Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day

I've worked on SEO for numerous web sites with our company [...] over the course of the past few years. Since I started doing this, I haven't found a book that was so well written and easy to follow for those becoming acquainted with this progressively sophisticated topic, while retaining value as a reference you can go back to as a consultant or an end user wanting to tackle specific aspects of Search Engine Optimization. "Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day" reminded me of the excellent book "Search Engine Visibility" written by Shari Thurow back in 2002, with the benefit that this one was edited in 2006, so it is more current than the classic SEO reference by Thurow in that respect. As someone who has worked on SEO and reviewed almost all the books on the topic, I highly recommend this book.

Having worked with one of the authors on a project with a mutual client, I was anxious to read this book - would it be as easy to follow and as insightful as working with them directly? The answer is a resounding YES! It is like having 24/7 access to an expert in the field... without the embarassment of asking seemingly silly questions with equally obvious answers. While anyone working in web design and production these days will probably agree that SEO is an ever-changing monster we all must court, and one we never fully enjoy even for brief flirtations, this book and its simple, straight-forward guidelines, suggestions and advice will help beginners and experts alike remember, understand, and maybe even appreciate the finer points of what it takes to help your business and web sites make an impact on the web. For those of us who can not afford SEO seminars (even 30 minute ones), and who are up to the challenge of wrestling with such dry subject matter (as SEO can be), this book is a great way to learn what it takes to make your business and your web sites stand out above the rest.

What could be more tedious than SEO? This book makes the process a lot less awful, however, and I'm really happy with its digestible morsels -- the "hour a day" approach has allowed me to take some positive, effective steps that normally, I would have just dismissed. The information is not outdated (as books of this type sometimes are) and the language is free of annoying acronyms and geeky jargon. I'm halfway through the book and am thrilled with it. I've been able to take some really helpful steps toward optimizing my place in search engine results at last.

While I can't say that I particularly enjoy SEO, as a small business owner I needed to do something. I'm about two thirds of the way through the book, and have been using the supplemental information from the web site. I have to say that so far the pain has been minimal. The book is actually a pleasant read and the advice is concise and easy to understand. Check back with me in a month and I'll let you know if the plan is working for me. I read lots of books like this; you know the ones designed to help me learn new things about how to run my shop. I have to say that this book is a bit more fun than the others. Kind of a nice departure....