Rating: 
Summary: The Bible to guide you to higher rankings when people search
Review: This book can serve many different purposes: yes, it can help you kick start a career in the very competitive field of SEP (Search Engine Position -how clever, ah?); yes, it can help you boost your positionings, by the implementation of a handful of techniques, at the HTML code level, by helping you pick (maybe more, and) better keywords; and at the search engine level, itself. However, there's a few things to take into consideration when jumping into it: this is not a quick fix book, meaning, SEP is almost an art with some very delicate balances (do I position this keyword in the title, or in two-three places throughout the first 25 words of the document?), and a very dynamic one. Also, any changes that effect the HTML in your site, or what/how you submit to search engines, can take several weeks until you can start seizing the results for it. In order to stay current with the evolution of Web Design, and the brilliant skills of Web marketers who constantly outwit them (for a while) the algorithms Search Engines use to rank submissions vary from time to time. As a result of this, the contents of this book is almost like fresh bread: it's worth reading as soon as possible, because substantial portions of it (two thirds of it, to be more precise, which are devoted to specifics about the top Search Engines) can and will change over the course of the next few months/years. Having said all of this, I highly recommend the book. I'm using it myself on a daily basis to help improve the rankings for the two web sites we manage at my work, and it's worked wonders for us. It can do the same for you, but get it quick!
Rating: 
Summary: Search Engine Reference
Review: This book is mainly for those interested in pursuing a career in search engine optimization. It covers all the basics involved in modifying a site for better visibility as well as the history behind search engines. Some of the chapters which are engine specific are a bit outdated, but that is understandable considering how rapidly changes occur in this particular field. It belongs on the shelf of a search engine optimizer or any web professional who is interested in the in-depth information the it provides.
I do think that the companion CD is a piece of fluff and an unecessary addition.
Rating:
Summary: Great Information, If You Can Work At It Full Time
Review: This book is very complete, and almost a definitive reference to the 'state of the art' at the time it was written. For anyone aspiring to work full time in this field, it's a five-star work. Of course, information changes rapidly in this field, and some of the content is already dated, and there have been important developments since its publication. Where I think it falls short is in failing to deliver a good "fast food" solution for those who don't have 40 hours a week dedicated to search engine positioning. All of the information is in here, but there's no clear sense of what the top priority actions should be, for a typical small website. As search engine experts go, you can't do much better than the author and his team at iProspect.com. If you've got the time to work through a dense 500+ pages, and apply the knowledge, this is a great book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing for writing purposes
Review: This is a must-have book for any small business that wants more customers from the Internet. Most small businesses cannot afford an expensive Internet marketing firm to come in and work their black magic to improve their search engine ranking. Mr. Marckini's book provides any small business with the knowledge base to do it themselves - and you don't have to be an expert. Marckini de-mystifies the whole positioning process. His explanations are clear, easy to understand and full of examples. The book is thick because it is comprehensive, but don't let that intimidate you. Its logical layout, the scan friendly format, and detailed Table of Contents supports subject hopping as well as a pleasurable cover-to-cover read. The first time I read the book was on a cross-country flight and I kept finding myself exclaiming "Wow!" out loud. (I was so absorbed I wasn't even aware I was doing it until the person next to me on the flight asked me what I was reading.) Actions speak louder than words. This is a book you will use over and over again. I am on my second copy of the book. I literally wore out my first copy because I used it so much in my day to day work. Seriously - I work at a small Internet company and thanks to the information in Marckini's book, our company has been able to slash its advertising dollars, and still increase our revenue. How? We put search engines to work for us using the techniques described in this book. I enjoyed the entire book, but as I look at my well worn copy the chapter with the most highlighting and notes in the margins is Chapter 10: Search Engine Positioning Begins with Web Site Design. I benefited most from this Chapter because my original site was in dire need of help. I applied some of the workarounds and corrections I learned from this book during the redesign of our site and we quickly saw our search engine traffic quadruple. This book provides the answers, and if you take the time to apply them, you will achieve the same results as an Internet marketing firm - without the expense.
Rating:
Summary: So good, I wore out my first copy
Review: This is a must-have book for any small business that wants more customers from the Internet. Most small businesses cannot afford an expensive Internet marketing firm to come in and work their black magic to improve their search engine ranking. Mr. Marckini's book provides any small business with the knowledge base to do it themselves - and you don't have to be an expert. Marckini de-mystifies the whole positioning process. His explanations are clear, easy to understand and full of examples. The book is thick because it is comprehensive, but don't let that intimidate you. Its logical layout, the scan friendly format, and detailed Table of Contents supports subject hopping as well as a pleasurable cover-to-cover read. The first time I read the book was on a cross-country flight and I kept finding myself exclaiming "Wow!" out loud. (I was so absorbed I wasn't even aware I was doing it until the person next to me on the flight asked me what I was reading.) Actions speak louder than words. This is a book you will use over and over again. I am on my second copy of the book. I literally wore out my first copy because I used it so much in my day to day work. Seriously - I work at a small Internet company and thanks to the information in Marckini's book, our company has been able to slash its advertising dollars, and still increase our revenue. How? We put search engines to work for us using the techniques described in this book. I enjoyed the entire book, but as I look at my well worn copy the chapter with the most highlighting and notes in the margins is Chapter 10: Search Engine Positioning Begins with Web Site Design. I benefited most from this Chapter because my original site was in dire need of help. I applied some of the workarounds and corrections I learned from this book during the redesign of our site and we quickly saw our search engine traffic quadruple. This book provides the answers, and if you take the time to apply them, you will achieve the same results as an Internet marketing firm - without the expense.
Rating:
Summary: You must get this book if you want to do SEP effectively
Review: This is the best book you can buy on search engine positioning hands down. If you are looking to do SEP yourself, this definitely is the book to get. If you're totally new to SEP, or if you have already had experience with it, this book is invaluable to both categories of people. If you need some hand holding, start out at the beginning; otherwise, if you're more advanced, it's easy to jump from chapter to chapter. The book covers everything in great detail. It's a great learning tool as well as a great reference tool. In addition to being a very informative book, Fredrick writes in a style that is easy to read. This book is huge, yet I read it in a single day. You don't have to worry about the book going out of date, either, because Fredrick keeps updates to chapters on his site. Before I read Fredrick's book, I thought I knew a few things about SEP. He helped me build on what I knew and corrected some of my misperceptions. My site's traffic went from a couple hundred unique visitors each day, to nearly 10,000 unique visitors each day. And on top of that, this growth occurred in just 5 months. If you are serious about generating more traffic to your site, this book is essential. Fredrick is the authority on SEP.
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