The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization

Comments

1. Frank Stepanski says:

   July 30, 2010 at 6:04 pm

   SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion.

   Typically, the earlier (or higher) a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a web site web presence.

   This book is written by four well-known SEO experts: Eric Enge, Stephen Spencer, Rand Fishkin and Jessie Stricchiola. Each one of the authors demonstrates their ability in explaining to the reader their wealth of knowledge on this subject. This is the first of its kind in my opinion for a book to cover so many aspects of SEO from the planning of your site and audience, to working and testing algorithms of the various search engines, to creating SEO friendly content, trakcing and measuring your results and ROI.

   A brief review of each chapters contents:

   Chapter 1 : The Search Engines: Reflecting Consciousness and Connecting Commerce
   
   Chapter 2 : Search Engine Basics
   
   Chapter 3 : Determining Your SEO Objectives and Defining Your Site’s Audience
   
   Chapter 4 : First Stages of SEO
   
   Chapter 5 : Keyword Research
   
   Chapter 6 : Developing an SEO-Friendly Website
   
   Chapter 7 : Creating Link-Worthy Content and Link Marketing
   
   Chapter 8 : Optimizing for Vertical Search
   
   Chapter 9 : Tracking Results and Measuring Success
   
   Chapter 10 : Domain Changes, Post-SEO Redesigns, and Troubleshooting
   
   Chapter 11 : Honing the Craft: SEO Research and Study
   
   Chapter 12 : Build an In-House SEO Team, Outsource It, or Both?
   
   Chapter 13 : An Evolving Art Form: The Future of SEO

   This book should be considered a ‘bible’ on SEO because I cannot think of any other topic that has been left out. I have already used this book for two websites my company has developed and improved its search results by at least 10-20%. SEO is definitely an art form in a way and so many designers and devlopers overlook this when they are creating a website because either of the lack of time or mainly due to the lack of knowledge.

   Even though this book has lots and lots of information, you can take parts or sections of this book and apply it immediately to a website you are currently working on or have worked on like I did.

   I cannot stress enough how important SEO is and this book is an invaluable resource.

   A must buy!
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. Dondojeff says:

   July 30, 2010 at 6:16 pm

   I hope my competitors do not buy this book The Art of SEO has the best and most comprehensive coverage of Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing, written by the biggest rock stars in business. For a highly technical area, the book is easy to read and user friendly, providing many practical, ready to implement solutions.
   Rating: 5 / 5
3. James Magary says:

   July 30, 2010 at 8:30 pm

   The Art of SEO is exactly what I was hoping it would be… a dense, detailed exploration of the basics and best practices of SEO. As many starting SEOs know, there is lots of free information all over the web about various tactics, but the lack of a single comprehensive source to look something up in makes it occasionally frustrating trying to find the best tactic or to find a simple explanation of an SEO concept. That’s why I wanted to buy a nice, thick book on the subject, in hopes that its authors and editors will have organized a comprehensive source to serve as both a learning tool and occasional reference guide, including a little bit of enlightening info about almost everything you can think of in the practice of SEO. This book accomplishes that, giving you advice that can be trusted, so you don’t have to take the risk that a piece of info on some forum post is going to give you the right direction.

   I bought this one because Rand Fishkin was involved as one of the authors… his video presentations and blog posts on SEOMoz, along with the rest of that site’s contributers, already represent the most central and credible source of good SEO info on the web. The book follows suit in presenting clear explanations, and solid tactical advice on hundreds of areas, with just enough detail to help you talk like an expert, without bogging you down in trivia or tech-ese. A complete beginner might want to start with a more introductory text, or just stick to the web for awhile with the free stuff, as this book does presume a certain degree of knowledge. But if you know a little SEO and are web-savvy, this book will become your right-hand SEO guide.

   One complaint that must be noted… the book’s index is not nearly as complete as it should be – many terms that I just want to jump to and read about are not in the index. There is some amusing irony in the fact that a book about search is… uh… hard to search in. The Table of Contents makes up for this a bit, as it’s relatively easy to scan that section and figure out where you need to go, but it would be better to have a more comprehensive index, because this is not a book you’d be likely to read cover to cover…it’s more likely to be used again and again as ideas develop and questions arise. Maybe they will take care of that in subsequent editions, which will surely be necessary for a book covering a field that is constantly changing.

   The Art of SEO is a thick, small-font reference guide covering everything that a quasi-professional or even current expert would want to have at hand, and the charts, tables, and resources are extensive and helpful. I don’t expect the need to buy another book on SEO anytime soon, as this one gives me much to chew on.
   Rating: 5 / 5
4. Seus says:

   July 30, 2010 at 9:35 pm

   I’ve been studying SEO techniques and practicing it for about 2 years. I’ve scoured the internet for as much information as possible. What others have said is true. Yes, most of what’s talked about in this book can be found on the internet for free, but it’s a matter of finding ALL of the information and then knowing how to utilize said information for it to be effective. This book does an excellent job of putting all of this at your fingertips in a well laid out, very understandable manner.

   I really don’t think that SEO is meant for those who are brand new to web work. You should have knowledge of the different markup languages (html, css) and at a minimum an understanding of PHP, Javascript, SQL Databases, Apache/IIS, etc. Without this, you will find the terminology a bit difficult to comprehend or have absolutely no idea what the topics are talking about.

   This book won’t bring you instant success, as the search engines continuously change, but if you’re looking to get up to speed on SEO this is a great start. The rest of the learning process is all trial-and-error.

   I highly recommend this book for anyone who’s seriously interested in getting started with SEO work.
   Rating: 5 / 5
5. Brian Tucker says:

   July 31, 2010 at 12:31 am

   As a SEM/SEO Analytics Specialist, this book has been a great resource for me. I’m in a position now, where I use this book, daily for project references. A good friend and technology professional recommended the book to me. As I develop my SEO skill set, I can relax knowing there are great books out there to enhance my career. From my experience, this is few and far between. Keep up the good work!
   Rating: 5 / 5
6. cna training says:

   August 8, 2010 at 2:05 pm

   found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later