Best of 2016: A Look Back at Our Top 16 Marketing Articles of the Past Year

To say 2016 has been an eventful year would be a vast understatement.

Between a headline-making U.S. election, the Rio Olympics, "Brexit," and the Cubs winning the World Series, this leap year was certainly one for the history books and when I think about it, it was no different in the IMPACT office.

In the past twelve months, we held our first major conference, tripled our average monthly traffic, and more than doubled our blog subscriber list.

The 16 articles shared here are part of the reason why. 

Our 2016 Blogging Strategy In a Nutshell

IMPACT's been blogging since 2009. To put this into perspective, this was:

• 4 years before I joined the company
• 3 years since HubSpot's founding
• 2 years since the iPhone debut
• Only 1 year into Barack Obama's presidency 

It was a different world.

In these seven years of blogging for business, we've amassed thousands of articles (2,726 so far to be exact), but at the same time, the industry and best practices transformed around us. 

With this in mind, the IMPACT team and I focused heavily on historical blog optimization in 2016. In other words, we took at look at all of our high-ranking content from 2+ years ago and breathed new life into it.

We added new examples, graphics, statsitics, nixed outdated advice, and in most cases, totally overhauled the content with modern insight. 

Out of the approximately 518 articles published this year (including this one), about 113 were updated and republished.

The 16 below, a mix of fresh and refreshed titles, received the most views from our audience. Enjoy!

#16:

6 Tools That Reveal Why Your Users Abandon Your Website

by Christine Austin  

You’ve figured out all the best ways to get people to come to your sites, and better yet, they are the people you want... Read More

#15:

Long-Form Content vs. Short-Form Content

by Ramona Sukhraj

With short attention spans and multi-tasking the norm, inbound marketers have long accepted short... Read More

#14:

What a Website Should and Should Not Include 

by Melissa Smith

Running into a brick wall when it comes to designing/laying out your website? You are not alone; it happens to the best... Read More

#13:

21 Websites That Will Change Your Life as a Digital Marketer Forever 

by Iris Hearn

A huge advantage of digital marketing is the variety of low-cost tools and apps available online that can significantly... Read More

#12:

The Psychological Meaning of Shapes in Logo Design [Infographic] 

by Ramona Sukhraj

It’s old news by now -- design is absolutely essential in communicating messages and emotions in your marketing... Read More

#11:

11 Useful Metrics That Are Easy to Find & Measure on Google Analytics 

by Derrick Weiss

Google Analytics is one of the most powerful (and free, free is important) tools available in a modern marketer’s arsenal... Read More

#10:

The Ultimate List of HubSpot Pros & Cons 

by Ramona Sukhraj

Though we may be a tad biased as one its partner agencies, HubSpot is our marketing automation software of choice... Read More

#9:

Unleash the Power Within: What I Learned From 4 Days With Tony Robbins 

by Bob Ruffolo

Tom and I just came back from four days at Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power Within in West Palm Beach, FL... Read More

#8:

5 Dangerous Side Effects of Bad Customer Service

by Tom DiScipio 

Customer service is arguably the most important thing for your business to get right... Read More

#7:

21 Sensational Subscription Boxes We Can't Resist

by Ramona Sukhraj

It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, a package makes every day feel like Christmas morning... Read More

#6:

Check Out 11 of the Best Team Pages (And Why They'll Win You Over)

by Ramona Sukhraj

Your team page is where people go to get a peek behind the curtain; to see... Read More

#5:

17 Examples of Business Blogs that Rock!

by Carolyn Edgecomb

A blog is not just about showcasing your product or offering, but rather aspiring to be a thorough resource for... Read More

#4:

How Long Does it Take Google to Index a New Page? (And 11 Ways to Speed it Up)

by Ramona Sukhraj

Google is a lot of different things to a lot of different people...  Read More

#3:

10 Social Media KPIs You Should Track and Monitor 

by Ramona Sukhraj

Social media is a valuable tool for building personal relationships with your audience, but... Read More

#2:

Breaking the Ice: How to Start a Conversation on Social Media 

by Erica Dube

As a business just getting started on social media, your first concern will be how you can grow your audience... Read More

And the #1 most viewed IMPACT article of 2016…

1. 31 Value Proposition Examples You Wish You Had

by Ramona Sukhraj

With the average human attention span shorter than that of a goldfish, inbound marketing is a lot like speed dating... Read More

See You in 2017!

To everyone who read, contributed to, or shared our content this year, both from the IMPACT team and throughout the industry: thank you!

We couldn't have taken the giants steps we took this year without any of you and I hope to see you again in 2017! 🎉  🎆  🍾

Cheers and have a very happy new year!