Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Growing Your Business With Google

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have a far more technical background than the typical target audience, and have read other books on Google in the past (though all from the usage perspective). I can recite Google search options off the top of my head, and essentially never have problems finding things.

But Dave Taylor has given me a new perspective on Google with this book - not just how to find things, but how to *be found*. This is critically important for your business website, whether it's a revenue-generating site, or more like an online promotional brochure for your company's products or services.

This book also includes numerous great tips on improving the usefulness your website for your customers and potential customers. And even if you don't have a business, this book provides a lot of great information that's equally applicable to promoting any website.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to get the most out of their web presence.

As you probably know, I like books. And there are a number of books I think should make an appearance on a person's bookshelf depending on their area of expertise. But there are a small number of books I think are absolute musts to be read, digested, and applied. I had the pleasure of reading one of those books this week... The Complete Idiot's Guide to Growing Your Business with Google by Dave Taylor. It is truly that good...

Contents:
Part 1 - The Business Case for Google: Increasing Your Business Visibility; The Benefits of Increasing Your Visibility with Google; What Is Google Anyway?; Learning About Google Search; Disassembling the Google Search Engine
Part 2 - Building Your Google Plan: What's Your Core Business?; Living in an Online World; Your Business Website; Assessing Your Competitors; Keeping Track of Customers
Part 3 - Improving Your Online Business Site: The Basics of Building a Good Business Site; Developing Online and Offline Content; Stretching Your Marketing Dollars; Secrets of the Online Marketing Masters
Part 4 - Promoting and Growing Your Online Business: Content, Content, Content!; Becoming a More Popular Site; Becoming an Online Expert; Advertising Your Business with Google AdWords; Making Money with Google AdSense; The Advantages of Affiliate Programs; Avoiding Dumb Online Promotional Mistakes
Part 5 - What's Next on Your To-Do List?: Growing and Expanding Your Content; The Future of Findability
Appendixes: Websites Worth Exploring; Glossary; Index

Short of writing a two or three page review, it's really hard to cover all the things I like about this book. First off, Dave Taylor is a talented writer who is able to cut through hype and jargon and convey useful information in a compelling manner. In Growing Your Business with Google, he takes the reader through how Google works, and how it can be leveraged by businesses and web site owners to drive traffic (and dollars) their way. With the concepts and understanding conveyed here, you'll learn how best to structure your site to show up and stand out in search results. Even better, Dave doesn't resort to cheap tricks and unethical methods to accomplish these goals. The recommendations are all solid techniques that work well and won't get you in hot water with search sites.

The chapters that concentrate on Google's AdWords and AdSense programs alone would justify the cost of the book. You'll learn how to launch an effective advertising campaign by bidding on keyword searches through AdWords. On the flip side, you'll also learn how to incorporate AdSense advertising into your site so as to make money on directing people to useful information. There are no unreasonable promises that you can build a site specifically to generate AdSense revenue and retire early. It's just solid information that helps you monetize portions of your site and add to your overall revenue stream.

Finally, Dave Taylor practices what he preaches. I consider him a "virtual colleague" based on chats and email exchanges I've had with him. I also follow his blogs and see how he's put everything into place on his sites. Rather than being an author who jumps on the hot topic du jour, he is truly an expert in this area, and he writes what he knows. As a result, you can trust what he says, because it's actually worked. I'll even testify to the fact that I've increased the AdSense revenue on my site by a factor of 4 based on his recommendations. I'm nowhere near his traffic levels and income totals, but the information *does* work...

If you're a large company, your marketing communications department should read this book. If you're a small business or a website owner who wants more "findability" (and more dollars), you *absolutely* need to read this book. You'll be "the complete idiot" if you don't...

I have opted into online courses and even have an MBA where I studied E Business. This is by far the most complete, helpful and timely guide I have seen to succeed with an internet business. It is rare that I read a "How To" cover to cover, but this is an exception. It is certainly the first time I have had my highlighter out since Grad school. If you want to succeed in an ebusiness, this is the way to get started!!

This book isn't just about advertising on Google. There's lot more. Of course, complete idiots won't benefit from it, but the book begins from the ground for people not familar with online marketing.

It first outlines the importance of visibility, then touches on how Google actually works. No secrets here. Newbies learn a lot, but not the old hands. Then, it goes into great detail on how the website should be set up, presented and maintained. Again, very useful newbie tips on blogs and content generation are given but I doubt the experienced user will learn a lot of new things here.

There is also some mention about making money from Adsense and affiliate programs, but personally, I haven't had very good experiences with these programs.

The book ends with the future of findability. I find nothing futuristic about the author's ideas. Still, a good book for those just starting out.

I have read many books and ebooks on web design and web businesses. But none have put it all together like this book does. The info is presented clearly and is eminently usable and practical. Author Dave Taylor hits the nail on the head time and time again. There is nothing in this book that cannot be understood or used. Thank you Dave, keep it coming.

Recently, I read this book and I was amazed how many small and simple changes can be applied to my website to be better visible and findable on the Internet. Moreover, I contacted Dave Taylor, the author, by e-mail asking him some questions. I got immediate answer that was both very informative and amusing. I like his attitude towards his clients and his type of humor. I am recommending this book to everybody who wants to have a better and more successful company and website.
Thanks Dave for your great book!
Andrew Sikorski, Vancouver, Canada

I didn't expect much when I purchased this book because the price is low compared with other e-buz guide ebook. If you purchased this book you don't even need to buy any other online business information book anymore. It has everything we need to know to start our own internet business. I purchaed many online business ebooks with overpriced, and thought this is the best beside it was only $14! There are several good ebooks but all of them had missing information. I wish I could get this book when I started. Very very useful ! I want to give 10 stars for this book. Thanks Dave Taylor, you're the best !

I'd read the other reviews (thanks, reviewers), and browsed the book, and decided to pick it up. I've read lots of technical books, and must say this is a truly great read - as engrossing as many a novel I've read. Seriously. It's also *the* most useful book I've read on website development - tons of great tips on how to build your website to actually draw traffic, and why. If you have any interest in developing a website that you'd like to have visited, pick up this book.

While normally I go for books aimed at experts (i.e the ones that are 400+ pages and dry as a salt sandwich), this book had received enough positive reviews that I gave it a shot. I was not disappointed.

For someone with my background (experienced software guru and web designer, with a moderate amount of Google know-how), I was still able to gain some valuable insight. So you're not surprised, this book is as much Marketing 101, as it is about Google (particularly the first half of the book). But it's needed to give the book a solid grounding from which to make its Google-related recommendations.

The bottom line though, hasn't changed from prior years: if you do the right thing and make your site rich in useful content, relative to its general audience and subject, you're going to do well with Google. If it's only moderately relevant or lacking in information "density" (the amount IOW), all the tricks in the world won't make your page rank any better. First, make sure you're really delivering the goods (the information your customers want and need and not a bunch of link farms, fluff, etc), *then* make sure your meta-tags, document names, document structure, Ad Words, and all the rest, are Google-savvy. The latter without the former, is useless. To the author's credit, he emphasizes this in several chapters.

Overall, I felt like there was a little too much "Freshman Marketing" and some of it was rehashed unnecessarily IMO (though someone with minimal marketing background would probably find it useful). I think the first 70 pages could probably be distilled down to about 40 or 50, but who's counting? ;-)

Recommended for anyone getting start with a business web site or who wants to make their existing site better.

I've always known that Google is amazing technology, but I never realized just how amazing until I read this book. Dave Taylor has done an excellent job of cutting through all of the technological sludge to tell you how to really use Google to grow your business.

I have so many ideas, I don't know where to start!

The book is well written, and VERY informative. This is another of those books that I highly recommend...especially for anyone who has a web site and wants to do more with it!