Product Description

Why do some sites pop to the top when you search? How do you make yours one of them? You create sites that make search engines happy — that’s what search engine optimization is all about. Search Engine Optimization For Dummies has been the leading resource on how to make that happen, and this third edition is completely updated to cover the newest changes, standards, tips, and tricks.

This handy guide shows you how to get more visitors by getting more visibility for your Web site. Find out which search engines matter most, what they look for (and what they hate,) how to get your site included in the best indexes and directories, and the most effective ways to spend your advertising dollars. You’ll discover how to:

• Plan a search engine strategy
• Build pages that offer visibility
• Make your site rank high with the most important search engines
• Avoid things that search engines don’t like (and tricks that might actually get your site penalized)
• Use Google universal search, image search optimization, XML sitemaps, and more
• Choose the right keywords
• Track and measure your results
• Increase your exposure with shopping directories and retailers
• Boost your position with popular links and social networking sites
• Use pay–per–click in ways that get the most bang for your advertising buck

Search Engine Optimization For Dummies, 3^rd Edition also helps you skirt some of the pitfalls and become a savvy advertiser. With this book at your side, you’ll never need to fear search engines again!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3745 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Review
  “…required reading for anyone with a presence on the internet…better than the rest…might be the best investment you ever make…” (ITWales.com, August 2004)

“..money well spent if you’re serious about boosting your web potential…” (4 stars…)” (Internet Works, October 2004)

From the Back Cover
Get more visibility and get more visitors

Make your site search engine–friendly, explore advertising options, and more

Why do some sites pop to the top when you search? How do you make yours one of them? You create sites that make search engines happy, and here′s how! Find out which search engines matter most, what they look for (and what they hate), how to get indexed, and the best ways to spend ad dollars.

Discover how to:

• Choose the right keywords

• Build pages that offer visibility

• Get your site into directories

• Avoid things search engines don′t like

• Measure your results

• Use social networking sites

About the Author
Peter Kent is an e–commerce consultant who specializes in search engine optimization. He is the author of the bestselling previous editions of Search Engine Optimization For Dummies.

Customer Reviews

Very good overview
I have been reading a lot about SEO on the Internet and thought I would buy a book to see if I was missing anything.

I dont normally like Dummies guides, the attempts at humor are often irrelevant and tedious, I prefer books that cut to the chase.

I was really impressed with this book, I knew a lot of the stuff already, but this book really helped consolidate what I knew, and taught me a lot more on top.

I found this book really helped me get into an "SEO Mindset" as it is so comprehensive. I now understand why I am doing things as opposed to just doing them, and have a much better overview of the subject.

I have the second edition from 2006 and was pleased to see more recently released google tools covered (which I was already using).

The author does plug a couple of paid services, but takes time to explain his motives and relationship with these companies and suggests free alternatives, thus maintaining his integrity.

I mentioned earlier that I am normally irritated by attempts at humor in Dummies books, however humor is used to make valid points in this book, as opposed to padding it out with rubbish.

The book is practical as opposed to technical and should be accessible to a broad readership.

The first few chapters cover all the "common knowledge" you can find easily with google (frames, flash, images vs text, links, keywords.....)

There is a very good chapter on content, stuff on advertising, available tools, a chapter on grey / black hat techniques and an explanation of the risks (of attempting to cheat search engines) and a lot more ........

This book is an absolute must for a beginner, and for the price well worth the money for the intermediate designer / customer.

If you are about to pay someone to build and SEO a site for you, you really want to read this, it will give you a good overview of what you are about to pay for, realistically what you can expect in terms of results, and have enough knowledge to see if the work has been done properly, or whether any work has been done at all!

Just about right
I run around a dozen websites and felt I needed to do some background reading on this subject, rather than just assume I knew all there was to know - I learnt plenty and cemented a lot of assumed knowledge.
I have a couple of other Dummies guides but this is by far the best - for the first time I read a Dummies book cover to cover, and in just two sittings.
The simple stuff, like ideal page layouts, is covered quickly so as not to be boring and the complex stuff like the Google PageRank algorithm is covered at a user friendly depth.
This is a well judged, well rounded guide covering a broad subject at an accessible depth. Recommended.

A great introduction to search engine optimisation
Worth every penny of the price this book will guide you through the basics of search engine optimisation, and increasing the visibility of your web site to the search engines.

Full of common sense, it helped me to put my web site on the first page of google, Yahoo and MSN for masses of search terms and phrases, boosting my site visits massively. You can take what you learn here and apply it with some clever thought and planning to dominate and gain a competitive advantage over your competitors. You will learn for example, that you really only need to concern yourself with three or four of the search engines as many of the others derive records from the same sources.

Its coverage is fairly comprehensive, and is lacking only in coverage of new Google developments with Google Sitemaps.