Search Engine Positioning

The gentle art of search engine positioning is much more than adding a few metatags to your webpages. Still, it is not as difficult as some search engine positioning experts would like us to believe.

Yes, it is probably better to outsource this work, if your life depends on top search engine rankings. However, there is a lot you can do on your own in order to achieve better listings.

The following books will give you much more than the basic principles of search engine positioning. If you have done nothing to optimize your website before, following their advice may give you a dramatic improvement in search engine rankings. Even if you have done some work in this area, there are probably a few tricks in these books that you haven't heard about before.

A word of warning: Books like these may introduce you to techniques the search engines would label spamming or cheating. Don't use them. If you are caught, some search engines will ban your site from their index. That hurts more than it's worth.

If you can't wait to get started, you might download an ebook on search engine promotion instead.

Search Engine Positioning

Search Engine Positioning is written by Fredrick Marckini, CEO and founder of the iProspect, one of America's leading search engine optimization companies. It is definitely one of the best and most comprehensive books we have read on the subject.

The book is easy to read, and will be useful for beginners in the field of search engine positioning, as well as for those that have some experience in optimizing websites.

The fact that the book is published in 2001, does not mean that the book is completely up to date. The speed of current search engine development makes it impossible to publish paper based book containing all the latest information. However, it does cover the new anti-spam policies of search engines like Google and AltaVista, and the recent emphasis on link popularity and theme based sites.

Among the topics covered are:

1.        The history of search engines and search engine positioning

2.        Understanding search referrals and traffic

3.        Choosing the right keywords, in the right combinations

4.        Factors that greatly affect your relevancy in spider-based search engines

5.        Meta tags, metadata and where to place keywords

6.        Domain name selection

7.        Site submission

8.        Spamdexing

9.        Web site design

10.     Rank-checking tools

11.     Building informational pages

12.     Buying advertising on search engines

13.     Cloaking

There are also separate chapters on the major search engines and directories containing recent data on partnerships, the number of documents indexed, support, factors that influence rankings and much more. iProspect offers an additional free newsletter containing the latest search engine positioning news and updates.

The book includes CD-ROM with trial versions of software and links to relevant search engine positioning resources.

Search Engine Visibility

Search engine marketing expert Shari Thurow has written a new guide that aims at helping "web designers, web developers, programmers, ad agencies, web design firms, online marketers, copywriters, and anyone who builds web sites, to build a better web site, one that can be found through search engines and directories."

Does she succeed? Yes, she does.

Search Engine Visibility is well written an is easy to understand. Moreover, Thurow has achieved a good balance between detail and accessibility that makes this a good book for newcomers to the field of search engine marketing.

More seasoned search engine marketers will probably not find that many new tricks of the trade, but you never know. Shari Thurow is a well respected expert in the field of search engine friendly web design. She may have caught a few details other experts have missed. She certainly clarified a few points for us.

The book covers all the main areas of search engine marketing and web site design, including:

1.        How to optimize the text of web pages -- including keyword placement

2.        The link component

3.        Navigation schemes

4.        The popularity component and the quest for links

5.        How to solve problems following the use of javascripts, cascading style sheets, frames, Flash and dynamic web pages

6.        Pay per click and paid inclusion

7.        Search engine and directory submissions

8.        Spam

And that's not all. You will probably be able to find most of this information on the Web, but Thurow will certainly save you a lot of work. For a newcomer this is definitely a good place to start learning the ins and out of search engine oriented web design.

Maximize Web Site Traffic

Streetwise Maximize Web Site Traffic by Robin Nobles and Susan O'Neil provides a step-by-step guide to search engine optimization, with detailed information on the major search engines.

We would not necessarily follow all their advice. We do not, for instance, agree with the idea of resubmitting Web pages regularly regardless of ranking or age. Still, the wealth of information makes this a very useful book. Beginners in the field of search engine promotion will find it particularly attractive.

Among the topics covered are:

1.        How to choose effective keywords

2.        Keyword weight

3.        Creating titles that command attention

4.        Tips for keyword meta tags

5.        Effective doorway pages

6.        Spam