We’d like to think we know quite a bit about PPC here at WordWatch (and we do!) but that doesn’t mean we don’t like to read what other experts are writing about in the realm of search engine marketing. It’s with that in mind that I give you our top five SEM blogs (in no particular order) that aren’t called WordWatch!

PPC Hero – PPC Hero hosts tons of great articles from their own staff, but what I really like about them is that they encourage guest posts from industry thinkers that aren’t a part of their team. You can even find a few of my posts about small business PPC in their archives. PPC Hero usually throws up at least a few articles every weekday, so there’s always something fresh to read.

WordStream – In addition to offering great keyword research tools, the people at Wordstream know their stuff when it comes to blogging about PPC. They typically update their blog once every weekday on a variety of topics with new ideas you can implement in your SEM campaigns. I’ve guest posted there as well, so you know they must be worth reading!

Marketing Pilgrim – They report on much more than just Search Engine Marketing, but it’s typically all relevant to Internet marketing so I’m going to include them on this list. Their team updates the site several times a day, so long as there’s news to report. What I like is that they also report on social media, which is relevant to anyone doing online marketing today.

SEOmoz – While they mostly talk about inbound marketing on the blog, every once in a while you’ll come across a PPC post. Even when it’s not about PPC, you might be able to take away something about copywriting that will help write text ads or choose new keywords. Definitely worth reading.

Search Engine Watch – If you’re looking for anything related to search engines and Internet marketing, you’ll find it here. Whether it’s the latest in PPC or a new Facebook update, they have you covered. Their writers come from different leaders in their respective fields, which is awesome and the site is always full of great content.

So there you have it, the top five SEM blogs/websites for 2012. Now get out there and do some reading!

Trace Ronning