Archive for August, 2006

Search Engine Optimization An Hour A Day: Book Review

Do you want to improve your Web site’s search engine results rank but feeling intimidated by the complexity of Search Engine Optimization and confused about where to begin? If so, Search Engine Optimization An Hour A Day may be exactly what you are looking for to help you get started. Where other books offer facts, tips, and conceptual background, this volume offers simple tasks that demonstrate the core principles of SEO.

The authors, Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin, introduce SEO objectives a week at a time and break each objective into goals and tasks that can be easily understood and completed each day. Written with clarity and detail, the book leaves little room for confusion about what you can do to improve your Web site’s rank in the search engine results pages.

One of the most valuable sections of this book discusses team building in a company or organization with competing departmental agendas. In detail, the authors present proven methods for communicating the benefits of SEO in language that reflects the priorities of the Webmaster, programmers, marketing department, graphic designers and more. If you need the help of others to improve your Web site, you’ll find this chapter on team building invaluable.

Topics covered in Search Engine Optimization An Hour A Day include:

  • determining business goals for your Web site
  • creating an SEO plan
  • getting your team on board
  • selecting keywords for your Web content
  • increasing the visibility of your Web site by link building
  • implementing a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign
  • understanding and using Web site analytics to understand your Web site traffic
  • writing monthly and quarterly SEO reports

This book is an excellent resource for task-oriented realists who want to find a way to improve their Web site’s search engine rank. If you already understand the basics of SEO, you may become frustrated by the pace of progress through the book. If so, don’t forget that you can proceed at any pace and that you may find gems that make the format worth reading. For beginners, the daily task format makes SEO easy to understand and, more importantly, easy to put into practice. No implementation details are left unaddressed and the companion Web site features a full array of documents to track Web site changes, keywords, pay-per-click campaigns and link request letters.

I recommend Search Engine Optimization An Hour A Day for anyone interested in Search Engine Optimization and new to the concept of improving search engine results by optimizing content, especially if your organization or business structure will require you to build teams across deparmental structures.

Product Details

  • Authors: Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin
  • Hardcover: 318 pages
  • Publisher: Sybex (Wiley)
  • ISBN: 0471787531
  • List Price: $29.99
  • Buy the book on Amazon

Related Resources

1 comment August 9th, 2006

What Would You Like Your Web Designer to Tell You?

For the last year, this blog has focused mostly on writing for peers and reviewing materials that are relevant to my professional development. I plan to continue this pattern but also develop content that will help businesses become better consumers of Web design services.

The task of creating valuable content for business owners and decision makers is made more difficult because I cannot read the minds of my readers. If only I could get inside your thoughts … never mind, I’m actually happier only dealing with my own mental chatter!

What do you want to know about Web design for business? If you are a business owner or decision maker who has been wanting a straight-up answer to a question about Web design or Web development, please drop me a line or post a comment here. I want this blog to become a valuable resource for my clients as well as my peers.

Thanks.

- Harvey Ramer

Alternatively, you can call me at 315-262-0469. I enjoy meeting new people!

August 3rd, 2006

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About Harvey Ramer

CSS Web design, e-commerce Web design, and internet marketing issues from the desk of Harvey A. Ramer at Design Delineations.

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