Learn from the Pros: 5 Best Resources to Learn Online Business and Marketing

The internet has changed the world. All of us have a limitless supply of information and knowledge right at our fingertips. Granted, most of us spend our free time watching cat videos, but for the select few who still enjoy learning, the internet has provided us the means to do so.

Unfortunately, mixed in with all the valuable information is a lot of noise. Now that every person on the planet has the capacity to create content and share their opinion, the quality of the content produced has been diluted.

If you are interested in learning about online marketing, you are faced with a very real problem. With so many people telling you what to do, how do you know who to trust?

The cream always rises to the top. In case you need some help finding it, I will guide you and give my top 5 list of online marketing websites. Let's start at number 5!

P.S. - Don't worry I didn't add myself to the list. :)

Number 5 - Unbounce

I have lots of respect for this website. Unbounce was founded by 6 friends in 2009. Slowly, they have created a well know brand and enterprise. Today, Unbounce is run by front man Oli Gardner.

Unbounce is a conversion website. I have have preached the Unbounce message frequently in my YouTube videos. The idea is that traffic numbers don't matter. Conversion numbers matter. If your site gets 1,000,000 hits a day and no one buys anything, you are wasting your time.

Unbounce offers a great product. They provide template landing pages that are studied and proven to convert traffic into either buys, opt-ins, phone calls or leads. It is a brilliant service.

Over time, the Unbounce blog has evolved into more of a full-service online marketing blog, but their niche message remains.

Number 4 - SEO by the Sea

Warning - SEO by the Sea is not for beginners. This is a website that requires extensive knowledge in search engine optimization. The site is created by Bill Slawski.

SEO by the Sea is not very design friendly, but rather has made its impact through the brilliance and long form writing style of Bill Slawksi.

Bill studies Google patents and uses those patents to make bold and complicated predictions about what Google is thinking and what they are planning to do in the future. This blog is extremely dry and full of technical lingo, but Slawski is essentially the one-man watchdog of Google for the entire SEO community.

Read SEO by the Sea as much as you can, even if you don't understand it.

Number 3 - Gary Vaynerchuk

If there is such thing as an "internet marketing celebrity" then Gary is on the A-list.

Gary Vaynerchuk got his start running his parents wine store in New Jersey. He was an early user of Twitter and YouTube and essentially proved that creating content is a great way to grow any business, regardless of the product or model. You can follow his website.

After his YouTube show Wine Library TV got him national exposure, he decided to start his own Ad Agency called Vayner Media. Since then he has been pumping out content at a mind-blowing rate.

He is a great influence on me but one of the drawbacks of Gary Vee is just how annoying he is. He loves to talk about himself, but in my opinion he has earned the right to say whatever he wants.

He gives great social media insight and combines his marketing experience with a sickening work ethic that will inspire any business owner.

Gary is the king of social media.

Number 2 - Moz (Formerly SEO Moz)

Moz was founded and created by Rand Fishkin.

In today's marketing world, Rand is one of the most trusted and well-respected SEO and internet marketing experts. He certainly puts the bulk of his skill set on SEO, but he is an all around marketing expert and a very likable guy.

Rand has created amazing products and tools that help any SEO learn about keyword rankings, backlink profiles, local rankings, social media mentions and more.

Rand is also known for being transparent in a world accused of being very secretive. Rand broke that door open and began encouraging marketers to share their knowledge and their findings with the world.

Rand does a video series called White Board Friday every Friday and their blog is full of long form, valuable content. Their community is also very active and full of conversation and idea sharing.

Number 1 - Copyblogger

Copyblogger.com is without a doubt, the most influential website of my life.

When I first started working online, it was through a simple blog I created. It was a hobby to write on my spare time. Eventually, I came across Copyblogger and I learned that creating content is the best way to build an audience. An audience is the best way to sell a service or a product.

I have been reading Copyblogger every day for the past 4+ years. The blog and the company was founded by Brian Clark who is a pioneer in content marketing.

Overtime, Digital Rainmaker became a parent company for Copyblogger. Since then all they have done is launch...

1. Rainmaker.fm - a digital marketing podcast network full of valuable content.

2. Studiopress - a WordPress theme company built on the genesis framework.

3. Digital Commerce Institute - an online training platform to helps entrepreneurs design and sell digital products online.

4. The Rainmaker Platform - a backend software that displays all a website's analytics, emails, sales information, podcast software and hosting in one easy to use dashboard.

5. Synthesis Hosting - a hosting company that provides crazy fast site speed and service.

6. A bunch of other products and services that I can't even think of because there are so many.

Copyblogger has bootstrapped and has built their entire company through content marketing and email. If you want to learn how to make money and build a business online, then Copyblogger is the best place to begin.

Start Learning and Start Acting!

The more you read, the more you will learn. But remember, nothing will take the place of ACTION!

Reading is great, planning is great, brainstorming is great. But if you want to succeed then you must execute a plan. We believe in action. Action is the backbone of all the companies I have built and my employees and team will stand by our culture.

Are you interested in starting your own business or brand? Why haven't you gotten started? I can help you build a fashion line, a service business and even a personal branding site. Please contact me via my web form or go to Stodzy Media to learn more about our small business marketing services.