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I’d like to share with you who I think the most influential SEO people are in 2014. These are the people I follow and look to for the best advice in the SEO world. The commonality these people share is their expertise in the field, innovative ideas, and most importantly, their willingness to share their vast knowledge of SEO information.
Let’s get started.
#1 Rand Fishkin
Rand is on the top of my list for many reasons. Aside from the fact he was the CEO of the most reputable SEO software on the planet, he has put out more visual SEO information than anyone out there. His “Whiteboard Fridays” are a huge source of in-depth SEO knowledge. His visual SEO communication strategies do an unbelievable job at drawing his users in and holding their attention.
What else makes Rand the most influential? His willingness to help others. I had a tough SEO question the other day, and I couldn’t find the answer anywhere online. So, I decided to tweet Rand. Sure enough, he Tweeted me right back with the perfect answer.
How to follow Rand:
Blog
Twiter
Facebook
Google +
Linkedin
#2 Danny Sullivan
Danny seems to have a solid relationship with Matt Cutts and the folks at Google because he always has insight on the latest Google trends and updates. HIs website (Search Engine Land), is what I read to get the latest search engine news and updates. It seems as if his blog posts tend to focus more on the technical side of SEO, which is great.
Danny and the peeps over at Search Engine Land are also responsible for one of the most popular SEO conferences you can attend. SMX is held in 10-11 Cities around the world each year.
How to follow Danny:
Blog
Twitter
Google +
Linkedin
Facebook
#3 Matt Cutts
Matt is the head of Webspam at Google, and has done an excellent job at making Google more transparent. His Google Webmaster videos are a must watch. He answers questions from SEO professionals and website owners from around the world. So, not only is the information he puts out as solid as it gets, but they’re videos, instead of boring paragraphs of text. This allows SEO nerds like me to kill two birds with one stone by watching his videos while riding an exercise bike.
How to follow Matt:
Blog
Twitter
Google+
Linkedin
#4 Neil Patel
Neil’s resume is quite impressive. He is the co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar and KISSmetrics. Most importantly (for this article), Neil is the author of Quick Sprout Blog, one of my favorite SEO blogs to read. This is a very visual blog, which is key for getting his point across. He only posts new articles once or twice a week and they are always extremely informative, providing his users with his real world SEO knowledge and experiences.
The thing I like most about Neil is that he shares his success stories. He’s very transparent about how he became successful. This provides his readers with first hand knowledge of how Neil has became a rockstar in the SEO industry.
How to follow Neil:
Blog
Twitter
Google+
Facebook
Linkedin
#5 Barry Schwartz
Barry is an old-school SEO guy like Danny Sullivan. He’s constantly sharing SEO news, as well as the technical side of SEO. If there is anything new in the SEO industry, you can be sure Barry will be one of the first to blog about it. Barry runs the Search Engine Roundtable Blog, a very popular SEO blog, and writes regularly for Search Engine Land.
How to follow Barry:
Blog
Twitter
Linkedin
Facebook
Google +
#6 Aaron Wall
Who doesn’t remember SEOBook? Well, Aaron is the found, original author, and creator of great SEO tools I’ve used for years. Aaron’s another one of those old SEO guys like Barry and Danny. His domain, “SEOBook.com” is a landmark in the SEO industry. It’s great to see that after so many years Aaron is still pumping out great SEO information.
How to follow Aaron:
Blog
Twitter
Google +
Facebook
#7 Joost de Valk
Joost de Valk is the founder and owner of Yoast.com. Sound familiar? It should. Yoast released the most popular SEO plugin ever, “WordPress SEO“. Yoast makes optimizing your WordPress site super simple. Since launching WordPress SEO by Yoast, Joost has made a huge name for himself in the SEO world.
How to Follow Joost:
Blog
WordPress Profile
Twitter
Linkedin
Google +
Facebook
#8 Brian Dean
I first heard about Brian through Neil Patel. It seems as if Neil Patel was extremely impressed with Brian’s link building strategies and gave him a huge testimonial. A reference from Neil is like gold, so it was only fitting to add Brian to this list. I started reading his SEO blog this year and needless to say, I am very impressed. Brian has managed to gain a huge SEO following and has an extremely popular blog.
How to Follow Brian:
Blog
Twitter
Linkedin
Google +
Facebook
Conclusion
Everyone has their opinions, and these are mine. However, I would love to hear who you think I missed in my elite 8 picks. Please share your opinions below.