Every year on the 24th of December, we tell you we’re taking the rest of the year off. And every year, we instead slip in a “Best of Copyblogger” post before New Year’s just in case you missed something from the past year.
Sneaky, huh?
So here are the best Copyblogger articles from 2010, based on your enthusiasm via comments, links, retweets, and indecent propositions made to our writers for creating exceptional content (I hear it happens … how’s that for a guest blogging incentive?).
So let’s see who got lucky this last year, in chronological order:
How to Do 500 Times Better than AdSense
Johnny kicked off the year telling us how he worked months of 15-hour days in order to make $111 from his AdSense sites. And then he did something else, which resulted in a business that’s stronger than ever almost a year later. And just to be clear … there’s no truth to the rumor that Johnny is still a meth dealer.
SEO Copywriting: The Five Essential Elements to Focus On
My friend and business partner Chris Brogan likes to say he liked me better back when I was a blogger, but contrary to that sentiment, I actually did write a few posts in 2010, and here’s one of them. It’s on SEO copywriting, and it’s part of a long line of content that’s taught Chris Brogan everything he knows. 
11 Smart Tips for Brilliant Writing
Dean Rieck delivers 11 much-needed lessons in brilliant writing, which can be summed up as “trying to sound smart makes for stupid writing.” A related tip – ordering the second cheapest wine on the list instead of asking for advice means you’re getting ripped off.
The 8 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers
With a slightly remixed headline based on Steven Covey’s famous book, we were already swinging for the fences. Luckily, Annabel Candy delivered with the content by distilling for you the common character traits shared by people who’ve made it in the blogging biz.
Four Steps to Finding Your Ideal Writing Voice
People talk about authenticity all the time when it comes to online content, but what does that actually mean? It’s about developing the ideal voice that makes you click with your audience. English teacher Joy Tanksley takes us back to school to discover what authenticity really means.
20 Warning Signs That Your Content Sucks
Jon Morrow is Copyblogger’s resident “tough love” writer, and he pulls no punches here. If your content sucks, you need someone to let you know now so you can fix it. It’s just like when your ass looks fat in those pants — only a real friend will tell you.
The 7 Secrets of Running a Wildly Popular Blog
Where else will you find a Meryl Street quote used to explain why blogging is like high school? Except this time no one stuffs you in a locker just as you approach the homecoming queen to see if she wants a ride home in the second-hand AMC Concord your mom gave you.
101 Ways to Make More Sales Online
Sonia Simone went a little nuts and packed 101 solid conversion tips into a single post. Plus, there are lots of links to related content for deeper exploration. Strangest tip – know when to put a sock in your mouth.
60 Ways to Increase Your Influence Online
Sam Rosen brought together 60 of the web’s brightest minds for a free online conference, built an opt-in email list, summarized the content for Copyblogger, and ended up with one of the top posts of the year. Make that 61 ways to increase your influence online.
6 Online Marketing Mistakes that Will Kill Your Business
Another popular article that demonstrates the power of the “negative” headline and our attraction to avoiding mistakes (or delighting in the mistakes of others). Melinda Brennan’s one and only Copyblogger post hits the big list with these common online marketing mistakes.
Why Being Naive Can Make Your Fortune
Who knew being naïve was a business asset? Turns out it can be, as Sonia deftly proves with her own personal path. Coming next year: “How Being Feckless Can Make You More Productive.”
8 Bad Habits that Crush Your Creativity and Stifle Your Success
This post was the most popular of the year in social media channels. Creativity as a topic always does well, especially when paired with another compelling “negative” headline. This is also Dean Rieck’s third post of the year to make this list, which has other Copyblogger writers whispering about “liberating” him. Not sure what that means.
50 Can’t-Fail Techniques for Finding Great Blog Topics
What to write, what to write … it’s the eternal question that nags bloggers. Carol Tice gives you 50 methods to generate strong blog topic ideas, and not one of them involves watching your cat for its next adorable scampering behavior.
7 Tips for an Authentic and Productive Writing Process
This article from Logan Zanelli makes a great companion to Joy’s post on finding your ideal writing voice. Here Logan explores the intersection of authenticity and productivity, which is way safer than the intersection of 51st Street and Memorial Drive in Tulsa.
Five Ways to Write Magnificent Copy
This post from D Bnonn Tennant had two really strong things going for it: (1) the advice to write drunk and edit sober, which many really wanted to take literally for some reason, and (2) the author’s name is D Bnonn Tennant. I could repeat that marvelous moniker over and over if I had any idea how to pronounce it.
How to Beat “Invisible Content Syndrome”
Everyone deals with invisible content syndrome when they first start out. But if it’s been going on for too long, you might want to check out some advice from Sonia. This post really struck a chord, most likely due to the tight relationship with “invisible money syndrome.”
Madonna’s 6 Secrets to Personal Branding Mastery
Standford Smith uses the Material Girl to show you sound principles of creating a strong personal brand. No mention of conical bras, lurid coffee table books, or Kabbalism, either.
The Mad Men Guide to Changing the World with Words
The piece from Jon Morrow uses the hit show Mad Men to demonstrate that changing the world boils down to 3 essential W’s: whisky, womanizing, and words. Okay, it’s really only about words, but sometimes you have to coax those little devils out.
7 Ways to Improve Your Writing … Right Now
Everyone can use a bit of immediate improvement for their writing, so this article from James Chartrand received a lot of attention. Or maybe it’s because one of the subheads is “Talk Food, Sex, and Danger” and James is a woman pretending to be a man. Choose whichever hook works for you.
8 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content
Make no mistake, what you say is most important, as long as people actually know what you said. Pamela Wilson points out 8 simple ways to present your words in the friendliest way for online readers, so, you know, they actually read it.
Actually, Blogging *is* Dead
And finally, we close out the year with my little tongue-in-cheek rant against those unmentionable people who unsuccessfully try to declare blogging dead each and every year. Whether you call it blogging, content marketing, or something else … the people who create content benefit the most from the explosion in social media. So keep going.
More in 2011.
Happy New Year, and be safe!
About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media. Get more from Brian on Twitter.Share--> Copyblogger runs on the Genesis Framework
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Derek says: December 30, 2010 at 12:16 pmThose are great posts, but you’re missing one more post on that list. For some reason, it didn’t do nearly as well as I think it should have done, but It’s something every single blogger should do, and you know it!
http://www.copyblogger.com/cornerstone-pages/
(Look at that. I’m being overly self-promotional, and I’m not even linking to my own website).
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Brian Clark says: December 30, 2010 at 12:46 pmDerek, glad to see you’ve shed any remaining sense of shame going into the New Year.
Derek says: December 30, 2010 at 1:04 pmNo, I just depleted all of my shame for the year 2010— it’s a scarce resource. Next year, I have more to work with. 
Chris Brogan... says: December 30, 2010 at 12:41 pmBrian’s taught me a lot, it’s true. He taught me how to faceplant at the IZEA advisory board meeting. He taught me how to hack up a lung at PubCon. And he taught me that you can stay at a place in Massachusetts that looks on a map to be so close to my place, and still be 1.5 hours away up a scrawny little cape, such that I didn’t see him until like 10 that night.
Nah. Welcome to 2010′s best, and I’m glad we work together.
More on 3T in 2011.
ReplyBrian Clark says: December 30, 2010 at 12:47 pmSee what I mean? I dare you to try and learn that stuff from some book on Amazon.
ReplyDerek says: December 30, 2010 at 1:33 pmWho face planted?
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Lewis Howes says: January 1, 2011 at 9:36 amHaven’t you seen Chris face plant before Derek? 
Derek says: January 3, 2011 at 11:23 pmNo, but he saw me spill a drink on myself.
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Carol Tice says: December 30, 2010 at 12:44 pmI can’t believe I’m on this list! Thanks for my upper of the day.
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Marnie says: December 30, 2010 at 12:57 pmGee, thanks for giving me even more to read as I go into the new year. My family’s wondering where the hell I disappeared to
Steve@Lifestyle Design says: December 30, 2010 at 1:10 pmWow, some really good posts, quite a few I missed this year. Now I have some catching up to do.
Stanford @ PushingSocial says: December 30, 2010 at 1:17 pmAfter reading this list, I realize that I still have a ton to learn. Time to visit these folks’ site and add some new voices to my reader. Thanks for the spot Brian and thanks for a great place to shine.
ReplyCarol Tice says: December 30, 2010 at 1:35 pmYou know I’m reading yours, Stanford!
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Margie Clayman (@margieclayman) says: January 3, 2011 at 3:26 pmWow, look at you!!!!! Congratulations, Stan!!!
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Daniel Johnston says: December 30, 2010 at 2:24 pmThat’s a really great list. My two favorites have to be “11 Smart Tips for Brilliant Writing” and “20 Warning Signs that Your Content Sucks.”
I liked some of last year’s content a little better; James’s confession about her being a woman and some of Jon’s simply amazing posts, but definitely I think the blog was more consistent this year and certainly another great year. You added around 40000 subscribers, too, so that’s really awesome, especially considering you took two days off each week during the Summer.
This blog is just continually improving, can’t wait to see where it’ll go in 2011.
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Tito says: December 30, 2010 at 2:25 pmWow, I discovered copyblogger this december, I’ve missed a lot of great content, but with this list I will have a very good time reading the best of the best.
Thanks for posting!
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Jon-Mikel Bailey says: December 30, 2010 at 2:26 pmI have thoroughly enjoyed your posts this year. And I would like to think my writing has improved very much because of them. I recommend your blog to people getting started with blogging and writing for the web. Keep up the good work!
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Underground Elephant says: December 30, 2010 at 2:49 pmThose are some great posts; not even sure where to start the catch up
Erik Emanuelli @ Free Make Money Advice says: December 30, 2010 at 3:42 pmThanks for the list and the very interesting posts,
I am reading the ones I missed out.
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MKR says: December 30, 2010 at 4:12 pmI only started reading Copyblogger in the last few months, so this list will help me catch up. Thanks.
Herb Lawrence says: December 30, 2010 at 5:25 pmGreat “best of…”. All well worth re-reading especially for those of us struggling to make our blogs more effective. Thanks and happy holidays to Copyblogger
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Sonia Simone says: December 30, 2010 at 5:34 pmMakes me all warm and fuzzy to see these.
It’s particularly cool to have lots of new faces in addition to our awesome crew of regulars. What a great bunch.
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Joy Tanksley says: December 30, 2010 at 6:31 pmI’m feeling the warm fuzzies, too, Sonia. How crazy cool to be on this list!
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Jon Morrow says: December 30, 2010 at 6:37 pmDean is on here three times? My, my, my. Copyblogger is going straight to hell.
No, seriously, great year everyone. The best of luck in 2011.
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James Chartrand - Men with Pens says: December 30, 2010 at 7:37 pmA tip of the hat to Brian for having managed to still hold the empire crown despite my repeated (sneaky) attempts to dethrone him…
… and the very best to all the people who make Copyblogger the great place it is. Jon, Dean, Sonia and more names than I can list here. It’s an honor to be part of this place.
Now if I can just snag that sceptre…
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Mary E. Ulrich says: December 30, 2010 at 8:09 pmSo, you’re on vacation and then you post? It’s that “overdeliver” value that makes Copyblogger great.
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Elmar Sandyck says: December 30, 2010 at 8:25 pmHi Brian!
It was truly one amazing year for Copyblogger! I learned a lot from all of you and as always, I am looking forward to more great posts in 2011.
Keep ‘em coming!
Happy New Year!
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Mandy Vavrinak says: December 30, 2010 at 10:02 pmYou know 51st and Memorial in Tulsa? I KNEW there was a reason I loved you guys… beyond the awesomeness, of course. Though I think, living here, I’d put 71st and Memorial up against its slightly northern cousin any day on the dangerous scale.
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Dean Saliba says: December 31, 2010 at 1:34 amThe thing I like about this kind of post is that I get to read the old posts that I may have forgotten, or not seen in some cases. Happy New Year CopyBlogger.
Marcin says: December 31, 2010 at 3:56 amDamn, lots of catching up
Have a great night and keep up the good work.. all of you !
John McNally says: December 31, 2010 at 6:08 am16 of the 20 most popular posts had numbers in the titles…….There’s a rumour doping the rounds that LISTS are SO last year….I don’t think so, going by this popularity survey. 
I like numbers, and I’ll have one in loads of my titles now. 
John
ReplySonia Simone says: January 2, 2011 at 10:28 pmSmart! Watch what works, don’t listen to what wannabes think ought to be true.
greg urbano says: December 31, 2010 at 7:07 ami am glad i found your website this year it has provided me with great info and insight, as i look to become a more “dedicated” blogger in 2011 i will keep coming back for “all” the articles as i know they will help my endevours!
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Geekbabe says: December 31, 2010 at 9:08 amBrian, thank you so much for taking the time to put so much of your great content altogether in one neat post! It makes for great reading and will serve as a valuable resource to so many people!
Thank you for all that you do, may 2011 be filled with much abundence to you and yours!
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Prue @ Lake Wanaka Accommodation says: January 1, 2011 at 5:57 amGreat list with some fantastic articles! Will be spending some time in the next week catching up on these readings.
Look forward to seeing what 2011 brings to copyblogger.
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Vivek Parmar says: January 1, 2011 at 10:37 amwell i’m new to copyblogger. thanks for a great roundup going to check out each and every post. thanks for sharing
Happy New year
Jason @ SpygearGadgets says: January 1, 2011 at 1:38 pmGreat info here Brian. I actually printed some of these out, and got out my highlighter. Should be essential reading for anyone who is serious about making a living online. Happy New Years.
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Brankica says: January 1, 2011 at 2:07 pmThis is a great list. It will take me all day to go through all the posts but fortunately, I read some of them before.
But still I gotta bookmark all of them and read them often.
I also wanna say Happy New Year and thank you for all I learned from you in 2010.
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Liane | Blog Design Team says: January 2, 2011 at 6:33 amDefinitely learned a lot from Copyblogger this 2010 despite the fact that I moved on from blogging halfway this year 
Yoichi says: January 2, 2011 at 6:06 pm“11 Smart Tips for Brilliant Writing,” “7 Tips for an Authentic and Productive Writing Process”,and “8 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content” are probably the 3 most helpful blog post that I have come across on this site. Since English is my second language, the 11 smart tips, helped me to focus on simple rules I can easily understand and implement! Some of these blogging tips are very helpful and sometimes overlooked. Looking forward to your posts in 2011!
Happy New Year!
Yoichi
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Shane says: January 3, 2011 at 1:06 amClearly the mobile devices posts were overlooked
Thanks for the top ten Brian and here’s to a great 2011…..let’s add more mobile device content…I hear it might be a trend this year
–shane
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