract your scope from there. For an in-depth tutorial, check out our how-to guide on keyword research.
3. Add visuals.
Search engines like Google value visuals for certain keywords. Images and videos are among the most common visual elements that appear on the search engine results page. In order to achieve a coveted spot in an image pack or a video snippet, you’ll want to design creative graphics, use original photos and videos, and add descriptive alt text to every visual element within your blog post.
Alt text is a major factor that determines whether or not your image or video appears in the SERP and how highly it appears. Alt text is also important for screen readers so that visually impaired individuals have a positive experience consuming content on your blog site.
4. Write a catchy title.
The title of your blog post is the first element a reader will see when they come across your article, and it heavily influences whether they’ll click or keep scrolling. A catchy title uses data, asks a question, or leads with curiosity to pique the reader’s interest.
According to Coscheduler’s Headline Analyzer, the elements of a catchy title include power, emotional, uncommon, and common words. In the right proportions, these types of words in a blog title will grab your readers’ attention and keep them on the page.
Here’s an example of a catchy title with a Coschedule Headline Analyzer Score of 87:
The Perfect Dress Has 3 Elements According to This Popular Fashion Expert

Highlighted in yellow are common words. They’re familiar to the reader and don’t stray too far from other titles that may appear in the SERP.

“Expert” is an emotional word, according to Coschedule. In this example, the word expert builds trust with the reader and tells them that this article has an authoritative point of view.

Purple words are power words — this means they capture the readers’ attention and get them curious about the topic.

Another element in this title is the number three. This signals to the reader that they’ll learn a specific amount of facts about the perfect dress.

5. Include an enticing CTA.
What’s a blog post without a call to action? The purpose of a CTA is to lead your reader to the next step in their journey through your blog. The key to a great CTA is that it’s relevant to the topic of your existing blog post and flows naturally with the rest of the content. Whether you’re selling a product, offering a newsletter subscription, or wanting the reader to consume more of your content, you’ll need an enticing CTA on every blog post you publish.
CTAs come in all types of formats, so get creative and experiment with them. Buttons, hyperlinks, and widgets are some of the most common CTAs, and they all have different purposes. For instance, you should add a bold, visible CTA like a button if you want the reader to make a purchase. On the other hand, you can easily get a reader to check out another blog post by providing a hyperlink to it in the conclusion of the current article.
6. Focus on the reader’s experience.
Any great writer or SEO will tell you that the reader experience is the most important part of a blog post. The reader experience includes several factors like readability, formatting, and page speed. That means you’ll want to write content that’s clear, comprehensive of your topic, and accurate according to the latest data and trends. Organizing the content using headings and subheadings is important as well because it helps the reader scan the content quickly to find the information they need. Finally, on-page elements like images and videos have an impact on page speed. Keep image file sizes low (250 KB is a good starting point) and limit the number of videos you embed on a single page. By focusing on what the reader wants to know and organizing the post to achieve that goal, you’ll be on your way to publishing an article optimized for the search engine.
Now, let’s take a look at these blog SEO tips that you can take advantage of to enhance your content’s searchability.

Note: This list doesn’t cover every SEO rule under the sun. Rather, the following tips are the on-page factors to get you started with an SEO strategy for your blog.
1. Use 1–2 long-tail keywords.
Optimizing your blog posts for keywords is not about incorporating as many keywords into your posts as possible. Nowadays, this actually hurts your SEO because search engines consider this keyword stuffing (i.e., including keywords as much as possible with the sole purpose of ranking highly in organic search).
It also doesn’t make for a good reader experience — a ranking factor that search engines now prioritize to ensure you’re answering the intent of your visitors. Therefore, you should use keywords in your content in a way that doesn’t feel unnatural or forced.
A good rule of thumb is to focus on one or two long-tail keywords per blog post. While you can use more than one keyword in a single post, keep the focus of the post narrow enough to allow you to spend time optimizing for just one or two keywords.
You may be wondering: Why long-tail keywords?
These longer, often question-based keywords keep your post focused on the specific goals of your audience. For example, the long-tail keyword “how to write a blog post” is much more impactful in terms of SEO than the short keyword “blog post”.
Website visitors searching long-tail keywords are more likely to read the whole post and then seek more information from you. In other words, they’ll help you generate the right type of traffic — visitors who convert.
2. Use keywords strategically throughout the blog post.
Now that you’ve got one or two keywords, it’s time to incorporate them in your blog post. But where is the best place to include these terms so you rank high in search results?
There are four essential places where you should try to include your keywords: title tag, headers & body, URL, and meta description.
Title Tag
The title (i.e., headline) of your blog post will be a search engine’s and reader’s first step in determining the relevancy of your content. So, including a keyword here is vital. Google calls this the “title tag” in a search result.
Be sure to include your keyword within the first 60 characters of your title, which is just about where Google cuts titles off on the SERP. Technically, Google measures by pixel width, not character count, and it recently increased the pixel width for organic search results from approximately 500 pixels to 600 pixels, which translates to around 60 characters.
Long title tag? When you have a lengthy headline, it’s a good idea to get your keyword in the beginning since it might get cut off in SERPs toward the end, which can take a toll on your post’s perceived relevance.
In the example below, we had a long title that went over 65 characters, so we placed the keyword near the front.

Headers & Body
Mention your keyword at a normal cadence throughout the body of your post and in the headers. That means including your keywords in your copy, but only in a natural, reader-friendly way. Don’t go overboard at the risk of being penalized for keyword stuffing.
Before you start writing a new blog post, you’ll probably think about how to incorporate your keywords into your post. That’s a smart idea, but it shouldn’t be your only focus, nor even your primary focus.
Whenever you create content, your primary focus should be on what matters to your audience, not how many times you can include a keyword or keyword phrase in that content. Focus on being helpful and answering whatever question your customer might’ve asked to arrive on your post. Do that, and you’ll naturally optimize for important keywords, anyway.
URL
Search engines also look at your URL to figure out what your post is about, and it’s one of the first things it’ll crawl on a page. You have a huge opportunity to optimize your URLs on every post you publish, as every post lives on its unique URL — so make sure you include your one to two keywords in it.
In the example below, we created the URL using the long-tail keyword for which we were trying to rank: “email marketing examples.”

Meta Description
Your meta description is meant to give search engines and readers information about your blog post’s content. Meaning, you must use your long-tail term so Google and your audience are clear on your post’s content.
At the same time, keep in mind the copy matters a great deal for click-through rates because it satisfies certain readers’ intent — the more engaging, the better.
3. Optimize for mobile devices.
We learned earlier that more people use search engines from their mobile phones than from a computer.
And for all those valuable queries being searched on mobile devices, Google displays the mobile-friendly results first. This is yet another example of Google heavily favoring mobile-friendly websites — which has been true ever since the company updated its Penguin algorithm in April 2015.
(HubSpot customers: Breathe easy. All content created on HubSpot’s platform is automatically responsive to mobile devices.)
So, how do you make your blog mobile-friendly? By using responsive design. Websites that are responsive to mobile allow blog pages to have just one URL instead of two — one for desktop and one for mobile, respectively. This helps your post’s SEO because any inbound links that come back to your site won’t be divided between the separate URLs.
As a result, you’ll centralize the SEO power you gain from these links, helping Google more easily recognize your post’s value and rank it accordingly.
Pro tip: What search engines value is constantly changing. Be sure you’re keeping on top of these changes by subscribing to Google’s official blog.
4. Optimize the meta description.
To review, a meta description is additional text that appears in SERPs that lets readers know what the link is about. The meta description gives searchers the information they need to determine whether or not your content is what they’re looking for and ultimately helps them decide if they’ll click or not.
The maximum length of this meta description is greater than it once was — now around 300 characters — suggesting it wants to give readers more insight into what each result will give them.
So, in addition to being reader-friendly (compelling and relevant), your meta description should include the long-tail keyword for which you are trying to rank.
In the following example, I searched for “email newsletter examples.”

The term is bolded in the meta description, helping readers make the connection between the intent of their search term and this result. You’ll also see the term “E-Newsletter” bolded, indicating that Google knows there’s a semantic connection between “email newsletter” and “E-Newsletter.”
Note: Nowadays, it’s not guaranteed that your meta description is always pulled into SERPs as it once was. As you can see in the above image, Google pulls in other parts of your blog post that includes the keywords searched, presumably to give searchers optimal context around how the result matches their specific query.
Let me show you another example. Below are two different search queries delivering two different snippets of text on Google SERPs. The first is a result of the query “no index no follow,” and pulls in the original meta description:

The second is a result of the query “noindex nofollow,” and pulls in the first instance of these specific keywords coming up in the body of the blog post:

While there’s not much you can do to influence what text gets pulled in, you should continue to optimize this metadata, as well as your post, so search engines display the best content from the article. By creating reader-friendly content with natural keyword inclusion, you’ll make it easier for Google to prove your post’s relevancy in SERPs for you.
5. Include image alt text.
Blog posts shouldn’t only contain text — they should also include images that help explain and support your content. However, search engines don’t simply look for images. Rather, they look for images with image alt text.
You may be wondering why this is. Since search engines can’t “see” images the same way humans can, an image’s alt text tells the search engine what an image is about. This ultimately helps those images rank in the search engine’s images results page.
Image alt text also makes for a better user experience (UX). It displays inside the image container when an image can’t be found or displayed. Technically, alt text is an attribute that can be added to an image tag in HTML.
Here’s what a complete image tag might look like:

When you incorporate image alt text, an image’s name in your blog may go from something like, “IMG23940” to something accurate and descriptive such as “puppies playing in a basket.”

Image alt text should be descriptive in a helpful way — meaning, it should provide the search engine with context to index the image if it’s in a blog article related to a similar topic.
To provide more context, here’s a list of things to be sure you keep in mind when creating alt text for your blog’s images:

Describe the image
Leave out “image of… “— start with the image description instead
Be specific in your description
Keep it under 125 characters
Use your keywords (but avoid keyword stuffing)

HubSpot customers: The SEO Panel will recognize whether or not you have optimized your images. Though these elements are not as important as some other optimizations, they’re still necessary (not to mention, easy to add).

6. Limit topic tags.
Topic tags can help organize your blog content, but if you overuse them, they can actually be harmful. If you have too many similar tags, you may get penalized by search engines for having duplicate content.
Think of it this way, when you create a topic tag (which is simple if you’re a HubSpot user, as seen here), you also create a new site page where the content from those topic tags will appear. If you use too many similar tags for the same content, it appears to search engines as if you’re showing the content multiple times throughout your website. For example, topic tags like “blogging,” “blog,” and “blog posts” are too similar to one another to be used on the same post.
If you’re worried that your current blog posts have too many similar tags, take some time to clean them up. Choose about 15–25 topic tags that you think are important to your blog and that aren’t too similar to one another. Then only tag your posts with those keywords. That way, you won’t have to worry about duplicate content.

Here at HubSpot, we use a Search Insights Report to map specific MSV-driven keyword ideas to a content topic each quarter. The process helps us target a handful of posts in a set number of topics throughout the year for a systematic approach to SEO and content creation.
7. Include user-friendly URL structures.
Before you publish your blog post, take a careful look at its URL structure. Is it long, filled with stop-words, or unrelated to the post’s topic? If so, you might want to rewrite it before it goes live.
The URL structure of your web pages (which are different from the specific URLs of your posts) should make it easy for your visitors to understand the structure of your website and the content they’re about to see. Search engines favor web page URLs that make it easier for them and website visitors to understand the content on the page.
This differentiation is baked into the HubSpot blogs’ respective URL structures. If I decided to go to the Marketing section from this main page, I would be taken to the URL http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing.
If we want to read the Sales section, all we have to do is change where it says “marketing” in the URL to “sales”:
http://blog.hubspot.com/sales.
This URL structure helps me understand that “/marketing” and “/sales” are smaller sections — called subdirectories — within the larger blog.
What if there’s a specific article we want to read, such as “How to Do Keyword Research: A Beginner’s Guide”? Its URL structure — http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-do-keyword-research-ht — denotes that it’s an article from the Marketing section of the blog.
In this way, URL structure acts as a categorization system for readers, letting them know where they are on the website and how to access new site pages. Search engines appreciate this, as it makes it easier for them to identify exactly what information searchers will access on different parts of your blog or website.
Pro tip: Don’t change your blog post URL after it’s been published — that’s the easiest way to press the metaphorical “reset” button on your SEO efforts for that post. If your URL is less descriptive than you’d like or it no longer follows your brand or style guidelines, your best bet is to leave it as is. Instead, change the title of the post using the guidelines we covered earlier.
8. Link to related blog posts.
You may have heard that backlinks influence how high your blog site can rank in the SERP, and that’s true — backlinks show how trustworthy your site is based on how many other relevant sites link back to yours. But backlinks aren’t the end-all-be-all to link building. Linking to and from your own blog posts can have a positive impact on how well your blog site ranks, too.
Inbound links to your content help show search engines the validity or relevancy of your content. The same goes for linking internally to other pages on your website. If you’ve written about a topic that’s mentioned in your blog post on another blog post, ebook, or web page, it’s a best practice to link to that page.
(You might’ve noticed that I’ve been doing that from time to time throughout this blog post when I think it’s helpful for our readers.) Not only will internal linking help keep visitors on your website, but it also surfaces your other relevant and authoritative pages to search engines.
For example, if your blog is about fashion, you might cover fabrics as a topic. Adding a hyperlink from a blog post about cotton to a post about the proper way to mix fabrics can help both of those posts become more visible to readers who search these keywords. The search engines will also have one more entry point to the post about cotton when you hyperlink it in the post about mixing fabrics. This means the post about cotton fabric, and any updates you make to it will be recognized by site crawlers faster. It could even see a boost in the SERP as a result.
HubSpot customers: The SEO Panel automatically suggests linking to other internal resources on your website.

You can think of this as solving for your SEO while also helping your visitors get more information from your content.
9. Review metrics regularly.
Google’s free Search Console contains a section called the Search Analytics Report. This report helps you analyze clicks from Google Search — it’s useful to determine which keywords people are using to find your blog content. You can also learn how to use Google Search Console by reading this blog post written by my colleague Matthew Barby, and by checking out Google’s official support page.
If you’re interested in optimizing your best-performing older blog posts for traffic and leads like we’ve been doing since 2015, this tool can help identify low-hanging fruit.

Remember, many content marketers struggle with optimizing their blog posts for search. The truth is, your blog posts won’t start ranking immediately. It takes time to build up search authority.
But, when you publish blog posts frequently and consistently optimize them for search while maintaining an intent-based reader experience, you’ll reap the rewards in the form of traffic and leads long-term.
10. Organize by topic cluster.
The way most blogs are currently structured (including our own blogs, until very recently), bloggers and SEOs have worked to create individual blog posts that rank for specific keywords.
This makes things unorganized and difficult for blog visitors to find the exact information they need. It also results in your URLs competing against one another in search engine rankings when you produce multiple blog posts about similar topics.
Here’s what our blog architecture used to look like using this old playbook:

Now, in order to rank in search and best answer the new types of queries searchers are submitting, the solution is the topic cluster model.
For this model to work, choose the broad topics for which you want to rank. Then, create content based on specific keywords related to that topic that all link to each other to establish broader search engine authority.
This is what our blog infrastructure looks like now, with the topic cluster model. Specific topics are surrounded by blog posts related to the greater topic, connected to other URLs in the cluster via hyperlinks:

This model uses a more deliberate site architecture to organize and link URLs together to help more pages on your site rank in Google — and to help searchers find information on your site more easily. This architecture consists of three components — pillar content, cluster content, and hyperlinks:

We know this is a fairly new concept, so for more details, check out our research on the topic, take our SEO training or watch the video below.

11. Publish evergreen content.
When planning and writing your blog articles, ensure it’s evergreen content. Meaning, the content is about topics that will remain relevant and valuable over a long period of time (with only minor changes or updates). Let’s look at a few reasons why evergreen content is so important:

It’ll help you rank over time, not just in the near future.
It contributes to steady amounts of traffic coming to your blog (and website) long after it’s been published.
It’ll help you generate leads over time as a result of the traffic it continually generates.

All blog content — whether it’s a long-form article, how-to guide, FAQ, tutorial, and so on — should be evergreen. Even the images you use in these posts should be evergreen. Check out this blog post for some examples of and ideas for evergreen content on your blog.
12. Update existing content.
To improve your SEO, you may assume you need to create new blog content. Although that’s partially true, you should also focus a great deal of your time and energy on your existing blog content. Specifically, repurposing and updating your current content, as well as removing your outdated content.
This is because it takes a lot longer for a completely new piece of content to settle on the search engine results page (SERP) and gain authority, whereas you could update a piece of content and reap the benefits fairly immediately in comparison.
Not only will your updated content rank on the SERP faster, improving your number of visitors and leads, it also takes a lot less time and fewer resources to update an existing piece of content rather than create a brand new article.
Additionally, updating and repurposing some of your most successful pieces of content extends its lifespan so you can achieve the best results over a longer period of time (especially if it’s evergreen content).
The final step entails removing your outdated content that’s no longer relevant to your audience. Although your goal is to ensure your content is evergreen, some of it is bound to become outdated over time. This includes statistics, product information (if you have any listed in your blogs — as your products and business evolve), or information that changes across your industry over time.
Create Blog Content Your Readers (and Search Engines) Will Love
We don’t expect you to incorporate each of these SEO best practices into your content strategy right away. But, as your website grows, so should your goals on search engines. Once you identify the goals and intent of your ideal readers, you’ll be on track to deliver relevant content that will climb the ranks of the SERP.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in September 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.