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The SEO Book Ratings |
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Effective Methods |
10 |
/ |
10 |
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Ethical Methods |
10 |
/ |
10 |
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Value for the Price |
9.5 |
/ |
10 |
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Current & Real-World |
10 |
/ |
10 |
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Overall Rating |
98% |
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Visit the The SEO Book Website
Review
This manual on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) written by Aaron Wall is considered by many
internet marketing authorities to be the definitive work on the subject. The SEO Book is
written for anyone who owns or manages a website and who is interested in improving the
volume and quality of traffic to their website via search engines. The SEO Book is not a
quick-read, nor is it a step-by-step program. There is a significant amount of information
in this e-book. It is a combination of best practices in search engine friendly web page
content creation, and establishing high site rankings via effective link building. The
e-book has been written with current search engine methodologies in mind.
Sections 1 to 3: The manual starts out with a brief history on SEO and the web in general.
The author then gives some practical advice on web design and usability issues. Since I am
a professional website developer / software developer, I wasn’t expecting to learn much on
these subjects. However, Aaron made some very good points from an SEO perspective, so that while I didn’t find the first few chapters to be especially valuable to me personally, I did find that I
acquired some useful information. Some of the points I enjoyed included: when to include a
site-level search and when not to; why a proper SEO campaign can provide a higher return
on investment (ROI) than a paid campaign; the role hyphens play in domain names; branded
domain names versus keyword-oriented domain names; what C block IP addresses are and why
they may be important if you have many websites; why most internet businesses fail; the emerging
role of RSS in search engine optimization; what blog software to use;
copywriting; how small changes in site layout can produce significant increases in sales;
advantages of using text rather than images for site text; how to ensure page layout is
correct even before all the page has loaded; proper use of noscript tags; and how to
increase sales through allowing the user to control their own viewing experience.
Visit the The SEO Book Website
Section 4 contains some valuable, insightful information on the SEO
mechanics of the web page itself. I found that the chapter answered many questions that I have long had
stitting around in the back of my mind. What meta tags really matter and what don’t? What
do search engines want meta tags and page title to look like? What is the best way to
write image alt tags from an SEO point of view? More importantly for me were the questions I should have been asking but didn't realize I needed
to know. I’ve been
developing web sites for longer than I’d care to admit, but didn’t realize that I had been
writing my page titles incorrectly. The SEO Book taught me that I had been doing some
other things incorrectly all these years, such as using insufficiently descriptive anchor
text, and regarding breadcrumb trails or a site maps as optional. The SEO Book showed me
that I had some misconceptions regarding heading tags and boldfacing. This chapter made a
suggestion that has caused me to completely revamp my file and directory naming
conventions. The author gives some great suggestions on where to get free, dynamic, search
engine friendly page content. I also learned that search engine optimization goes well
beyond how to make web pages look good to search engines. I don’t entirely agree with
Aaron’s perspective on the use of Flash, but his point is good to bear in mind
nonetheless. Just as important as keyword-optimized content, proper use of heading tags,
and so on, are the quality and quantity of links both coming in and going out of a site.
Later on in the book Aaron gets into this topic in considerable detail.
There are two things I would like to mention at this point. The first is that the e-book
itself is very well composed. The items in the table of contents are hyperlinked
making navigation easy. The second is that each section of the book is followed by a
collection of resources summarizing each section. This puts the most
relevant and useful information at the fingertips of the reader.
Visit the The SEO Book Website
The fifth section deals with how search engines interact with web sites. Important
questions such as how often do search engines crawl, how search engines evaluate links,
and how search engines treat logs are usefully addressed. The rel=nofollow tag is
discussed and points are made regarding when and when not to use it. The author
then gets into the matter of improving search engine rankings via linking from reputable
directories. He discusses both paid and free methods, and explains which directories can
help improve your site's search engine rankings and which directories can actually be
detrimental and why. The author gives some very useful tips on how to determine which
directories are considered to be valuable by Google
and which directories Google has ignored,
along with which directories Google has banned. The definition and importance of Google PageRank and Alexa Rank are also discussed. Provided are answers to such questions as what web pages of your sites
are indexed by Google, how to find out what websites are back linking to your own,
and where your site ranks in Google for specific keywords.
The author gets into some interesting
detail regarding current and recent search engine ranking algorithms, including latent
semantic indexing, Hilltop, topic sensitive page rank, and temporal analysis. While
understanding some of these algorithms can be interesting, the fundamental concepts of
sound SEO are generally independent of algorithms shifts; as such, it is generally not
necessary to have an intimate understanding of such advanced concepts. The latter part of
the fifth chapter deals specifically with the Internet's most widely used search engine, Google, and what specific techniques need to be utilized in order to rank competitively in Google.
A similar discussion takes place on the search engine Yahoo!, and specific
emphasis is made on how to rank competitively in Yahoo!'s organic search engine listings.
Ranking strategies for other search engines such as MSN adCenter and Teoma are also
described. The section finishes up with a definitive discussion on the right and wrong
ways of building an incoming link campaign, noting what methods search engines consider to
be most credible.
Visit the The SEO Book Website
Section 6 is about pay per click. The author explains the value of pay-per-click not
only from a marketing standpoint, but also from a test and research perspective. He
explains the differences between major PPC search
engines such as Google and
Yahoo!, and explains why the methods of pay-per-click marketing on one search engine are
not necessarily the best methods to use for the other. This information is especially
useful in helping to prevent costly and easily-made mistakes. He explains how to select
proper keywords, write effective ads, determine which positions are likely
to be the most cost-effective, and maximize sales conversions. The information he
includes about ad tracking and bid management software is particularly insightful, and not
easily found elsewhere. Some very effective strategies are offered on how to obtain the
highest click through rate at the lowest price by careful monitoring and adjustment of
bids and ad text. An e-book like
AdWords Miracle would be more definitive on the subject
of getting the most out of Google AdWords, but the information contained in The SEO Book
is excellent nonetheless.
In Section Seven, the author discusses how to monitor the results
of your search engine marketing efforts. Aaron touches upon "black hat methods",
and explains
how and why specific techniques such as page cloaking, hidden text, redirects, and link
farms can get you into a lot of trouble. He also discusses how the utilization of session
ID’s in the URL and dynamic navigation can cause problems with search engine crawlers.
Section Eight is for people who feel they don't have sufficient time
or expertise for search engine optimization even after reading the SEO Book. The author describes what to look for and how to hire a
professional SEO specialist, based upon the
nature of your web site and promotional requirements.
The final chapter is essentially a checklist summarizing the main points of the previous
chapters. It is intended to serve as a point of reference for refreshing the reader's
mind on the most important concepts taught
in the previous chapters.
Summary
The SEO Book is undoubtedly the single most useful reference I have come across on the
subject of search engine optimization. The author has created a manual that will very
likely have a significant impact on the reader's understanding and implementation of
search engine optimization. Myths are dissolved, and sound effective techniques are
diligently demonstrated. Beginners will probably have problems understanding the advanced
concepts described in The SEO Book. Those who will derive the most from it are webmasters,
web designers, and Internet marketers.
Intended Audience:
Webmasters, web designers, and Internet marketers. Intermediate to highly advanced.
Pros:
- Very real-world methods are taught from start to finish
- Clear distinction is made between what methods are effective and what methods are not
- Information presented is insightful and authoritative
- The author creates realistic expectations and does not utilize hype
- Many useful references, tools, and resources are cited, most of which are free and high
quality
- A manual that will be referred to time and time again
- The e-book’s website has a great deal of useful supporting info as well
Cons:
|
|
The SEO Book Ratings |
|
Effective Methods |
10 |
/ |
10 |
|
Ethical Methods |
10 |
/ |
10 |
|
Value for the Price |
9.5 |
/ |
10 |
|
Current & Real-World |
10 |
/ |
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Overall Rating |
98% |
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