Search Engine Optimization For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

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!

A quick comment about Ethan's review (the first). Ethan's search-engine rank began rising within two days. I just want to explain that while this sometimes does happen, it's not the norm! I've also had pages rise this quickly in Google, as have many other site owners. But we were very lucky (of course, you have to "make" your own luck to some degree).

Often (usually?), though, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is more difficult, so I don't want everyone thinking my book is full of magic spells. I explain what it takes, and some readers will be in the happy situation of seeing almost instant results, but for many it will mean more work.

I've been writing computer books quite some time; I may well have written more books about the Internet than any other author on this (or perhaps any other) planet. I wrote the Complete Idiot's Guide to the Internet, the widely reviewed and praised Poor Richard's Web Site, and many others. Over the years I think I've learned how to break down a subject into its composite pieces, then feed them to the reader in a way that makes the subject understandable.

This is an unusual subject, though! The companies that own the search engines don't want anyone to know exactly how their systems work, and as a result there's a huge amount of conjecture and guesswork in this area ... and some of it's just plain wrong. So in this book my job was not only to explain a subject in simple terms, but to try to cut through the nonsense.

I'll occasionally be adding updates and notes to my site, SearchEngineBulletin.com, so please visit. I hope you enjoy the book!

Peter Kent


LOVE this book!   August 18, 2006
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

While in the process of working on my new website, I came across this book and ordered it right away based on other reviews. I was not disappointed. It's a must for anyone getting ready to launch a new site or anyone wanting to drive more traffic to their already built site. Even if you think you know a lot about keywords and SEO, this is an excellent buy. It did for me what a company specializing in SEO wanted to do for $8,000. I'm sure the SEO company would have provided an excellent service, but by reading this book, I've learned how to do it myself and will now know how to tweak my site in the future.


Easy to understand- doesn't take forever to get the concepts   March 6, 2006
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

Thank you! A book that tells me exactly what SEO is AND confirms you don't have to be an IT certified whatever to figure it out. My clients want good search results, and from reading this book, I can now confidently design their pages to get just that.

Something I love about this book as well as all the Dummies books: As you go through the book, Peter tells you exactly what Chapter to go to for more on a certain point. You don't have to read this book from Front to Back- use it as a reference tool and learn as you go.

Easy to read and plenty of humor packed in to encourage you to continue learning, this gets a thumbs up!


First search book that helped me (of two)   July 21, 2004
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I maintain a lot of volunteer websites (social sciences) and recently had to move many of them from one server to another -- ie., from one domain to another domain. Getting good advice has been hard -- some of the SEO message boards,etc., never really want to answer questions -- perhaps not wanting to 'give' away secrets, etc. I ordered Peter Kent's book, thinking I might not keep it if it didn't help. The information that I found was really correct (based on my personal experience with about 1000 sites), useful, and covered some areas (importance of title tags, for example), that other books hadn't given much coverage. I was helped, and do recommend this book. Follow his advice and you should have a site that is at least liked immediately by search engines, if not loved... (given content, content, content, of course)