Rating: 
Summary: Would I bring this teacher an apple?
Review: The answer is NO. I bought this book because of good reviews and wasted my money. The teaching in this book is either lacking or the author assumes that you already know everything. So why write a book? What is missing is clarity! I waddle around in Oolong Tea coming out of my ears, but where are the precise steps I have to take to make my website visible? You know, like A, B, C, and D. This book is extremely hard to find a beacon to guide you through. I am a college graduate and I know a good teacher when I spot one. This book .... well, you will forever try to find a clue to become visible.
Rating: 
Summary: Yellow Pages Commando Recommendation
Review: The field of Internet marketing is really coming into its own. There is a science behind designing websites that achieve top rankings in the search engines. I've found one book that is easy to read, easy to implement, and extremely well researched. Search Engine Visibility by Shari Thurow is the benchmark by which all other guides are measured. If you have a website and expect anyone to find it, you should get this book. I highly recommend it to all of my subscribers and Yellow Pages advertising clients. It helps the people you're trying to find get to your web site. The author and I have both been speakers at Search Engine Strategies conferences, and she consistently draws the largest crowds. She puts the highest levels of search engine marketing ethics into everything she does.
Rating: 
Summary: solid information
Review: This book does not work on the specific details of algorithms. If it did, it would be quickly outdated. Instead, this book is based on the fundamental concepts of the web. As search engines get more advanced, they will be more able to emulate the end user. This book is simple and straightforward. Another positive part of this book is that it overlaps other issues a little to help you understand that there is more to a website than search engine marketing. This book does not cover in detail some of the wordarounds for dynamic website configurations. Other than that its a good book. I believe those intersted in dynamic workarounds were not the target audience for this book anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding guide to common sense search engine promotion!
Review: This book puts search engine optimization in perspective. If you've been looking at the web sites of search engine optimization firms and not been able to figure out what it is they do, this book will clue you in as to what you should expect to hear from a reputable company. It may also be an eye opener if you think attaining top rankings in the main search results on engines like Google is as simple as breaking out the checkbook and paying some company to "do optimization" without making any changes to your website (though there are some companies that can pull this off for surprisingly long periods of time). Search Engine Visibility is the first book I've ever seen that acknowledges search engine optimization does not exist in a vacuum separate from the business or philanthropic goals of a website. Search engine optimization should be an integral part of the planning and design stages of any website. It's refreshing to see a publication that emphasizes this. This book will help you understand what you can do to increase search engine referrals and further your business goals without spamming the engines. [Though if you take everything in this book literally you may be scared that if you put a few words in your meta tags that don't appear in the copy of your page Google will ban your site - that's just not going to happen, but you do put your site at risk if you resort to some of the other Spam tactics mentioned in the book] You'll learn best practices in: * Keyword research and selection
* Site design and layout
* Designing search engine friendly navigation systems
* Crafting keyword (and user!) focused copy on your pages
* Improving visibility for search engine "challenged" sites
* Preparing for and doing directory submissions The section on dealing with directories and directory editors is probably the best write up of the directory planning, submission, and listing process I've ever seen. [This comes from one who has been one of those editors since 99'] It gives you very realistic expectations with respect to getting your site listed in the major web directories. Follow the included guidelines and checklists and you can't go wrong. Chances are, however, it will take a fairly long time for your site to get reviewed and listed unless you expressly pay for an express review. You won't find the minute technical details of how each engine works in this book and you don't need them. All engines look at the link text and visible copy on your site as well as some combination of title, description, keyword, alt, and header tags. Focus on the basics and you'll do just fine. Keep your eye on your customers; a search engine spider will never buy anything from you. To round out your search engine optimization/marketing library be sure to pick up a copy of "NetWords", "Persuasive Online Copywriting", and a good book on style sheets (CSS) such as "Designing CSS Web Pages" By Christopher Schmitt or "Eric Meyer on CSS" For more up to the minute info on search engine promotion pay a visit to the WebmasterWorld forums.
Rating: 
Summary: It doesn't teach tricks however it doesn't teach SEO either
Review: This book teaches some web site design, some usability, and some basic SEO. Author thinks that SEO is not about getting top rankings. So, how can you expect her to teach you SEO? Do not waste your time and money if you know some basic SEO which you can find free on the internet.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read - Search Engine Visibility
Review: This is a terrific book for those who want to attract increased traffic to their web sites. Shari clearly has an outstanding grasp of the indexing algorithms used by the major search engines - but more than that she provides good common sense guidance for high visibility, which works across all search engines. She avoids providing tricks and stunts for attracting traffic, and focuses on the overriding importance of link popoularity and content. Five Stars for quality.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for Webmasters
Review: This is an outstanding book! Very well written and very much based in reality. Shari Thurow really gives excellent advice on dealing with everything from Flash and CSS to directory submissions, and re-submissions. If you are looking for a book to help you with your search engine results, you need this book + Search Engine Optimization by Fredrick Marckini. The adivce you get from these books will have a significant effect on your search engine rankings.
Rating:
Summary: Best SEO book for beginners
Review: Those who have written that this book is misleading etc are seeing things too much from their own point of view. To be honest, there was nothing in this book I did not already know. But how long had it taken me to learn all that knowledge? I think the author has done a great job of producing a comprehensive product that will take a person who wants to learn SEO from knowing nothing to the point were they know the basics. And the basics are really what counts in this business. I am employed full time as a Search Engine Optimization Specialist by a multi-million dollar company and no, this book is not for SEO professionals but it is definately the best book for beginners and the small office/home office crowd (and there are quite a few of them). This book is enough for small business owners but if you want to progress as a professional after mastering this book then I recommend "Web Metrics: Proven Methods for Measuring Web Site Success" by Jim Sterne.
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