Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day (Paperback)

by Jennifer Grappone (Author), Gradiva Couzin (Author) "OK, let's see a show of hands: How many of you are reading this book because you want a #1 rank in Google?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Pearl of Wisdom, Quick Check, Keywords Worksheet (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
New to the sometimes confusing and seemingly arcane world of making search engine friendly web sites? A new book offers a systematic, common-sense approach to the art and science of SEO.
Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day by Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin is written for anyone who has a web site and has yet to embark on the time-consuming process of optimizing the site for search engines. Both authors are experienced SEOs, and the book reflects the systematic approach they've developed whenever working with a new client.
Refreshingly, this approach focuses not only on technical tactics, but also on the reasons why SEO is important beyond just achieving high rankings in search engine results—things like business goals, creating appealing marketing messages and designing human-usable web sites.
The book also avoids SEO techniques du jour, the kinds of tactics that are hotly debated in forums and that may or may not have any effect on your overall success. Rather, the book focuses on a solid, fundamental approach using time-tested techniques that work regardless of seemingly arbitrary algorithmic changes by the search engines.
The book is also very well written, using SEO-specific jargon only when necessary and always making sure to introduce new terms in clear English (there's also an excellent glossary at the end of the book).
The first part of the book focuses on an area many newcomers totally neglect, often to their detriment: laying an effective foundation for your SEO efforts. You need to clarify your goals and really have an understanding of the fundamentals of how search engines work and what types of SEO activities do (and don't) work before plunging in to your work.
And for anyone that works in an organization, the next key step is to create a strategy that works with your existing marketing, information technology, sales and other groups to make sure your SEO efforts support the overall goals of the entire team. Part two of the book focuses on developing this strategy, and also offers suggestions on working with other groups and selling them on the importance of effective SEO.
Only when this important groundwork has been established should you begin the actual work of keyword selection and optimization, link building and so on.
That's the focus of part three—developing and implementing a comprehensive SEO plan for your web site. This section takes a common-sense approach breaking the search engine optimization efforts for your web site into a 12-week process, and as the subtitle implies, dedicating an hour a day during this period to a specific goal-based task.
The authors provide useful tools for managing this process, in the form of spreadsheet-based worksheets to help you plan and organize your various tasks. Again, the emphasis is on providing simple but effective tools that someone new to the process can use. That said, these worksheets are truly useful, and you may find them becoming integral parts of your overall SEO toolkit.
Throughout the book the authors offer useful tips as asides. "Pearls of wisdom" tips are obviously tactics gleaned from experience, while "slacker" tips are great for letting you know when you can get away with less work or when you shouldn't obsess over a certain activity.
There are also longer case studies and expert opinions from other well-known SEOs such as Aaron Wall and Patricia Fusco scattered throughout the book.
In all, Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day is an excellent overview of SEO and provides solid advice and guidance for anyone just getting started. The book is also useful if you've done SEO in the past but haven't kept up with the current state of search engines and the kinds of SEO techniques that work today (and want to know what to avoid to stay out of trouble). (SearchEngineWatch.com, July 6th, 2006)

"With straightforward candor, the authors remind everyone SEO isn't brain surgery. A well-rounded, left- and right-brain approach to successful SEO."
—P.J. Fusco (ClickZ Network, www.clickz.com)

Product Description
Influence search engine results and bring targeted traffic to your Web site with an hour a day of search engine optimization (SEO). Drawing on years of experience as successful SEO consultants, Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin provide detailed, practical, and often surprisingly simple techniques for improving results. Their simple strategies include setting SEO goals, site optimization, developing and implementing a strategy that might include both free and paid efforts, and tools for monitoring trends, measuring the competition, and tracking results.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Sybex (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471787531
• ISBN-13: 978-0471787532
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #124,176 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great as a primer and a reference to go back to, November 29, 2006

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

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.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth your time and money, August 9, 2006

By	Aaron Ruckman (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I run my family's manufacturing business in Illinois and am not an SEO professional. I am, however, very interested in growing our business through web marketing (SEO and SEM). That makes me, I believe, exactly the sort of reader the authors intended to reach with their book.

SEO: An Hour A Day is well organized, consistent in thought and style and filled with great information. In some cases they confirmed information I had read elsewhere (which can be very helpful in itself) ... and in other cases taught me new things I did not know. The authors do a great job of making the subject fun and interesting. My sincere belief is that any business owner (large or small) who is interested in growing their business using the power of the internet should read this book. In fact, this is a great first book to pick up because it starts at the beginning and builds from there. It is also a great starter because the authors are gracious enough to direct you to additional sources they consider to be authoritative.

As an added bonus, I went to the authors' website and asked a question ... and received a great personal reply the next day. It is obvious to me the authors not only know their subject and have a real interest in it, but also enjoy sharing that knowledge with others.

Long story short: You would be wise to spend the time and money on the book ... I think you will find it is worth the investment.

Aaron

P.S. The only reason I gave the book 4 of 5 stars and not 5 of 5 is I am reluctant to give anything a perfect score. I never received any perfects in school and now I'm taking it out on them ;)

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Primer for SEO, November 21, 2006

By	L. Moser (NH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been an Amazon.com customer for years and this is my first review. This is a great SEO book and is worth every cent. It is easy to follow, not too techy and has a lot of valuable information for the do it yourself SEOer.