Book Review - Search Engine Optimization

Fundamental Principles of Search Engine Optimization

As an active web designer, launching websites all the time, it is so important to understand the fundamental of search engine optimization or SEO. I really wish I read this book years ago so that more of my published website would have the substantial higher traffic. I’ve been applying SEO techniques since reading this book (early 2005) and have a new passion in writing content and applying mark up, knowing how many hundreds and thousands of people will viewing my work.

In a nutshell, this book is a fairly quick read and layedout for a usable reference book. I have revisited many chapters during website development and website promotional campaigns. The book explains areas to address with a good since of priority. I have continued learning SEO beyond this book and learned many new details and traffic boosting practices. This book laid down the powerful fundamentals quick and allowed me to get back to work making websites.

Some of the fundamental SEO principles this book teaches:

• Content Is King
  • Significant SEO campaign will have an in-depth key work analysis phase
  • Tools and processes to conduct a keyword analysis (example: WordTracker)
  • How to conduct a competition annalists
  • How to conduct a competition annalists
    
    
• Proper use of SEO related tags in HTML
  • Use <H1> and <H2> tags often around keyphrases
  • Bold and put emphasis on key words within the content
  • Use lists with included key words
  • Have internal site linking with keyphrases linking to pages focused on those keyphrases
    
    
• Basic fundamental SEO website attributes
  • Use keywords in directories and file names
  • Have a sitemap
  • Having inbound links from relevant websites

Search Engine Optimization for Dummies was a great book for getting up to speed very quickly. When it is time to dominate keyphrases to be top 10 in a market, further training is needed. This book teaches the core fundamentals of search engine optimization.

As a website designer, SEO is only one aspect of a website. Once you get the traffic a website needs the attention to usability to ensure a pleasure experience for the user. And as an artist, essential design elements must in place to construct an good looking website.