16 replies to this topic

[diana]

Which books would you recommend for someone who is wanting to start a career in the SEO field?

I am looking for something that will cover every aspect of SEO.

Thanks,
Diana

[sweepthelegnate]

I've checked out a book or two about seo...most of them are stale by the time they hit the shelves...this forum is the better than any book I've seen. read some books on marketing and copywriting.



nathan

[Jill]

The new one from Site Point that will be coming out shortly, which is written by our own Dan Thies.

Look for it any day/week now, I think. Dan?

[sweepthelegnate]

oooh that should be a good read....

how about a highrankings member discount?

[diana]

Thanks Jill. I am interested in getting Dan's new book. Where can I order it from?

[Black_Knight]

Mike Grehan is soon (he keeps saying) to release a newly updated version of his book, and I strongly suspect that it will again be a definitive work. His current edition is still good value for the exact reasons his new one will be - these are the books that do not date.

The reason Mike's books don't date is that they look at the history, development and science of search in great depth. He looks at how the approach to Information Retrieval itself is taken, at the definitive research and steps along the way, and this all plots a course towards the future.

I'm not on a commission, but I couldn't recommend the book any harder if I were.

[Dragon]

I did some research just the other day to stock up our SEO cabinet and found the following books / ebooks thay may be of some use:

http://seobook.com/ The SEO book by Aaron Wall. Although it’s not completely focused on writing for search engines, it talks about SEO tips and tools in general. It has received a number of good reviews. I’ve included a review that talks more about what it offers. http://www.daniweb.c...thread9683.html

http://www.search-engine-book.co.uk/ Search Engine Marketing: The Essential Best Practice Guide by Mike Grehan. This guide is also an e-book. It takes you through site design and architecture, copy tips and optimization techniques. Also includes quite techie speak about building sites using flash, frames, dynamic content and Java in relation to SEO. It also includes a bonus report called “Google PageRank Uncovered” by Chris Ridings and Jill Whalen .

Of course there is Jill's book:)
http://www.highranki...&source=hometop The Nitty Gritty of Writing for Search Engines by Jill Whalen. E-book. This is focused toward content, as it talks about keywords, title tags, meta tags, where to place your keywords for maximum visibility. Its also not for complete dummies, it’s for people with some experience of web copywriting – which is good. It’s very popular in the web copywriting circles.

http://www.bayst-sea...ting-books.html The Professional Guide to Search Engine Writing by Gord Collins. You get a comprehensive introduction and a table of contents beforehand so you know what you’re buying. It appears to cover a wide range of topics from PageRank, tags and Keywords, stemming and exact matches, etc. You get a free book when you order this one called “Flash Site Optimization Techniques” by the same author. This book gives tips on how to create SEO-friendly flash sites. It was written in 2003, so I don’t know how relevant it is now...

http://www.amazon.co...8656192-2618435 Search Engine Optimization for Dummies, written by Peter Kent. It’s a paperback and was written in 2004. This book details the basics of SEO for beginners.

http://www.amazon.co...g=UTF8&v=glance Search Engine Visibility by Shari Thurow. Shari is now on this forum and she also writes for Clickz Experts - her articles are quite informative. It’s a paperback. It talks about search engine visibility and how to design, develop and write a site for maximum exposure in search engines. You can also buy this book with Search Engine Advertising by Catherine Seda who is also a Clickz Experts regular as a combined package.

Hope this helps

[Black_Knight]

Which books would you recommend for someone who is wanting to start a career in the SEO field?

There's another book that is essential for anyone engaging in any form of marketing activity online - the Cluetrain Manifesto http://www.cluetrain.com/book/

Not only should every SEO/SEM have read this, but anyone involved in the commercial side of the web should know this work. It is not a bible, but it is essential and fundamental stuff to have read, digested, considered and learnt from.

So there you are. I recommend just two books: the ClueTrain Manifesto and Mike Grehan's "Search Engine Marketing: The Essential Best Practice Guide". Between them, they cover everything you should need to know, and they'll each last years in inspiring you (and equipping you) to grasp for deeper understandings.

[Matt B]

I'll second Ammon's recommendation of The ClueTrain Manifesto.

Without a true understanding of the history and shaping of the internet culture, you will really be at a loss of why certain techniques are or are not effective. This book help to understand the philosophy and psychology of web users and the attitudes that can create success.

Another book I would recommend, from a philosophical and historical perspective is Neil Postman's Technopoly. IMO, You are cheating yourself if you don't grasp the historical and sociological significance of the technology you plan to use.

[diana]

Thanks for the responses, especially the very thorough response from dragon. I will take all of these into consideration.

I am not just looking for a book on SEO, I am looking for a book on SEO that will look at it from the point that the person who is reading it is looking to do this as a career and possibly have tips and pointers in it. Are there any books specific to that?

[Jill]

That's what Dan's will be for. But it's not out yet. Check SitePoint.com to see if they mention it yet.

[Scottie]

It is supposed to be out before the end of the month!

[DanThies]

(I think I need a bot that will watch for people calling my name...)

The Sitepoint Search Engine Marketing Kit 2005 (I think that's what it's called) went to the printers this week, and I know that it will be on sale by the end of the month. It covers the whole spectrum of SEM, with a lot of advanced info and techniques, as well as a chapter on building a search engine marketing business. Also interviews with smart people like Jill & Scottie, Greg Jarboe, Andy Beal, John Slade from Overture, and my mom (just kidding).

Our "SEO Fast Start" e-book is now available free, for folks who are just learning about SEO. The 5th edition will be out (also free) shortly after the SES show in New York. We may have a new co-author for SEO Fast Start by then, still waiting for a decision from 'someone' on that.

[Craig B]

Dan, (did your bot catch that?)

I noticed you are now a Sitepoint blogger. Looking forward to reading your news and views.

- Craig

[DanThies]

Thanks, Craig. Yes, the blog came along with the book, sort of.

I don't really buy the idea that books on SEO become instantly dated. SEO Fast Start is approaching the 5th edition, with the first published in 2001, and I don't think much has changed in terms of the overall approach/strategy. There are a few tactical details that change, but not much.