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Search Engine Visibility Review by Gregory Jarboe
I give this book to all my new employees
Back in 2004, I started giving out copies of the first edition of Shari Thurow's Search Engine Visibility to all my new employees and I've been giving out copies of the second edition since it was first published in 2008. The second edition updates the search usability expert's advice on search engine friendly Web design.
The book teaches readers, in easy-to-understand language and with techniques that can be implemented immediately, how to design and write copy for a Web site that can be easily found by the search engines, thus improving search engine visibility. Simply building a Web site is no guarantee that important target audiences will visit that site. One of the primary ways in which people find Web sites is through search engines. If a Web site can be easily found by the search engines, the amount of qualified traffic it receives will greatly increase, thereby maximizing sales and other business opportunities.
I give this search engine marketing book to my new employees because it features best practices. In my opinion, this is the best search engine friendly design book currently on the market. Search Engine Visibility teaches search engine approved design methods that are not considered spamming or cloaking, which are techniques of trying to obtain optimal search engine positions via unethical and unprofessional means.
A search engine friendly Web design will naturally increase the amount of qualified traffic to a Web site. Subsequently, companies can save thousands of dollars in online marketing, PR and advertising costs, freeing up resources for use in other vital areas, such as broader marketing, PR and advertising efforts, as well as product development, employee training, new business ventures and more.
All seasoned search engine marketers and Web developers, as well as college students and recent college graduates in search engine marketing or Web design will benefit from reading Search Engine Visibility.
Developers should know how to design search engine friendly Web sites from the very beginning. With this knowledge, any professional in the industry will be a more valuable asset in the job market and to the clients they serve, greatly increasing their earning potential.
Thurow also identifies as a target audience advertising and marketing agencies that offer search engine marketing and Web development to clients, then outsource the services to a separate firm. Advertising and marketing agencies need to have a basic understanding of how search engine marketing works and what they should and should not promise clients and Search Engine Visibility will teach them these principles.
You should read the reviews of this book on this page by Jill Whalen, Stoney deGeyter, and Catherine Seda. But some of the negative reviews written by "a customer" on this page look like sour grapes or worse.
So, if you want more comments about Search Engine Visibility from search engine experts, here's what Danny Sullivan, the Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land, has said: "Shari Thurow has been a leader in helping guide people toward better search engine design through her writing and speaking. Now Shari has put her knowledge into book format, and it is a great companion for anyone involved in constructing Web sites."
Or here's what Peter Morville, author of Ambient Findability and Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, has said: "Search Engine Visibility is the best introduction to SEO on the market. In this enjoyable, practical guide, Shari Thurow breaks down the walls between engineering, marketing, and design by illustrating how structure, content, and code can work together to deliver optimal findability and a better user experience."
Or, here's what Gary Price, MLIS Founder and Editor of ResourceShelf, has said: "It's one thing to construct a Web site or Web page but something altogether different for this content to be found using both major Web search engines and specialized databases. A big challenge when trying to get this done this is making sure youre getting the most current, accurate and authoritative information from a trusted expert. The exciting news is that readers of Search Engine Visibility are getting precisely what they need to know in an easy to read and understand format written by a person whose knowledge and advice is world renowned."
Given the ever-changing world of search engine technology, Thurow has created a companion Web site for Search Engine Visibility at [...]. The site features the latest information about search engine friendly design, additional resources and tips and updates to the book as needed.
In addition, Thurow has written When Search Meets Web Usability. I don't give that to all my new employees. Hey, the boss has got to stay at least 20 minutes ahead of the staff.