{"id":186537,"date":"2025-03-21T11:23:25","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T16:23:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=186537"},"modified":"2025-04-04T09:29:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T14:29:51","slug":"technical-marketing-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intro-txt\">Many marketers hit limits not because they lack ideas, but because they can\u2019t execute or scale&nbsp;them.<\/div>\n<p>Not everyone has the luxury of developers, designers, or analysts who can help turn big ideas into reality. Even if you do, you still need to compete for time and help with the rest of your organisation.<\/p>\n<p>But times have changed. AI tools like ChatGPT make technical learning radically more accessible. It\u2019s now possible to become \u201ctechnical\u201d even if you\u2019re a humble writer, social media marketer, or brand strategist\u2014because we all have access to a patient, capable technical tutor in the form of a large language model.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a lifelong marketer and non-technical person. I always wanted to learn how to code, but never knew where to start. I bounced off half a dozen coding courses, until I realised that ChatGPT is the perfect teacher and troubleshooter. Now I can call APIs, write simple scripts, and automate parts of my workflow:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Embedded post\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:share:7260671335616454658\" width=\"504\" height=\"399\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If I can do it, you can&nbsp;too.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"1. Call an API to collect tons of marketing data\" data-section=\"1-Call an API to collect tons of marketing data\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_qtmd04lauifo\"><\/a>1. Call an API to collect tons of marketing data<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Ever wished you could pull live data from tools like Ahrefs, social platforms, or internal product analytics\u2014without waiting on engineers?<\/p>\n<p>The answer: APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are tools that let different software talk to each other. They unlock access to data that can speed up competitive research, automation, and even building custom dashboards.<\/p>\n<p>I used ChatGPT to learn how to use the Ahrefs API to fetch my top-performing content, track SERP volatility, and monitor backlinks automatically. We break down how it works in our<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/api\/guide\"> Ahrefs API guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"933\" class=\"wp-image-186538\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1-680x310.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1-768x350.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1-1536x700.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/p>\n<p>Use the API button in Ahrefs to get a sense for how API requests are structured. If you have access to the Ahrefs API, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.ahrefs.com\/docs\/api\/reference\/introduction\">read our documentation<\/a> and even make <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.ahrefs.com\/docs\/api\/reference\/free-test-queries\">free practice requests<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_fadcpsv5681c\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Learn the basics of HTTP requests, authentication (like API keys), and response parsing (usually JSON).<a href=\"https:\/\/developer.mozilla.org\/en-US\/docs\/Learn\/JavaScript\/Client-side_web_APIs\/Introduction\"> Try Mozilla\u2019s API guide<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/learning.postman.com\/\"> Postman Learning Center<\/a>, or<a href=\"https:\/\/rapidapi.com\/blog\/api-glossary\/what-is-an-api\/\"> RapidAPI\u2019s beginner tutorials<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Try your first live request using<a href=\"https:\/\/www.postman.com\/\"> Postman<\/a> to hit a simple endpoint, like fetching weather or headlines. For extra practice, try calling a public endpoint like the<a href=\"https:\/\/newsapi.org\"> News API<\/a> to fetch the latest articles on any keyword\u2014useful for content ideation or monitoring industry trends.<\/li>\n<li>Use ChatGPT to write a Python script using requests, explain each line, and handle API authentication. Paste in API docs\u2014it can help translate them into working code.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"2. Write SQL queries to analyze blog post performance data from GSC or GA4\" data-section=\"2-Write-SQL-queries-to-analyze-blog-post-performance-data-from-GSC-or-GA4\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_b5m62k1ct8wh\"><\/a>2. Write SQL queries to analyze blog post performance data from GSC or&nbsp;GA4<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>What if you didn\u2019t have to wait for an analyst to pull your numbers?&nbsp;That\u2019s the power of SQL\u2014a universal language for asking questions about&nbsp;data.<\/p>\n<p>I use ChatGPT to help write SQL queries that pulled blog post impressions, clicks, and average position from Google Search Console\u2014broken down by URL and date. Then I used those insights to prioritize which articles to update and re-promote.<\/p>\n<p>(This works great alongside a full<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-audit\/\"> content audit process<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1138\" height=\"944\" class=\"wp-image-186539\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-2.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-2.png 1138w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-2-512x425.png 512w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-2-768x637.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1138px) 100vw, 1138px\"><\/p>\n<p>One of many SQL queries I use as part of my blog reporting process. This example selects URLs from our international blogs (\/es\/ is Spain, and so&nbsp;on).<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_xo94cd3uh2ol\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Focus on learning SELECT, WHERE, GROUP BY, JOIN, and CASE statements. For an excellent beginner-friendly walkthrough, try <a href=\"https:\/\/mode.com\/sql-tutorial\/\">Mode\u2019s SQL tutorials<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/learnsql.com\/course\/sql-basics\/\">LearnSQL.com\u2019s SQL Basics Track<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Use free tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/mode.com\/sql\">Mode<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.db-fiddle.com\/\">DB Fiddle<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/cloud.google.com\/bigquery\/docs\/sandbox\">BigQuery sandbox<\/a> to write and test your queries.<\/li>\n<li>Paste your table schema (column names and types from your spreadsheet) into ChatGPT and describe what you want to measure\u2014it will write and explain the full&nbsp;query.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"3. Automate workflows with Zapier or Make\" data-section=\"3-Automate-workflows-with-Zapier-Make\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_hdmiqmw0grss\"><\/a>3. Automate workflows with Zapier or&nbsp;Make<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Sick of repetitive tasks clogging up your day? Learn how to automate your most mundane, repetitive tasks, and you can free up your time for more exciting things.<\/p>\n<p>Automation platforms like <a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/app\/home\">Zapier<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.make.com\/en\">Make<\/a> let you build \u201cif-this-then-that\u201d logic across all your marketing tools\u2014without touching code. It\u2019s technically \u201cno-code,\u201d but don\u2019t be fooled\u2014it still teaches you how to think like a programmer: setting conditions, chaining steps, handling exceptions, and reasoning through logic&nbsp;flows.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a super simple Zap that syncs changes in our master content spreadsheet with spreadsheets for each of our international blogs\u2014in this case, notifying the Japanese marketing team that new articles are ready for localization:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1337\" height=\"980\" class=\"wp-image-186540\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-3.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-3.png 1337w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-3-580x425.png 580w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-3-768x563.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1337px) 100vw, 1337px\"><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve used Zapier for a hundred different things: managing contact form submissions, triaging leads, triggering editorial workflows for content, syncing data between different spreadsheets, creating notifications in Slack, you name&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_uxcpn787wgtt\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Start with <a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/apps\">Zapier\u2019s template library<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.make.com\/en\/features\/scenarios\">Make\u2019s visual scenario builder<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Build a simple multi-step automation that uses filters, conditions, and formatting. Zapier\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/help.zapier.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/8496244429453\">getting started guide<\/a> is helpful if you\u2019re new.<\/li>\n<li>Ask ChatGPT to map out logic flows or generate JSON webhook payloads for more advanced steps. You can also paste in existing Zap or Make configuration details and ask it to optimize or troubleshoot them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"4. Write Google Apps Scripts to automate Sheets\" data-section=\"4-Write-Google-Apps-Scripts-to-automate-Sheets\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_1r5wugjqivx8\"><\/a>4. Write Google Apps Scripts to automate Sheets<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Apps Script (a form of JavaScript) lets you create automations and integrations inside Google Sheets.<\/p>\n<p>You can use Apps Script to send automated email summaries, archive form responses, merge data from multiple Sheets, or trigger Slack alerts when new data appears. I use a script that automatically fetches author data from newly published blog posts in our CMS and logs it to a shared Google Sheet\u2014so I could track who was publishing what, without chasing down teammates or manually copying data.<\/p>\n<p>Apps Scripts also work in Google Docs. Here\u2019s a simple script that I run to automatically add WordPress shortcodes into my finished drafts. ChatGPT wrote the script in about ten seconds flat, and this saves me about ten minutes per article draft:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1939\" height=\"1026\" class=\"wp-image-186541\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-4.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-4.png 1939w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-4-680x360.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-4-768x406.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-4-1536x813.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1939px) 100vw, 1939px\"><\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_ejempoa5ue8u\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Learn key methods like SpreadsheetApp, getRange(), and triggers like onEdit(). You can explore these in the<a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/apps-script\/guides\/sheets\"> Apps Script documentation<\/a> or look through examples on<a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/topics\/google-apps-script\"> GitHub<\/a> to see how real projects are&nbsp;built.<\/li>\n<li>Build a script that sends email alerts or fetches data from another Sheet. If you\u2019re new to JavaScript, try starting with<a href=\"https:\/\/javascript.info\/\"> JavaScript.info<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/developer.mozilla.org\/en-US\/docs\/Web\/JavaScript\/Guide\"> MDN\u2019s JS tutorial<\/a>, or<a href=\"https:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/js\/\"> W3Schools JavaScript basics<\/a>. These will help you understand the core programming concepts that Apps Script relies on.<\/li>\n<li>Use ChatGPT to write, explain, and debug your Apps Script line-by-line.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"5. Clean messy CSVs with Python and Pandas\" data-section=\"5-Clean-messy-CSVs-with-Python-and-Pandas\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_s1z6gmevwk7n\"><\/a>5. Clean messy CSVs with Python and Pandas<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever imported email lists or GA4 exports, you know: raw marketing data is&nbsp;chaos.<\/p>\n<p>Python\u2019s Pandas library is built to clean and transform that chaos into clean, structured insights. It\u2019s a Python library that makes it easy to filter, clean, and reshape spreadsheet-style data.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve barely scraped the surface of the Pandas library, but I already use it deduplicate rows, normalize UTM parameters, and automatically reformat raw exports into the right format for my monthly reporting.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1803\" height=\"1207\" class=\"wp-image-186542\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-5.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-5.jpg 1803w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-5-635x425.jpg 635w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-5-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-5-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1803px) 100vw, 1803px\"><\/p>\n<p>Pandas\u2019 data frames are crucial for my blog reporting automations.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_j6sj3xxo3j1f\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Install<a href=\"https:\/\/jupyter.org\/install\"> Jupyter Notebook<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/pandas.pydata.org\/docs\/getting_started\/index.html\"> Pandas<\/a>. Jupyter is an interactive coding environment where you can write and test Python code in your browser.<\/li>\n<li>Practice loading CSVs, renaming columns, filtering rows, and filling missing values.<\/li>\n<li>For hands-on learning, check out the<a href=\"https:\/\/pandas.pydata.org\/docs\/getting_started\/index.html\"> Pandas Getting Started tutorials<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaggle.com\/learn\/pandas\"> Kaggle\u2019s Python micro-course<\/a>, or<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataquest.io\/course\/pandas-fundamentals\/\"> Dataquest\u2019s beginner Pandas course<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Paste a sample dataset into ChatGPT and ask it to write and explain a data cleaning pipeline.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"6. Visualize trends with Looker Studio or Python libraries\" data-section=\"6-Visualize-trends-with-Looker-Studio-or-Python-libraries\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_3idasfzicdyv\"><\/a>6. Visualize trends with Looker Studio<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Being able to build dashboards or charts helps you get buy-in faster and uncover patterns that raw spreadsheets miss.<\/p>\n<p>Looker Studio is one of the easiest ways to build custom dashboards from your marketing data\u2014without needing to code or use BI&nbsp;tools.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" class=\"wp-image-186543\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-6.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-6.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-6-567x425.jpg 567w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-6-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-6-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/p>\n<p>Ahrefs now offers a direct integration with Looker Studio, so you can pull in SEO metrics like traffic, backlinks, keyword rankings, and site audit data to build real-time dashboards without exporting CSVs. That means less manual reporting and more time spent analyzing trends across content, campaigns, or competitor domains.<\/p>\n<p>You can learn how to set it up<a href=\"https:\/\/help.ahrefs.com\/en\/articles\/9229306-how-can-i-use-ahrefs-with-looker-studio\"> in this guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_lh4kbue8nmel\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Connect Google Sheets, GA4, or Ahrefs directly to Looker Studio.<a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/looker-studio\/answer\/9053467?hl=en\"> Follow this guide to get started<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Create visualizations like bar charts, pie charts, and time series with calculated fields.<\/li>\n<li>Use ChatGPT to help write Looker formulas, blend data sources, or troubleshoot broken charts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"7. Scrape public data with BeautifulSoup or Scrapy\" data-section=\"7-Scrape-public-data-with-BeautifulSoup-or-Scrapy\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_xhfu8apxacsg\"><\/a>7. Scrape public data with BeautifulSoup or Scrapy<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Need structured data from websites that don\u2019t offer APIs? Scraping public pages is one option\u2014whether you\u2019re gathering event listings, job boards, or blog metadata at&nbsp;scale.<\/p>\n<p>(Just keep in mind: not every website wants to be scraped. Always check their robots.txt file and terms of service before you&nbsp;start.)<\/p>\n<p>If you want a safe start project, try using&nbsp;BeautifulSoup and ChatGPT to scrape publicly available product data from the <a href=\"https:\/\/books.toscrape.com\/\">Books to Scrape<\/a> demo site, which is designed specifically for practicing web scraping. Try to extract titles, prices, and star ratings, then organize the data into a spreadsheet for analysis. Because the site is built for learning, it\u2019s a safe and responsible place to sharpen your scraping skills.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1187\" class=\"wp-image-186544\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-7.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-7.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-7-680x394.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-7-768x445.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-7-1536x890.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/books.toscrape.com\/\">Books to Scrape<\/a> is a site that actively encourages scraping.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_tmadc883h7r0\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Learn Python basics and install libraries like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crummy.com\/software\/BeautifulSoup\/bs4\/doc\/\">BeautifulSoup<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/requests.readthedocs.io\/en\/latest\/\"> Requests<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Practice scraping your own site to avoid breaking anything. You can also test your skills on sites that explicitly allow scraping\u2014like<a href=\"https:\/\/books.toscrape.com\/\"> Books to Scrape<\/a>, a demo e-commerce site built for this purpose.<\/li>\n<li>Ask ChatGPT to generate scraper scripts, explain the logic, and handle pagination or user-agent headers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"8. Learn Python for automating routine marketing tasks\" data-section=\"8-Learn-Python-for-automating-routine-marketing-tasks\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_i4yhxbno8yxq\"><\/a>8. Learn Python for automating routine marketing tasks<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>You\u2019ve probably noticed that I like Python. Python is the backbone of tons of cool workflows\u2014it\u2019s how you go from spreadsheets and manual processes to real automation.<\/p>\n<p>Learning any coding language is obviously a big ongoing commitment, but even a small amount of fluency can let you build very cool things.<\/p>\n<p>With help from ChatGPT, I\u2019ve automated tasks like exporting blog performance data from Google Search Console and visualizing it for my monthly content report, downloading favicons for my \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/fastest-growing-ai-companies\/\">top companies<\/a>\u201d lists, and extracting possible keywords from podcast transcripts.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"863\" height=\"923\" class=\"wp-image-186545\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-8.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-8.png 863w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-8-397x425.png 397w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-8-768x821.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px\"><\/p>\n<p>A handful of my amateur Python projects.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_5e7hco5njw5m\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Learn basic syntax (variables, functions, loops). One great place to start is Replit\u2019s free<a href=\"https:\/\/replit.com\/learn\/100-days-of-python\"> 100 Days of Python<\/a>, which combines bite-sized lessons with hands-on coding exercises right in your browser\u2014no setup required.<\/li>\n<li>Use<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.python.org\/3\/library\/os.html\"> os<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.python.org\/3\/library\/csv.html\"> csv<\/a>, and<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.python.org\/3\/library\/re.html\"> re<\/a> libraries to automate tasks like renaming, cleaning, and categorizing.<\/li>\n<li>Ask ChatGPT for Python scripts tailored to your workflow and have it explain the&nbsp;code.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"9. Build dashboards with Notion, Airtable, or Retool\" data-section=\"9-Build-dashboards-with-Notion-Airtable-or-Retool\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_6c7xt3m1pdt3\"><\/a>9. Build dashboards with Notion, Airtable, or Retool<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>While Airtable and Notion are no-code tools (hence \u201cnon-technical\u201d), they help explain how relational databases work: how different tables connect, how data types influence behavior, and how to structure your information for easy querying and automation.<\/p>\n<p>These are foundational concepts that not only make you better at using Airtable, but also dramatically improve your spreadsheet game and prep you for more advanced tools down the&nbsp;line.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve used Airtable in particular to build lightweight CRMs, <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/programmatic-seo\/\">programmatic SEO strategies<\/a>, and entire content management systems, capable of tracking briefs, drafts, publish status, and performance.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"962\" class=\"wp-image-186546\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-9.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-9.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-9-680x319.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-9-768x361.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-9-1536x722.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example content management system we built for our marketing agency, way back in&nbsp;2017.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_l951vg57acjz\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Create a base in<a href=\"https:\/\/airtable.com\/\"> Airtable<\/a> or table in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.notion.so\/\"> Notion<\/a> with fields like status, owner, due&nbsp;date.<\/li>\n<li>Build views to filter by content type, author, or due&nbsp;date.<\/li>\n<li>Use ChatGPT to draft formulas, suggest schema improvements, or automate with buttons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"10. Learn how to use Pivot tables in Google Sheets\" data-section=\"10-Learn-how-to-use-Pivot-tables-in-Google-Sheets\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_j3z56mz2yvc6\"><\/a>10. Learn how to use Pivot tables in Google Sheets<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Pivot tables are one of the most powerful ways to analyze large sets of spreadsheet data\u2014without writing a single formula.<\/p>\n<p>I used to use them a ton in my blog reporting: to summarize content performance by author, spot trends across different content types, and even explore correlations between publish cadence and traffic.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1153\" height=\"1081\" class=\"wp-image-186547\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-10.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-10.png 1153w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-10-453x425.png 453w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-10-768x720.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1153px) 100vw, 1153px\"><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a real pivot table from our recent AI in content marketing survey. The pivot table turns tons of unwieldy data into specific, useful analyses.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_c5iyespmp0e1\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>For a step-by-step guide, try<a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/docs\/answer\/1272900?hl=en\"> Google\u2019s pivot table tutorial<\/a> or this excellent<a href=\"https:\/\/www.benlcollins.com\/spreadsheets\/pivot-tables-google-sheets\/\"> pivot table walkthrough from Ben Collins<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Ask ChatGPT to help explain how to group data, calculate percentages, or create calculated fields inside your&nbsp;pivot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"11. Use RegEx to extract and clean marketing data\" data-section=\"11-Use-RegEx-to-extract-and-clean-marketing-data\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_ayx10w1n1qho\"><\/a>11. Use Regex to extract and clean marketing data<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Regex (short for Regular Expressions) is a compact language for finding patterns in text. While it looks intimidating at first, it\u2019s one of the most useful technical skills you can pick up\u2014and it\u2019s perfect for marketers drowning in messy&nbsp;data.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve used regex to clean UTM parameters, extract domain names from referral URLs, filter URL lists to find just international subfolders, validate email formats, and even pull keywords from content briefs. It\u2019s especially useful for filtering in Ahrefs: <a href=\"https:\/\/help.ahrefs.com\/en\/articles\/9919240-where-can-you-use-regex-regular-expressions-in-ahrefs\">Site Explorer and Site Audit both accept regex queries<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1468\" height=\"802\" class=\"wp-image-186548\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-11.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-11.png 1468w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-11-680x371.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-11-768x420.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1468px) 100vw, 1468px\"><\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_ez8at5pt4kxd\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Try free RegEx testing tools like<a href=\"https:\/\/regex101.com\/\"> Regex101<\/a> or<a href=\"https:\/\/regexr.com\/\"> RegExr<\/a>, which highlight matches and explain the&nbsp;logic.<\/li>\n<li>Start small: match email addresses, isolate URL slugs, or clean campaign tags.<\/li>\n<li>Use ChatGPT to write expressions for you\u2014just describe the pattern you want, and it can generate and explain it line-by-line.<\/li>\n<li>Learn where <a href=\"https:\/\/help.ahrefs.com\/en\/articles\/9919240-where-can-you-use-regex-regular-expressions-in-ahrefs\">Ahrefs accepts regex<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>For hands-on guides, check out<a href=\"https:\/\/www.freecodecamp.org\/news\/regular-expressions-for-beginners\/\"> Regular Expressions for Beginners<\/a> and JC Chouinard\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jcchouinard.com\/regex-for-seo\/\">Regex for SEO<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"12. Master advanced formulas in Google Sheets\" data-section=\"12-Master-advanced-formulas-in-Google-Sheets\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_vj0q0ridcnss\"><\/a>12. Master advanced formulas in Google Sheets<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Spreadsheets aren\u2019t just for simple sums\u2014they\u2019re one of the most powerful (and underutilized) platforms for logic-driven marketing automation.<\/p>\n<p>When you combine formulas like ARRAYFORMULA, QUERY, REGEXMATCH, and IMPORTRANGE, you\u2019re basically writing lightweight code. It\u2019s structured thinking, modular logic, and data manipulation\u2014all without touching a programming language.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve used advanced formulas to automate monthly reporting dashboards, analyze<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/websites\"> search visibility trends<\/a>, and even build<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/keyword-clustering\/\"> keyword clustering workflows<\/a> directly in Google Sheets. This weird nested formula is a crucial part of my blog team reporting dashboard:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1835\" height=\"1013\" class=\"wp-image-186549\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-12.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-12.jpg 1835w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-12-680x375.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-12-768x424.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-12-1536x848.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1835px) 100vw, 1835px\"><\/p>\n<p>This kind of fluency opens up huge leverage, especially when paired with data from tools like Ahrefs. In fact, we wrote a whole post about it:<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-sheets-formulas-seo\/\"> 29 Google Sheets formulas every SEO should know<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_dxerh1d33na0\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Learn how ARRAYFORMULA, QUERY, and FILTER can replace manual copy-pasting with dynamic updates.<\/li>\n<li>Use IMPORTRANGE to combine data from different Sheets.<\/li>\n<li>Try REGEXMATCH or REGEXREPLACE to clean up messy UTM parameters or flag branded keywords.<\/li>\n<li>Ask ChatGPT to help explain formulas, debug errors, or optimize slow Sheets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"13. Learn to prompt LLMs like a pro\" data-section=\"13-Learn-to-prompt-LLMs-like-a-pro\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_yj4rd92iyghk\"><\/a>13. Learn to prompt LLMs like a&nbsp;pro<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Let\u2019s wrap-up with a meta skill: prompting.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot of pseudoscience around prompting large language models (LLMs)\u2014people talk about it like magic spells. But the truth is, there is a science to good prompting. It\u2019s a technical skill that amplifies all the others on this&nbsp;list.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re asking ChatGPT to write Python scripts, explain SQL joins, or debug a formula, how you ask determines the quality of the response. Below is a list of prompting methodologies gleaned from my experience and the academic literature:<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-186537-_y4x6dmbginxb\"><\/a>How to get started:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Provide grounding context.<\/strong> If you\u2019re using ChatGPT or Claude, consider uploading documents (via Projects) so the model has access to relevant examples, data, or style guides. This is essentially a lightweight version of RAG (retrieval augmented generation).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use structured prompts.<\/strong> Frame your request with sections like: overview, examples, what to avoid, and desired output format. This helps the model reason more clearly and deliver consistent results.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use delimiters to separate content.<\/strong> Enclose code, sample data, or reference text in triple backticks (\u201c&nbsp;\u2018) to avoid confusion and improve output formatting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lean into emotional tone when appropriate.<\/strong> Language like \u201cyou\u2019re a world-class Python tutor\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m really stuck\u2014please walk me through this like I\u2019m new\u201d can affect how the model prioritizes clarity and&nbsp;tone.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Learn from best practices.<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/platform.openai.com\/docs\/guides\/gpt-best-practices\"> OpenAI\u2019s guide<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/simonwillison.net\/2023\/Feb\/21\/in-defense-of-prompt-engineering\/\"> Simon Willison\u2019s article on prompting<\/a>&nbsp;offer great frameworks for improving reliability and output quality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a id=\"post-186537-_vcgain8v3nca\"><\/a>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>The best marketers aren\u2019t just creative thinkers\u2014they\u2019re technical enough to actually execute, too. And now, with LLMs like ChatGPT, there\u2019s no excuse. You have a 24\/7 tutor, debugger, and strategist in your pocket.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t just ask AI to do things <em>for<\/em> you. Ask it to teach you. That\u2019s how you build real, durable skills. So pick one of these technical skills, give yourself a weekend project, and use AI to level&nbsp;up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not everyone has the luxury of developers, designers, or analysts who can help turn big ideas into reality. Even if you do, you still need to compete for time and help with the rest of your organisation. But times have<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[390],"tags":[],"coauthors":[457],"class_list":["post-186537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marketing","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to turn your creative marketing ideas into concrete reality with these very fun, very accessible, technical skills for marketers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to turn your creative marketing ideas into concrete reality with these very fun, very accessible, technical skills for marketers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-21T16:23:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-04T14:29:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"933\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ryan Law\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@thinking_slow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ryan Law\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e63cf0d276886d0391667a066edafeda\"},\"headline\":\"13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-21T16:23:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-04T14:29:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/\"},\"wordCount\":2971,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/13-technical-marketing-skills-you-can-by-ryan-law-marketing.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General Marketing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/\",\"name\":\"13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-21T16:23:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-04T14:29:51+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn how to turn your creative marketing ideas into concrete reality with these very fun, very accessible, technical skills for marketers.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":933},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\",\"description\":\"Link Building Strategies &amp; SEO Tips\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ahrefs\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Ahrefs\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ahrefs\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ahrefs\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/ahrefscom\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e63cf0d276886d0391667a066edafeda\",\"name\":\"Ryan Law\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ryan-law-pic.jpeg14222399d3ce9bff9501104131dfb0eb\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ryan-law-pic.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ryan-law-pic.jpeg\",\"caption\":\"Ryan Law\"},\"description\":\"Ryan Law is the Director of Content Marketing at Ahrefs. Ryan has 13 years experience as a writer, content strategist, team lead, marketing director, VP, CMO, and agency founder. He's helped dozens of companies improve their content marketing and SEO, including Google, Zapier, GoDaddy, Clearbit, and Algolia. He's also a novelist and the creator of two content marketing courses.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/ryanlaw.me\/\",\"https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/in\/thinkingslow\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/thinking_slow\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/author\/ryan-law\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)","description":"Learn how to turn your creative marketing ideas into concrete reality with these very fun, very accessible, technical skills for marketers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)","og_description":"Learn how to turn your creative marketing ideas into concrete reality with these very fun, very accessible, technical skills for marketers.","og_url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/","og_site_name":"SEO Blog by Ahrefs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/","article_published_time":"2025-03-21T16:23:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-04T14:29:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":933,"url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ryan Law","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@thinking_slow","twitter_site":"@ahrefs","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/"},"author":{"name":"Ryan Law","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e63cf0d276886d0391667a066edafeda"},"headline":"13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)","datePublished":"2025-03-21T16:23:25+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-04T14:29:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/"},"wordCount":2971,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/13-technical-marketing-skills-you-can-by-ryan-law-marketing.jpg","articleSection":["General Marketing"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/","name":"13 Technical Marketing Skills You Can Learn (Even If You\u2019re Not Technical)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-21T16:23:25+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-04T14:29:51+00:00","description":"Learn how to turn your creative marketing ideas into concrete reality with these very fun, very accessible, technical skills for marketers.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-marketing-skills\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/word-image-186537-1.jpg","width":2048,"height":933},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/","name":"SEO Blog by Ahrefs","description":"Link Building Strategies &amp; SEO Tips","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Ahrefs","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png","width":2048,"height":768,"caption":"Ahrefs"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ahrefs","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ahrefs\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/ahrefscom"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e63cf0d276886d0391667a066edafeda","name":"Ryan Law","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ryan-law-pic.jpeg14222399d3ce9bff9501104131dfb0eb","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ryan-law-pic.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ryan-law-pic.jpeg","caption":"Ryan Law"},"description":"Ryan Law is the Director of Content Marketing at Ahrefs. Ryan has 13 years experience as a writer, content strategist, team lead, marketing director, VP, CMO, and agency founder. He's helped dozens of companies improve their content marketing and SEO, including Google, Zapier, GoDaddy, Clearbit, and Algolia. He's also a novelist and the creator of two content marketing courses.","sameAs":["https:\/\/ryanlaw.me\/","https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/in\/thinkingslow","https:\/\/x.com\/thinking_slow"],"url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/author\/ryan-law\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/194"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186537\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186537"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=186537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}