With new hires on the horizon as we fix the last bugs and put the finishing touches on the new AND improved Blue Soda Promo site, I thought it would be nice to write a little handbook to introduce them to the world of online marketing. This guide would help familiarize them to all the different elements they may be asked to be a part of with BSP and a good jump start as they begin their career in this new marketing experience. Yet with so many better (free) resources already readily available, created by smarter, more experienced marketers, it makes my job much easier.  In lieu of being a teacher, I can instead just help guide them in the right direction as they start their path to success. However, I thought it would be silly to keep this as an internal document and decided to post it online so others can have a look — and those that did the heavy lifting can get their hard earned links

SEO isn’t something that you can major in (yet), so others rely on those who have come before them for resources to help them start their online career. Companies like Moz have been pioneers for the Internet marketing community and has created some of the best guides the web has to offer. Here are some of the best guides to help you on your way.

The Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an in-depth tutorial on how search engines work. This guide covers the fundamental strategies that make websites search engine–friendly. Download your copy of the world’s most-read guide on SEO!

Moz’s brand new guide on link building is written by one of the best, Paddy Moogan. While the title says its for beginners, every Internet marketer can find something useful. This guide is designed to get you going quickly and in the right direction.

If you’ve read SEOmoz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO and want more this Advanced Guide To SEO is for you. If you’ve already mastered the basics of SEO like writing title tags, the basics of link building or data research on the web and want more – this guide is for you! It’s for anyone looking to take their success on the web to the next level. This guide provides you with dozens and dozens of things you can sit down and do right now to improve your traffic from organic search on the web.

Link building is the most important (and challenging) SEO skill. Actually, it’s a culmination of several different skills: you need to master content creation, sales, programming, psychology, and good old-fashioned marketing if you want other people to consistently link to your site. This compilation of the web’s best link building resources. From content marketing to Google’s Penguin algorithm, this guide from Brian Dean has you covered.

While the guides above will give you a great overall understanding on some of the basic concepts of SEO, blogs are a great way to learn more specific traits that will help you succeed. You’ll find case studies, examples and other techniques you can try and implement in your own campaigns. Blogs will also allow you keep up-to-date on what’s going on with the search engines. Below are some of the best online marketing blogs from around the web.

Focus: SEO, Link Building, Content Marketing, Social Media, Online Marketing

Focus: Content Marketing, Social Media

Focus: Link Building

Focus: Link Building

Focus: SEO, Link Building

Focus: SEO, Keyword Research

Focus: SEO

Focus: SEO, Link Building, Content Marketing, Social Media, Online Marketing

The SEO community is one of the most helpful groups of people you’ll find. Whether its sharing others work, promoting events or causes and giving credit where credit is due. Here is a list of some of the best SEOs and their Twitter handles so you can start building relationships.

I feel like I’m giving an acceptance speech at the Oscars. If I forgot someone/something obvious, I apologize. I would love to continue to update this so let me know if I missed someone/something and I will gladly it to the list