Customer Reviews

The Truth About Search Engine Optimization

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As most people searching for SEO books, I was looking for the most up-to-date book possible. Even though this book claims to be 1st printed Feb 2009 the text references outdated "current events." Refers a few times to the "new" Indiana Jones movie and news about George W. Bush. Also refers to "Macromedia" Flash, but I think that was just a lack of software knowledge.
Don't get me wrong I learned a lot... A LOT!, but I question if some of this content is already outdated. Algorithms are always changing.

"The Truth About Search Engine Optimization" is both technically accurate and implementable - the perfect storm for any Marketing Communications professional.

I've studied SEM extensively, and have been active in it for a few years. This book has taught me many things, and affirmed others. In fact, I plan to purchase several more copies and use it as a "text" in a class I am designing for my bloggers (product managers and marketers). The bite-sized and actionable chapters make total sense, are easily digestible, and are even inspirational - especially for those in my company who need to achieve more on the net but who don't care to invest tons of time learning all these tools on their own.

I am confident that this book will be a major influence in the transformation that is about to occur in my SEM program.

This book was a required textbook for a web/e-commerce class that I was taking. I am active in SEO in my current job as well and the text married both the concepts I was learning in class to the work that I was performing on my work website. Easily understood concepts and great techniques shared throughout the book.

I'm new to the world of SEO, so I wanted to know a little more about it without getting too confused on all the technical stuff. If you haven't read any of the "The Truth About" books, then the first thing you should know is that each chapter isn't very lengthy. Instead, it gets to the heart of the matter without having to go into all the little details. I did enjoy that much about this book.

The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because doesn't give you examples to look at when you want to add it to your code. That, however, isn't enough to make me not like this book. I'm actually looking forward in getting more of these books.

So, if you want a book that doesn't get into all the technical terms of SEO, then you should pick this one up. It's a quick read, but a good read that will help you achieve some good SEO.

Rebecca Leib is easy to read. After reading this book, it has become clear that the hard part of SEO is not understanding what to do, it is taking the time to execute it properly.


It is refreshing to read a book with succinct chapters on one aspect of SEO. You are not overwhelmed and lost before she drives home the point of the chapter.

After reading this book, all of the gibberish I had been reading in other SEO texts suddenly made sense. The difference is, I'm not sifting the gibberish to get to the nuggets.

Nothing I learned in this little book was contraindicated in any other reading I have done thus far, nor was it explained any better.

I highly recommend this book as a first book on SEO. You can then review other fatter texts for greater detail and more examples. I doubt you will have missed anything important with this approach.





Phillip C. Neal DDS

Just finished reading this, and I have to say I'm a little annoyed. I've been building websites and doing SEO work for several years now, so this isn't the first book I've read. But you need to stay updated, and see what's new...

Apparently nothing is new. If you've read one book on SEO, this book won't help you. I don't really know who this book is for...

If you've read an SEO book before:

You won't find new information here. Just a rehash of everything you've already read and implemented on your own sites. Lots of filler. Pages start to drag on. It's only 208 pages and could be edited down to 120.

If you've never read an SEO book before:

You'll get a thorough overview of what SEO is, BUT you're going to have to buy another book to show you how to do it. This talks about SEO. Tells you what might be a good idea. But it won't show you how to do it. It's not a how-to book as other reviews have mentioned.

So who's this book for? Not for me that's for sure.

This books gives a nice overview of the S.E.O. process.

If you aren't familiar with SEO, this is a great place to start. It's not a technical book, it's more aimed at managers or small business owners that need to figure out what what needs to be done and who they need to hire.

The book doesn't talk about technical details, such as how to change your meta tags, it just tells you that it needs to be done.

An easy, pleasant read that will give you a solid foundation for starting your SEO process.

I would not recommend this book for anyone who would consider themselves intermediate or advanced in SEO technique. I think it's a well-written introduction to the practice that can be useful, but doesn't offer anything groundbreaking. Great for someone who wants to learn the basics.

Confession: Rebecca is a colleague and friend, so perhaps I'm biased, but I've also got 15 years of experience in Search so I can say I actually know what I'm talking about. This book is written exactly for its intended audience: general marketers and business managers who need a working knowledge of SEO, or anyone who contributes design or content to a site that may affect its SEO. If you want highly advanced technical code samples and "magic tricks" - that's not this book. It's a fast read, you don't have to be highly technical, and it's a more lighthearted approach to the topic than most guides I've read. If I were teaching an online marketing course, I'd make this required reading. Rebecca's engaging and whimsical style really comes through, so it's not boring and heavy-handed.

I frequently recommend "The Truth About Search Engine Optimization" to people starting out in search who don't want to be intimidated by the geekier aspects of SEO; they usually don't want to become a professional SEO, they just want to make good decisions and not screw up.

Per one of the other readers, it's always a risk to reference current events in a book because it does date the material. The good news is that SEO fundamentals rarely change too dramatically; there are occasionally major changes (such as realtime search), but career SEOs have learned to weather algorithm and SERP changes by continuing to pay attention to the basics and not overload heavily into one tactic or another. As in any marketing, balance is key.

The Truth about Search Engine Optimization explains what will improve your website's visibility within organic search results. Just as importantly, it explains what can get your site penalized by the search engines. This is a conceptual book. If you are looking for a programming manual with lots of sample code, this is the wrong book for you.

I already knew much of the information in this book. However, I also picked up some new insights and found it a worthwhile read. The book is well written and well organized. In 51 three-page chapters, the author gets straight to the point without verbosity.

Toward the end of the book some advanced topics are broached. If you are targeting international traffic, there are more complex factors to consider. Search from smart phones is another evolving area.