Category Archives: B2B

How do you convince visitors your website is worth their time? There are so many elements that a top-notch landing page design needs, and making those elements the “best” they can be often depends on what your landing page goals are.

If you’re looking to up your landing page game, knowing what goes into a great one is helpful.

In this piece, I’ll explain how to make a landing page work in your favor and provide you with a list of landing pages I love so you can see these impressive designs in action and implement their tactics on your own landing pages.

Pro tip: HubSpot’s free CMS tools enable you to create your own website from scratch, with plenty of customization options available so you can tailor your website to your branding.

What makes a landing page effective?

Different industries have different conversion rates, but it’s 2.35% on average.

However, with awesome landing pages, you can raise that number to 5.31% or even more, according to WordStream’s study.

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The best part? Over 30 landing pages can get you seven times more leads compared to sites with less than 10—no need to say more about the impact of a good landing page.

But what makes a landing page suitable?

Let’s go through five key factors.

Catchy Headlines

Make a headline that grabs attention. It should be around ten words short and tell visitors what they’ll get from your page.

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Use numbers, be specific, and choose strong words.

If you need some inspiration for word choice, I found a fantastic OptinMonster blog post with 700+ converting and attractive words.

From the long list, I chose this one because catchy terms keep me engaged every time:

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Pro tip: Emotional headlines grab attention. For example, “Master Time Management” is transparent, but “Best Tool for More Time with Your Kids” hits differently, straight to the heart.

Eyeflow Design

Make sure your page looks neat and is easy to use.

First, categorize everything you can.

Then, put up excellent videos or pictures that fit your brand. Don‘t use too many colors and elements — it can make things messy and make it hard to notice what’s important.

Play with neutral colors, contrast, white space, and directional cues to make your CTA pop.

Here’s a bit of inspo from Duda:

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Scroll down to see pictures with the same colors and fonts, keeping the brand’s style consistent.

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Pro tip: Consider spicing things up with new elements like VR, AR, or 3D images. Shopify’s research showed a 94% increase in conversions with these visuals.

Short and Sweet Writing

Just like with headlines, keep your landing page text brief. In this case, we’re talking around 250-300 words — unless you’re selling something super complex.

The shorter text makes it 11.8% easier to read and understand.

Keep it simple and direct.

Explain why your offer matters to them.

When writing landing page content, start with an outline.

I love Patrick Cumming’s LinkedIn carousel, where he shared the AIDCA outline for crafting effective landing page content.

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Also, don‘t be boring or too pushy with your CTA. Instead of “Sign up for a Trip,” go for “Join the Trip of Your Life.” It’s more fun and promises something amazing ahead.

Pro tip: Don’t sound like a robot. If your copy is too ChatGPT-ish, most people will probably leave the site (including me :)). Show you care by writing in a way that connects with your audience.

Testimonials and Reviews

Include quotes from happy customers or stories about good experiences. It helps people trust that your thing is great.

You can use different types of testimonials — short quotes, video stories, case studies, ratings, before-and-after pictures, social media posts, influencer endorsements, employee feedback, expert recommendations, or interactive content.

And who says you need to choose one type only?

Very Good Copy mixes both video and written testimonials, and it works great:

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According to the Reputation X study, business needs more than just showing up in search results:

• 49% of people want at least a four-star rating.
• People read about 7 reviews before trusting a business.

Trust leads to purchases, and online reviews can make or break that trust.

Pro tip: Try to use video testimonials whenever possible. 93% of marketers think videos work as well or even better than other content types.

I like it when there’s a real person talking on a site — way cooler than reading quotes and names, especially on some new site where you end up Googling if that person is even real.

A/B Testing

You need to regularly do checkups to see what’s working on your landing page.

A/B testing helps you compare two web page styles with the same web address. Some visitors see one style, and the rest see another. By looking at how well each version does, you can pick the one that works better.

Keep changing little things on your page to make sure it’s always a crowd-pleaser. Whatever the problem is, A/B testing can help you figure it out and find the best solution.

Use quality tools for this purpose to find out where users are having trouble. For instance, with our Marketing Hub and CMS Hub, you can A/B test your landing pages.

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Pro tip: If your page is in multiple languages, you can run a test for each language version with our software.

Now, check out the best 41 landing pages to inspire yourself.

41 Examples of Great Landing Pages

1. Shopify

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Like many of the other landing pages in this post, Shopify’s trial landing page for sellers keeps it simple. It’s not too text-heavy but still manages to persuade users by noting a few key points about its top-notch product.

Visitors come away knowing that Shopify is an all-in-one platform that is easy to use and trusted by many.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Clean interface: The user-oriented headline is just a few words, for example, and the page relies on simple graphics and short paragraphs to communicate the trial’s details and benefits.
• Concise CTA: There are only a few fields you need to fill out before you get started. All of this makes it easier for you to quickly get started selling online with their tool.

What Could Be Improved

• Emphasizing security: The last column states that the platform is safe, but doesn’t explain why. Instead, it mentions that over a million businesses use it. A few words that speak to site security would improve this section since the number of vendors is already stated at the top of the page. Additionally, it would eliminate friction for visitors with security concerns.

2. Great Jones

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Great Jones offers up a landing page that’s as beautiful as its Dutch Ovens. It’s very aspirational and taps into all of our ideal kitchen dreams.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Use of color: Great Jones’ site is colorful, just like its cookware. The use of bold colors quickly draws visitors in and makes the cookware stand out.
• Prominent CTA: You can’t miss the $10 Off coupon. Who wouldn’t want a discount on these gorgeous pots?

What Could Be Improved

• Rollover descriptions: With so many pans and utensils pictured at once, it would be great if users had the ability to view the name of the item. That way, they could find it easier on the site when they’re ready to buy.

3. Muzzle

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Muzzle, a Mac app that silences on-screen notifications, fully embraces this show-and-tell mentality on their otherwise minimal landing page.

Landing pages help users decide whether or not your product or service is actually worth their precious time and energy.

What better way to clearly and straightforwardly communicate your value proposition than by confronting visitors with the very problem your app solves?

Why This Landing Page Works

• Show rather than tell: Visitors to the page are greeted with a rapid-fire onslaught of embarrassing notifications in the upper left of the screen. Not only is the animation hilarious, but it also manages to compellingly convey the app’s usefulness without lengthy descriptions.
• Cohesive visual experience: Even the text on the page is a muted gray color, mirroring the function of the product.

What Could Be Improved

• Could be difficult to read: While the light gray text on the white background is great at mimicking the product’s function, it may be harder to read for some.

4. DoorDash

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Takeout enthusiasts are no doubt familiar with DoorDash, the app that lets you order food from a variety of restaurants from your phone.

Well, instead of customers, this landing page is geared towards recruiting partners and Dashers who make the deliveries.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Emphasizes dasher autonomy: This landing page really plays up that Dashers are independent and free to work when they want.
• User-friendly: Just enter your address in the search bar, and voila! Instantly find the best local restaurants near you.

What Could Be Improved

• Advantage over competitors: DoorDash is not the only delivery game in town. They could highlight what sets them apart from a competitor like UberEats.

5. Wise

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Wise allows you to send or receive money in different currencies and countries. Its landing page separates customers into two categories — either Business or Personal. You‘re not distracted by options that don’t apply to you.

There’s even a short video to show visitors how the service works before they try it. Since they’re dealing with money, it’s important to get the customer experience right the first time.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Highlights safety: The security information is out front and center on this page, helping to ease any hesitancy a potential customer might have and assuring them that Wise is a safe service to use to send and receive money.
• Emphasizes value: In several places on the page, in both text and video, Wise reiterates that it’s less expensive than transferring money through a traditional bank.

What Could Be Improved

• Adding an FAQ: Putting an FAQ section at the bottom would be great, especially for such finance-related stuff where people often have many questions.

6. Airbnb

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To help convert visitors into hosts, Airbnb offers a search bar pop-up. You can enter additional information about your potential accommodations into the fields to get an even more customized estimation.

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If you visit the page already convinced, the clear call-to-action at the top of the page makes it easy to convert on the spot.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Personalization: Airbnb shows you right at the start what you could potentially earn based on your area and the size of your home. This is useful for potential new hosts who may still be figuring out how much they should charge and what they can expect to earn.
• Straight to the point: Minimal information against a clean white backdrop keeps the focus sharp.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: The page is clear and concise, reassures potential hosts Airbnb is safe to use, and offers a personalized experience.

7. Wag!

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Wag! is a service that connects dog owners with dog walkers and sitters. This page gets right to the point with a large font encouraging prospects to join and puts the sign-up form prominently on the right half of the page.

The green background color makes the white font and other elements on the page pop. The addition of a QR code on the form is also a nice touch, enabling visitors to scan it, quickly download the app, and sign up.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Efficient form: Leaving the form field open on the page means visitors don’t even have to click on a CTA to access it. The QR code further expedites the process.
• Emphasizes credibility: Including caretaker photos and the fact that more than 400,000 caretakers currently use the service nationwide makes Wag! more trustworthy.

What Could Be Improved

• It’s not compelling: Unlike DoorDash mentioned earlier, Wag! makes no mention of why people should join. What are the perks? Are the hours flexible?

8. Wistia

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Right off the bat, you notice the baby blue background with the pop of darker blue in the form of an “Explore Plans” button. The page gets right into the action with a video describing the services.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Ease of use: The form itself allows users to quickly fill it out by linking to their Google account. Doing so enables the autofill feature, which cuts down on friction for the user.
• Capitalizes on visuals: As a video host, Wista does a great job of showcasing its capabilities using a variety of mediums. There are colorful graphics, videos, and even a link to marketing-focused cartoons.

What Could Be Improved

• Including an FAQ: Testimonials are great, but sometimes customers have a few concerns that could be answered quickly with an FAQ section. That way, they can decide whether or not to sign up without having to leave the page to search for answers.

9. Webflow

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Webflow, a design tool for web developers, packs a lot of information into just one GIF. As with Muzzle, Webflow also gets right to the point and demonstrates what its tool can do, rather than just talking about it.

The animated GIF is visible in the same frame on the website, so users can see how the product works and sign up without scrolling.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Show rather than tell: Being able to view Webflow’s tool in action gives potential customers a clear idea of not only what it does but how their user experience will be.
• Removes risk: In several places on the landing page, visitors are reminded that the service is free. There’s no trial to sign up for. They can build their site for free and decide whether or not to sign up for a plan when they’re ready to launch.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This landing page is the perfect balance of information, usability, and visuals.

10. Talkspace

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Talkspace, an online therapy service, really focuses on trustworthiness with this landing page. All of the information on this page emphasizes that customers will have access to licensed therapists.

It drives home that the service is secure and confidential. This is a great way to reassure those who may be hesitant to participate.

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The use of shapes is also a clever idea. Overall, the layout is clean, inviting, and informative.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Color palette: Calming pastel colors perfectly match the brand’s message.
• Provides value: In addition to providing details about how Talkspace works, this page also provides several mental health resources and articles.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This page has a great user interface and serves as a great starting point for mental health resources.

11. Nauto

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Nauto, a data platform for self-driving cars, helps make autonomous driving safer for companies that manage fleets of self-driving vehicles.

Naturally, its customers would need all kinds of information to sell them on this platform. Nauto has it packaged into a super-simple ebook.

Its landing page gives you both a brief contact form and some preview statistics to prove why this resource is so important.

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The green “Submit” button might’ve even been on purpose (on the road, green means go, after all).

Why This Landing Page Works

• Simplicity: No distractions on this landing page, which is perfect given the company’s focus on safe, self-driving vehicles.
• Smart white space usage: Nauto effectively uses a white background, showcasing a clean and purposeful design.

What Could Be Improved

• The form: 10 fields is too overwhelming.

12. Industrial Strength Marketing

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Right off the bat, this landing page pulls me in with a compelling, punchy header: “Don’t Make Me Zoom.” It directly speaks to a common experience most of us have had when we‘re browsing on our phones or tablets — and it’s a little sassy, too.

But that‘s not the only thing keeping me interested in this landing page. Notice how the color red is strategically placed: It’s right at the top and bottom of the form, drawing you even closer to the conversion event.

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Why This Landing Page Works

• Voice: The language is punchy and relatable, quickly drawing the reader in.
• Minimalist: The black and white color scheme with just a few pops of red really makes the sign-up sheet stand out. Additionally, the minimalist design works beautifully on mobile and desktop, with no pinching required.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: Both the mobile and desktop versions illustrate the perfect execution of a minimalist layout, which helps the reader navigate the site with ease.

13. Inbound Emotion

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Even if you don’t speak Spanish, you can still appreciate the conversion capabilities of this HubSpot partner site. My favorite feature of the page? The form stays in a fixed, prominent position as you scroll through the site.

I also love the simple layout and warm colors.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Fixed form: Having access to the form while scrolling provides a better user experience. No need to scroll back up to the top of the page to find it.
• Simple interface: The layout is simple but effective. The use of only two shades of orange gives a monochrome feel and keeps the focus on the benefits of the ebook.

What Could Be Improved

• Make the form brief: There were six items to fill out, not including the checkboxes option at the end. Longer forms could be a turnoff for some visitors.

14. IMPACT Branding & Design

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Full disclosure: IMPACT is a HubSpot partner — but that‘s not why they’re included here.

IMPACT’s landing pages have long been a source of design inspiration.

I love the simple layout of the page, from the large headline copy and detailed featured image, to the outline that surrounds the form, to the colors and fonts that are very pleasing to the eye.

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The free guide IMPACT is offering for download here also doesn’t emphasize the download itself in the blue button that allows you to submit your filled-out form.

Rather, IMPACT is inviting you to “generate more conversions” — putting the focus on what you stand to gain as a result of reading the guide.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Clever messaging: You’re not downloading an ebook. You’re learning how to “generate more conversations.” This rephrasing is far more enticing than simply putting a regular download button.
• Simple use of color and fonts: The blue tones work really well on this landing page, giving it variety while keeping the look cohesive. Since there’s lots of text on the page, a simple font is perfect.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This page encourages downloads in a clever way using a simple layout and colors.

15. Unbounce

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It‘s no surprise Unbounce made this list — they’ve actually written the book on creating high-converting landing pages.

Although there are many amazing things about this landing page, I absolutely love the sidebar menu and lots of visuals.

Unbounce is really skilled at providing visitors with the information they need, but also what they didn’t know they needed until they landed on the site.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Gives visitors options: When it comes to accessing the course, users can either click the main button above the upper half of the page or, if they’ve been scrolling, click on the course from the sidebar on the left. Eliminating the need to scroll back up to the top of the page.

• Sometimes more is more: In addition to the course, Unbounce provides visitors with industry-specific reports and answers to other landing page-related topics. Providing even more useful information sets Unbounce up as a trusted authority in their field.

What Could Be Improved

• The descriptions: The course offers several modules, and it would be helpful if some offered a brief description. The sidebar menu offers a course list, but a short sentence summarizing what visitors can expect to learn would be helpful.

16. Bills.com

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Often, people think landing pages are static pages on your website. But with the right tools, you can make them interactive and personalized.

Take the example above from Bills.com. To see if you’d benefit from their consultation, you answer three questions before you are shown a form.

Then, you answer two more questions, like the one below:

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And here’s the final landing page form where you fill out your information:

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I‘m not sure how the algorithm works (or if there’s one at all), but while I was filling it out, I had some anxiety about not qualifying.

Once I found out I did, I was excited to fill out the form, which I’m sure most people who are in debt and using this tool are.

By making this offer seem more exclusive before the form appeared on the landing page, I’d bet that Bills.com increased conversions pretty significantly.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Exclusivity: Everyone likes to feel special, which is why exclusivity works so well. The page gives the impression that the offer isn’t given to just anyone. You have to qualify first.

• Interactivity: Anytime you can get users to interact with the page, even if it’s something as simple as using a form with a sliding bar question.

What Could Be Improved

• More color: While the site is geared toward not-so-fun topics like bills and debt, it doesn’t mean it has to be boring. The gray leaves much to be desired.

17. Zillow

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Zillow did something very similar to Bills.com with their landing page. It starts with a simple search bar asking for a neighborhood, city, ZIP code, or address. Sounds creepy, but don’t worry.

This form field is set on top of a hero image featuring a woman stepping out from home.

Of course, the address itself won‘t be enough to get a true appraisal value of a home. It just denotes the home’s neighborhood. It’s a bit like playing The Price is Right.

You can guess how many homes in the area are worth and then type in an address to see how close you are. If you want to learn more info about a property, Zillow then prompts users to sign up to continue.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Simple access: Users can get all the information without signing up.

• Establishes authority on the topic: Zillow has access to so much housing and neighborhood data. It’s no wonder they are one of the top home search sites in the nation.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: The Zestimate page is simple but effective. Those with concerns about what a Zestimate is and how it’s calculated have easy access to the homebuying FAQ on the second half of the page.

18. Landbot

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Landbot, a service that creates chatbot-based landing pages, puts its own product front and center on its chat-fueled landing page.

Visitors are greeted by a friendly bot —complete with emojis and GIFs —that encourages them to provide information in a conversational format instead of via a traditional form.

Why This Landing Page Works

• It’s fun: From the bright colors to the GIFs, this page keeps visitors engaged and entertained.
• Show, not tell: By having the chatbot right on the page, doing its thing, potential customers can see exactly what they’re getting. The whole experience simulates what it’s like to use Landbot’s product.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: Landbot’s use of a live demo, testimonials, highlighted integration features, and detailed breakdown of how the product works leaves new customers ready to sign up at first glance.

19. Webprofits

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Like Industrial Strength Marketing mentioned earlier, Webprofits also makes great use of a predominantly black, white, and red color scheme. The result is a clean layout that makes great use of the pops of color on the page.

It’s a testament to the organization’s expertise in digital marketing and UX design.

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They also make it easy for you to figure out what Webprofits actually does. The rest of the page offers detailed case studies.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Informative, but not overwhelming: There’s a lot of information and text on this page, but the use of well-placed graphics and videos helps break things up.

• Multiple CTAs: Placing the same CTA throughout the page makes it so visitors don’t have to scroll all the way to the top to “Talk with Webprofits” or “Get in Touch.”

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: Webprofit makes great use of the long landing page format, packing in all the pertinent information visitors would need in one place with a visually appealing experience.

20. Native Poppy

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Sometimes, you‘ve just got to stop and admire a landing page for being beautiful. Using high-resolution photography and lots of white space, Native Poppy’s landing page is a pleasure to look at.

Aside from its beauty, the page has some great elements: a clear and delightfully pink CTA, an informative “How It Works” section, testimonials, and an FAQ at the bottom.

Best of all, it plays with language, ditching the phrase “become a subscriber” for “become a wild flower.” I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be a “wild flower” over a subscriber any day.

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Why This Landing Page Works

• Captures brand voice: The layout of Wild Poppy mirrors the whimsical vibe of the brand. From the photos, font choice, and “wild flower” subscription, all the messaging works in harmony.

• Persuasive: By highlighting all the perks and discounts of being part of the subscription program, it entices customers to join.

What Could Be Improved

• Form visibility: While there are multiple CTAs, it would have been nice to have the form fields on the page for faster sign-up or as a pop-up after clicking.

21. Conversion Lab

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While I wouldn’t typically include an example of a homepage with a form on it in a post about landing pages, this website is special. The homepage is the entire website — the navigation links just take you to the information below.

When you click “Get My Free Consult,” the entire page darkens to highlight the form. See what it looks like before you click on the photo above.

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And, when you click that CTA, check out how the form appears:

It’s a similar function when clicking on any of the headings on the page. Instead of taking you to a different page, it simply jumps to the corresponding section on the homepage.

I love how you don’t have to leave the page to fill out the form or view any of the features, creating a seamless user experience.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Creative: Having a homepage that also functions as various landing pages makes Conversion Lab unique. Best of all, it still provides a pleasant user experience.
• Organized layout: Despite having the homepage and landing pages as one, the page doesn’t feel cluttered or busy at all.

What Could Be Improved

• Form placement: It would be nice if the form maybe opened up on one side so visitors could still read the content on the rest of the page.

22. Taboola

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The first thing that grabs attention on the Taboola page is the big headline in capitalized letters. The message really stands out against the dark background, and I love the pop of the yellow bubble around the CTA button.

Plus, there‘s a super easy-to-spot “Learn More” button, so you don’t have to scroll through the whole page for more info.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Bold message: The big headline immediately convinces visitors.
• Simplicity: Clear and simple design makes it easy to understand and navigate.

• Color combination: The black, yellow, and white combo is effective for improving readability and conveying a modern and energetic vibe.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: The page is already great with its clear message and eye-catching colors.

23. Casper

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Casper usually has big discounts right on the main page that change depending on the season and collection.

For instance, in this example, we can see the final snooze sale offering a 30 percent discount on everything, perfect for those in need of a new mattress or bedroom upgrade.

The design is minimalistic and kinda relaxing, matching their vibe of selling good, quality sleep.

Keep scrolling, and you’ll find a cool section I love on the site — UGC. Those TikTok videos make the site feel real and leave you wanting to try products.

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Why This Landing Page Works

• Quick access: Product categories are right at the page’s center, making it easy to find things quickly.
• Highlighted CTA: The “Shop Now” button catches the eye with its vibrant red color against the light tones.
• User-generated content and reviews: Real TikTok videos and customer feedback make the site authentic and trustworthy.

What Could Be Improved

• No pop-up chat: The chat button only pops-up on the mobile version. It would be great if it was also on the desktop for easy access to customer support.

24. Merrill Edge

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If you need inspiration for your finance site, check Merrill Edge.

The first thing you notice here is a personal retirement calculator that prompts you to click and make some calculations. Although it seems like a calculator at first, it’s actually an image that you need to click, leading you to the real calculator.

In my opinion, that’s a minor drawback.

The combination of colors is effective, showcasing the colors of the US.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Matching colors: The page has nice colors that match the US flag, making it visually appealing.
• Sign-up form: The sign-up form is right there, easy to see, making it simple to get started.
• Dual search bars: With two search bars — one for quotes and another for site navigation — finding information is simple and efficient.

What Could Be Improved

• Visual appeal: The website would be more attractive if it had more images. Even though finance and stocks involve a lot of written information, adding pictures can make the content more engaging and easier to understand.

25. Munchery

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For discovering awesome recipes, check out Munchery. When you land on the website, there’s a handy search bar where you can find the recipe you want with just one keyword.

I love the cool, dark background with real people enjoying their food at a table.

Right below the search bar, there’s a subscribe button and a chance to win a free gift worth $154 — super enticing!

When you scroll down, you’ll find neatly organized recipes, from burgers and grilling to vegetarian dishes.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Easy recipe search: Find recipes quickly with a simple keyword search.
• Attractive colors: The vibrant orange colors break the monotony of black and white.
• Clear categories: Well-organized recipes and simple navigation.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: Munchery has a great page setup, making it easy to find what you need while looking pretty cool.

26. Zoom

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When you go to Zoom’s page, the first thing you see is the Zoom AI Companion. The page is simple, showing how this AI makes you better at your job.

The buttons like “Sign Up” and “Contact Sales” are easy to find, so you don‘t have to search around. On the right side, there are cool sliding pictures, showing real people, numbers, and features. It’s a friendly start, inviting you to explore more.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Nice colors: The white and blue combo looks fresh and clear.
• Credibility: Partners and trust site reviews give the site credibility and trust.
• Good copy: The short and snappy writing is on point—easy to understand and grabs attention.

What Could Be Improved

• Information overload: The abundance of information and resources on a single page might be a bit overwhelming for users.

27. Domo

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Domo turns data into super-smart decisions. The landing page is user-friendly and packed with helpful information.

And the colors? Soothing baby blue and vibrant orange — so easy on the eyes.

Cool visuals, quotes from happy customers, and buttons like “Watch Demo” and “Try Free” are right where you need them.

Domo also highlights industry recognition and real ROI stats, emphasizing the platform’s credibility.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Clear menu: Easy navigation with categorized sections.
• Engaging visuals: Images, quotes, and logos improve visual appeal and credibility.
• Simple actions: Prominent buttons encourage immediate engagement.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This page is clear and uncomplicated. It’s easy to absorb information and visuals.

28. Netflix

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Netflix’s landing page cannot be simpler and better at the same time.

It strategically places the email sign-up feature right in the center. After you enter your email, it takes you to the account setup or login page (if you already have an account).

Crystal-clear CTA and slick, streamlined steps ensure hassle-free navigation for users of all ages.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Easy talk: Netflix talks in simple words. No need for a dictionary — just straightforward info.

• No puzzle: Everything in the offer is laid out neatly and cleanly.

• Attractive design: Cool movie and series pics in the background, and that irresistible red and black combo makes the page look fantastic.

What Could Be Improved

• Pricing plan: It would be a good idea to put the prices where people can easily see them, instead of FAQs.

29. Constant Contact

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Upon opening Constant Contact, I fell in love with the clear and organized layout.

The tagline, “This year, don’t just hit send–send hits,” also caught my eye immediately.

Simple. Effective. Amazing.

Explore what you need by entering your email and testing out a 14-day free trial.

Also, you can’t miss the badge proudly declaring Constant Contact as the top email marketing agency in summer 2023, so you know they mean business.

Although there are many colors on the site, Constant Contact strikes that sweet balance for an awesome user experience.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Cool words: The writing is catchy and makes you want to learn more about the offer.
• Easy to get around: Finding stuff is easy because of flawless organization and categorization.

What Could Be Improved

• Communication choices: You can call or email for help, but adding a chat option would offer a better way to communicate.

30. WordStream

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Talking about good copies, WordStream also knows how to capture attention with a single catchy sentence.

Right on the landing page, there’s a freebie with the Google Ads Performance Grader. The laptop flaunts a bold image, drawing attention to quick audit reports and tempting you to hit the “Grade My Account” button.

If you keep scrolling through the page, you’ll see the Free Keyword Tool and many helpful blog posts.

Trust builds up with impressive stats on LocaliQ’s success, while features like demo scheduling and newsletter sign-ups improve the overall experience.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Effective messaging: Clear and compelling copy on the landing page to communicate the value proposition.
• Visual appeal with data: Engaging graphs and numbers for credibility and persuasive impact.
• Bullet points: Quick and easy scanning of key information.

What Could Be Improved

• Contact section: It’d be good to add an email option in the contact section, as many users prefer email communication over phone calls.

31. Lyft

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The Women+ Connect by Lyft page looks cool and has a girly vibe — nice pics, minimalistic design, catchy messages, and a clear layout.

It talks about rides for women and how they can make money with Lyft. The words are short and simple, saying women can drive on their own terms.

Lyft’s landing site also talks about fun things like different ways to travel and special benefits for members.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Clean design: A simple, clutter-free design for easy navigation.
• Real-life pictures: Images with real people add an authentic feel.
• Easy option exploration: Find and understand all choices with a user-friendly layout.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: I don’t want to play favorites, but the girly vibe on this landing page is just awesome. Everything is clear, easy to find, and super cool.

32. OptinMonster

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OptinMonster is one of those sites that might not sweep you off your feet in terms of design, but its functionality is top-notch. I like the tidy layout — everything is well-categorized and structured.

There are pictures and videos next to the explanations to help you understand the features better.

When you scroll down a bit, you can see the results and figures constantly cycling and updating.

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Why This Landing Page Works

• Page sections: Well-organized page sections and categories.
• Live chat: If you have further questions, you can get answers immediately.
• Testimonial slider: Real customer opinions in a cool sliding format, making it look attractive and reliable.

What Could Be Improved

• The copy: The copy would be better with a stronger emphasis on “you” instead of relying heavily on “our” or “we.”

33. Codecademy

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Codecademy‘s landing page is a mix of authenticity and functionality. They kick things off with a real person’s testimonial, adding immediate credibility.

“Build your tech career” copy screams ambition right from the headline.

But what really rocks here are the videos featuring real learners sharing success stories. That’s the most relatable inspiration and motivation to get intrigued.

I also love the color scheme on the site. White, blue, and yellow always make me happy for some reason. They have a good vibe and can influence people to choose your service.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Testimonials: Video testimonials of previous successful learners give you a real feel of what’s possible.

• Content: The landing page clearly shows what Codecademy has without making you read a lot.
• Nice colors: The mix of white, blue, and yellow looks good and makes you want to stick around.

What Could Be Improved

• CTA: The first button you notice on this page says “Compare prices.” However, it’d be good to replace it with a more engaging option like “Become the best tech expert in the country.”

34. Semrush

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I can’t get enough of Semrush’s landing page for a few key reasons.

Firstly, they promise measurable results from online marketing, setting the tone and message right away.

The central search bar makes it super easy to jump into action by entering keywords or URLs. Right below, we can see partnership muscles with global giants like Amazon, Tesla, and Samsung.

The breakdown of services into categories with visuals and bullet points is informative and easy to catch. The testimonials and numbers add weight to their claims, showcasing the platform’s popularity and awards.

Something that’s too cool to ignore is the CEO’s presentation with a cartoonish hat.

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Semrush simply knows how to make it playful and professional at the same time.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Visual and Informative: Clear categories, images, and bullet points for an effortless understanding of the content.
• Credibility: Impressive testimonials and numbers highlight the platform’s popularity and accolades.
• Coolness: The CEO’s presentation adds a fun and cool vibe that sticks in your memory.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: No complaints at all.

35. Eiger Extreme by Mammut

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The most interesting site I explored is definitely the Mammut website for Eiger Extreme. The way they use moving pictures and that science lab font is absolutely fantastic.

I like how the top menu stays in place while you scroll down.

The small animations, like the temperature dropping, are also amazing and engaging.

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As you keep scrolling, different parts of the page show up, and it’s easy to add things to the cart. The page has good pictures and sounds, telling a story about adventures.

So, once you open the site, you won’t feel like you’re in a typical online store; it will make you want to go outside and explore. And that’s the best part of it.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Visually appealing: Moving pictures and special fonts look amazing.

• Fun animations: The little things, like the temperature dropping, make the site fun to check out.

• Tells a story: The pictures and sounds tell a neat story about adventures.

• Unique: Something you haven’t seen before.

What Could Be Improved

• Loading and scrolling issues: The page takes a while to load — it’s a bit frustrating. It also stutters a bit when scrolling.

36. Hint

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Hint’s landing page is a showstopper with its lively aesthetic. The imagery of ingredients and bottles pops against the serene baby blue background.

Placing the one-dollar-per-bottle offer in the focus is a brilliant move, instantly grabbing attention and interest.

There’s also an ability to put bottles into your cart directly from the landing page—not a common but definitely a convenient feature.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Smart offer placement: The one-dollar-per-bottle deal grabs attention right away.
• Easy shopping: Adding items from the landing page is super handy.
• Consistent brand look: The colors stay true to the brand’s product.
• Organized sections and categories: Each part of the site is neatly laid out for a user-friendly experience.

What Could Be Improved

• Shift focus: Instead of so many discounts and offers, I’d like to see the product’s qualities and benefits to provide people with a reason to buy.

• Real-life images: It would be good to include images of influencers and UGC showcasing how people enjoy the product. It makes it more relatable and appealing to potential customers.

37. Linkfluencer

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Linkfluencer helps you succeed on LinkedIn.

I like the friendly video from the founder explaining how things work. The whole site feels real with actual people, testimonials, and success stories.

The site is well-designed, using dark blue as the primary color to align with LinkedIn’s aesthetics.

B2B sites should always have some valuable resources for free, so they put a free guide button at the end of the page.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Real and genuine: The friendly video with the founder and testimonials makes the site feel real.
• Credibility boost: Conference images show Linkfluencer is involved and knows their stuff.
• Effective copies: The content is clear and gets the message across.

What Could Be Improved

• Autoplay video: The video starts right away, and I don’t like that. It would be better if you could choose whether you want to watch it or not.
• No chatbot: It’d be good to have a chatbot for instant replies and help.

38. Chanel

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The Chanel landing page screams luxury. But not luxury like kitsch and tastelessness, but luxury like elegance and timeless sophistication. The landing page showcases various collections, one below the other.

Each collection features background images of fragrances, jewelry, eyewear, watches, and fashion shows.

If you want to learn more about each, there’s a “See more” button that takes you to more details.

What I particularly like is the option to enable high contrast, turning the entire site into a dark mode. It is a thoughtful and eye-friendly feature.

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Why This Landing Page Works

• Luxurious style: The page looks classy and fancy, perfectly in line with the brand’s image.
• Good overview: The page provides a clear and systematic display of collections.
• Chat: Live chat option for quick assistance.
• Dark mode: You can switch to a dark mode for a more comfortable viewing experience.

What Could Be Improved

• Layered navigation: One button leads to another button until you finally reach the information/product you want.

39. Lamborghini

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Lamborghini’s landing page features a dynamic background with scenes of cars, car parts, and the whole production process.

The site looks great, with a simple layout and clear categories. You can also see the latest Lamborghini news right on the main page, keeping enthusiasts informed and engaged.

The website focuses more on pictures than words, which makes it enjoyable to explore.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Background videos: Big moving videos show cool car stuff, making the page interesting.
• Easy layout: The site is simple and easy to use, with clear categories.
• Lots of pictures: The website has many images, making it attractive.
• Nice colors: The landing page is mostly black, with bright-colored cars breaking the monotony.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: No issues at all. Lamborghini’s site scrolls smoothly despite the motion background, with no glitches.

40. Apple

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The Apple landing page boasts the best design among all companies selling similar products.

Typically, pages for brands selling devices aren‘t stunning. I mean, don’t get me wrong — they’re all high-quality — but Apple has the most beautiful look.

The landing page is well-organized, with easy-to-spot sections. They always showcase the newest product first, taking up most of the landing page.

Why This Landing Page Works

• User-friendly navigation: It’s easy to explore, making it hassle-free for visitors.

• Visual focus: More pictures, less text, giving a visually appealing experience.

• Spotlight on new products: The latest items in the main focus for quick attention.

• Concise and impactful writing: Short, effective sentences to keep you interested.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This page serves as an amazing starting point for anyone looking for a new device.

41. Hubstaff

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Hubstaff’s landing page brings value, has a clear CTA, and includes trust-building elements like partnerships and testimonials.

The page uses cool visuals, important stats, and key features to highlight how great Hubstaff is. What I especially love is focusing on the benefits, not only the features.

The “Free 14-day trial” stands out in the blue button on the white top bar, making it easy for users to notice.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Sharp look: Sleek design with different shades of blue and easy-to-read fonts.
• Good pictures: Awesome choice of images with real people, keeping it genuine and relatable.
• Smart layout: Well-placed CTA and account creation fields.

What Could Be Improved

• FAQ: It’d be good to add an FAQ section on the landing page to address common user queries.

Landing Page Ideas

A well-optimized landing page can transform prospects into leads by gathering information that can help you better understand, market to, and delight visitors.

Since landing pages are crucial for conversions, it‘s important to make sure they’re well-planned, designed, and executed.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating landing pages:

• Appealing aesthetics. Giving your landing page color and a clean UI can only help. Visitors will want to learn more about your products and see evidence of the value you’re offering. Take a look at #18 on our list, Landbot, for a great example of a stunning web page.
• Less is more. Let the offer or images do most of the talking, but be sure to include any and all descriptive headlines and supporting text to make your landing page clear and compelling. HubSpot’s Campaign Assistant does the heavy lifting for you and generates landing page copy in a few clicks. This goes for just about all the components on the page: try white space, simple copy, and shorter forms.
• Keep visitors on the page. By removing the main navigation or any distracting backlinks, it’s less likely there will be any lead generation friction that could cause visitors to abandon your page.
• Offer social sharing options. A simple way of getting visitors to engage with your landing page is to include social media sharing buttons so that they can spread your content to their social followers. After all, customers are the center of your marketing flywheel.
• A/B testing. Landing pages are important to get right, and since consumer psychology can sometimes be surprising, it’s always better to experiment with different versions of your pages to see which has the highest conversion rate (CVR). Test the positioning of the offer, kinds of CTAs, or even the color scheme.
• Call-to-action. The CTA is where the meat of the landing page is, or the tipping point where prospects become contacts. CTAs could ask visitors to subscribe, download, fill out a form, share on social media, and more — but, overall, CTAs are necessary for getting your audiences more engaged with your offering. To generate leads, CTAs should be bold and eye-catching, but most importantly, they need to effectively communicate value.

Creating Landing Pages That Shine

Landing pages aid in growing your customer base and increasing conversions. Create a page that delights customers with a user interface so great they continue to come back for more.

This article was originally published on April 2, 2020, and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Wouldn’t it be great if creating infographics was as simple as writing text-based blog posts? Usually, it would take a lot of time, effort, and skill to make them — but that doesn’t have to be the case.

In fact, with a plethora of tools that make design much more accessible to people without complex or expensive tools, I find that it’s getting easier to create impactful graphics. That, combined with the importance of visual content in marketing today, means that even if it’s overwhelming, you shouldn’t throw in the towel just yet.

That’s why we decided to do most of the work for you. HubSpot’s Free Infographic Templates in PowerPoint make it easy to create high-quality, professional infographics in under an hour.

You can add your own content to premade outlines in a cinch. And if you need a helping hand, we’ll show how to personalize your infographic in PowerPoint in this post. Keep reading to learn how to make a memorable and effective infographic with ease.

Table of Contents

• How to Make an Infographic
• How to Make an Infographic for Free
• Tips for Creating a Great Infographic

If you prefer watching, this video shows the process of creating an infographic step-by-step:

1. Choose your desired infographic template.

First things first, you have to choose an infographic template appropriate for representing your data.

The important thing is to choose a template that specifically works for the type of data set/content you want to present.

As you saw pictured above, you can download our 15 infographic templates in PowerPoint and choose the template that will best help you communicate your data.

Download for Free

Choosing a template before creating a goal for your infographic can speed up your infographic creation process. First, it helps you visualize how you will organize and present your data. This can help you narrow your focus before you get into designing your infographic.

Next, infographic templates have premade sections or modules to help you structure your content. This makes it easy to understand how your information will fit within each section to give your infographic a logical flow.

Starting with a template can also spark creative ideas for your infographic and inspire original ways to tell your visual story.

Other important qualities I recommend considering as you choose a template include:

• Whether your infographic is using quantitative, qualitative, or categorical data.
• How complex your data set is.
• Whether the infographic design elements align with your brand.
• Accessibility, including readability for all audiences.

Some of your template options in the offer linked above include a timeline, flowchart, side-by-side comparison, and a data-driven infographic.

Pro tip: Choose a template that offers a range of layout options for different types of information. A template with diverse layouts can help you create more visually engaging and informative infographics.

Types of Infographics

So, what types of infographics are out there? I’ve compiled a list of some of the most common so you can choose an infographic template that suits the story you want your data to tell.

Side-By-Side Comparison Infographic

This infographic design can help prove the advantage of one concept over another. Or, you can simply explain the differences between two competing entities.

Download this Template

Use this type of infographic for: Showing the head-to-head differences between two options or ideas.

Flowchart Infographic

This design is perfect for presenting a new workflow for your organization, how a linear or cyclical process works across your industry, or walking people through a decision. I love seeing these types of flowcharts when brands have a humorous take on something. They also ramp up the fun factor with a playful way to show how one conclusion is completely obvious.

Download this Template

Use this type of infographic for: Highlighting a decision tree or process.

Pro tip: If your brand is playful, your conclusions could be “Yes” and “Yes, but in red.”

Timeline Infographic

This design can tell a chronological story. This is great for showing the history of a business, industry, product, or concept.

Download this Template

Use this type of infographic for: Sharing a timeline to illustrate a journey from where you were to where you are now.

Graph-Based Infographic

This design is perfect if you’re publishing a high volume of data and statistical information, making it a good fit for expert-level audiences. I love looking at these because they make it easy to review data and see how different categories or responses compare.

Download this Template

Use this type of infographic for: Simplifying or comparing massive amounts of data.

Image-Heavy Infographic

This design caters to content creators who are trying to reveal trends and information from shapes, designs, or photography — rather than just numbers and figures. They usually fall on the complex side of things, but these infographics are worth the effort. You can compare and contrast multiple types of information in one image.

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Use this type of infographic for: Displaying a variety of information sources and categories to paint a comprehensive picture.

A word of caution: Be sure to consider where people will interact with your infographic so you can determine if it’s an appropriate size and sufficiently readable on different types of devices. Something like this image may work better in print than online.

2. Decide on a goal for your infographic.

Once you have the template you want to use, it’s time to get into the details. Without a clear goal, your infographic may include too much information or fail to convey your message.

Your goal should include the purpose of your infographic. Do you want to educate, persuade, inform, or inspire your audience?

An infographic can help you:

• Quickly summarize complex topics.
• Simplify complicated processes.
• Highlight research or survey results.
• Condense long-form content, like blog posts or case studies.
• Analyze and compare different products or concepts.
• Boost awareness about a topic.

And an infographic is for more than just presenting information. So, your goal should also include a desired action or response you want to elicit from your audience. Do you want them to sign up for a newsletter, visit a website, or take another desired action?

Critically thinking about goals for your infographic helps you align each infographic with larger marketing targets.

3. Identify the audience for your infographic.

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Infographics don’t sell themselves on design alone. They’re ultimately about communication. You need to deliver “info” that’s just as compelling as the “graphic,” and to do that, you need to know the audience your infographic intends to reach.

According to Harvard Business Review, five possible audiences can change how you choose and visualize your data: novice, generalist, managerial, expert, and executive. Start by comparing your infographic’s ideal reader with one of these five audiences — which one applies to your reader?

Another way to look at this is that by identifying your audience, you can determine how advanced your information should be. For example:

• A novice audience might need data that has a more obvious meaning.
• A generalist may want to see how the information ties into the big picture.
• A managerial audience might need to see how different groups or actions affect one another.
• An expert might be more interested in getting into the weeds of your numbers and posing theories around them.
• An executive has more in common with a novice audience in that they only have time for the simplest or most critical information and the impact it’ll have on the business.

In my experience, the audience is the most important part of communicating your data and information. So, once you identify who you want to see your infographic, dig deeper into that persona. You should understand what interests that audience, what motivates them, and what specific information they need.

Then, think about how and where they’ll see your infographic. Will it be on a website, shared on social media, or presented at a conference? Then, I like to look at the potential ways to leverage the heck out of my content. To that end, I recommend that you take time to consider how you repurpose your infographic with your different channels in mind.

The bottom line here? The platform and situation should influence the design and format of your infographic. Keeping these details in mind will make your infographic stand out and make an impact.

Pro tip: Take audience awareness a step further by conducting research or gathering feedback from your target audience. These details make it easier to tailor your infographic to their specific needs.

4. Collect your content and relevant data.

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Using the audience you’ve chosen above, your next step is to organize all the content and data you’ll use in the infographic. You can either collect third-party data or use your own original data.

Choose your data.

For your data to be compelling, you must provide proper context. So, when collecting your data, make sure you have an idea about the story you want to tell. Data for the sake of data won’t add value to your infographic at all.

Choose data that’s interesting and gives a good understanding of the topic. You can compare numbers or look at trends over time to tell a story with your data.

I always like to look at abnormalities and see what might have caused them. For example, a spike in website traffic from one month to the next doesn’t mean much — until, say, you reveal that traffic was on a steady decline over the previous three months. Suddenly, you have a story of how you were able to reverse a downward trend.

Organize your data.

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Make sure to organize your data in a way that makes sense so your audience can understand the story without having to work too hard. To do this, spend some time thinking about what data points are most important and create a structure that emphasizes that data.

One of my favorite strategies is starting with a quick outline of your data story. Then, I match data points with each relevant section of the outline.

Cite your sources.

Most importantly of all, if you use third-party data, be sure you properly cite your sources — just like you would in any other good piece of content.

Beyond that, try to keep your infographic uncluttered by a ton of different source URLs. A great way to cite your sources is to include a simple URL at the bottom of your infographic that links to a page on your site.

You can also list the individual stats used in your infographic and their sources on a landing page. But if you do, don’t forget to link your landing page to an offer that includes your free infographic.

With these tips, your infographic will look clean and professional, and people will be able to access the sources no matter where the infographic gets shared or embedded. It may even drive visitors back to your site.

Pro tip: Think about different types of charts and graphs to present your data. Look for chances to turn complex statistics or concepts into easy-to-understand visualizations.

5. Download your template to PowerPoint.

For the sake of time (remember, our mission is to create an infographic in under an hour), I’m going to create an infographic with PowerPoint.

This is the easiest tool to use because it’s widely accessible software that’s already on most computers, so you can work on your infographic even without an internet connection. The user interface is also familiar and user-friendly, making it easy for beginners.

This example is based on steps and best practices from our guide, How to Create Effective Inbound Marketing Campaigns.

I’ve picked the “World’s Greatest Timeline” infographic template from our collection of infographic templates. This template is best suited for my data set since it will allow me to outline each step of the campaign creation process in chronological order.

If you’re ready to get started, just open the infographic template in PowerPoint. This will create a new presentation based on the selected template. Then, you can start customizing.

6. Customize your infographic.

This is the most time-consuming part — plugging in the content you already have. With the right template, this step will go fast. All you need to do is replace the placeholder text and graphics with your own information.

Come up with a catchy title, plug in your data/content, and adjust your font sizes and formatting. Feel free to switch up the graphics and colors, too, so they’re relevant to your brand and the data you’re providing. To customize the look of the infographic even more, you might add or change the colors or font styles to your liking.

Take a peek at the example below to see how I changed the text and updated the font colors to match HubSpot’s branding:

Remember, the template is just a starting point, and you can customize it however you want, using PowerPoint’s tools to create different types of visuals to support your data. (Want a cheat sheet on how to use PowerPoint’s tools? Download our free infographic templates.)

As you adapt the template, focus on making sure the visuals are readable, make sense in the order they’re shared, and support and enhance your data.

Pro tip: I recommend using consistent visual cues such as icons, color schemes, or illustrations to create a consistent visual language for your infographic and reinforce your brand. What’s more, if you plan to use infographics on a regular basis, consider creating a style guide for your infographics.

7. Include a footer with your sources and logo.

Finally, include a link to your source (mine is here) and the company logo. This way, people will recognize your content if it gets shared on social media or embedded on other websites.

After all, one of the main benefits of creating infographics is their shareability. These details will also make your infographic feel more credible and authentic.

Pro tip: Contributor details or acknowledgments can also boost the trustworthiness of your infographic.

8. Promote and publish your infographic.

The only thing left to do is to publish and promote your awesome new infographic. A few recommendations for promotion:

Publish your infographic on your blog.

Publishing an infographic on your blog improves the visual appeal of your content and gives your audience a tool to understand complex or new concepts. But that’s not all. It can also give your SEO and user engagement a boost. (And, don’t forget to include your list of sources!)

Add a Pinterest button.

Want to go viral? Making it easy for people on your site to “pin” can give you added exposure. And if you’re going this route, don’t forget to add a caption for Pinterest sharing to help draw interest and boost engagement.

Create and add an embed code.

The easier you make it for people to share your infographic, the more likely you are to get those shares. Check out how we did it below.

Share This Image On Your Site

<p><strong>Please include attribution to blog.hubspot.com with this graphic.</strong><br /><br /><a rel=”noopener” target=”_blank” href=’https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/create-infographics-with-free-powerpoint-templates’><img src=’https://blog.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/free_infographic_template_custom-1.png?t=1519094621186&width=1138&height=3412&name=free_infographic_template_custom-1.png’ alt=’free_infographic_template_custom-1′ width=’660px’ border=’0′ /></a></p>

With the infographic complete and published, that’s a wrap. It won’t take you long to create some impressive infographics of your own once you get started — but before you begin, we’ve got some tools to make the creative process even smoother.

How to Make an Infographic for Free

Now, you may be wondering how much making an infographic will cost. The good news is you can make engaging and effective infographics for free with many tools on the market. Here are some of our favorites.

1. Canva

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Canva is a design platform that can help you create a variety of media like presentations, blog graphics, and posters in addition to infographics. It’s easy to get started using one of their templates.

The tool works by simply dragging and dropping the elements that you’d like to use into place. Once you’re satisfied with your graphic, you can easily download it in a variety of formats to share with your team.

What I like: I’ve been obsessing about Canva since I first discovered it in 2015. I love how easy it is to use and how much Canva is doing to stay ahead of the curve with new capabilities and tools that, in turn, make it easy for creators to develop trendy visual content.

2. HubSpot

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As we showcased earlier, HubSpot’s free, customizable infographic templates make it easy to quickly create new visuals for your project. Simply download the template and open it in PowerPoint.

From there, you can replace text by typing into the template and change the colors to suit your brand’s palette. Our offer comes with step-by-step directions to ensure a hiccup-free experience.

Branding and color schemes are crucial in creating a memorable and cohesive visual identity for organizations. They help establish brand recognition, build trust, and communicate the desired message to customers.

HubSpot’s color palette generator is a tool that allows you to select a primary color and automatically generates a complementary palette, ensuring consistency and professionalism in branding across various marketing channels.

What I like: Well, we may be biased, but our templates are pretty great. They give people with limited design know-how and less time the ability to create impactful graphics that wow their colleagues and clients.

3. Piktochart

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Piktochart is a free online tool to help you create infographics with zero design experience required. Where Piktochart shines is its many offerings to help visualize data. The free version gives you access to pie charts, maps, bar charts, and pictographs to display data in a variety of formats.

Users have the option to upload a CSV, Google Sheet, or Excel file into the graph maker or opt to copy/paste into the template. The brand stands by its user-friendliness, aiming to help novices create infographics in 30 minutes or less.

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What I like: Piktochart offers a ton of different designs and styles and has an easy learning curve. I’ve found that creating professional-looking infographics is as easy as choosing a style and updating it. Plus, with built-in chart-making capabilities, it takes my numbers and turns them into graphics that make sense with little to no manipulation on my part.

4. Snappa

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Snappa’s infographic maker pushes the limits of creating media on the fly — claiming users can make infographics in just five minutes. Snappa offers a variety of ready-made templates and an easy drag-and-drop builder to help users quickly create the content they need.

Users have the option to add and take away graphics, text, and stock images to customize their creations. Once completed, the finished product can be easily downloaded for use. Snappa also makes it easy to repurpose the infographics you’ve made by offering several formats for social sharing.

What I like: Snappa has (dare I say) a “Snappy” how-to video demonstrating how to repurpose their templates into something that fits your brand. Their templates are fresh and easy to use.

5. Venngage

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Similar to others on this list, Venngage uses a drag-and-drop editor to help users create infographics without any design experience. Start with a template, then customize colors, text, and shapes as you see fit.

Venngage also has a robust stock photo library, with an impressive 40,000 icons and images available for use, plus another 3 million from Pixabay. The only drawback is that the collaboration features and brand kit are only available with paid tiers.

What I like: When you first sign up, Venngage asks a few questions about how you plan to use its designs and tailors the page based on your preferences, making it easy to quickly find an infographic template to customize.

6. Visme

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Visme helps users make graphics in three easy steps: choose a template, upload or input your data, and customize. If you prefer to start a graphic from scratch, there is also an option to swap specific portions of your infographic using blocks instead of using a full template.

Once finished, users can opt to share their project with a link or download the infographic in a variety of formats. While the basic version of Visme is free, you’ll need to opt for a paid tier for access to the brand kit feature.

What I like: In addition to Visme’s templates, I love that they have design blocks you can use to quickly assemble your infographic, which makes it easy to pick and choose parts of a template that work for you and adapt to other areas. What’s more, if you plug in your website, it can extract your logo, fonts, and brand colors and start adapting templates to fit your brand.

Ready to get started? Here are some guidelines you should keep in mind.

Tips for Creating a Great Infographic

1. The information you communicate matters more than its design.

You can make the most visually appealing infographic of the year, but if it doesn’t clearly communicate a purpose or message, then what’s the point?

Not to say that the infographic’s design is unimportant, but the information available on it should always be the priority. A good infographic tells the audience what they need to know and adds more depth or dimension when coupled with a good design.

So when I develop content for infographics, I start with that exactly — the content — and ask three questions:

1. Why are we creating this infographic?
2. What do we want the person looking at it to walk away knowing?
3. What is the minimum amount of information that they need to get the story?

2. Know who you’re making the infographic for.

I realize I’ve already touched on the different types of audiences you write for, but it’s such an integral part of content creation that I wanted to reiterate it once more.

Regardless of what type of content you’re creating, it’s important to know your audience. This is true for copy, content, audio, video, and images. That’s why before I start writing or creating anything, I spend some time thinking about the audience profile:

• Who are they?
• What do they already know?
• What do they want to know or do?
• How will this piece of content help them along the way?

Armed with that, it’s much easier to create content that appeals to your audience.

3. Avoid adding clutter to your infographic.

It’s easy to get carried away with icons, graphics, and word art. Trust me. I know — been there, done that, got the t-shirt. But, here’s the thing: If it’s distracting your reader, then it defeats the purpose of the infographic in the first place.

So, how do you keep it simple? To keep my infographics looking clear and skimmable, I keep the reader in mind. They shouldn’t have to think too hard to find the information they need. Your infographic can also point to an “aha!” moment.

Truthfully, infographics aren’t always something you throw into your content. Once I see the infographic in a designed format, I often pare down the information to simplify it even further.

And, if I’m not sure if it’s simple enough or has the right information, I find that stepping away from the design for a bit can give me the clarity I need. When in doubt, I ask a trusted friend to take a look and share their perspective.

4. Ensure the visuals add value to your data.

Echoing our last point, the visuals that do make it to your infographic should be there to add value to the data beside it — this is the concept behind information design.

Whether you’re using graphs, diagrams, icons, or real-life imagery, I always remind clients that the goal is to take the key messages and provide enough context to tell the story.

This is especially true when you’re using numerical values. This way there’s an emotional element behind the messaging, not just bolding percentages.

5. Test for readability and user experience.

Web accessibility is becoming an increasingly important conversation, so it’s something that every design should take into consideration.

So, before you share your infographic, make sure it’s legible and accessible to a wide range of users. Test the font size, color contrast, and readability on different screens and devices.

I always keep in mind that a huge amount of people are looking at content on their mobile devices, which means it’s important to make sure the information is as clear on a small screen as on a large desktop monitor.

To that end, also make sure you’re considering any usability factors like navigation and calls-to-action.

Share Your Professional Infographic Today

This whole thing took me under an hour to put together — much less time (not to mention more professional looking) than it would’ve taken if I’d started from scratch. Plus, it’s less expensive than hiring a designer and using the resources you might want to save for larger campaigns.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

I recently had a pleasant experience at a local restaurant. Everyone I interacted with was friendly, the service was fast, and my food was excellent.

Not long after I got home, I saw an email from the restaurant in the inbox. It was a request to take a survey to tell them about my experience. And I was more than thrilled to share my positive feedback.

As a bonus, I was also entered to win a gift card just for sharing my opinion.

For businesses of all industries and sizes, sending surveys is essential. Surveys inform everything from customer experience to product ideation to marketing strategy. But you need to make sure you’re distributing them the right way.

Whether you want to collect data for market research or run a customer satisfaction survey, promoting your survey in an email is a direct way to generate responses.

Below, I compiled a list of the best survey email examples I’ve received from companies. I also broke down the successful elements of these emails and created a template for you to send your survey email.

The Best Survey Emails: 10 Examples to Copy

To find the best survey email examples, I scoured my inbox. Why? I wanted to see surveys that got an actual customer (me) to open the email and respond to the survey.

And because survey emails come in different shapes and forms, I’ve organized them into the following categories:

• Rewards-based.
• Time-based.
• Requesting help.
• Embedded.
• Survey reminder.

Here are my favorite survey emails that landed in my inbox and the elements I think you should emulate in your following emails.

Rewards-Based

1. Birdy Grey

Subject line: Your chance to win $1,000!

I found myself on the Birdy Grey website a lot last year (shout out to my fellow 2024 brides) and eventually became a customer, so, naturally, I ended up on their email marketing list.

The bridesmaid dress company recently sent a survey to its list that offered a chance to win an Amazon gift card worth $1,000.

Birdy Grey knows that asking for feedback means asking people to take time out of their days (10 minutes, to be exact) so they get right to the point.

The body copy is short, and the reward is bolded to emphasize the potential winnings you may get by completing the survey. I also appreciate how big and clear the CTA button is.

What I liked: $1,000 is a lot of money for anyone, but this reward is especially enticing for brides whose finances may be taking a hit from planning a wedding.

2. Contra

Subject line: $500 for your thoughts on pricing 🤑

This survey email example from Contra leads with the reward. Making “$500” the first thing people see in the email’s subject line is a great way to grab subscribers’ attention immediately.

I also like the personalization and explanation for why they’re running a survey — to help them build a product that “gets you paid what you’re worth.” As a freelancer, this is music to my ears.

Contra is a tool for freelancers, and they make that clear in all of their messaging, including this survey email.

What I liked: The graphic in the email’s body is eye-catching and on-brand with Contra’s overall style. More importantly, the image links to the survey.

This is an exciting way to prompt subscribers to take the study, especially considering it poses a question.

Time-Based

3. H-E-B

Subject line: Tell us what you think – 3 min survey

If you’re unfamiliar with H-E-B, it’s a Texas-based grocery chain. Last year, Food & Wine even named it the best supermarket in the US.

And I’ve got to say, the store’s email marketing is as top tier as its national ranking. I shop at H-E-B weekly, both in-store and curbside, and I receive this survey email after every curbside order pickup.

In the subject line, it’s wise to let subscribers know that the survey shouldn’t take more than three minutes to complete. The body copy is clear and straightforward, too.

It starts with a question to get you thinking, then prompts you to take the survey to help them improve your future trips to the store.

What I liked: The grocery store sends this survey email before I leave the parking lot, increasing the chances that I’ll respond while my experience is on my mind.

4. Quince

Subject line: Question for you

While the subject line for this email from Quince doesn’t explicitly say how long the survey will take, to me, it’s implied. When I read the subject line, “Question for you,” I expect to answer one quick question.

The entire email is short and sweet, from the subject line to the body copy. It even includes a chance at a reward for completing the survey: a $50 gift card.

In my experience, gift cards are an excellent way to entice customers to complete your survey.

What I liked: This email almost looks like a personal email from a co-worker when I see it in my inbox. Some people may not like this because it doesn’t stand out as much as other brand marketing emails, but I appreciate the simplicity.

Requesting Help

5. Superpath

Subject line: 🚨 We need your help: Our annual salary survey is live

There are a handful of situations where I think it’s appropriate to use the urgent alarm emoji (your store’s 20 percent off sale is not one of them), and this email from Superpath fits the bill.

Superpath is a membership community and an incredible resource for the content marketing industry.

Every year, they release a salary survey that helps content marketers (full-time employees and freelancers like myself) understand market rates and negotiate better pay.

To conduct this survey, Superpath needs data from the community, and they send emails like the one above to generate responses.

What I liked: Superpath is community-driven, so it makes sense to be transparent when asking the community for help. After all, the survey results will be informative for community members, so we’re happy to contribute.

6. Spindrift

Subject line: Your ideas, our next flavor. Help Spindrift create the next big thing!

Instead of asking for feedback, sparkling water brand Spindrift took their survey email further by asking customers to help them choose which flavors to add to their lineup.

Putting your customers in the driver’s seat creates a sense of excitement. Using “your ideas, our next flavor” in the subject line is a compelling way to increase email open rates.

If you’re a fan of the brand, participating in this survey would be a fun way to get involved and have a voice in the brand’s future products.

What I liked: Rather than offering a chance to win a gift card or a large sum, Spindrift discounts your next purchase for completing its survey.

This guaranteed reward ensures respondents get something in return for the time spent providing feedback.

Embedded

7. Wave

Subject line: Would you recommend Wave?

Want to increase the number of responses to your survey? Embedding your survey within the email makes it even easier for customers to respond because it reduces the steps they must take to participate.

Take the survey email I received from my invoicing software, Wave.

For starters, I like that it’s personalized with my first name. Second, it’s a straightforward email asking me to rank how likely I’d recommend Wave to a friend.

When you click on Wave’s embedded survey, it links to a survey landing page where you can add more detailed feedback before you submit your response:

What I liked: As a Wave user, I can tell that this email survey came from the platform because the branding is consistent.

This familiarity reassures me that the survey is legit and not spam and that Wave cares about how it presents itself to its customers.

8. Mangools

Subject Line: Mangools needs your help!

Mangools, an SEO tool I used to use, sent this survey email to collect feedback from former customers. The message is short and to the point, but you can respond to the survey immediately since it’s embedded in the email.

The question in this email is just one of the survey questions. Clicking on the embedded survey question leads to the complete eight-question survey on Typeform.

On average, people are willing to answer between seven to 10 questions when completing a survey, so this survey from Mangools hits the sweet spot.

What I liked: Besides the convenience of the survey being embedded in the body of the email, I liked how quick it was to respond. This survey only took me about a minute to complete (one minute less than the estimated time they listed!).

Survey Reminder Emails

9. Accounting Today

Subject line: Your reminder to take our survey

The first line of this email from the publication Accounting Today sums up exactly why you must send a survey reminder: we all get busy.

Emails get lost in people’s inboxes, especially emails from brands, so it’s a good idea to send a few reminder emails for surveys that must be completed by a specific date.

This survey reminder email offers a simple message and nudges customers to take their survey.

The email also outlines the different ways to take the survey — either click the CTA button or copy and paste the survey link in your browser — and what respondents will receive for their time.

What I liked: This was the first time I’d seen an optional donation in lieu of a gift card for participating in a survey. If you know your customers are charitable, this could be an excellent way to encourage survey responses.

10. Adobe

Subject line: Reminder: Sam, Adobe needs your feedback

Here’s another survey reminder email from Adobe I found in my inbox.

I find reminder emails like this one helpful because, oftentimes, I miss the original email. The subject line grabs my attention by using my name and refreshes my memory about the survey.

The body of the email starts with a personalized introduction and then describes why they’re collecting feedback. I also like how Adobe used bullet points to outline the potential prizes for participating.

Bulleted lists are much easier to scan if you’re skimming an email.

What I liked: As a chronic worrier and overthinker, I appreciate the reassuring message at the bottom of this email.

Adobe lets subscribers know that if they complete the survey, they are automatically entered into the drawing and can ignore the reminder email.

How to Write a Survey Email (+Template)

After analyzing survey emails from my inbox, here are the elements I’ve found work best. I’ve also included a template that you can copy for your next survey email.

Subject Line

The goal of promoting your survey in an email is to generate responses, so the subject line is arguably the most important part. Come up with a survey email subject line that entices your customers to not just open the email but also take the survey.

When brainstorming subject lines, consider what your goal is. Do you want to collect feedback to make their experience better? Are you looking for feature ideas for your product?

Emphasize how important your customers’ input is by asking for their help in the subject line.

If your goal is to get as many responses as possible to increase your sample size, you’re probably offering a reward. In this case, highlight the reward in your subject line.

In my experience, seeing a monetary reward in an email’s subject line makes me open it immediately.

Personalization

Personalization starts with addressing your customers by name, but it goes beyond that. Your surveys will produce more specific and useful results if you are sending them to the right people.

Use segmentation to create different surveys for different scenarios. For example, in the survey email example from Mangools that I shared above, the survey was sent to former customers.

Collecting feedback from people who are no longer customers of your product helps you understand why people left and what you could do to improve your product or bring customers back.

Body Copy

A survey from HubSpot found that 10-14 minutes is the ideal length for a survey. Factor this in mind when writing your email body copy — you don’t want to add more time to the experience if you don’t have to.

Keep your message short and straightforward. Let your customers know that you’re looking for feedback and how it will benefit them. Bonus points if you can give them an estimate for how long the survey will take them to fill out.

Survey CTA

After you’ve convinced customers to open your survey email, the next most important element is the survey CTA. You want to make it as easy as possible for customers to take your survey, so don’t hide the link or bury the lead.

Add a clear and easy-to-find CTA button to your body copy. Or, better yet, embed your survey into the email.

Emphasizing the Reward

If you’re offering a reward for taking the survey, wrap up your email with a reminder of what the reward is. Emphasize the reward by using a bold font or a graphic so it stands out if people are skimming their emails.

Sending a Reminder

If you need responses or feedback by a certain date, plan to send at least two reminder emails. Structure one as a follow-up to your original survey email and another as a “last chance” to respond.

Even if your survey doesn’t need to be completed by a certain date — for example, if you collect customer feedback on an ongoing basis — it doesn’t hurt to remind customers to share their thoughts.

Survey Email Template

Hi [First Name],

Your opinion is valuable to us. To help us improve your experience, we put together a short survey for you to share your thoughts. It shouldn’t take more than one or two minutes, tops!

The best part? You’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win a $100 gift card.

Please submit your response by [date] to be entered into the drawing.

Thanks!

[Your Team]

Sending Your Survey

Survey emails are an essential part of customer research. When you have deeper knowledge about your customers, their opinions, and their wants or needs, you can tailor everything from your marketing to your products to them.

In my experience, the survey emails that I was most likely to take grabbed my attention with a solid subject line, offered a reward and made it quick and easy to participate.

When sending your survey over email, remember the essential elements of email structure.

Your subject line should be enticing and customer-focused, the reward (if you’re offering one) is emphasized, and the CTA to take the survey must be straightforward and easy to find.

As a millennial marketer, I can tell you quite a bit about the internet — we practically grew up together!

Not only has a lot changed about the internet since I was an elementary schooler but it’s also changed how we shop, making online marketing crucial for businesses. 

As of 2024, there are  2.71 billion online shoppers, about a third of the world’s population. So, offline marketing can’t be your only strategy for driving sales because you need to meet audiences where they’re already spending time: on the internet. 

Enter digital marketing — in other words, any form of online marketing. If you’re curious about the ins and outs of online marketing, you’ve come to the right blogger. I’m here to answer your questions about all things digital marketing. Keep reading to learn more.

• What is digital marketing?
• Why is digital marketing important?
• Types of Digital Marketing
• What does a digital marketer do?
• Inbound Marketing vs. Digital Marketing: Which is it?
• Does digital marketing work for all businesses?
• How to Do Digital Marketing
• Digital Marketing Examples

So, how do you define digital marketing today?

A seasoned inbound marketer might say inbound marketing and digital marketing are virtually the same thing, but trust me when I say there are some minor differences.

In conversations with marketers and business owners in the U.S., U.K., Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, I’ve learned a lot about how those small differences are being observed across the world.

How does a business define digital marketing?

At this stage, digital marketing is vital for your business and brand awareness. It seems like every other brand has a website, and if they don’t, they at least have a social media presence or digital ad strategy.

Don’t believe me? Well, our 2024 State of Marketing Survey found that Social media is the highest ROI marketing channel and will see the most growth in 2024. 

Digital content and marketing are so common that consumers now expect and rely on it as a way to learn about brands. 

Because digital marketing has so many possibilities, you can get creative and experiment with a variety of marketing tactics on a budget.

Overall, digital marketing is defined by using numerous digital tactics and channels to connect with customers where they spend much of their time: online.

The best digital marketers have a clear picture of how each digital marketing campaign supports their overarching goals.

And depending on the goals of their marketing strategy, marketers can support a larger campaign through the free and paid channels at their disposal.

 

 

A content marketer, for example, could create a series of blog posts that generate leads from an ebook.

A social media marketer might help promote those blogs through paid and organic posts on the business’s social media accounts, and the email marketer could create an email campaign to send those who download the ebook more information on the company.

I’ll talk more about these specific digital marketers in a minute.

There are a few major benefits of digital marketing: 

1. You can focus your efforts on only the prospects most likely to purchase your product or service.

2. It’s more cost-effective than outbound marketing methods.

3. Digital marketing evens the playing field within your industry and allows you to compete with bigger brands.

4. Digital marketing is measurable.

5. It’s easier to adapt and change a digital marketing strategy.

6. Digital marketing can improve your conversion rate and the quality of your leads.

7. You can engage audiences at every stage with digital marketing.

Let’s dive deeper.

1. You can focus your efforts on only the prospects most likely to purchase your product or service.

If you place an advertisement on TV, in a magazine, or on a billboard, you have limited control over who sees the ad.

Of course, you can measure certain demographics — including the magazine’s typical readership or the demographic of a certain neighborhood — but it’s still largely a shot in the dark.

Digital marketing allows you to identify and target a highly-specific audience with personalized and high-converting marketing messages.

For instance, you might use social media targeting to show ads to a certain audience based on variables like age, gender, location, interests, networks, or behaviors.

Alternatively, you might use PPC or SEO strategies to serve ads to users who’ve shown interest in or searched for specific keywords related to your product, service, or industry. 

Ultimately, digital marketing helps you conduct the research necessary to identify your buyer personas and refine your strategy to ensure you’re reaching prospects most likely to buy.

2. It’s more cost-effective than outbound marketing methods.

Digital marketing helps you track day-to-day campaign performance, so you know what channels are performing well and which aren’t, helping you optimize your campaign budgets for high ROI.

The same can’t be said for traditional forms of advertising. It doesn’t matter how your billboard performs  — it still costs the same, even if it doesn’t convert. 

Plus, with digital marketing, you have complete control over where you choose to spend your money. Perhaps you spend money on design software to create high-converting Instagram content rather than paying for PPC campaigns.

A digital marketing strategy allows you to pivot continuously, ensuring you never waste money on channels that don’t perform well.

By and large, digital marketing is a more cost-effective solution and provides unique opportunities to ensure you get the most bang for your buck.

For instance, if you work for a small business with a limited budget, you might try investing in social media, blogging, or SEO – three strategies that can give you high ROI even with minimal spending.

3. Online marketing evens the playing field within your industry and allows you to compete with bigger brands.

If you work for a small business, it’s likely difficult for you to compete with the major brands in your industry, many of which have millions of dollars to invest in campaigns.

Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to outrank the big players through strategic digital marketing initiatives.

For instance, you might use long-tail keywords to create high-quality content that ranks on search engines. Search engines don’t care which brand is the biggest, but it does care about prioritizing content that resonates best with target audiences. 

4. Digital marketing is measurable.

While traditional advertising can be helpful for specific goals, its biggest limitation is measurability.

This is one of the biggest benefits of digital marketing, as it can give you a start-to-finish view of all the metrics that matter to your company — including impressions, shares, views, clicks, and time on page.

Unlike most offline marketing efforts, digital marketing allows marketers to see accurate results in real-time.

If you’ve ever put an advertisement in a newspaper, you’ll know how difficult it is to estimate how many people flipped to that page and paid attention to it. There’s no surefire way to know if that ad was responsible for any sales at all.

On the other hand, with digital marketing, you can measure the ROI of pretty much any aspect of your marketing efforts.

Here are some examples:

Website Traffic

With digital marketing, you can see the exact number of people who have viewed your website’s homepage in real-time by using digital analytics software available in marketing platforms like HubSpot.

You can also see how many pages they visited, what device they were using, and where they came from, amongst other digital analytics data.

This intelligence helps you prioritize which marketing channels to spend more or less time on based on the number of people those channels drive to your website.

For example, if only 10% of your traffic is coming from organic search, you know that you probably need to spend some time on SEO to increase that percentage.

With offline marketing, it can be difficult to tell how people interact with your brand before they interact with a salesperson or make a purchase.

With digital marketing, you can identify trends and patterns in people’s behavior before they’ve reached the final stage in their buyer’s journey, meaning you can make more informed decisions about how to attract them to your website right at the top of the marketing funnel.

Content Performance and Lead Generation

Imagine you’ve created a product brochure and posted it through people’s letterboxes — that brochure is a form of offline content. The problem is that you have no idea how many people opened your brochure or threw it straight into the trash.

Instead, imagine you have that brochure on your website. You can measure exactly how many people viewed the page it’s on, and you can use a form to collect the contact information of those who downloaded it.

It’s twofold: you measure how many people engage with your content and generate qualified leads when people download it.

Attribution Modeling

An effective digital marketing strategy combined with the right tools and technologies allows you to trace all of your sales back to a customer’s first digital touchpoint with your business.

We call this attribution modeling, and it allows you to identify trends in the way people research and buy your product, helping you to make more informed decisions about what parts of your marketing strategy deserve more attention, and what parts of your sales cycle need refining.

Connecting the dots between marketing and sales is hugely important.

According to LinkedIn, 87% of sales and marketing leaders say collaboration between sales and marketing enables critical business growth, but misalignment between both teams can damage financial performance.

If you can improve your customer’s journey through the buying cycle by using digital technologies, then it’s likely to reflect positively on your business’s bottom line.

5. It’s easier to adapt and change an online marketing strategy.

A lot of work goes into developing a marketing strategy. Generally, you will follow through with that strategy until completion, allow it to take effect, and then judge its results.

However, things do not always go according to plan. You may realize halfway through that a calculation was off, an assumption was incorrect, or an audience did not react how they were expected to.

Being able to pivot or adjust the strategy along the way is highly beneficial because it prevents you from having to start over completely.

Being able to change your strategy easily is a great benefit of digital marketing. Adapting a digital marketing strategy is a lot easier than other, more traditional forms of marketing, like mailers or billboard advertising.

For instance, if an online ad isn’t delivering as expected, you can quickly adjust it or pause it to yield better results.

6. Online marketing can improve your conversion rate and the quality of your leads.

As digital marketing makes it simpler to measure your marketing efforts, this makes improving your conversion rate simpler as well. Being able to measure the effectiveness of each tactic helps you develop better strategies.

Continuously refining your methods improves your conversion rate. Investing in online marketing ensures that everything is optimized for the highest amount of conversions.

Additionally, all leads do not offer the same value for your business. Digital marketing allows you to target a specific audience that will yield higher-quality leads that are more likely to become customers.

Connecting your business with the most valuable leads will directly improve your conversion rate.

7. You can engage audiences at every stage with digital marketing.

It’s essential to begin engaging your audience as early as possible. Making a connection at the first stage of the buyer’s journey helps push the lead through the customer funnel.

Using digital marketing allows you to accomplish that from start to finish and at every point in between.

Online channels allow you to follow the entire buying journey of your customers. Understanding and analyzing how customers are move and operate is important for converting leads.

Digital marketing allows you to track them through that process. And, even if they don’t convert in the early stages, it at least helps ensure they have made a connection with your business.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the most common digital marketing tactics and the channels involved in each one.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

This is the process of optimizing your website to “rank” higher in search engine results pages, thereby increasing the amount of organic (or free) traffic your website receives.

The channels that benefit from SEO include websites, blogs, and infographics.

There are a number of ways to approach SEO in order to generate qualified traffic to your website. These include:

• On-page SEO: This type of SEO focuses on all of the content that exists “on the page” when looking at a website. By researching keywords for their search volume and intent (or meaning), you can answer questions for readers and rank higher on the search engine results pages (SERPs) those questions produce.
• Off page SEO: This type of SEO focuses on all of the activity that takes place “off the page” when looking to optimize your website. “What activity not on my own website could affect my ranking?” You might ask. The answer is inbound links, also known as backlinks. The number of publishers that link to you, and the relative “authority” of those publishers, affect how highly you rank for the keywords you care about. By networking with other publishers, writing guest posts on these websites (and linking back to your website), and generating external attention, you can earn the backlinks you need to move your website up on all the right SERPs.
• Technical SEO: This type of SEO focuses on the backend of your website, and how your pages are coded. Image compression, structured data, and CSS file optimization are all forms of technical SEO that can increase your website’s loading speed — an important ranking factor in the eyes of search engines like Google.

For a real-life example on how to successfully implement SEO into your digital marketing strategy, check out our case study on Canva here:

2. Content Marketing

This term denotes the creation and promotion of content assets for the purpose of generating brand awareness, traffic growth, lead generation, and customers.

Want to learn and apply content marketing to your business? Check out HubSpot Academy’s free content marketing training resource page.

The channels that can play a part in your content marketing strategy include:

• Blog posts: Writing and publishing articles on a company blog helps you demonstrate your industry expertise and generates organic search traffic for your business. This ultimately gives you more opportunities to convert website visitors into leads for your sales team.
• Ebooks and whitepapers: Ebooks, whitepapers, and similar long-form content helps further educate website visitors. It also allows you to exchange content for a reader’s contact information, generating leads for your company and moving people through the buyer’s journey.
• Infographics: Sometimes, readers want you to show, not tell. Infographics are a form of visual content that helps website visitors visualize a concept you want to help them learn.
• Audio or visual content: Television and radio are popular channels for digital marketing. Creating content that can be shared online as a video or heard on the radio by listeners can greatly broaden your potential audience.

Stumped? Download 150+ content creation templates by clicking below: 

Download These Templates

3. Social Media Marketing

This practice promotes your brand and your content on social media channels to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and generate leads for your business.

If you’re new to social platforms, you can use tools like HubSpot to connect channels like LinkedIn and Facebook in one place.

This way, you can easily schedule content for multiple channels at once and monitor analytics from the platform as well.

On top of connecting social accounts for posting purposes, you can also integrate your social media inboxes into HubSpot, so you can get your direct messages in one place.

The channels you can use in social media marketing include:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Snapchat
• Pinterest

Many marketers will use these social media platforms to create a viral campaign. Partnering with a popular content creator or taking part in a trend that resonates with a wide audience is a viral marketing strategy.

The purpose is to create something shareworthy in the hopes that it will organically spread across a social media channel.

Don’t know how to get started with social media marketing? Download our free social media content calendar to get your social strategy up and running.

 

Download These Templates

4. Pay Per Click (PPC)

PPC drives traffic to your website by paying a publisher every time your ad is clicked.

One of the most common types of PPC is Google Ads, which allows you to pay for top slots on Google’s search engine results pages at a price “per click” of the links you place. Other channels where you can use PPC include:

• Paid ads on Facebook: Here, users can pay to customize a video, image post, or slideshow, which Facebook will publish to the news feeds of people who match your business’s audience.
• Twitter Ads campaigns: Here, users can pay to place a series of posts or profile badges to the news feeds of a specific audience, all dedicated to accomplishing a specific goal for your business. This goal can be website traffic, more Twitter followers, tweet engagement, or even app downloads.
• Sponsored Messages on LinkedIn: Here, users can pay to send messages directly to specific LinkedIn users based on their industry and background.

PPC can be hard to grasp at first, so we’ve created a beginner-friendly guide to get you started. Download it below: 

Download This Guide

5. Affiliate Marketing

This is a type of performance-based advertising where you receive a commission for promoting someone else’s products or services on your website. Affiliate marketing channels include:

• Hosting video ads through the YouTube Partner Program.
• Posting affiliate links from your social media accounts.

This is part of the relatively new wave of influencer marketing. Creating a campaign using influencers can be a highly effective form of affiliate marketing. Finding the right content creators can take your digital campaign to the next level.

6. Native Advertising

Native advertising refers to advertisements that are primarily content-led and featured on a platform alongside other, non-paid content.

BuzzFeed-sponsored posts are a good example, but many people also consider social media advertising to be “native” — Facebook advertising and Instagram advertising, for example.

7. Marketing Automation

Marketing automation refers to the software that automates your basic marketing operations. Many marketing departments can automate repetitive tasks they would otherwise do manually, such as:

• Email newsletters: Email automation doesn’t just allow you to automatically send emails to your subscribers. It can also help you shrink and expand your contact list as needed so your newsletters are only going to the people who want to see them in their inboxes.
• Social media post scheduling: If you want to grow your organization’s presence on a social network, you need to post frequently. This makes manual posting a bit of an unruly process. Social media scheduling tools push your content to your social media channels for you, so you can spend more time focusing on content strategy.
• Lead-nurturing workflows: Generating leads, and converting those leads into customers, can be a long process.You can automate that process by sending leads specific emails and content once they fit certain criteria, such as when they download and open an ebook.
• Campaign tracking and reporting: Marketing campaigns can include a ton of different people, emails, content, webpages, phone calls, and more. Marketing automation can help you sort everything you work on by the campaign it’s serving and then track the performance of that campaign based on the progress all of these components make over time.

8. Email Marketing

Companies use email marketing as a way of communicating with their audiences. Email is often used to promote content, discounts and events, as well as to direct people toward the business’s website.

The types of emails you might send in an email marketing campaign include:

• Blog subscription newsletters.
• Follow-up emails to website visitors who downloaded something.
• Customer welcome emails.
• Holiday promotions to loyalty program members.
• Tips or similar series emails for customer nurturing.

Learn more about email marketing with our free guide: 

Download This Guide

9. Online PR

Online PR is the practice of securing earned online coverage with digital publications, blogs, and other content-based websites. It’s much like traditional PR but in the online space.

The channels you can use to maximize your PR efforts include:

• Reporter outreach via social media: Talking to journalists on Twitter, for example, is a great way to develop a relationship with the press that produces earned media opportunities for your company.
• Engaging online reviews of your company: When someone reviews your company online, whether that review is good or bad, your instinct might be not to touch it. On the contrary, engaging company reviews helps you humanize your brand and deliver powerful messaging that protects your reputation.
• Engaging comments on your personal website or blog: Similar to how you’d respond to reviews of your company, responding to the people reading your content is the best way to generate productive conversation around your industry.

If you don’t have a dedicated PR team, it can be hard to get started. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Download our free PR kit below: 

Download This Guide

10. Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing refers to a marketing methodology wherein you attract, engage, and delight customers at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

You can use every digital marketing tactic listed above throughout an inbound marketing strategy to create a customer experience that works with the customer, not against them.

Here are some classic examples of inbound marketing versus traditional marketing:

• Blogging vs. pop-up ads
• Video marketing vs. commercial advertising
• Email contact lists vs. email spam

11. Sponsored Content

With sponsored content, you, as a brand, pay another company or entity to create and promote content that discusses your brand or service in some way.

One popular type of sponsored content is influencer marketing. With this type of sponsored content, a brand sponsors an influencer in its industry to publish posts or videos related to the company on social media.

Another type of sponsored content could be a blog post or article highlighting a topic, service, or brand.

12. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

When a potential lead is searching for a product or business related to yours, it’s a great opportunity for a promotion. Paid advertising and SEO are two great strategies for promoting your business to capitalize on those future leads.

Search engine marketing is another way to increase website traffic by placing paid ads on search engines. The two most popular SEM services are Bing Ads and Google Ads.

These paid ads fit seamlessly on the top of search engine results pages, giving instant visibility. This is also an example of effective native advertising.

13. Instant Messaging Marketing

Marketing your products through messaging platforms is a fast way to reach potential leads, even for those who haven’t offered up their cell phone number.

It’s a simple way to let your audience know about flash sales, new products, or updates about their orders. If your customers have questions or need more information, it’s also a convenient way for them to connect to customer service.

You can send messages directly to a mobile phone via text or on platforms like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

The digital marketer focuses on each channel’s key performance indicators (KPIs) to properly measure performance. For example, a digital marketer in charge of SEO might measure their website’s organic traffic. 

At small companies, one person might own many digital channels and tactics described above, while larger companies typically have a specialist focused on one or two brand channels.

Here are some examples of these specialists:

SEO Manager

Main KPIs: Organic traffic

SEO managers work to rank a business on Google SERPs.

Using various SEO strategies, this person might work directly with content creators to ensure the content is high-quality and up to Google’s standards, even if the company also posts this content on social media. 

Content Marketing Specialist

Main KPIs: Time on page, overall blog traffic, YouTube channel subscribers

Content marketing specialists are digital content creators. They might keep track of a blogging calendar, or develop a content strategy that includes video.

They often work with people in other departments to ensure products and campaigns are supported by promotional content on all digital channels. 

Social Media Manager

Main KPIs: Follows, Impressions, Shares

A social media manager’s role depends on each company and industry. But above all, social media managers manage social media by establishing a posting schedule for the company’s written and visual content.

They might also work with a content marketing specialist to develop a strategy for which content to share on social media. 

(Note: Per the KPIs above, “impressions” refers to the number of times a business’s posts appear on the newsfeed of a user.)

Marketing Automation Coordinator

Main KPIs: Email open rate, campaign click-through rate, lead-generation (conversion) rate

A marketing automation coordinator helps choose and manage the software a marketing team uses to understand customer behavior and measure business growth.

Many of the marketing operations described above might be executed separately, so it’s important for there to be someone who can group these activities into individual campaigns and track performance. 

Inbound Marketing vs. Digital Marketing: Which Is It?

Inbound marketing is a methodology that uses digital marketing assets to attract, engage, and delight customers online.

Digital marketing, on the other hand, is simply an umbrella term to describe online marketing tactics of any kind, regardless of whether they’re considered inbound or outbound.

Digital marketing is often compared to inbound marketing, but it doesn’t differentiate between ‘inbound’ and ‘outbound’ methods.

It’s more of an umbrella term for all marketing that involves digital communication, while inbound marketing is more of a strategy.

Digital outbound tactics put a marketing message in front of as many people as possible online — regardless of whether it’s relevant or welcomed.

For example, the garish banner ads you see on websites that push a product or promotion to people who aren’t necessarily ready to receive it. 

Marketers who employ digital inbound tactics use online content to attract their target customers by providing assets that are helpful to them.

One of the simplest yet most powerful inbound digital marketing assets is a blog, which allows your website to capitalize on the terms which your ideal customers are searching for.

Does online marketing work for all businesses?

Digital marketing can work for any business in any industry. Regardless of what your company sells, digital marketing still involves building buyer personas to identify your audience’s needs, and creating valuable online content.

However, that’s not to say all businesses should implement a digital marketing strategy in the same way.

B2B Digital Marketing

If your company is business-to-business (B2B), your digital marketing efforts are likely centered around online lead generation, with the end goal being for someone to speak to a salesperson.

The goal of your marketing strategy might be to attract and convert the highest quality leads for your salespeople via your website and to support digital channels. 

Beyond your website, you’ll probably choose to focus your efforts on business-focused channels like LinkedIn, where your demographic is spending their time online.

B2C Digital Marketing

If your company is business-to-consumer (B2C), depending on the price point of your products, it’s likely that the goal of your digital marketing efforts is to attract people to your website and have them become customers without ever needing to speak to a salesperson.

You’re probably less likely to focus on ‘leads’ in their traditional sense and more likely to build an accelerated buyer’s journey from when someone lands on your website to when they make a purchase.

This can mean that your product features are higher up in the marketing funnel than it might be for a B2B business, and you might need to use stronger calls-to-action to inspire purchases. 

For B2C companies, channels like Instagram and Pinterest are often more valuable than business-focused platforms like LinkedIn.

What types of digital content should I create?

The kind of content you create depends on your audience’s needs at different stages in the buyer’s journey.

You should start by creating buyer personas (use these free templates, or try makemypersona.com) to identify what your audience’s goals and challenges are in relation to your business.

On a basic level, your online content should aim to help them meet these goals, and overcome their challenges.

Then, you’ll need to consider when they’re most likely to be ready to consume this content in line with their stage in the buyer’s journey. We call this content mapping.

With content mapping, the goal is to target content according to:

1. The characteristics of the person who will be consuming it (that’s where buyer personas come in).
2. How close that person is to making a purchase (i.e., their lifecycle stage).

In terms of the format of your content, there are a lot of different things to try. Here are some options we’d recommend using at each stage of the buyer’s journey:

Awareness Stage

• Blog posts. Great for increasing your organic traffic when paired with a strong SEO and keyword strategy.
• Infographics. Very shareable, meaning they increase your chances of being found via social media when others share your content. (Check out these free infographic templates to get you started.)
• Short videos. Again, these are very shareable and can help your brand get found by new audiences by hosting them on platforms like YouTube.

Consideration Stage

• Ebooks. Great for lead generation as they’re generally more comprehensive than a blog post or infographic, meaning someone is more likely to exchange their contact information to receive it.
• Research reports. Again, this high-value content type is great for lead generation. Research reports and new data for your industry can also work for the awareness stage, though, as they’re often picked up by the media or industry press.
• Webinars. As they’re a more detailed, interactive form of video content, webinars are an effective consideration stage content format as they offer more comprehensive content than a blog post or short video.

Decision Stage

• Case studies. Having detailed case studies on your website can be an effective form of content for those ready to make a purchasing decision, as it helps you positively influence their decision.
• Testimonials. If case studies aren’t a good fit for your business, having short testimonials around your website is a good alternative. For B2C brands, think of testimonials a little more loosely. If you’re a clothing brand, these might take the form of photos of how other people styled a shirt or dress, pulled from a branded hashtag where people can contribute.

1. Define your goals.

When you get started with digital marketing, it’s critical to identify and define your goals since you’ll craft your strategy with them.

For instance, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, you might want to focus on reaching new audiences via social media.

Or maybe you want to increase sales on a specific product — if that’s the case, it’s more important you focus on SEO and optimizing content to get potential buyers on your website in the first place.

Additionally, if sales are your goal, you might test out PPC campaigns to drive traffic through paid ads.

Whatever the case, it’s easiest to shape a digital marketing strategy after you’ve determined your company’s biggest goals.

2. Identify your target audience.

We’ve mentioned this before, but one of the biggest benefits of digital marketing is the opportunity to target specific audiences – however, you can’t take advantage of that benefit if you haven’t first identified your target audience.

Of course, it’s important to note your target audience might vary depending on the channel or goal(s) you have for a specific product or campaign.

For instance, perhaps you’ve noticed most of your Instagram audience is younger and prefers funny memes and quick videos — but your LinkedIn audience is older professionals looking for more tactical advice.

You’ll want to vary your content to appeal to these different target audiences.

If you’re starting from scratch, feel free to take a look at How to Find Your Target Audience.

3. Establish a budget for each digital channel.

Your budget will depend on the elements of digital marketing you use. 

If you’re focusing on inbound techniques like SEO, social media, and content creation for a pre-existing website, the good news is you don’t need a big budget at all.

You can aim to create high-quality content your audience will want to consume, where the only investment you’ll need is your time.

You can get started by hosting a website and creating content using HubSpot’s CMS.

For those on a tight budget, you can get started using WordPress hosted on WP Engine, using a simple theme from StudioPress, and building your site without code using the Elementor Website Builder for WordPress.

With outbound techniques like online advertising and purchasing email lists, there is undoubtedly some expense. What it costs comes down to what kind of visibility you want to receive as a result of the advertising.

For example, to implement PPC using Google AdWords, you’ll bid against other companies in your industry to appear at the top of Google’s search results for keywords associated with your business.

Depending on the keyword’s competitiveness, this can be reasonably affordable or extremely expensive, which is why it’s a good idea to focus on building your organic reach too.

4. Strike a good balance between paid and free digital strategies.

A digital marketing strategy likely needs both paid and free aspects to truly be effective.

For instance, spending time building comprehensive buyer personas to identify your audience’s needs and creating high-quality online content that converts them, you’ll likely see strong results despite minimal ad spend. 

However, if paid advertising is part of your digital strategy, then the results might come even quicker.

Ultimately, aim to build your organic (or ‘free’) reach using content, SEO, and social media for more long-term, sustainable success.

When in doubt, try both, and iterate on your process as you learn which channels — paid or free – perform best for your brand.

5. Create engaging content.

Once you know your audience and have a budget, it’s time to start creating content for the various channels you will use.

This content can be social media posts, blog posts, PPC ads, sponsored content, email marketing newsletters, and more.

Of course, any content you create should be interesting and engaging to your audience because the point of marketing content is to increase brand awareness and improve lead generation.

6. Optimize your digital assets for mobile.

Another key component of digital marketing is mobile marketing.

In fact, smartphone usage as a whole accounts for 69% of time spent consuming digital media in the U.S., while desktop-based digital media consumption makes up less than half — and the U.S. still isn’t mobile’s biggest fan compared to other countries.

This means optimize your digital ads, web pages, social media images, and other digital assets for mobile devices is essential.

If your company has a mobile app that enables users to engage with your brand or shop for your products, your app falls under the digital marketing umbrella, too.

Those engaging with your company ovia mobile devices need to have the same positive experience as they would on a desktop. This means implementing a mobile-friendly or responsive website design to make browsing user-friendly on mobile devices.

It might also mean reducing the length of your lead generation forms to create a hassle-free experience for people downloading your content on the go.

As for your social media images, it’s important to always have a mobile user in mind when creating them, as image dimensions are smaller on mobile devices and text can be cut-off.

There are lots of ways you can optimize your digital marketing assets for mobile users, and when implementing any digital marketing strategy, it’s hugely important to consider how the experience will translate on mobile devices.

By ensuring this is always front-of-mind, you’ll be creating digital experiences that work for your audience, and consequently achieve the results you’re hoping for.

7. Conduct keyword research.

Digital marketing is all about reaching targeted audiences through personalized content — all of which can’t happen without effective keyword research.

Conducting keyword research is critical for optimizing your website and content for SEO and ensuring people can find your business through search engines.

Additionally, social media keyword research can also help market your products or services on various social channels.

You’ll still want to conduct keyword research even if you don’t have a full-time SEO strategist. Try creating a list of high-performing keywords related to your products or services, and consider long-tail variations for added opportunities.

8. Iterate based on the analytics you measure.

Finally, to create an effective digital marketing strategy for the long term, it’s vital your team learn how to pivot based on analytics.

For instance, perhaps after a couple of months you find your audience isn’t as interested in your content on Instagram anymore — but they love what you’re creating on Twitter.

Sure, this might be an opportunity to re-examine your Instagram strategy as a whole, but it might also be a sign that your audience prefers a different channel to consume branded content.

Alternatively, perhaps you find an older web page isn’t getting the traffic it used to. You might consider updating the page or getting rid of it entirely to ensure visitors are finding the freshest, most relevant content for their needs.

Digital marketing provides businesses with incredibly flexible opportunities for continuous growth — but it’s up to you to take advantage of them.

I’m ready to try online marketing. Now what?

If you’re already doing digital marketing, you’re likely reaching some segments of your audience online. No doubt you can think of some areas of your strategy that could use a little improvement, though.

That’s why we created a step-by-step guide to help you build a digital marketing strategy that’s truly effective, whether you’re a complete beginner or have a little more experience.

Next, let’s look at some examples of digital marketing that will be sure to inspire you.

1. Lego’s Rebuild the World Campaign

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This is a great example of a digital marketing campaign because it says something about the brand. In this campaign, Lego takes a stance on important global issues as a way to connect with its audience.

Nowadays, it’s becoming increasingly important for companies to discuss global issues and show alignment with their customers in that way. The major play of this campaign is to help share the brand’s story and messaging.

Given that 82% of customers shop from brands that share their values, this was a good move for the toy brand.

Pro-Tip: Consider a cause or concern important to your target audience. Then find a way to incorporate your stance on the matter in your marketing to show viewers that you share in their values. 

2. Dove’s Reverse Selfie Campaign

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As we continue to learn how social media affects children, especially young girls, Dove decided to send a message. The Reverse Selfie campaign shows the reverse of what a teen girl did to prepare for a selfie and photoshop the picture.

The purpose is to increase awareness of how social media can negatively impact self-esteem.

This is an excellent example of what marketing content can look like when you know your audience intimately.

By knowing its audience of real women, many of them parents, Dove was able to bring light to an often overlooked consequence of the growth of social media.

What I Like: Dove’s campaign shows the importance of knowing your audience to create relatable, understandable, and compelling content.  

3. Jennifer Lopez’s #InTheMorningChallenge

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In this social media campaign, Jennifer Lopez created a dance challenge to promote her new song. With this challenge, fans would do the same dance in their pajamas and in dress up clothes.

This was a successful social media campaign as the video had over 16 million views and over 5,000 posts.

Using social media is a great way to engage your audience and get them to participate with your brand one-on-one.

What I Like: The #InTheMorningChallenge is a great example of a challenge that is fun and simple enough for fans to participate in on their own. When creating a challenge or trend to promote your brand, remember K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart).  

4. Always’ #DayoftheGirl Campaign

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This is another digital campaign focused on emotional marketing. With this campaign, Always asked their own employees what tips they would give to girls. T

he women offer their valuable insight in a way meant to inspire everyone for International Day of the Girl, an international holiday that occurs annually in October.

Again, this isn’t a campaign where the product is mentioned much, but that isn’t the point. The point of this digital campaign was to inspire its audience.

What I Like: With that message, they could reach even more people, increase brand awareness, and show their audience that the brand aligns with their values.

5. Topicals – Email Marketing

Topicals, a skincare company, uses email marketing as part of a digital marketing strategy. The image below displays a marketing email that advertises a subscribe and save deal, where people get 20% off refills if they choose to subscribe.

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Pro-Tip: Notice how Topicals uses bold letters and colors to emphasize their deals and CTA button. Make sure to do the same in your own emails.

6. Ashley White – Affiliate Marketing

Ashley White is an esthetician who uses affiliate marketing. In her Twitter profile, she includes a link to a personal Linktree page where she shares referral codes and discounts for people that shop with her codes and links. 

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What I Like: As she markets herself as an ambassador for these companies, the businesses generate brand awareness as someone visiting her Linktree might be inspired to try a new brand (and an influencer recommendation can make this inspiration even more powerful). 

7. Samsonite – Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing is a great example of digital marketing, where brands bid on keywords and showcase ads for their products in SERPs when someone queries a related keyword. 

The image below is an example from Samsonite, where a query for the word “luggage” surfaces various luggage options from known brands that have created ads to feature their products front and center in search results. 

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8. Yes Williamsburg – Sponsored Ad 

Yes Williamsburg uses native advertising within its Instagram feed to share a paid sponsorship with a local Brooklyn business.

The Reel is tagged as a paid partnership, but it appears organically in a users feed like a standard post. The ad is also in line with Yes Williamsbug’s usual content of sharing information about unique local businesses for people to try. 

Pro-Tip: Today’s audiences (especially Gen-Z) do not like to be blatantly advertised to, so creating content that feels organic and natural is more helpful than content that feels like an advertisement. 

9. HubSpot Blog – Content Offers

Content offers are a form of digital marketing where businesses share helpful content with site visitors that it knows will benefit them.

For example, the HubSpot Blog often features content offers and learning material for people to learn more about the blog topic. 

For its blog post 11 Marketing Strategies for Black Owned Businesses, readers that want to know more about developing a marketing strategy can download an ebook for further learning. 

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10. For Keeps Bookstore – Local Business SEO

A search engine optimization strategy for many local businesses is an optimized Google My Business profile to appear in local search results when people look for products or services related to what you offer. 

For Keeps Bookstore, a local bookstore in Atlanta, GA, has optimized its Google My Business profile for local SEO so it appears in queries for “atlanta bookstore.”

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Integrate Digital Marketing Into Your Strategy

Any opportunity where you can connect to your audience is an opportunity to convert a lead or acquire a customer.

Digital marketing creates so many more of those opportunities by allowing you to reach prospective buyers through a wide variety of channels.

Whether it’s social media platforms, websites, text messages, or any online medium, it’s an invaluable way to promote your business, service, or product.

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in September 2019, but was updated for comprehensiveness.

A great logo is instantly recognizable, memorable, and closely connected to your brand’s core values and ideas. Just sit back and think about it, what logos are simply unforgettable? The first that comes to mind for me are iconic logos like Apple, Coca-Cola, and Nike. Logos like these are simple and elegant yet bold enough to leave a lasting impression.

When designing your logo, you can make a powerful impact on how your brand is perceived. Designing a timeless logo is challenging, I’m here to help. To get your logo right, you’ll need to have a firm grasp of your market, buyer personas, and your company’s ethos.

Ready to dive in?

Read on for logo design best practices, helpful tools, and a step-by-step guide to creating the perfect logo.

Table of Contents

• What is a logo?
• How to Design a Logo
• Types of Logos
• Logo Design Best Practices
• Logo Design Tools

How to Design a Logo

Designing a logo that embodies your brand can help you grow better, but doing it right is just as important. Here’s how to design the perfect logo, step-by-step.

1. Understand your brand.
2. Brainstorm words that describe your brand.
3. Sketch ideas based on these words.
4. Test your top sketches with your buyer persona.
5. Refine your chosen sketch.
6. Develop your logo’s layout on a free design platform.
7. Pick versatile color options.
8. Choose a font.
9. Ensure scalability.

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1. Understand your brand.

The first step to designing your logo is understanding your brand. Before you think about opening Canva or starting a sketch, you must pinpoint your brand’s story and the specific values and emotions you want to synthesize in your logo.

This process involves the exploration of your target audience, your buyer personas, and, most importantly, how you want people to feel when they perceive your logo.

“It’s through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good.” – Paula Scher

Graphic design icon Paula Scher hits the nail on the head with the above quote.

Distilling your brand story into a logo will be a challenge, and you should expect mistakes along the way. Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore when conceiving a logo that matches your brand.

2. Brainstorm words that describe your brand.

Use tools like Thesaurus.com to discover synonyms and other words that describe your brand’s central theme. Aim to choose five to ten words that best describe your brand’s ethos and use them to guide your logo design.

For example, if you‘re in the clothing industry, you might simply type in “clothing.” You’d be surprised by how descriptive the synonyms are that appear.

ou can even click these results to start new searches and dig deeper as you zero in on the words that best capture your brand.

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3. Create some sketches.

Now is the time to create some rough sketches. Allow your brand story and keywords to guide you and make some initial logo ideas.

Remember, these are your first drafts. The important thing is to get the ideas out of your head and onto the paper, so trust the process and just let the ideas flow. You’ll have the opportunity to refine your ideas later.

“The beauty of a first draft lies in its imperfections; it’s the starting point for refining ideas and finding the perfect balance.” – David Airey

Logo designer David Airey knows a thing or two about sketching. Embrace the imperfections of your first drafts and let your creativity flow!

As you’re sketching the concepts for your logo, keep these tips in mind:

• Keep the shape simple. You’re in good shape if you can sketch the most symbolic components in seven seconds or less.
• Avoid any popular clip-art artwork or generic symbols like a globe, star, or similar icons that people too quickly identify from other places.
• Be strategic about your use of color. Consider today’s color trends as well as popular colors in your industry. As a general rule, don’t choose more than three colors. Choose a color or group of colors that will make you stand out from your competition, but please, for the love of marketing, don’t use the whole rainbow!

4. Choose a sketch and refine it.

Now that you have some sketches, pick the one that speaks to you most and put on your thinking cap.

“Design is thinking made visual.” – Saul Bass

Make a deep effort to reflect on your brainstorming words and brand story and visualize your thoughts. Use your mental efforts to refine your logo sketch into a meaningful, deep, relatable design that ties back to your brand’s core values.

Easier said than done, but this is where the heavy lifting comes in.

5. Develop your logo’s layout on a free design platform.

If you’ve been working on paper until now, now is the time to bring your design to the computer and create a layout. Your logo layout is how individual elements of your logo are organized and positioned in relation to each other.

Here are some free tools you can use to scan your sketch and start creating a layout:

• Appy Pie’s Logo Maker
• Logo Crisp
• Looka
• DesignMantic
• GraphicSprings
• Turbologo

Proper alignment of your logo is the key here. Your logo doesn’t need to be perfectly symmetrical, but it should appear visually balanced.

“Whitespace is like air: it is necessary for design to breathe.” – Wojciech Zieliński

The whitespace between different elements of your logo is the unsung hero of your design and the secret you must uncover in this step of the process.

Strive for a crisp, balanced logo where everything feels like it’s in the right place. If your design looks great in black and white, then you know you have a well-balanced logo.

6. Choose your colors.

The color palette you choose for your logo says a lot about your brand.

For example, blue communicates trustworthiness and maturity, while red shows passion and excitement. Consider your brand story and the keywords you brainstormed earlier when choosing your logo colors.

“When you choose a new color palette, 60% of the palette should be dedicated to one color (usually, it’s a neutral color), another (complementary) color makes up 30% of the palette, and a third color (accent) is used for the remaining 10% of the design.” – Nick Babich

Product designer Nick Babich drops some wisdom about the three-color rule in design. You don’t need to choose multiple colors for your logo, but if you decide to go the multicolor route, keep everything harmonious by following this design principle.

7. Choose a font.

Now it’s time to combine text with imagery.

Consider the typeface this text will carry if your company name ever stands without your logo. If you decide on a wordmark or lettermark logo as opposed to a symbol, your font choice is even more crucial.

Believe it or not, your font choice can say a lot about your business. You can choose a font that’s either serif (with stems on each letter) or sans serif (no stems) — also known as classic or modern, respectively.

Stay away from generic fonts that come standard on every word processor. Some examples of generic fonts are Times New Roman, Lucida Handwriting, and Comic Sans. These fonts will only work against you and your company by making you less memorable.

“Display type is a visual voice. Without reading, it imparts its message.” – Laura Worthington

Designer and typography guru Laura Worthington hits the nail on the head regarding the importance of font selection. Your font choice goes beyond just conveying information as text; it is a crucial aspect of your design.

8. Ensure scalability.

Logos are meant to represent your company on multiple platforms — in print, on your website, on each of your social media business pages, and across the internet as your business grows.

You want a logo that can be blown up super large for a billboard or scaled down for screening onto the side of a pen.

Every part of your logo should be legible, regardless of the logo’s size.

9. Get feedback.

“There are three responses to a piece of design — yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.” – Milton Glaser

Once you feel your logo design is ready, consider sharing it with others and seeking constructive feedback.

Of course, you can seek input at any point in the process, but it is precious to get people’s reactions to your realized vision and reiterate from there.

Whew — still with us? We know this might seem a little overwhelming, but take it slow and don’t rush yourself.

It’s better to follow the process through to completion and end with a remarkable logo than to start over a few months later due to a design error or change of heart.

Once you’ve completed your logo, how can you tell if you scored a winner? Easy: Use our Logo Grader to assess the sustainability and effectiveness of your new logo.

With millions of logos worldwide, you may be surprised that they all fit into one of seven main categories.

Each logo type has its characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses, so choose the variety that best aligns with your brand values and goals when designing your logo.

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Emblems

An emblem is a logo incorporating text within a symbol for a cohesive image, often conveying formality and tradition. It is strong and impactful, yet challenging to separate for integration and may not reproduce well in small sizes.

Pictorial Marks (or Logo Symbols)

Pictorial marks, also known as logo symbols, are logo types that rely on a single image to represent a brand. These logos can be iconic and memorable and are effective at conveying a brand without text, yet may pose challenges in establishing brand recognition and connecting to the brand’s purpose without words.

Wordmarks (or Logotypes)

Wordmarks are text-based logos that use typography to turn the brand name into a logo, ideal for companies with unique names. They offer simplicity and integration ease, but may struggle to stand out or suit longer, less distinctive names.

Monogram Logos (or Lettermarks)

Monogram logos, also called lettermarks, use initials to create a concise logo suitable for companies with longer names. They are easy to remember and scale, but may require displaying the full brand name initially for recognition and could be confused with other brands if the initials are similar.

Abstract Logomarks

Abstract logos, such as the Pepsi logo, are unique representations of brands using geometric forms and colors instead of real-life images. They are inherently unique and capable of communicating complex ideas through simple shapes and colors but may be open to misinterpretation due to their abstract nature and unclear meaning for unestablished brands.

Mascot Logos

Mascot logos feature illustrated characters to personify a brand with a fun and friendly image, ideal for brands seeking a light-hearted and family-friendly appeal. They offer an inviting and controllable brand storytelling approach but may not suit serious or corporate brands, and their complex design can pose challenges for reproduction at smaller sizes.

Combination Marks

A combination mark integrates text with an icon, offering versatility by combining a brand name with a memorable symbol. This type of logo provides clarity in brand messaging but may become overly busy if not carefully designed and could face challenges in scaling down for smaller applications.

Logo Design Best Practices

1. Keep it simple.

Simplicity is key in logo design. Aim for a clean, uncluttered design that communicates your brand identity as straightforwardly as possible. The goal is for viewers to recognize and understand your logo instantly.

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Take Nike’s logo, for example. Its simplicity makes it iconic. There’s a reason they haven’t updated it since 1995.

2. Prioritize versatility.

Your logo should be versatile enough to work across various backgrounds and colors. Test your logo against multiple backgrounds and mediums to ensure legibility and clarity in all possible scenarios.

That means you should have alternate color palettes and logo orientations to suit any situation.

3. Design for your audience.

Your logo design should be consistent with how you perceive your brand and how your customers already perceive it.

You must consider your target audience’s buyer persona by researching their demographics and interests. Only then can you serve their expectations and needs in your design.

4. Be original.

Standing out from the pack is essential. Today, almost every market is saturated with competition and options. The design of your logo is as vital to carving out your niche as creating a unique value proposition.

Avoid generic logo designs and cliché symbols that are easily spotted elsewhere. For example, globe-based logos are a dime a dozen:

5. Be timeless.

Your logo should be iconic and timeless. Easy enough, right? Epochal logos like Coca-Cola’s are as rare as they are significant, but that doesn’t mean you can’t aim for a timeless logo as well.

A timeless logo means that it will never go out of style.

One way to ensure that is to steer clear of today’s hottest design trends (which will go out of style sooner or later). Instead, opt for a simple, classic design that would be comfortable representing your brand for years to come.

Logo Design Tools

1. HubSpot Logo Maker

Get started with HubSpot’s Logo Maker

Our logo maker can assist you in designing and customizing the ideal logo for your brand, offering a wide range of professionally designed templates that eliminate the need to start from scratch. By simply providing your industry, company name, and slogan, the tool will offer personalized recommendations tailored to your needs.

2. Canva

Canva is an all-in-one, web-based graphic design tool that you can use to design anything you can think of, including logos. Anybody can use Canva’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface and extensive library of templates and design assets.

In my opinion, Canva is one of the most accessible logo generators, as I have been using the platform for years, making professional graphics without a formal degree or training in design. And my favorite aspect is that you can use pre-existing colorways to create a more visually appealing and aesthetic logo.

Best for: Beginner designers and small business owners who desire a hands-on approach to logo creation.

Pricing: Free plans are available. Canva Pro costs $14.99 monthly. Canva for Teams costs $9.99 monthly for up to three users.

3. Adobe Illustrator

Illustrator is the industry-leading, vector-based graphics software from Adobe, the maker of other popular tools like Photoshop, Lightroom, and InDesign.

Illustrator is a staple for many professional design groups and can be used to create professional logos and limitless other designs.

Illustrator is vector-based, meaning graphics are made of points, lines, shapes, and curves based on mathematical formulas rather than a set amount of pixels.

Accordingly, an Illustrator logo can be scaled up or down while maintaining image quality.

Best for: Experienced design professionals and agencies that require powerful features and ultimate customization and control.

Pricing: Plans start at $22.99 monthly.

4. Hatchful

Hatchful is a fast and easy-to-use logo-maker tool from Shopify. The tool will ask you questions about your company’s industry, preferred visual style, brand name, and where you expect to use the logo (print, digital, etc.).

Using the provided information, Hatchful will automatically generate a slew of logo options, which you can select and further customize.

Best for: Entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to create a high-quality logo with minimal design effort quickly.

Pricing: Free.

5. Squarespace Logo Creator

Squarespace’s logo creator tool lets you quickly generate a clean-looking logo for your business. The logos that this tool empowers you to create are consistent with the modern and minimal aesthetic that Squarespace is known for.

Input your business name, and Squarespace allows you to serve it up in a beautiful font alongside an icon of your choice. The tool has thousands of vectorized icons and a curated selection of high-quality fonts.

Best for: Entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to quickly create a clean, minimal logo.

Pricing: Free.

6. Looka

Anyone can design a logo using Looka’s AI-powered logo creation engine. Input your brand name and industry, select your favorite colors, and pick some example logos that speak to you.

Based on your input data, Looka will generate an AI-curated selection of logos. Choose one and customize it to your heart’s content.

Best for: Entrepreneurs and small business owners without design experience who won’t compromise on the quality of their logo.

Pricing: A basic logo package costs $20 for a one-time purchase. A premium logo package is a $65 one-time purchase

7. CorelDRAW

CorelDRAW is a fully loaded, desktop-based vector design program that runs on Windows and macOS.

CorelDRAW is an alternative to Adobe Illustrator that offers nearly all the same functionality and allows you to transform sketches and ideas into fully-fledged logos.

Since you can purchase CorelDRAW outright instead of as a subscription, it can be a more budget-friendly choice than Adobe.

Best for: Professionals and experienced designers who require a complete design toolkit.

Pricing: Plans cost $22.42 monthly or $549 for a one-time purchase.

8. Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is another fully-featured desktop alternative to Adobe Illustrator that runs on macOS, Windows, and iPad.

It is considerably more budget-friendly than alternatives. It features a slick, dark UI, fast performance, and all the features a professional designer needs to create logos and other design assets.

Best for: Professional designers and agencies looking for a fully featured, budget-friendly alternative to Adobe.

Pricing: Affinity Designer is a $69.99 one-time payment.

Designing a Logo for Your Brand

Now that you know about the types of logos, the process for creating one, best practices, and some tools you can use, get started crafting the perfect logo for your brand.

Create a logo that captures your audience’s attention, communicates your brand values, and makes you stand out from the crowd.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in October 2023 and has since been updated for comprehensiveness.

For many years, Google algorithm updates have left marketers, SEOs, and business owners confused and concerned. I wonder if search engines like Google wait for you to get all of your ducks in a row, only to unleash an update that can make your efforts obsolete.

Plus, some secrecy behind how Google determines websites and their order of appearance on the search engine results page (SERPs) for different queries doesn’t help.

The good news is that there are several free and paid search engine optimization (SEO) tools for monitoring and auditing your site. Not only can these tools help you improve your ranking, they can help you reduce or eliminate the impacts of Google updates that may sweep through your industry.

Note: Some of the free tools below also offer paid plans, while some of the paid tools also offer free plans. We recommend you check the pricing pages for the tools that interest you to determine the ideal plan for your needs and goals.

For universal SEO tips, you can use today to grow your business, check out our video guide below.

Free SEO Tools

These tools are free to use, but you might find a paid option that has more features. We’ve shared some of the best features in each tool, as well as how you can get the most out of them for your SEO strategy.

1. HubSpot Website Grader

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The goal of marketing is to generate traffic and qualified leads via the company’s website. That’s why, as marketers, we need to understand what we can do to improve the SEO of websites we manage.

I like that with HubSpot’s Website Grader, you enter your website URL and receive a report with actionable SEO insights. Here’s the result of the HubSpot website from the grader:

If you check your website and your report is not looking good, you can sign up for the HubSpot Academy SEO course to learn how to improve your website’s SEO, user experience (UX), and more.

With the HubSpot Website Grader, you can:

• Website performance: Learn about your website’s performance in seconds, identify specific performance issues, and receive actionable feedback on how to fix them.
• On-demand support: Receive how-to education on improving your website.
• Improve specific website issues: Gain access to a five-lesson HubSpot Academy course on Website Optimization to understand how to improve challenges with your website.
• Optimize for mobile: Discover how to optimize your website for mobile.
• Boost web security: Learn how you can implement website security best practices.
• Enhance the user experience: Personalize your website’s UX to create a delightful experience for users.

2. Google Search Console

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Google Search Console has several tools available to help you appear in the SERPs for the search terms and phrases your target audience is looking for.

If you’re the owner of a business or an SEO on your marketing team, Search Console can help you conduct an initial SEO analysis from scratch or update your existing SEO strategy with fresh keywords. I like that Google Search Console monitors, debugs, and optimizes your website — and you don’t need to know how to code to benefit from this tool.

Here are some website elements Google Search Console will teach you about and help you optimize:

• Keywords: Learn about the keywords your web pages are currently ranking for.
• Crawl Errors: Identify any crawl errors that exist on your website.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Understand how mobile-friendly your website is and discover opportunities to improve the mobile experience for users.
• Google Index: See how many of your web pages are in Google’s Index (if they aren’t in Google’s index, you can use the tool’s URL Inspection Tool to submit a page for indexing).
• Analytics and Metrics: The website-related metrics that matter most to you, like clicks, impressions, average click-through rate (CTR), and average position.

3. Google Analytics

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Although Google Analytics has a paid version, the free version of the product can help you manage your website’s SEO — this is especially true if you pair Google Analytics with Google Search Console (which I recommend). In doing so, all of your website’s SEO data will be centrally located and compiled, and you can use queries to identify areas for improvement with the keywords and phrases you want your website and web pages to rank for.

Other ways that you can use the free version of Google Analytics are:

• Filtering your referral traffic: Get rid of the traffic that has the potential of ruining SEO reports, such as fake traffic.
• Comparing organic versus non-organic website traffic: Understand where your visitors are coming from and optimize those channels to increase traffic.
• Determining engagement metrics: Use Site Content Reports to determine engagement metrics on each web page, engagement for the directories and pages on your website, page exit metrics, and acquisition, behavior, and conversion of landing pages.
• Reviewing the Multi-Channel Report’s Assisted Conversions feature: Identify which of your channels led to the most conversions and the value they bring to your business.

4. The Free SEO Report Card by Singularity Digital

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The Free SEO Report Card by Singularity Digital lets you analyze your website to determine how it stacks up against the competition.

In exchange for your email address and a few data points, the SEO Report Card will cover:

• A website score — a score from A+ to F ranking your site’s overall SEO strength and a breakdown of it per category.
• Rank analysis — a snapshot of your website ranking across the world.
• Link building — a breakdown of the websites that link to your site and your domain link strength.
• On-site analysis — a look at how successful you were in implementing on-page SEO elements like headings and alt tags.
• Website accessibility — information about your site’s mobile usability and how it displays on different devices.

5. Internet Marketing Ninjas

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Internet Marketing Ninjas is an SEO-focused company with a variety of free tools for comparing your website against the competition, optimizing web pages for certain keywords, generating meta tags, and increasing organic traffic to your website.

Here are some examples of the free Internet Marketing Ninja SEO tools you can take advantage of:

• Broken link tool. Identify broken links and redirects and use the site crawl feature to generate an XML sitemap of your website.
• Image metadata. See all of your page links (external, internal, etc.) on your web pages to review what’s working well and what’s broken or needs an update.
• On-page optimization tool. Use this to evaluate your web page content, meta information, and internal links.
• Side-by-side comparison. Compare the SEO of your web pages versus a competitor’s web pages.
• Page speed tool. Analyze page-load time and how long each component of a web page takes to fully display.

6. Bing Webmaster

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Microsoft Bing Webmaster gives you access to many tools that offer insight into your website, such as reporting, diagnostic, and SEO tools. The SEO tools you can use for free can help you analyze your website, manage backlinks, and review keywords to ensure your site is well-optimized for organic search.

Here are other things you can do with the Bing Webmaster SEO tools:

• Seeing backlink profiles. Learn about your backlink profile to understand referring pages, domains, and anchor links.
• Performing keyword research. Determine which keywords and phrases your audience is searching for, as well as the search volumes of those keywords and phrases.
• Using the site scanning feature. Crawl your website and identify technical SEO errors.
• Getting SEO reports. Review any errors on your website and individual site pages.

7. Google Trends

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Traditional SEO tools are great for conducting research and audits when your business is already established. But what if you’re starting a new business venture and want to know what popular industries, topics, and ideas people are exploring? Google Trends is a great place to explore the untapped potential that can yield a large keyword landscape for your website.

Note that Google Trends isn’t where you’ll get granular data. I think this tool performs best when you use it as a compass to set a direction for your SEO strategy and then pair those insights with a more robust software like HubSpot’s SEO Marketing Tool.

Here’s what you should look for in Google Trends:

• Trends: Look for trends in specific countries or regions of the world.
• Popular topics: Find popular people and long-tail keywords related to them.
• Comparisons: Compare and contrast trends over time.

8. Seolyzer

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Seolyzer is a free SEO tool for site crawling, log analysis, and determining how search engines like Google view your website. Seolyzer pulls information that crawling bots leave in your server’s log files while browsing your site. The tool also identifies error codes, redirects, and page speed performance.

Additionally, Seolyzer can help you:

• Monitor SEO issues: Identify poor response time, error messages, and crawl volume so you can resolve them before serious damage is done.
• Manage your unique KPIs: Analyze page performance, crawl volume, HTTP status codes, active and new pages, and desktop versus mobile responsiveness.
• Segment web pages: Determine what your most crawled pages are.
• Compare web pages: See what Google deems as the most important to the pages that are crucial to your business’s bottom line.
• Measure SEO impact: Understand the impact of your SEO efforts on a page-by-page basis or by the category of the page.

9. SEOquake

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SEOquake is a Google Chrome extension that automatically checks a web page’s SEO parameters quickly for free. This includes on-page SEO audits, internal and external link reviews, real-time URL and domain comparison, and data file export.

Other things you can use SEOquake for are:

• Link Analysis: Get a detailed description of your link performance — including URLs, anchor text, and other link types — with the tools Link Examiner feature.
• Focus on metrics that matter: Adjust your SEOquake reports to display only the parameters and metrics that you care about.
• Audit your website’s SEO: Identify any SEO-related issues that search engines can find.
• Share your findings with stakeholders: Export the results of your SEO analysis into a customizable and shareable report.

10. Seobility

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Seobility is a free SEO-checker tool. With it, you can test your website’s level of compliance with today’s SEO guidelines. I like this tool because when you enter your URL, Seobility will analyze your site and provide some custom website optimization tips.

Besides the detailed SEO audit of your website, you’ll gain access to 1,000 subpage audits, email reporting and alerts, and keyword monitoring.

Here are some more features you can leverage when using Seobility:

• Finding technical errors: Resolve on-page SEO issues quickly to recover lost traffic and prevent future traffic dips.
• Accurate SEO scoring: Receive an SEO score that accounts for various website factors, including meta-information, page quality, link structure, and more.
• Meta information analysis. Understand the specific SEO issues with your meta information, such as meta titles/descriptions, meta tags, and invalid or incorrect domain names or page URLs.
• Optimization opportunities. Identify areas for improvement regarding your page speed and quality (related to text, duplicate content, responsive design, and alt attributes for content).
• Link structure suggestions. Understand how your page and link structure can be improved by getting data about your headers, internal links, and incorrect anchor text.
• Server error fixes. Identify specific server errors related to any redirects, HTTP headers, or CSS and Javascript files.

11. Check My Links

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Check My Links is a Google Chrome extension that ensures your links on both internal and external web pages work. For instance, if you were to search for a term on Wikipedia, Check My Links could tell you how many links that Wikipedia page has and how many of those links are broken.

I find it helpful because I can make corrections to broken links immediately (or, hopefully, before a page goes live). Check My Links is ideal for developers, content editors, and web designers, according to its creators.

 

Here are some more examples of what Check My Links can do:

• Identifying broken links: Check each link on your web pages and identify all invalid links.
• Auto-highlight issues: Quickly see the good links in green and the broken links in red.
• Export broken links for further analysis: Copy all of your bad links to your clipboard in one click.

12. BROWSEO

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BROWSEO is an SEO browser for reviewing your website in a limited format to analyze its UX, content, and SEO. Once you input the URL, the output will hone in on your HTML so you’re able to understand the page’s structure, optimized search terms, and other SEO-related factors.

Here’s the snapshot of what we got by entering this article about SEO tips into BROWSEO:

Examples of what you can do with BROWSEO include:

• Seeing the number of words on the page: Find the sweet spot for copy length on your web pages.
• Determining the number of internal and external links on your page: This allows you to see how your linking strategy is working on each page.
• Seeing all of your meta information: Review title tags, alt text, and meta descriptions.

13. CWVIQ Alerts

CWVIQ is a free email notification service for website owners to monitor site speed and get notified when pages load slowly. 

Page speed and Core Web Vitals are essential SEO components that can impact your rankings and user experience. With CWVIQ, you can monitor these. CWVIQ also sends subscribers a weekly summary of the monitored speed through the week, along with CWV metrics.

Examples of what you can do with CWVIQ include:

• Monitoring website performance: Obtain weekly reports and analytics on page speed and web performance
• Optimize backend performance: Identify underperforming website elements to improve load times and user experience

14. PageSpeed Insights

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This free SEO tool measures and reports the user experience of your website on mobile and desktop using Google’s Core Web Vitals. It also identifies problems and suggests changes you can implement to improve the page’s speed. 

Here are some things PageSpeed Insights allows you to do:

• Monitoring page load speed. See how quickly the elements of your web pages load on mobile and desktop.
• Improving site navigation. Find opportunities to improve your website’s accessibility and navigation.
• Bettering UX improvement. Identify problems slowing down your website and performance.  Find suggestions to create a better user experience.
• Performing UX analysis. Discover an in-depth analysis of your site’s user experience with essential metrics like:
  • First contentful paint — how long it takes for a user to see content on the screen.
  • First input delay — the time before a page becomes interactive and responds to the user’s first interaction, like clicking a link.
  • Cumulative layout shift — how stable the page elements are as it loads.
  • Largest contentful paint — How quickly the user can see the largest page element.

15. Schema.org

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Search bots scrape structured and unstructured data from web pages. But the bots are not always accurate. 

Schema or structured data is a semantic vocabulary of tags that you can add to a page’s HTML to help crawlers understand the page’s content. Search engine companies created it as a unified language for structured website data.

This code helps search engines display your content in rich format (search results other than the traditional blue link text). For example, the recipes displayed below are rich results:

Schema data helps search engines show your pages for the right search query, increasing your website’s CTR and site visits.

Note that Google only uses 35 of the schema types. However, they don’t penalize you for including structured data they don’t use. Check out their rich results page to learn more about the schema types you can implement on your website.

Schema.org helps you to:

• Explore several ranking opportunities, including rich results like knowledge panels, FAQs, carousels, images, videos, etc.
• Add schema to any website page. Structure page data to help search engines easily find and categorize your website.
• Enhance your website’s appearance. This gives you a competitive edge in the SERPs.

Paid SEO Tools

Next, let’s look at some paid SEO tools. (Note that some of these tools have free trial periods. Some also offer entirely free plans but with restrictions in terms of flexibility and customization).

1. HubSpot SEO Marketing Software

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Price: $45/ mo for the Starter plan, $800 for professional, and $3,200 for enterprise.

HubSpot’s Marketing Hub includes an SEO marketing software tool that’s perfect for helping you build authority across your website. Since this software is integrated with HubSpot landing pages, web pages, and blog posts, you’ll never miss an opportunity to optimize your content for traffic and conversions.

Whether you’re creating your first content strategy or you’re an expert in all things SEO, HubSpot’s SEO Marketing Software gives you the tools and the confidence to rank in the SERP and report on your performance.

HubSpot’s marketing software doesn’t keep SEO in a silo. This tool works in conjunction with:

• Email: Send professional emails using your own branded designs.
• Marketing Automation: Create dynamic campaigns for segmented audiences.
• Lead Management: Track leads through each stage in your sales process.
• Analytics: Review your campaign to identify success and opportunities for improvement.

2. Ahrefs

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Price: Limited free features available. Plans cost $99/mo for lite, $179/mo for standard, $399/mo for advanced, and $999/mo for enterprise.

Ahrefs is an advanced SEO resource that examines your website property and produces keyword, link, and ranking profiles to help you make better content decisions.

Some of Ahrefs’ main features are:

• A site explorer, which shows you the performance of specific web pages on your website.
• A content explorer. This allows you to search high-performing web pages under specific keywords and topics.
• A keywords explorer, which generates the monthly search volume and click-through rates of specific keywords.
• Site audits, which crawl specified verticals within your domain and reveal technical issues at the page level.

3. SEMrush

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Price: $129.95/mo for pro, $249.95/mo for guru, or $499.95/mo for business.

Semrush is an elaborate dashboard that reports on the performance of domains as a whole and their specific pages. Semrush offers numerous resources, one of which is the SEO Toolkit.

I like Toolkit because it allows you to track a website’s visibility improvement over time as well as identify which keywords it’s ranking for, what the page’s rank is for a keyword, the keyword’s monthly search volume, and more.

SEMrush also allows you to:

• Build links. Analyze backlinks from other websites to your site.
• Use the Keyword Magic tool. Identify all keywords you need to successfully build an SEO strategy.
• See your competitors’ strategies. Identify the paid keywords or ad copy used in your competition’s PPC ads.
• Receive recommendations. See how you can increase your organic traffic by optimizing your content.

4. Sitechecker

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Price: a 7-day free trial is available. Plans cost $49/mo for basic; $199/mo for standard, and $399/mo for premium.

Sitechecker is a comprehensive solution for SEO auditing that identifies opportunities to increase organic search traffic. Sitechecker is used to automatically monitor your website performance, inform you of timely error detection, and search for growth points.

Some of the top features Sitechecker offers include:

• Site audits. Track all types of errors on the site at a rate of 150 pages per minute. Fine-tuning is available to monitor website function with automatic notification when problems are detected.
• Rank tracking. Track positions of keywords for specific queries in any search network of choice, on any devices, and in a given region. Convenient service with the results and daily reports sent to your email.
• Backlink tracking. Keep track of backlink changes around the clock to avoid losing any valuable links. Control and decide which links to collect and track.
• An all-in-one Chrome Extension. Instantly check the keyword and SERP positions within your browser.

5. SEOptimer

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Price: A free trial is available. Plans cost $19 a month for DIY SEO, $29 a month for white labeling, and $59/month for white labeling and embedding.

SEOptimer is an SEO audit and reporting tool used by digital agencies to create white-label audits and embed an audit form on their website for lead generation. SEOptimer’s reports are comprehensive and check over 70 data points.I like that you can run free site audits right from their homepage. An overall score is applied for the site, and additional scores are broken down into five categories: On-page SEO, Backlinks, Usability, Performance, and Social media (including Local SEO). The report contains details about each check and indicates a pass/fail, together with recommendations on how to improve.

Some of the top features SEOptimer offers include:

• Unlimited white label audits. Create customized, white-labeled SEO audits.
• Embeddable audit tool. Fully customize and embed a site audit form into your agency website to generate new leads.
• An SEO crawler. Scans every page of a site for problems and identifies issues holding back a site from ranking.
• A keyword research tool. Perform keyword research quickly, see search volume, competition, traffic, and CPC.

6. KWFinder

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Price: A free trial is available. Plans cost $29 a month for entry, $49 a month for basic, $69 a month for premium, and $129 a month for agency.

Sometimes, you don’t need an SEO tool with all the bells and whistles if you only need to do keyword research. I think KWFinder is a great software that fills the gap between nuts-and-bolts SEO work and copywriting. You’ll find keywords that aren’t too difficult to rank for but still carry the potential to bring in traffic.

What makes KWFinder unique is how seamlessly it shifts between languages and regions so that you can serve your audience no matter where in the world they are.

Some of the top features KWFinder offers include:

• Hidden long-tail keyword insights. Find long-tail keywords that give you more opportunities to acquire traffic.
• Competitor keyword insights. See how your competitors’ keyword strategy compares to your own, plus find more keyword opportunities.
• A SERP analysis tool. Analyze competition in the SERP to understand what elements readers are looking for on your pages.
• A local keyword research tool. See what searchers are looking for locally and appeal to local markets for more niche traffic.

7. GrowthBar

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Price: A free 7-day trial is available. Plans cost $36 a month for standard, $74.25 a month for pro, and $149.25 a month for agency.

GrowthBar is an AI tool and SEO auditing tool for performing keyword research, writing, doing competitive analysis, and tracking SEO rankings. With the GrowthBar Chrome extension, you can access data about any website directly from the SERPs. 

This allows you to evaluate your competitors’ performance and view the growth channels, keywords, backlinks, and ads that are working for them.

Here are some more key features of GrowthBar:

• Top keywords and backlinks. See which paid and organic keywords are driving the most traffic for your website and get a list of the most authoritative backlinks pointing to your site.
• Get your keyword difficulty score. Quickly assess the difficulty of ranking a keyword based on the strength of the domain authorities of the URLs ranking on page one.
• Use the word count tool. View the word count of any page directly from the SERP.
• Use the keyword suggestions tool. Get a list of related keywords you might want to rank for, along with their search volume and cost per click.

8. Woorank

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Price: A free 3-day trial is available. Plans cost $89.99 a month for pro and $199.99 a month for premium. Contact Woorank for an enterprise quote.

Woorank’s in-depth site analysis helps marketers reveal opportunities for optimization and improvement. This analysis takes into account the performance of existing SEO initiatives, social media, usability, and more.

Each report is divided into sections to help you easily analyze your site and identify targets for optimization. Here are a few features of the report:

• Marketing checklist. Review common marketing tasks that you can complete as part of your SEO strategy execution.
• SEO. Analyze your SEO metrics against your goals.
• Mobile optimization. Decide which mobile optimization tactics to employ based on the mobile data.
• Social analysis. Get insight into how social media is playing a part in your traffic and SEO goals.

9. BuzzStream

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Price: Free 30-day trial, $24/ mo for Starter, $124/ mo for Group, $299/ mo for Professional, $999+ for Custom

Price: A free 14-day trial is available. Plans cost $24 a month for starter, $124 a month for group, $299 a month for professional, and $999+ for custom.

Backlinks are crucial for getting your website to rank well on Google. However, the outreach process is daunting and can feel a lot like cold calling. With BuzzStream, you can easily research the appropriate people, come up with effective email messages, and track who’s accepted each link request.

BuzzStream also helps you:

• Identify candidates for outreach. Find them based on their industry and how engaged they are across various social networks.
• Identify candidates for backlinks. These are individuals who will likely be receptive to your backlink request for other reasons that are unique to your business’s niche.

10. Moz Pro

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Price: Free 30-day trial, $99/ mo for Standard, $149/ mo for Medium, $249/ mo for Large, $599/ mo for Premium

Price: A free 30-day trial is available. Plans cost $79 a month for standard, $143 a month for medium, $239 a month for large, and $479 a month for premium.

The Moz Pro subscription serves as an all-in-one tool for increasing your website search ranking. Moz’s collection of research tools provides subscribers with the resources they need to identify SEO opportunities, track growth, build reports, and optimize their efforts.

Moz Pro also includes:

• A website crawler, which analyzes up to 3,000 links on a given URL.
• Email reports, which detail the crawl data for the pages your site links to.
• Insight into various “crawlability” factors. These include duplicate content and redirects that could be influencing your SEO performance.

11. Linkody

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Price: A 30-day free trial is available. Plans cost $14.90 a month for webmaster, $24.90 a month for advanced, $49.90 a month for pro, $99.90 a month for agency, and $153.90 a month for agency XL.

The best way to understand the performance of your off-page SEO is by having a good overview of your backlinks. Linkody allows you to discover, track, analyze, and disavow backlinks, all from an easy-to-use interface.

Aside from that, the tool checks your links 24/7 and informs you of any changes so you can take immediate action in case a link is lost or broken.

Other Linkody features include:

• A way to “Spy” on your competitors’ backlinks. Enter the URL of your competitor and let the tool pull all the links and metrics. The information returned will help you discover niche-relevant, high-quality backlink opportunities for your brand.
• Methods to gain useful insights. See your most important metrics when it comes to backlink tracking, such as the ‘rel’ attribute, Google indexation status, the website’s Domain Authority, Spam Score, Alexa rank, and more.
• The means to create white-label reports. Download reports you can share with your team and/or clients to get a better idea of your backlink distribution and link-building progress.

12. Screaming Frog SEO Spider

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Price: Free plans are available. Paid plans cost $259 a year.

Designed specifically for the SEO-minded, this program crawls the websites you specify, examining the URLs for common SEO issues. This program simplifies and expedites an otherwise time-consuming process — especially for larger websites. (It could take hours or days to manually evaluate the same URLs.)

Other notable features of Screaming Frog SEO Spider are:

• A Java program. Screaming Frog includes an intuitive Java program with easy-to-navigate tabs.
• Easy export to Excel, so you can further analyze your SEO data.

13. Remove’em

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Price: You can pay a one-time fee of $249 for the lifetime plan. A one-website subscription costs $99 a month. A 10+ website agency plan costs $899 a month.

If you’re buying a website domain that has been used in the past, or you’re rebuilding a poor SEO strategy, you may discover some problematic backlinks while conducting your audit. Artificial or unnatural links have the potential to seriously hurt your search ranking. Remove’em helps get rid of those links.

This tool can:

• Scan your backlink profile. Discover a list of contact information for the links and domains you’ll need to reach out to for removal.
• Export a list of backlinks. If you wish, you can disavow backlinks by telling Google not to take these “bad” links into account when crawling your site.

14. AnswerThePublic

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Price: Plans cost $9 a month for individuals, or $99 a month when billed annually. Expert plans cost $199 a month.

AnswerThePublic is a search listening and keyword tool that gets autocomplete data from Google and other search engines. Entering a keyword into this tool gives you a list of phrases and questions people are searching for around your keyword.

With AnswerThePublic, you can also:

• Receive updates. See when people are talking about your most relevant keywords.
• Monitor keyword trends. Understand keyword research behavior among your target audience and customers.
• See real-time searches. View the keywords and phrases your audience is researching in real time.
• Get ideas for your website and blog. Discover new content ideas based on relevant keyword research.

15. Keyword Hero

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Price: A 14-day trial of any plan is available. The little hero plan is free. Plans cost $9 a month for big hero, $49 a month for giant hero, and $149 a month for ultimate hero.

Keyword Hero pairs your visitors’ sessions with the keywords they used to land on your page, all within your Google Analytics account. In other words, this tool lets you understand the search intent of your organic traffic.

Here are some more actions I love that you can take with Keyword Hero:

• Identify organic traffic and conversions. Uncover the success you receive from your intended keywords.
• Separate traffic. Identify brand versus non-brand search traffic.
• Optimize your position in the SERPs. Optimize your website for specific target keywords.
• See query details. Understand whether your visitors used informational versus transactional queries to find your website.

16. SpyFu

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Price: Plans cost $39 a month for basic and $79 a month for professional.

SpyFu is a competitor keyword research tool for Google Ads. In addition to keyword research, it helps with PPC competitive research, SEO competitive research, and the creation of custom lists and domains.

The tool helps you drive traffic to your Google Ads campaigns and website, monitor both paid and organic rankings on Google, Bing, and Yahoo, and obtain reliable and accurate contact information for leads.

With SpyFu, you can also:

• Download a competitor’s PPC keywords. Use this insight to develop more competitive PPC strategies that can compete in the ad space.
• Download a competitor’s SEO keywords. Use this insight to develop more competitive organic keyword strategies that can compete in the SERP.
• Review ranking trends. Access the ranking of a page or website for a keyword over time.
• Discover keyword ideas. Get keyword insights for your Google Ads to increase your chances of conversion.

17. Seomator

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Price: A free 7-day trial is available. Plans cost $49 a month for lite, $99 a month for standard, and $279 a month for advanced.

Seomator is an SEO auditing and website crawling tool. It assists with technical SEO analysis and on-page optimization testing. 

Once the tool crawls your site, you’ll receive an SEO report that explains your website’s SEO-related elements including internal and external links, backlinks, page quality and speed, social media, organic presence, and more.

I especially like that your analysis comes with tips for improving each SEO element. 

In addition, you can:

• Use the SEO monitoring alerts feature. Your website will be automatically crawled, and you’ll get an immediate notification if something is problematic in terms of SEO.
• Get detailed reports. Find insights about your on-page and off-page SEO elements.
• Use the domain comparison tool. Compare two competitors’ websites to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their SEO (such as broken links, content quality, HTML tags, and more).

18. ContentKing

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Price: Plans cost $139 a month for basic, $319 a month for standard, $449 a month for pro, and $1,279 a month for enterprise.

ContentKing is a real-time SEO auditing and content tracking tool — it tracks your website 24/7, so any issues related to SEO don’t go unnoticed for too long. I like that the tool is cloud-based, meaning there’s no installation required, and your data and reports are available whenever you need them.

With ContentKing, you can also:

• Improve your SEO. Use ContentKing’s 24/7 website audits (and algorithms) to gain insight into your SEO and receive tasks for optimizing your web pages.
• Get alerts. Get notified whenever something on your website is broken or is no longer well-optimized so you can efficiently fix the issue.
• Track changes. Follow the history of all your content changes on your site (such as changes on individual web pages and changes in robots.txt) and search the history of your changes.
• Visualize data. See real-time dashboards and reports.

19. SE Ranking

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Price: Plans cost $44 a month for essential, $87.20 a month for pro, and $191.20 a month for business.

SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO platform that analyzes website health and performance keyword rankings and traffic. It also provides insights into your competitors, allowing you to better understand the SEO landscape and adjust your marketing strategy. 

Since SE Ranking is a white-label SEO tool, you can build custom SEO reports with branding and personalization options.

With SE Ranking, you can also:

• Perform keyword rank checks. Monitor your and your competitors’ keyword positions and provide accurate keyword rank analysis, evaluate SEO potential, and show historical data changes.
• Conduct website health audit. Evaluate all your website pages to create an in-depth report of website tech and performance errors with actionable tips on how to resolve them.
• Complete competitor analyses. Scope your competitors’ website traffic dynamics, keyword rankings, and other data in organic and paid searches. 

• Conduct backlinks analyses. Analyze any website and create a complete report of the backlink profile with dynamics of new and lost site links and referring domains, anchor text distribution, and pages linked out to the most.

20. ContentShake AI

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Price: Free plans are available. A paid plan costs $60 a month.

ContentShake AI is a Semrush app with ChatGPT-like natural language processing (NLP) and SEO features. It enables you to produce search-optimized article drafts. The AI tool automates content creation from ideation to optimization and publishing.

I love ContentShake AI because it helps you with content creation by generating niche-based or general content ideas, and it allows you to create, edit, and publish SEO articles to your WordPress site. It also simplifies sentences and rephrases sections to your satisfaction and assesses your content’s readability and tone of voice.

Here are some ContentShake AI features that you can take advantage of:

• Title. Find topics suggested by AI and used by your competitors.
• Keywords. Assess the keyword efficiency, monthly search volume, and keyword difficulty of the keywords you want to rank for.
• Introduction. Choose from several introductions and customize them to fit your target audience.
• Structure. Discover keyword-optimized H2s and H3s.
• Images. Select images from Unsplash and see photos from competing websites. 
• Facts and data. Select relevant data from top research platforms.
• Articles for inspiration. Glean ideas from suggested articles.

21. Respona

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Price: Plans cost $79 a month for starter and $399 a month for pro. Custom quotes are available for unlimited plans.

Respona is a link-building platform for building personalized outreach campaigns. This SEO tool lets you find quality link-building opportunities, get stakeholders’ contacts, send custom emails, and build recurring outreach campaigns. 

Respona can help you:

• Find outreach contacts. Automatically find the perfect contact for your outreach campaigns, including their email and LinkedIn profile.
• Implement the Skyscraper Technique. Get contextual backlinks from articles linking to competitors’ pages ranking for relevant target keywords.
• Find unlinked mentions. Find pages that mention your website and nudge them to link back to you.

• Book podcast interviews. Boost your online visibility by sharing ideas on popular industry podcasts.

• Recruit affiliates. Invite publications to join your affiliate program to generate leads and increase revenue.

• Pitch resources. Pitch resources to websites listing top resources in your vertical.
• Boost your domain authority. Build quality backlinks to increase your domain ranking and visibility.
• Customize outreach templates. Personalize and automate email outreach templates for different content types.

22. Hunter

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Price: Free plans are available. Plans cost $49 a month for starter, $149 a month for growth, and $499 a month for business.

Successful link-building depends on effective outreach efforts. But how do you ensure you are reaching the right people? Enter Hunter.io. 

With over 107 million indexed emails, Hunter.io is a powerful lead generation and link-building software that aggregates and verifies emails of professionals across several industries.

As a link-building tool, it gives access to personal and domain-specific emails. The transparency about the email sources and compliance with data regulations are also great. 

Here are some core features of Hunter you can use:

• Email discovery. Discover all emails associated with any domain you visit online, letting you connect with article publishers to request backlinks. 
• Email verification. Verify the authenticity of the prospect’s emails to avoid hit-and-miss outreach campaigns.
• Lead generation. Generate leads from different industries using filters like portfolios.
• Domain-based email search. See the emails associated with website domains you visit. 
• Campaign templates. Create email campaigns by customizing templates in Hunter.io. 

23. Nightwatch

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Price: Free plans are available. Paid plans cost $39 a month.

If you run a local service business, you’d want to track keywords your website ranks for in specific locations. This is where Nightwatch shines. 

Nightwatch is a powerful SEO tool for tracking local and global keyword ranking. This tool monitors backlinks, finds local and global keyword opportunities, and helps with competitor keyword analysis.

Nightwatch features include:

• Global and local keyword tracking. Track your website’s local ranking for specific keywords across over 107,000 locations.
• Competitor analysis. Compare your ranking for keywords with your competitors’ ranking.
• Keyword opportunities. Discover keywords to target and potentially rank for.
• Local SEO. Optimize your website to rank for specific locations.
• Site audits. Conduct site audits to spot problematic pages and assess the site’s health and security.
• Page speed monitoring. Monitor the load time of your website’s pages.

24. PlePer Local

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Price: A free trial is available. Plans cost $10 a month for local pros, $25 a month for local agencies, and $150 a month for the big guys.

PlePer is a local SEO management software with tools for analyzing and managing Google Business Profiles (GBP). This SEO tool also lets you analyze your competitors’ profiles so you can use the insights to optimize your GBP account and get better local search visibility.

Here are a few things you can do with PlePer:

• Analyze competitor listing. Discover and analyze the categories of top-ranking competitors.
• Generate GBP review link. Create a link so customers can give a Google review in one click.
• Search for duplicate listings. Identify duplicate GBP listings to delete.
• Monitor your GBP. Receive updates when people review your Google Business Profile.

Now that you’ve learned about some of the best free and paid SEO tools on the market, determine which option will help you achieve your SEO goals and get started auditing, optimizing, and monitoring your website, individual web pages, and content.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

 

Intent data is a powerful tool that can transform the way we approach B2B marketing strategies.

Over the past two years, we delved into what marketers need to make the most of B2B intent data. In this post, we are going to explore how you can take advantage of this data to identify target accounts and gain a deeper understanding of your buyers’ needs.

Here, we’ll show you how intent data can provide key insights into your target accounts, enhance your understanding of buyer needs, and eventually drive more successful marketing outcomes. 

Image caption: Finding the best target accounts shouldn’t be like searching for a lost opportunity in the dark. Created using Midjourney.

Pinpointing perfect target accounts with the help of intent data

When navigating through the multitude of potential customers, intent data can help you narrow down your target accounts—those accounts that are going to benefit from what you have to offer and bring the most value for your efforts. But how do you do this?

The first step to identifying your target accounts using intent data is to define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). 

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a detailed description of a hypothetical customer who would get the most value from your product or service and provide you with the most value in return.

Your ICP is the theoretical embodiment of your perfect customer—the customer that will see the most value in your solution.

By cross-referencing your ICP with intent data, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are aimed at the most relevant and potentially rewarding targets.

This can significantly increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your marketing activities. Intent data can be used to validate and refine this profile, ensuring that you are directing your marketing efforts toward organizations that will bring the most value.

Gartner reminds us that marketers shouldn’t be developing an ICP just for the fun of it:

“ICP development is not an academic exercise. It is a plan for action. Now that it is complete, the ICP must be shared across the entire organization and embedded into sales and marketing programs.”

We’ve already warned against relying too heavily on intent data or using it in a vacuum to make decisions and create strategies. Firmographic data, which a majority (86%) of B2B organizations consider to be at least somewhat important when building a target account list for account-based marketing, is one form of data you shouldn’t ignore. 

Coupling intent data with firmographic data such as company size, industry, location, and revenue can help you further refine your list of target accounts,

You’ll also want to consider the buying stages your target accounts are in. You can use intent data to identify those prospects that are actively researching solutions in your industry.

More importantly, you can prioritize accounts based on their level of engagement and likelihood to convert. These are the accounts you want to make sure are included on your list of target accounts.

Zooming in on the most promising accounts using intent data

Intent data not only helps you narrow down your target accounts but also allows you to identify the most promising ones. Here are some things to keep an eye out for that will help you pinpoint those accounts with the most potential:

1. Active research: Intent data can be used to spot which accounts are actively researching topics pertinent to your product or service. Buyer-level intent data goes a step further and informs you about who within an account is doing that research. This level of insight will come in handy when laying out your messaging and outreach to your target accounts. 
2. Sustained interest: While you want to keep your eyes peeled for those prospects that are actively researching what you have to offer, it helps to go one step further and look for sustained interest. Give priority to accounts showing continued interest over time, not just occasional spikes in activity. 

   An account that is consistently engaging with your content is more likely to convert than one that only shows interest once. 

   On the subject of sustained content engagement, findings from NetLine’s 2023 State of B2B Content Consumption and Demand Report show that the consumption of certain content (white papers, live webinars, and on-demand webinars) is more likely associated with immediate buying decisions. 

   Likewise, if an executive is doing the consuming, this shows a higher likelihood of an immediate buying decision, which is why buyer-level intent data is so important.

3. Competitor Engagement: In a perfect world, potential buyers would go to your website, have a look at what you have on offer, and immediately decide to get in contact with sales to start the purchase process. Realistically, buyers are going to thoroughly research their options before moving forward to making an investment into a solution. 

   This, too, is an opportunity. Intent data can help you spot those accounts that are engaging with your competitor’s content and visiting their websites. These accounts are likely considering solutions like yours and could be prime targets for your marketing efforts.

4. High Intent, Low Engagement: Lastly, intent data can help you identify accounts that fit your ICP and have a high likelihood of converting. These could be accounts that are not yet engaged with your brand but have demonstrated high intent to purchase.

Building better buyer personas using intent data as your blueprint

To make the most of intent data, it’s essential to have well-defined buyer personas. 

SurveyMonkey defines buyer personas as “descriptions of each of your target customers, based on customer and consumer research. Each persona describes a different fictional buyer who embodies the demographics, pain points, buying behaviors, and motivations of a specific market segment.” 

Buyer personas differ from ICPs as they are on the buyer level, whereas in B2B an ICP is based more on an account or organization you wish to target.

As an example, here is a buyer persona template offered by UXPressia: 

Image caption: An example of a B2B buyer persona template from UXPressia

The example above is just one of many example buyer personas that can be found online. The important thing is that any persona that you create should be customized to your organization.

Let’s take a quick look at some possible elements to include in a buyer persona and examples of what questions to ask while developing them:

Elements of a Buyer Persona	Things to consider
Demographics	What is the buyer’s age, gender, education, and job title?
Psychographics	What psychological traits such as personality, values, and interests do your buyer exhibit?
Pain Points	What are the problems, challenges, and pain points your buyer is facing?
Purchase Process	What are the steps your buyer needs to take when making a purchase?
Decision Criteria	What factors does your buyer consider when making a purchase decision? Who else is involved in this process?

Intent data can be used to validate and refine these personas, making sure they accurately reflect your buyers. It can also help you identify new buyer personas based on the specific topics and keywords your target accounts are researching.

Moreover, intent data can provide valuable insights into the unique needs and pain points of each buyer persona, allowing you to personalize your messaging accordingly. Remember, your buyer personas should be dynamic, and you should continuously update them based on new insights gleaned from intent data.

Buyer-level Intent Allows You to Go From Persona to Person A

Sure, it’s a cheeky way of saying that intent data allows you to get more granular. More specifically, buyer-level intent data allows you to move on from personas and focus more on the people it introduces you to. 

There’s nothing wrong with using personas to guide your marketing approach. We highly recommend B2B marketers use Audience Explorer to do this, in fact. It is crucial, however, that once you have discovered who your prospects and buyers actually are, that you must move beyond the persona.

Personas are a terrific compass when you’re first starting out. But once you’ve gotten your hands on a GPS signal, you’re far better off following those activities rather than basing your approach on an outdated method.

Decoding buyer needs and pain points using intent data

This can’t be overstated. By understanding your prospects’ needs and pain points, you can craft marketing messages that truly resonate, addressing their specific concerns and illustrating how your product or service can solve their problems. 

Understanding the needs and pain points of your prospects is key to creating marketing messaging that resonates. Intent data is a gold mine of insights for identifying these, along with other potential insights.

Analyzing the specific topics and keywords your target accounts are researching will help you identify what problems they are trying to solve.

Related to buyer needs and pain points is where your target accounts are in their buyer’s journey. Intent data can help indicate where your buyer is in their journey.

Combining this information with the known pain points will help you tailor your content and messaging to the specific needs each account has and align it with where they are in their journey.

Looking more broadly, examining patterns in intent data can also reveal wider market trends and opportunities. Additionally, intent data can help you identify new buyer personas and tailor your messaging to these newfound audience segments.

Image caption: NetLine’s INTENTIVE currently recognizes and reports on billions of data points to help you identify both accounts and individual buyers who are in-market right now.

By taking advantage of all that intent data has to offer, marketers can deliver more qualified leads and have a tangible impact on the sales pipeline.

The information gleaned from intent data provides unparalleled insights into buyer behaviors, needs, and pain points, enabling businesses to tailor their marketing efforts for maximum impact.

Ready to take your B2B marketing strategy to the next level?

Explore NetLine’s buyer-level intent solutions and discover how we can help you make the most of intent data. And if you found this post helpful, check out our other posts on the topic of buyer-level intent data.

Just before the start of 2024, TikTok made a massive change in how the platform pays its creators by replacing the controversial Creator Fund with the new TikTok Creativity Program Beta.

I wasn‘t surprised the fund was put to rest, considering how many creators expressed frustration over the fund’s payouts. However, I was skeptical of this new pay model, and if you‘re a creator on TikTok, you’re probably side-eyeing it as well.

Well, in case you don‘t know, I’m pretty much HubSpot‘s resident creator economy expert, so it’s my job to keep up with the latest creator trends and happenings.

That said, I‘ve researched and scoured TikTok for reviews of the new program straight from the creators who joined, so I’m prepared to give you a rundown and help you decide if you want to give TikTok Creativity Program Beta a shot.

Let’s dive in.

What is the TikTok Creativity Program?

How to Join TikTok Creative Program Beta

What happened to the Creator Fund?

TikTok Creativity Program Beta Payout

Is the TikTok Creativity Program Better than the Creator Fund?

What is the TikTok Creativity Program?

According to the platform, TikTok Creativity Program Beta is an initiative to reward creators for creating high-quality, original content, and it serves as a monetary incentive for creators who make longer content (over a minute).

TikTok’s website explains, “With Creativity Program Beta, you have the potential to collect rewards as you create and publish longer video content.”

As the name suggests, the program is still in beta mode and is only available in limited regions — the U.S., France, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Korea, and the U.K.

How to Join TikTok Creative Program Beta

To be eligible for the program, you must have an account based in one of the above regions, be at least 18 years old, have no less than 10,000 followers, and have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.

How you enroll in the program depends on whether you‘re already registered in the defunct TikTok Creator Fund. If you’re enrolled in the Creator Fund, you can switch to TikTok Creative Program Beta via the following steps:

1. Open the TikTok app and go to your profile.
2. Tap the menu button (the three horizontal bars), then tap Settings.
3. Tap Creator Tools, then Creator Fund.
4. Finally, tap Switch at the bottom of the page.

Pro Tip: Once you join TikTok Creative Program Beta, you cannot switch back to the Creator Fund. But, also … why would you want to? The Creator Fund is dead.

If you‘re not enrolled in the Creator Fund, you’ll follow steps 1-3 but tap Creator Program instead of Creator Fund. You‘ll be notified three days later whether you’ve been accepted into the program.

What happened to the Creator Fund?

Okay, why did the Creator Fund go the way of the dinosaurs? The $2 billion fund was launched in 2020 and was discontinued in December 2023 after many creators criticized the program for low payouts.

In a 2022 interview with Business Insider, wellness influencer Mandana Zarghami said her biggest payout from TikTok was just $24 from a video that garnered 1.1 million views. Her lowest earning day at the time was 5 cents.

Most shocking was when I found out how much (or little) viral content creator John Eringman made from the Creator Fund. When he spoke to Business Insider,

Eringman had 1.3 million views, and at least one of his videos would reach a million-plus views each week.

The most he earned in a single day was $189.13 for a video with 13 million views. However, Eringman reported getting payouts ranging from 67-84 cents and averaging just a few dollars in one month.

In other words, even viral creators like Eringman were getting inconsistent payouts and were not receiving enough to make a living — prompting TikTok to sunset the Creator Fund.

TikTok Creativity Program Beta Payout

So, how much are creators making via the TikTok Creativity Program Beta? While the platform’s website is being hush-hush about exactly how much the new program is rewarding creators, some users are already sharing their experience.

Finance content creator Miki Rai shared that her experience with the program was off to an underwhelming start but improved significantly over time.

“Immediately after I joined (in November 2023), my video views tanked so bad,” Rai explains in a TikTok. Rai believes the tank occurred because her audience was used to her posting short-form videos rather than videos longer than a minute.

Remember that the program only generates revenue if the videos are longer than 60 seconds.

Rai reports only making $146 her first month into the program, even after posting multiple times a day.

“Which makes that less than $5 per video that I made,” she says. Rai’s earnings jumped to $436.76 the following December and about the same in January. But, in February, Rai saw a major difference.

“We’re only halfway through, and so far, I’ve made $1,273.48,” she says in her TikTok. The app projected she’d earn $2288.66 by the end of the month.

Rai says the boost in earnings is likely connected to a couple of her videos going viral that month, one of which earned 3.8 million views. Both videos were over a minute long.

Creator Kait Alayna says she made $629 in one week. That week, daily income ranged from $4.90 to $193.24.

However, it’s important to note some creators, like Rai, have reported a tank in views shortly after joining the program, prompting some users to discourage others from joining the program or dropping out themselves.

That said, the drop in viewers seems temporary as they get used to creators posting longer content.

Is the TikTok Creativity Program Better than the Creator Fund?

In short, I say it‘s definitely better. The program is still fairly new, so there aren’t many reliable statistics comparing the program to the fund.

But, based on videos I’ve seen of creators discussing their payouts, the program seems to be facing less criticism than the Creator Fund.

If you’re a creator used to generating short-form videos under a minute long, then exceeding 60 seconds can pose a challenge. You may also notice at least a temporary drop in views as your audience adjusts to the new direction.

All that aside, I think the program is worth applying if you want to generate income on TikTok. Now, do I think you’ll generate enough income to survive solely off the TikTok Creativity Program — no.

The fact is only 12% of creators make over $50,000 a year, regardless of the platform. The real money comes from brand partnerships, deals, sponsorships, ad revenue, and commissions.

Regarding TikTok, you can generate additional income via TikTok Live and TikTok Shop, as well as the above methods.

My advice, you‘ll stand to benefit in the long run from switching to the new creativity program. Plus, there really isn’t much of a point in sticking to an old fund that was so widely criticized it was discontinued.

Just make sure you have other streams of income, too.

YouTube competitor analysis is essential to your video content strategy this year. Take it from me — I lead HubSpot’s YouTube growth strategy, overseeing content strategy, trend monitoring, performance reporting, and competitor analysis.

As of 2024, YouTube is the biggest video-sharing platform and the second-biggest social media in the world, with over 2.70 billion users. And believe me, it’s not slowing down anytime soon, the number of YouTube’s global users is estimated to reach 2.85 billion by 2025.

With this ongoing video growth on the horizon, it’s important to assess your competition.

Table of Contents

• What is a competitor analysis on YouTube?
• Why is a YouTube competitor analysis important?
• How to Do Competitor Analysis on YouTube

What is a competitor analysis on YouTube?

Competitor analysis on YouTube involves studying the content created by competitors in your desired niche or subject matter area. These insights help you understand your competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, and strategies.

This analysis can be conducted on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. Your goal is to learn what competitors are doing well and to emulate it in your own style.

You’ll also want to figure out what they aren’t doing so you can do it and stand out in the competitive YouTube landscape.

Why is a YouTube competitor analysis important?

Competitor analysis helps you understand the competitive landscape for your target market.

This is crucial in my role because it allows me to gain valuable insights into what other brands are doing on the platform.

By understanding competitors’ strategies, content performance, audience engagement tactics, and overall presence on YouTube, I can identify industry trends and pinpoint areas where content gaps exist.

I can also discover opportunities for improvement, and make informed decisions to stay ahead.

This analysis will help you better understand your audience and create a comprehensive YouTube content strategy.

How to Do Competitor Analysis on YouTube

Step 1: Create a list of your top competitors.

You should start your competitor analysis by identifying five to ten YouTube channels that are competitors.

These competitors can be based on your specific industry (e.g., cosmetics), niche (e.g., clean, cruelty-free cosmetics), and/or target audience (e.g., environmentally conscious cosmetics consumers).

In my experience here at HubSpot, I’ve learned the art of selecting a diverse range of competitors.

This thoughtful approach acknowledges the presence of niche competitors within topics we cover while aligning seamlessly with our channels that may explore broader subjects.

I find these competitors by searching for specific topics I want to cover on YouTube and by finding the top-ranking videos for each search result on YouTube.

In the example below, you can see the top-ranking results for the topic “Instagram marketing,” based on the results, Adam Erhart and Learn With Shopify may be the current key competitors for this topic.

You can also use YouTube Shorts to identify key competitors.

Start by searching for the focus keyword and clicking the “Shorts” tab.

For example, the current top-ranking Shorts competitors for the keyword “Instagram marketing” are Vanessa Lau and Adam Erhart.

Be sure to go to the YouTube creator’s account to review the videos they’ve posted in the past year to ensure that the topics they cover align with the overall content pillars or topics that you intend to cover on your channel.

Step 2: Analyze competitor YouTube videos.

Once you’ve identified 5-10 competitors, it’s time to analyze the content your competitors have published for the year.

For example, I just conducted a 2024 competitor analysis for HubSpot analyzing all the videos created by our competitors in 2023.

I recommend considering the following things when completing a competitor analysis:

• What topics are your competitors discussing?
• What type of videos are they making (tutorials, vlogs, reviews, etc.)?
• How often are they publishing content?
• How long are their videos?
• What are their most popular videos from the past year?
• Do competitors have a video series or recurring theme?
• Are competitors using interactive elements such as polls, clickable links, or end-screen features?

Let’s continue with the Instagram marketing example from Step 1.

Below are examples of data and information you may find from your analysis of top-ranking Instagram marketing competitors:

• Topics discussed: General Instagram marketing, Instagram updates/trends, Instagram marketing tools, Instagram marketing strategy
• Type of videos: Tips, how-to tutorials, explainers
• Publishing cadence: Once per week
• Length of videos: 10-20 minutes
• Popular videos: “Instagram Marketing for Business” / “How to Create a Instagram Content Planner Calendar”

Pro Tip: I like to explore how competitors organize their playlists and video series. I assess the strategy behind grouping certain videos and creating a seamless viewing experience.

And don’t skip out on thumbnail research. I pay attention to the visual style of our competitors’ popular video thumbnails. I also identify trends in design, color schemes, and elements that grab attention.

Once you’ve aggregated this data, you can use it to identify and make note of any recurring themes.

These insights will be instrumental in crafting your content strategy because it will allow you to create content that resonates with your target audience and ensures your channel is competitive with other creators in a similar landscape.

Step 3: Identify SEO keywords and strategies.

Next, it’s time to examine your competitor’s video titles, descriptions, and tags.

This will allow you to understand how your competitors are optimizing their videos for YouTube search.

You can use competitor research in combination with SEO tools like TubeBuddy and VidIQ to review the monthly search volume of the keywords your competitors are using.

Video Titles

For video titles, examine how each competing video is structured and identify any common keywords/phrases. These titles communicate what keywords resonate with your audience and inform their searches on YouTube.

This analysis will inform how you shape your titles to include keywords or phrases that your target audience wants to see.

In our Instagram marketing example, the title in the top-ranking video says: “The Complete INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS GUIDE (Reels, Stories, Verification, Instagram Shopping & More!)”.

This title includes the focus keyword “Instagram for business” in all caps, it indicates that it is the complete guide, and gives a preview of what will be discussed in the video.

Video Descriptions

For video descriptions, analyze your competitor’s video description based on structure, if/where they include relevant keywords, links, and additional context. This will help develop the framework for your video descriptions.

In our Instagram marketing example, a description from a top-ranking social media marketing competitor may say: “Instagram For Business Tutorial: Grow your Instagram and use it to drive your online sales.”

This indicates that the competitor is using the primary focus word (“Instagram for business”) within the first sentence and tells the viewer exactly what to expect in the video.

Video Tags

For video tags, make note of any tags competitors use to enhance discoverability.

Video tags help categorize your content and indicate to your viewers what your videos are about.

Using the appropriate video tags for your video will best allow YouTube to share your content with viewers who are interested in that content.

In our Instagram marketing example, video tags from a top-ranking Instagram competitor may be: #instagramtutorials #instagramforbusiness.

This communicates to YouTube and the viewer that they will receive information about Instagram, a tutorial, and specifically for businesses.

Pro Tip: Beyond content analysis, I dive into competitors’ audience interactions. I identify recurring keywords in comments and observe how competitors engage. Pinned comments offer valuable insights into favored terms. I then leverage these findings to tailor my engagement strategy.

Step 4: Observe community engagement and audience feedback.

In this step, I like to observe how competitors engage with their YouTube community and how the audience responds to their content.

Community Engagement

Community engagement can help a creator connect with their audience.

You’ll want to look into how your competitors are using community features on YouTube to engage with their viewers.

I look for patterns in how competitors respond to comments, run polls, and address feedback.

Further, you’ll want to keep a close eye on whether your competitors are partnering with other creators to create their content. This will allow you to refine and adapt your community engagement strategy.

For example, under the “Instagram for business” video a viewer left a comment asking for clarity about a part of the video. Learn with Shopify responded and provided additional resources for the viewer.

This indicates to the Channel’s audience that Learn with Shopify is actively reviewing comments and looking to answer questions and provide educational resources for their audience.

This is something you’ll want to make note of and incorporate into your strategy.

Conversely, if your competitor has several questions under their videos that are left unanswered, that may serve as a point of differentiation for your videos.

You may want to create videos about those unanswered questions, and/or create an engaging presence in your comments to harbor a greater sense of community with your audience.

Audience Feedback

Analyzing the audience interaction on competitor videos such as likes will also allow you to understand how the audience received the video.

For example, if I notice that a video has a lot of views and ranks #1 for the topic, but it has limited likes, this may suggest that the viewers did not enjoy the content that was delivered.

Reviewing comments on competitor videos can give you a lot of helpful insight too. Viewer comments may tell you exactly what they liked or disliked about the video, what they want to see next, and what they wished was included.

These comments can set the stage for what you should include or avoid in your videos.

In the example below, under the “Instagram for business” video, viewers left several positive comments about how much they enjoyed the video. This is a great indicator that the video successfully delivered value to viewers.

You can take inspiration from this video by analyzing how the video is structured, how information is presented, the length of the video, along with other insights.

Remember, taking inspiration from a competitor does not mean copying. You want to create original content that delivers value to your audience independently and originally.

Viewers don’t need another video like this, they need something unique.

Further, there is a comment requesting a step-by-step guide on how to create videos. This comment indicates that there is a desire for this type of video.

If it fits your content strategy, this may be a video that you can create for your audience.

Step 5: Identify content gaps and use them to stand out.

It’s time to take all of the competitor insights you’ve found and turn them into content strategies for your YouTube channel.

You’ve evaluated and made note of what your competitors are doing well and where they are falling short. You will try to use what they’re using well as inspiration.

The areas where your competitors are falling short are called content gaps.

To round out our Instagram marketing example, let’s say I noticed that competitors are making long videos without outlined chapters.

This would be a great chance to not only adopt their successful elements but to also enhance the viewer experience by incorporating clear chapter markers.

This strategic differentiation is your key to standing out amidst competitors and delivering more refined and engaging video content.

Pro Tip: I like to explore how competitors use captions and transcriptions. I also assess whether they provide engaging supplementary content. For example, HubSpot provides its viewers with free content offers on the HubSpot Marketing Channel as supplementary educational content.

Level up your content strategy with a competitor analysis.

YouTube competitor research can help take your content strategy to the next level.

Competitor research and analysis serve as a compass for guiding your content strategy, offering insights into trends, audience engagement, and content gaps for opportunity.

These insights lay the foundation for a strong well-informed content strategy.

The digital landscape is continuously evolving and with that it requires us to both remain vigilant and flexible. These competitor insights lay the groundwork for your content strategy, but they are meant to evolve with emerging trends, audience preferences, and platform changes.

While adhering to the framework you’ve outlined from competitor research, you should continue to experiment and test new strategies.

With the combination of competitor insights, experimentation, and monitoring trends, you’ll know how to create content that your audience wants to see.

That’s all from me for now — good luck with your research.

I believe in the concept of inbox zero, so I have a sinking feeling every time we approach the holidays or big occasions (think Black Friday) when I know a mass of emails are heading my way.

All floodgates burst open — my inbox quickly becomes an overflowing chaos.

I usually send all these unread promotional messages straight to spam. But, occasionally, a few brilliant emails catch my eye because of their intriguing, clever, or motivational preview text messages.

The bottom line: A good preview text in email can help you stand out even in the busiest inboxes.

So, I curated 15 of my favorite preview text email examples to inspire you.

I’ll break down why they work + how to write your own.

We’ll cover:

• What is preview text in an email?
• The Best Preview Text in Emails to Check Out
• Turning Preview Text into Opens

What is preview text in an email?

Preview text is a short snippet presenting a summary or the first few words in an unopened email. It appears next to the subject line and gives you a glimpse of what’s inside.

While subject lines greatly influence your email open rates, preview text messages can also amp up this number. An awesome preview text piques your curiosity, presents a compelling offer, and nudges you to open the email.

Let’s look at some of the best examples of email preview text and some actionable tips for writing them.

 

The Best Preview Text in Emails to Check Out

I scoured my inbox to find 15 awesome examples of preview text in emails. These are some of my favorite messages from over 700 emails I reviewed. Let’s explain why they work and what you can learn from each.

1. Hootsuite

Hootsuite announced their 60-day free trial with this banger email. The subject line gives you a promise — all the tools for free.

The intriguing preview text elevates this promise and makes it look like there’s something really powerful inside this email.

What I like: I was curious about what Hootsuite had to offer — all because the preview text gave me confidence. It’s a crisp and clear message to inspire people. Instead of discussing their product, the subject line and preview text spotlight users.

Takeaway: Focus on your recipients. Keep yourself in their shoes to emphasize how they’ll benefit from each email.

2. Semrush

Semrush pulled off this masterstroke by making the preview text an extension of the subject line. The brand sent an email introducing a new feature to track competitors.

The subject line is a clever clickbait that can repel some people. However, the preview text adds more context and explains the “how” behind this subject line.

What I like: The preview text goes well with the subject line. This subject line + preview text combination also introduces the new tool in just under 10 words—neat!

It’s one of the few examples where the preview neatly fits into the subject and elaborates on the email’s core message.

Takeaway: Write a super short, one-line summary of what’s inside your email. Then, break this sentence into the subject line and the preview text.

3. Freelance Bold

This preview text in one of Marijana Kay’s newsletters made me open the email quickly. Marijana is a freelance writer and content marketer for B2B SaaS brands.

This preview text is a classic — make an offer people can’t refuse. In the subject line, Marijana discusses the two main steps for taking bookings.

And the preview text promises her “formula” with tips to secure clients even when you’re fully booked.

What I like: This preview text has only 20 characters but still significantly impacts readers. Why? Because it gives you an irresistible promise.

Since Marijana is a leading expert, her subscribers (including me) would be more than curious to open this email and find her proven formula.

Takeaway: Make your offer sound unmissable and build credibility around it. Tell people what you share (formula, framework, template, etc.) and why they should get it.

4. Mutiny

I found an excellent preview text from Mutiny, one of the most unique examples in this list. Even though this preview text is longer than usual, it piqued my curiosity with an out-of-context question — Would you run a marathon for a burrito?

What I like: This preview text cleverly makes people excited about what’s inside the email.

While the subject line will talk about the actual content of the email, the preview text can mention something irrelevant yet interesting to draw people’s attention.

Takeaway: Don’t stick to the topic; that’s boring. Go beyond your email’s central theme to discuss something unusual in the preview text.

5. Why We Buy

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Katelyn Bourgoin’s Why We Buy newsletter always has 2 or 3 letters to describe the theme of each email. I know Katelyn is a 4-time founder and customer-focused marketer with a personal branding agency.

That’s good enough for me to open and read the message, even if not instantly. But, this email was unique because the preview text immediately convinced me to check out the message.

It’s an aspirational message with a concrete number to show how I can achieve this goal.

What I like: This short preview text builds exciting proof around the subject line. It convinces me that the email talks about a proven method, and I can use it to increase commitment by over 100%.

Takeaway: Share some proof of concept in the preview text. Give readers a reason to view the message by hinting at the success they can achieve with the tips inside.

6. Notion

When Notion launched Calendar, they sent four emails introducing different capabilities and use cases. But this was the best because the preview text beautifully contextualizes this feature.

It directly pokes at the pain of managing multiple tasks, meetings, and timelines to propose a single solution — all in five words.

What I like: This message taps into a big emotion: motivation. It tells me that Notion Calendar will offer enough motivation to stay on top of all my commitments.

And the preview text increases open rates by evoking this powerful emotion.

Takeaway: Make your preview text personal. Speak directly to your readers and explain what they can do better with the insights inside the email.

7. Junia

Junia ran a small experiment and shared their findings through an email. I wouldn’t usually have opened this message, but I felt compelled to click on the email because of the preview text.

It creates suspense and a sense of excitement, mentioning revelations inside.

What I like: The subject line + preview text combination gives you an action and a reason to work with. The subject line states a clear ask, and the preview text hints that there’s a reason behind this ask. It makes people curious to learn more.

Takeaway: Mention a simple action in the subject line and use the preview text to briefly explain why you’re asking people to take this action. Hint at these reasons instead of revealing everything.

8. Vidyard

Holidays are the busiest of times for our inboxes. But Vidyard’s creative message was one of the few emails I opened right before signing off for my year-end vacation. Why?

Because it gave me something new to check out: tips to make an OOO video.

What I like: This isn’t one of those typical happy holiday emails. It promises something meaningful and topical.

At a time when everyone was setting out-of-office responders, Vidyard’s preview text instantly caught my attention because I wanted to do something fun.

Takeaway: Even when sending mainstream emails for holidays or occasions, make them more appealing with a unique take or creative tips.

9. Triple Whale

I’ve received dozens of eBooks and reports over email, but this one from Triple Whale was at a whole different level. The preview text neatly summarizes what their BFCM report analyzes and the data points it includes.

And the best part? It nudges me to open this email with a short question — how do you stack up?

What I like: I felt excited because this preview text gave me some context about what’s inside the report.

If I were an e-commerce business owner, I’d open the email faster than the speed of light because I’d want to evaluate my performance against this data.

Takeaway: When sharing a report or resource (like an ebook), briefly summarize the numbers or themes inside and end with a personal question.

10. Content Workshop

This edition of Masooma Memon’s Content Workshop is another of my favorite examples of email preview text because it promises a free resource.

Masooma is a freelance writer and content marketer for some of the biggest names in the B2B SaaS industry.

The subject line explains that she’ll talk about 15 lessons, and the preview text invites me to download her tried-and-tested goal tracker.

What I like: This preview text is a quick nudge to download the goal tracker. It’s an added motivation to open the email. And if some people aren’t intrigued by the subject line, they’d view the email looking at this offer.

Takeaway: If you offer a resource within your email, highlight it in the preview text. Position this resource as a tried-and-tested way to accomplish the goals discussed in the subject line + email.

11. Catalyst

Catalyst uses preview text to guide users through the following steps after someone downloads their ebook on customer-led growth. Most companies throw people into their “lead nurturing sequence” and send random emails.

But Catalyst contextualized this nurture email for readers to instantly recognize why they’re receiving it and what’s inside.

What I like: This preview text immediately tells me why I’m receiving the email so that I don’t delete/spam it immediately. Plus, it sets the stage for me to open the message because the email contains the next steps.

And the personalization looks great, too!

Takeaway: Use the preview text snippet to create context around why you’re sending an email. You can significantly minimize unsubscribe rates by setting this context.

12. Atlan

My inbox is filled with invites for webinars, events, fireside chats, and whatnot. This email by Atlan was one of the few such invites that stood out for me. It has three main elements:

• A recognizable [Invite] tag
• Event name + time
• Preview text with themes of discussion

What I like: This preview text is a one-line webinar summary. It’s clear and convincing for readers to explore more if the topics seem interesting.

Takeaway: Use the preview text to quickly summarize your event invites. It can save readers the time to jump through hoops.

13. Asana

Asana is one of my go-to project management tools. And when your favorite brand wants to share their tips, you’ll open the email. This preview text draws on Asana’s brand strength and popularity to excite readers.

What I like: I consider Asana’s team project management experts. By hinting that this email includes their best time-saving tips, this preview text creates curiosity to open the email.

Takeaway: Leverage your brand image to write preview texts in first-person POV and share your first-hand experiences or expertise.

14. Coda

This product update email by Coda has a simple and powerful preview text message. It tells readers they can achieve something big using the new capabilities in the tool.

But, they must view the email first to learn about these new features.

What I like: The simplicity. This preview text doesn’t have anything extraordinary. Yet, for Coda users, it talks about a big goal and incentivizes them to achieve it by checking out the features inside the email.

Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to keep things simple. Test a few variations of such preview texts with your subscribers to choose the most optimized ones.

15. Vimeo

This preview text by Vimeo is one of my favorite examples because of its realistic message. While the email discusses a specific feature, the preview text zooms in on the pain points this feature can solve.

It also told me about the option to try this feature for free.

What I like: The preview text contextualizes Vimeo’s new AI feature. It explains how the tool removes phrases we don’t want to include in the video, making it an instant hit.

Takeaway: Speak directly to your users and lead with their pain points to craft a successful preview text.

Turning Preview Text Into Opens

That’s a wrap on my favorite preview text examples! Remember to spend extra time drafting the preview text the next time you create an email campaign.

You can make a checklist of these tips and takeaways to reel in more people and increase your open rates with an awesome preview text.