As speculated lightning enthusiast and $100 bill savant Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”

In relation to the marketing world, this famous quote can essentially swap out the “taxes” part with “emails.” (And maybe switch out “death” with “leads,” just to put a more optimistic spin on it.)

Blogs have certainly come a long way since their inception a few decades ago. From virtual diaries of oppressed teenagers venting their angst for the world to see to tracking all the latest Paris Hilton-related gossip, blogs have seemingly evolved from mere tabloid-like canards to the branded content opportunities they present today.

Blogs have also become an essential component of any effective digital marketing strategy.

For higher quality traffic, improved lead generation, and higher search engine rankings, here are five reasons investing in proactive organic search marketing strategies will help take your brand above and beyond the competition.

Once upon a time, the art of writing a review tended to be a privilege reserved for the literary elite, predominantly catered toward various forms of creative expression like cinema, music, and literature.

Today, giving a thumbs up or thumbs down isn’t solely reserved for movie critics, and while everybody is entitled to an opinion, there’s never been a more prevalent and accessible time to share your critiques with the rest of the world.

Have you ever stopped to question why you consider yourself to be a Pepsi person?

Do you find yourself possessing a subconscious loyalty toward Burger King over any other fast food company?

Is the coffee at Starbucks really that amazing, or are there other underlying factors that play into your acute allegiance to purchasing a Cinnamon Dolce Latte every morning?

The concept of brand awareness means more than name recognition and how much you spend on your advertising budget.

What makes for a perfect photo? Better yet, what makes for a perfect social media photo? Think about it. What truly makes you pause your infinite Instagram or Facebook scrolling for 10 seconds just to soak in a striking display of visual imagery amidst the endless montage of off-centered selfies and unappetizing food pics?

In a field that’s as competitive as the home service contract industry, generating leads by any means necessary is an absolute must. But, you're not limited to paid lead-generation services.

Do you ever come across a young person’s Instagram profile with millions of followers and wonder how they got to be so popular?

It’s easy to see how some owners can be weary, flustered, and perhaps at times downright rattled when it comes to reading any online reviews of their enterprise, the fact of the matter is that online reviews are an essential component of effective digital marketing strategies.

Lead conversion tends to be the biggest digital marketing concern for businesses of all sizes, as the average overall website conversion rate across all industries is reported to be less than 3 percent. Here are 5 Website Tips to Convert More Leads.