Product Description

“Rebecca’s book is chapter-by-chapter gold for anyone who needs to understand how we find information on the Web.”

Kevin M. Ryan, Motivity Marketing, Inc., and Chairman of Search Engine Strategies Advisory Board

In this book, leading search optimization expert Rebecca Lieb brings together more than 50 absolutely crucial facts and insights decision-makers must know to drive more web traffic through better search engine placement. The Truth About Search Engine Optimization doesn't deliver abstract theory: it delivers quick, bite-size, just-the-facts information and plain-English explanations that executives, decision-makers, and even small business owners can actually use, no matter what kind of sites you're running, or what your goals are.

You will learn how to set realistic goals for search optimization... attract qualified traffic, not just "any" site visitors... incorporate search engine optimization into both new sites and redesigns... write for users... implement search-friendly content management... avoid problems with rich content technologies such as Flash and AJAX... create metatags that actually work... use public relations, blogging, and other techniques to drive traffic... budget and manage search optimization projects... and much more.

This book reveals 51 PROVEN SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES and bite-size, easy-to-use advice that gets results including

• The truth about page rankings
• The truth about best SEO practices and SEO no-no’s
• The truth about link love, keywords, and tags

Introduction vii

Foreword by Fredrick Marckini ix

Part I: The Basics of Search

Truth 1: Getting noticed by spiders, robots, and crawlers 1

Truth 2: Learn to do the Google dance 5

Truth 3: It's not about traffic–it's about qualified traffic 9

Truth 4: Your reputation is on the line 13

Part II: The Truth About Being Site-Specific

Truth 5: SEO is an ongoing project, not set-it-and-forget-it 17

Truth 6: SEO is not an afterthought 21

Truth 7: SEO results aren't immediate or lasting 25

Truth 8: You don't have a homepage anymore 29

Truth 9: Think like a publisher, even if you're not 33

Truth 10: Site and page design count 37

Truth 11: Write for users and search engines will follow 41

Truth 12: Keywords are key 45

Truth 13: Use analytics and keyword research tools 49

Truth 14: Site stats share the bad news, too 53

Truth 15: Think twice about hot new technologies 57

Truth 16: Content management systems matter–a lot 67

Part III: Tag, You're It!

Truth 17: What's in a title? Everything… 65

Truth 18: The relative importance of meta tags 71

Truth 19: Tag images, audio, video, and other media 75

Part IV: The Truth About Links

Truth 20: Some links are more equal than others 79

Truth 21: Building links through online directories 83

Truth 22: Using SEO PR as a link strategy 87

Truth 23: The jury is out on paid links 91

Truth 24: Share and share alike: Reciprocal linking 95

Truth 25: Ads are links, too 99

Truth 26: Build your site in a good neighborhood 103

Truth 27: Blogs are a terrific link strategy 107

Truth 28: Putting the kibosh on link love with nofollow links 111

Part V: You Call That a Search Engine?

Truth 29: Search is going vertical 115

Truth 30: Everyone is local somewhere 119

Truth 31: Get listed to get vertical 125

Truth 32: Optimize off-site searches 129

Truth 33: Universal search and personalized search 133

Part VI: Get a Social Life

Truth 34: Blogs are built for SEO 137

Truth 35: RSS feeds "feed" SEO efforts 141

Truth 36: Users will create content for you 145

Truth 37: Tag images, video, links, and other media 149

Part VII: Search Ranking

Truth 38: Being #1 ain't what it used to be 153

Truth 39: Don't live and die by PageRank 157

Truth 40: Wag the long tail 161

Part VIII: The Truth About SEO Management

Truth 41: In-house or outsource? 165

Truth 42: Hiring a great search professional 169

Truth 43: Great SEOs sweat the small stuff 173

Part IX: Don't Be Evil

Truth 44: Beware blackhat SEO 177

Truth 45: Search engines frown on keyword stuffing and spam 181

Truth 46: Don't cultivate link farms 185

Truth 47: It's very difficult to get unbanned 189

Truth 48: Moving to a new domain is stressful 193

Part X: Going Beyond

Truth 49: Global SEO 197

Truth 50: Mobile SEO is more important than ever 201

Truth 51: Sometimes you don't want to be found 205

About the Author 208

Note: Appendix A is available for free and located online at www.informit.com/title/9780321534071.

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Product Details

Publisher	FT Press
ISBN	0789738317
Features	ISBN13: 9780789738318 Condition: New Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Format	Paperback
Author	Rebecca Lieb
EAN	9780789738318
Label	FT Press
Edition	1
Dewey Decimal Number	005.758
Studio	FT Press
Number Of Pages	224
Title	The Truth About Search Engine Optimization
Publication Date	2009-02-23
Manufacturer	FT Press

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Customer Reviews

Clear, to the point, valuable

Review by Steven Wright, 2010-08-16

This is a very clear, concise book that has everything I needed to know to help develop SEO strategies for clients and identify a SEO expert as our consultant. I highly recommend this book over any other. It cuts through the phony rhetoric and gets right to the point. A good text for beginners and intermediates.

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Terrific for beginners and seasoned pros

Review by Ryan W, 2010-07-16

This book touched on a number of SEO specifics without getting too technical but also did not alienate the important technical aspects. Great for small business owners looking to get more connected wth their own SEO as well as veteran SEOs needing a refresher or a new angle to look at. Highly suggest this book for any one with any amount of use for this industry.

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Great Book

Review by Marc Derkrikorian, 2010-04-01

Anyone who maintains their own website needs to read this book. It is very informative on the voodoo that is search engine optimization.

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One of the very best SEO books I have read

Review by Ken Jansen, 2010-03-18

Simply put this is one of the best SEO books I have read. Its written in clear English. The information is easy to implement. Well easy being a relative term, but the author makes you aware of ideas you can implement today and over the coures of time. I re-read this well worn book A LOT.

Ken Jansen REALTOR Johnson County KS

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Accurate, easy to read -- perfect for any business with a web site

Review by Moe Rubenzahl, 2009-11-06

Because I have been doing Internet Marketing for a Fortune 1000 company for over a decade, friends often ask for recommendations they can use for their businesses. They know they need to pay attention to search engines but don't know what to do. It's always been a difficult question because there are so many bad sources of information on search engine marketing. It's a business that is full of charlatans and well-meaning but poorly informed "experts." The same bad ideas are passed around so often that they start to sound valid.

I've always wished for a book that was practical, understandable, and most of all, true. For years, I thought I should write the book. Now, I don't have to -- because Rebecca Lieb has done it!

I recommend this book to business owners because it tells you what you really need to know. It doesn't dig too deeply into the nuts and bolts. It tells you what the business owner, manager, and strategizer must know. It's well written and a very easy read. I was amazed again and again at how she explained each concept in just a page or two. But the best thing about it is that it's all true -- she tells you what you need and what to avoid and talks about the myths so you will know if someone is feeding you questionable ideas.

This is the perfect book to read before you hire someone to do your search engine marketing. And if you want to do it yourself, there is enough here that you'll know what to do next.

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