At the end of every year, we take a look back at the blog and see what pieces of content were the most popular. But this year, we decided to take a different spin on it…
In this post, we’ve pulled together the 21 articles on the DigitalMarketer blog that got the most organic traffic in 2018 and ranked them based on the number of pageviews, so you can see how they compare.
Yep… this is the stuff you can’t miss out on.
Coming in #1 (by more than twice the amount of traffic) is…
1. DigitalMarketer’s 101 Best Email Subject Lines of 2018 (…And 7 Top-Notch Subject Lines Pulled from the Vault) – 35,547 Pageviews
Every year, we send millions of emails out to our subscribers. In fact, in 2018, we sent 169,434,375 emails!
And at the end of every year, we like to collect together all our best-performing subject lines from those 169,434,375 emails to give you a swipe file.
This top-performing blog post is at the top for a reason, since it contains now over 600 proven, swipeable email subject lines that are yours for the taking!
It also has a list of 8 winning characteristics that every high-performing subject line has at least 1 of and 7 top-notch subject lines pulled from the author’s own swipe file.
Make sure you check it out before you send your next email!
2. Customer Avatar Worksheet: Finally, Get Clear on WHO You Are Selling To! – 14,525 Pageviews
The customer avatar is the Swiss Army Knife of marketing…
… and we’ve got a writeable PDF version of our Customer Avatar Worksheet (no opt-in required) waiting for you in our #2 blog post.
But why is this post so popular with organic audiences? It could be because the customer avatar can help you with any aspect of digital marketing by giving you information like…
- Content Marketing—What blog posts, videos, podcasts, Lead Magnets, etc. should you create to attract and convert your avatar?
- Paid Traffic—Which ad platforms should you buy traffic from and what targeting options should you use?
- Product Creation—What solutions is your avatar searching for?
- Copywriting—How should you describe offers in your email marketing, ads, and sales letters in a way that compels your avatar to buy?
- Email Marketing—Which avatar should receive a specific email marketing campaign?
Everyone who is selling anything should be using this worksheet, because honestly… there is no higher leverage activity than getting clear on WHO you are selling to.
3. 9 Lead Magnet Ideas and Examples (And ONE That Generated 35,859 Subscribers in 60 Days for DigitalMarketer…) – 11,917 Pageviews
We like to think we know a thing or two about generating leads, which is why we were thrilled to roll out the 2nd edition of one of our most popular post!
Plus, you’ll get the 8-Point Lead Magnet Success Checklist to print out and put your Lead Magnet through the paces with before launching to your audience.
We’ll show you what makes a great Lead Magnet, and what so many have done wrong before.
So make sure to check this post out when you want to get started on your lead generation.
4. Customer Value Optimization: How to Build an Unstoppable Business – 9,695 Pageviews
On January 20th, 2014, Ryan Deiss published (in great detail) the system he used to build ALL of his businesses. And when that post exploded in popularity, getting stats like this…
- read by 375,191 people
- shared almost 37,000 times (36,800 to be exact) on various social networks and…
- received 535 comments
…he decided to update it with even more useful stuff!
So, on August 20th, 2015, Ryan released the second edition of this article with expanded information on…
- Product/Market Fit (Understand why people buy… and why they don’t.)
- Acquiring leads and customers with Lead Magnets and Tripwire offers.
- Maximizing immediate profit so you can pay more than your competition to acquire customers, scale your campaigns or just pocket more cash.
And clearly this was the kind of added benefit that lasts, since the post is #4 in organic pageviews. Check it out to learn more about how the CVO system could help grow your business.
5. 6 Trending Digital Marketing Skills to Put on a Resume – 8,039 Pageviews
Coming in at #5 is another popular post, all about what kinds of skills you should have on your resume.
Skills like…
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Media Buying/Traffic Acquisition
…are as in demand—or arguably more in demand—today as when this post was published back in 2017, which is why it still ranks in our top 5.
Employers are always looking for people that get this digital marketing “stuff.”
In this post, we give you
- Job Description
- Potential salary
- Job titles
…and the personality attributes you need to acquire the 6 hottest skills in the industry.
If you want to future-proof your career—you’ll want to read this guide.
(NOTE: Need a helping hand with your digital marketing efforts? Or maybe you just want proven, actionable marketing tools, tactics, and templates to implement in your business? Check out the latest deal from DigitalMarketer, and you will be on your way to helping your business grow.)
6. Facebook Ad Lessons I Learned That Will Help You Run Better Ad Campaigns in 2019 – 7,268 Pageviews
Here at DM, we’ve run thousands of ads to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and what’s worth continuing to test.
And every year, we have our resident Facebook Advertising expert, Molly Pittman, reflect back on the year and come up with a few lessons and pieces of advice.
But even better than getting to see one year’s reflections, this post is coming in at #6 in our list because it contains 5 years of lessons, ad examples, and other priceless takeaways.
So make sure you check it out before you start on your new year’s ad campaign.
7. 100 Books Every Marketer Should Read – 7,257 Pageviews
Most of the time, this list is full of tried-and-true posts that have been around for a while, or that have several years’ worth of information in a single post.
But our #7 post is one of those new articles that immediately showed its value.
And it isn’t hard to see why it rose the ranks so quickly. With 100 different books covering 14 subject matters—that are all within the realm of marketing—there is something for everyone in this post.
Next time you are looking for some new reading material, check out this post, and see what you can learn.
8. How to Create a Podcast Studio on a Shoestring Budget – 6,486 Pageviews
It seems like every business or entrepreneur now has a podcast. It is becoming a popular (and important) part of content marketing.
So it makes sense that people would want to start one up without breaking the bank. Enter post #8.
DigitalMarketer’s own Podcast Producer breaks down how you can start your own podcast studio without making 2 common, but critical mistakes as a beginner:
- Taking waaay too much time deciding what podcast equipment to buy
- Buying your gear on a whim without doing enough research beforehand
Darren helps you find tools that fit your needs and your budget, so you can rest assured you’re using the right equipment for what you’re actually doing.
9. Facebook’s Comment-to-Messenger Feature: Everything You Need to Know – 6,418 Pageviews
Facebook Messenger ads are all the craze right now.
They’re the most PERSONAL ad type on the market.
But there can be a definitive intimidation factor when it comes to starting your own messenger ads for the average marketer (if you want a detailed post about how to use Messenger ads, just scroll down to post #10).
And, if you want to do any of the additional tricks that help make Messenger ads so useful, that intimidation can skyrocket.
Which is why more than 6,000 people all across the web turned to post #9, again authored by Molly Pittman.
It breaks down—in detail—how you can set up and utilize the comment-to-messenger tool to really take advantage of Messenger ads.
10. Facebook Messenger Ads: How to Use Them in Your Business – 5,431 Pageviews
In the year since post #10 was first published, A LOT has changed.
Messenger marketing has come a long way, and today there are more ways than ever to engage your customers using Facebook Messenger ads.
So Molly decided to update the post so you had the most accurate, up–to–date info to bring back to your own campaigns.
She explains the ins and outs of Facebook Messenger ads and how to strategically deploy them in your business.
Once you read this post, you will be able to reap the benefits of having your own Messenger ads running.
11. What Facebook’s New Group Features Means for Community Managers – 4,592 Pageviews
Facebook Groups have been through tons of changes in the past few years. But if you are a community manager, you don’t have to worry.
In this post, Suzi Nelson (one of our past community managers) goes through the changes from the past few years and gives you all the info you need.
Some of these changes include:
- Group Insights
- Member Request Filtering
- Removed Member Clean-Up
- Scheduled Posts
- Group-To-Group Linking (this is the one I am most excited about, and I’ll tell you why in a moment!)
She explains what these changes mean to other community managers and talks about some real-life examples, so you know how you can implement these tools and tactics.
So you will want to read this post if you use Facebook Groups frequently (and if you are still a beginner, you’ll want to check out our guide on how to start your own group—just check out post #17).
12. How to Build a Marketing Dream Team for Your Brand (Even if You Aren’t a Marketer) – 4,524 Pageviews
Every business should be using digital marketing. But what if you know nothing about marketing? How do you know that you are hiring the right team? Well, if you read this handy little guide, you will be able to figure it out!
We’re showing you the 4-step process we use to bring in new marketing talent… (HINT: We aren’t looking for experienced marketers)
…that immediately contribute to the marketing of the business… (You’ll see our onboarding process)
…at a reasonable salary.
Whether you’re thinking of hiring your 1st marketing team member or your 101st, you need to read this guide.
13. The Most Persuasive Word in the English Language (Plus 3 Sales Letter Formulas That Put It to Work) – 4,003 Pageviews
Imagine making 1 small change to your sales pages to get more people scrolling down the page and reading?
But not just reading.
Rushing to the buy button and purchasing your product or service.
This change hooks your ideal prospects and turns them into customers with less work. You could save time and energy, sell more than you ever imagined, and impress the socks off your family and friends.
This blog post is going to give you the tools to make that change, by explaining specifically how the word imagine triggers the buying response.
The author, Kathryn Aragon, shares 3 formulas for putting this little-known trick to use in your own sales pages, drawing from 3 promotions that do it right. You will not want to miss this post.
14. The Complete Guide to Google Analytics Campaign Tracking – 3,685 Pageviews
Can you imagine being able to track the ROI of traffic from…
- Social Media
- Paid Ads
… and more?
This blog post will get you there, even if you are a complete Google Analytics Beginner.
You’ll learn …
- How to track where your visitors are coming from
- Creating goals to determine which site visitors are taking action
- Understanding audience insights to figure out who’s opting in (and who’s not), so you can do more of what’s working
- Using segments to evaluate historical performance of a campaign… even if you didn’t set your goals up properly!
So make sure to check out the post the next time you want to know what is really happening with your campaigns.
15. How to Architect the Perfect Conversion Funnel for Your Business – 3,515 Pageviews
Trying to figure out which conversion funnel to build?
DigitalMarketer’s President Richard Lindner was back in July 2015 with the ultimate GIFT for you.
It’s a shortcut.
Simply answer the 3 questions Richard poses in this article and you’ll know how to move forward acquiring leads and converting them into customers.
Seriously… you’ll wish you had this shortcut 10 years ago.
Read this article at least twice and pay very close attention to the section titled “3 Types of Conversion Funnels”—this information could change your life.
(NOTE: Need a helping hand with your digital marketing efforts? Or maybe you just want proven, actionable marketing tools, tactics, and templates to implement in your business? Check out the latest deal from DigitalMarketer, and you will be on your way to helping your business grow.)
16. How Much Can You Afford to Pay to Acquire a Customer? The 5-Step Customer Acquisition Cost Formula – 3,504 Pageviews
Everyone wants to know how much a customer is worth to their business (obviously)! So in March we published Molly Pittman’s own formula to calculate how much you can actually afford to pay for a new customer.
Learning your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) will give you those crucial insights into your business (we’re talking things like cost per click)!
Molly’s 5-step process shows you exactly how you can spend more money to get more customers… and almost everyone wants more customers, which is why CAC is so important!
If you’re looking for an easy way to acquire customers without accidentally breaking the bank, this post is for you!
17. How to Build and Manage a Private Facebook Group – 3,311 Pageviews
When we originally switched from a private forum to a private Facebook Group, we basically kept our fingers crossed while we waited to see what would happen!
Fortunately, THE Suzi Nelson had our back and built one of the best communities Facebook has ever seen (we’re not bias or anything).
Today, we’re reppin’ 3 core private groups on Facebook for our DigitalMarketer community:
- Engage
- Elite Commons
- Certified Partners
This post walks you through 5 steps to create a thriving community for your business, and the best part is that Suzi updated this post in May, so it’s fresh with good ideas and implementation tactics!
18. The Top 20+ DigitalMarketer Posts of All Time – 3,311 Pageviews
Everyone loves a good old-fashioned roundup, and our readers are no exception!
We’ve published 1,000+ posts since we started our blog. As Garrett Holmes, DM’s own Product Director, likes to point out, that’s equal to a 4000-page college essay or 5.67 copies of A Game of Thrones (nerd alert)!
But the cool thing about this post is that we dove into our historical data and pulled out the best of the best when it comes to our blog.
We also (inadvertently) plucked out most of our pillar posts, so you can easily refer back to this comprehensive list when you’re looking for help on some of our core marketing tactics!
19. The Ultimate List of Blog Post Ideas [2nd Edition] – 2,903 Pageviews
Our Ultimate List includes 200+ blog post ideas, so it’s no surprise that we saw almost 3000 views this year!
In order to help our readers avoid writer’s block, we even broke our 2nd Edition into 8, easy-to-consume sections that allow you to jump straight to the content you’re searching for!
Not only that, but the various content types in this post have kept readers coming back for more, which is a great reminder to allow your audience to consume your material in different ways!
In this post we include:
- A downloadable infographic of blog post ideas
- Instructional videos
- Screenshots
- Plenty of internal links to direct readers to other useful material
…not to mention we threw in a few “Easter eggs” throughout the post, such as those little lightning bolts, which indicate a post can be completed at lightning speed! Look through this post any time you need some creative inspiration for your own blog.
20. Facebook’s Targeting Expansion Box: Should You Check It? – 2,801 Pageviews
In 2016, Facebook threw us all curveball and rolled out the targeting expansion feature.
Fortunately, Molly Pittman was on top of things and quickly tested this brand-new optimization feature.
This post came after Molly gave her thoughts on one of our Perpetual Traffic Episodes, and we thought a blog would accompany the episode nicely (repurposing content, anyone)!
Apparently, our audience liked the idea too, since it remains one of our top trafficked posts to this day.
In this blog post, Molly proves once and for all if checking that tiny box is actually worth it and if you will actually see conversions.
21. Build a Steady Stream of Clients in 30 Minutes a Day Using This One Free Tool – 2,789 Pageviews
It’s no surprise that everyone loves the word “free.” So when Ted Prodromou, author of the Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn, wrote a post about how to grow your client base using a free tool, it naturally gained a lot of traffic.
The tool was LinkedIn, of course, and as LinkedIn continues to grow in value for businesses, this blog post only becomes more relevant.
Ted walks through his 8-step process to teach readers how to optimize their profiles and generate leads. It takes no more than 30 minutes and is well-worth the time (at least we think so)!
It’s so valuable, in fact, that Marcus Murphy, Director of Monetization at DM, started a whole series roasting LinkedIn profiles just to prove the point!
Well, that’s a wrap for our best content on the blog for 2018… here’s to an even better content-filled 2019!
