Customer Reviews

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) How to Optimize Your Website for Internet Search Engines (Google, Yahoo!, MSN Live, AOL, Ask, AltaVista, FAST, GigaBlast, Snap, LookSmart and more)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm searching for books on Search Engine Marketing/Optimization and stumbled on Samuel Blankson's book here on Amazon. After reading a few of the 29 customer reviews I noticed the writing style of almost every one was very similar - almost as though one person wrote them all. I'm sure you've noticed how many different writing "levels" there are in any one group of online reviews - spelling and grammar errors, etc. These reviews had no such discrepancies. So I started looking at the reviewers' other critiques and lo and behold: Probably 80% of them had only reviewed 1-2 other books and guess who the common author was? Sammy (Spam Man) Blankson. And they were all 5 star reviews.

Am I naive? Does this kind of "review spam" happen a lot on Amazon? Maybe Amazon should review the reviewers? At any rate, Mr Blankson - shame on you. Whether you or your publisher (Gosh, the publisher is Blankson Enterprises Limited!) initiated this scam, it's shameful. This exploitative and base practice is bad form, unethical, and the equivalent of SEO spam. You of all people should know better, if you even wrote the book yourself.

I'm writing my thesis on search engine optimization and asked my university library to purchase this book, since it was written recently and customer reviews seemed to be positive. I just finished reading it and I'm sorry to say that this guy does not know too much about SEO: Out of 240 pages only 20 concentrate around the actual subject and rest is wasted on such interesting "SEO techniques" as advertising your website with inflatables. Yes INFLATABLES!! And out of those 20 pages he goes on and on about META tags for eight pages...

Like couple people before me noticed, looks like these five star reviews of this book were written either people who do not know anything about search engine optimization and/or author himself. PLEASE, DO NOT PURCHASE THIS UTTER PIECE OF RUBBISH!

Check it out, most of the 5 star reviews have reviewed the same 3 books (1 by the same author). It's pretty obvious what's going on here. What can we do to eliminate the fake reviews?

Overall this book does not have any direction. Most of the facts and resources are outdated. Very bad at explaining the process. It seems to me that this book was written 8 years ago not 2008. I didnt read the reviews on this book but what it seems like is that the 5 star reviews are FAKE!!!

The idea of reading yet another title on SEO was not very appealing, but after reading some of the reviews I gave it a shot. After putting forth the ideas outlined in this book, our small website moved from the fifth page of google to the number ONE spot on the first page! I am not exaggerating, grab this book, leave it by your computer when working on your website and do everything it says. I am "learning as I go" all of this internet stuff and never once was I lost or confused by the explanations and directions. I feel like this book literally is saving our business.

I usually rely on the rogue 1-star review of a book to tell me the truth, and I hope you do too. I was hesitant to purchase a book on SEO given how quickly techniques change, but this one was published recently & I saw glowing reviews. I didn't bother to familiarize myself with the author (writes books on "gambling strategies") or the reviewers (most of whom have only reviewed books by this author - what a surprise!)

The Good:
- Very basic primer. Acknowledges that certain tactics may lead to search engine blacklisting. References a couple good tools like Google Analytics.

The Bad:
- More than half the book has absolutely nothing to do with SEO. Yes, writing a book that references your website and painting a building with your URL might generate hits, but they do not influence search engines.
- Constant spelling & grammar errors
- Very outdated information
- Nonsensical advice

The content of this book does not represent the title or byline. I am, admittedly, angry that I got scammed. I also see the irony in buying a book on SEO that has almost nothing to do with the subject.

This book explains not only how search engines work but also how to effectively use this information to increase market share for your website. This information is especially valuable for startup businesses still trying to figure out an effective name for their website. Blankson also discusses how to connect conventional advertising to effective online advertising. His prose is very straightforward and professional. This is an excellent guide for anyone interested in increasing their online traffic and profitability.

I have several websites that are currently looking to optimize their traffic to each site, but to do the task for myself was a daunting one. I could figure out the simple things, such as sending out emails to specific lists and advertising through friend's sites and reviews, but anything more than that was far beyond my capabilities. In a single reading of this book, that has drastically changed.
Blankson has created an effortless read. The layout is such that you can read the whole book for a step-by-step process, which I would recommend, or pick out the areas most relevant to your needs. His language is easy to follow for anyone and jargon that must be used is fully explained. His book is full of essential suggestions, like using social sites and how to best showcase your site, and more advanced suggestions like how to improve your page ranking and to optimizing keywords. One of the things that helped me the most was that his every concept was coupled with sites and links that allowed you to begin the process and in many cases explained things even further. This allowed him to wean out the fluff usually included and focus on the relevant aspects. His appendixes alone will save you time and frustration and make this book more than worthwhile.
I am now fully confident that I have the tools I need to create more traffic for the sites I work for. This is a book that I will always keep close by the computer. It far exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it to anyone who needs to optimize their search engine potential.

As a freelance writer, I am often approached by companies needing web content with very strict guidelines - and very often had no idea what they were talking about! I did my best to avoid taking these jobs, since I was definitely uneducated in regards to internet marketing. Terms like "SEO" and "pay-per-click" seemed way over my head. Once I decided to take the time to study up on this subject, and picked up a copy of Blankston's book, everything fell into place. My income has nearly doubled since I took the time to read up on the subject, and I've kept it on my desk ever since - it's a great reference even after you finish it.

Samuel Blankson's SEO: How to Optimize Your Website for Internet Search Engines provides succinct, practical advice for not only identifying and attracting your target audience, but converting online traffic sources to solid customers.

From advertising online and off (ezines to newspapers, for example), to presenting successful webinars), to maintaining a functional, attractive website which converts the potential customer into revenue. Blankson offers a thorough and comprehensive expose of the most effective techniques for maximizing your web presence.

A freelance writer looking to take my business to the next level online, I appreciate Blankson's clear, straightforward language. He demystifies the myriad techniques of search engine optimization, which anyone, from web novices to experienced web business operators, can employ to maximize their web presence. Six information-packed chapters, plus an extensive and easy to read index of website and publications for further research are an attractive and invaluable addition.

A practical book for practical people, from [...]