Posts About ‘books’

Review: Ontolo – The Linkbuilding Book

As our connections to each other are the stuff of human relationships, so are links between sites the very stuff of the web.

I was therefore overjoyed to read Ontolo, and to find that here is a documented guide; from concept to objective to  methodology to realisation; for pretty much every  quality method of building and attracting the links that matter. (I felt I’d found a kindred spirit and something of a validation of our more PR focused approach at theMediaFlow too.)

Authored by Garrett French and Ben Wills Ontolo – The Linkbuilding Book, is possibly the most thorough documentation of linkbuilding to success. It is important to point out that the foundation of the Ontolo mindset reads to me as one of “links as business-driving” endeavours, rather than purely “links for rank sake”. On the other hand, if you’re more into this kind of crap, then this book isn’t for you. (more…)

Google Makes Surprising Book Deal with French Publisher Hachette

Google-Editions

To be really honest, I kind of figured that the Google Book project to digitize the books world wide would die a slow death after Google saw a settlement on the topic declined in the US last year. But now all of a sudden its back. With a deal in a country where Google had a lot of troubles with the book project before: France.

The book project has been under fire ever since Google first started to work on it. Google was seen as the evil company trying to steal away the content from publishers and authors, resulting in several lawsuits world wide. (more…)

The 5 Best SEO Books That Aren’t About SEO

Thinking Online books

I get asked quite often what beginning SEOs need to do to become advanced practitioners of our craft. Specifically they want to know which books to read.

There are a handful of good books about SEO out there – I recently reviewed Danny Dover’s new SEO Secrets book – but no matter how good they are, none of these books will make you an advanced SEO.

When I pondered this question in detail, I realised that the books that have shaped me the most as an SEO, and have helped bring my skills to higher levels, aren’t actually SEO books. Yet these books have been vital study material in my continued development as a SEO professional.

Here I will share the five best books for SEOs that aren’t actually about SEO. (more…)

Book review: Social Media Marketing by Li Evans (@storyspinner)

Social Media Marketing by Li Evans - cover

There are many books out there about search and social media. Which one to read? Do they all tell the truth? Is there one book out there which hands me the holy grail in its copy? Probably not, there are many books which are full of nonsense, but a lot of books can tell you some pretty good stuff which can really help you forward.

In this review I wanted to find out if the book “Social Media Marketing” by Li Evans belonged to the first or second category. I was pleasantly surprised.

When I got Li’s book (which she generously allowed me to share with the State of Search blogging team) I was afraid that one thing would happen: I would open the book and it would tell me how I should open up a Twitter account and set up a Facebook Page and get tons of followers. When I did opened the book and started reading something else happened. (more…)

Understanding Search Engines

What we commonly refer to as Search Engine Optimisation is something which I relate to treatment of a disease. The various treatments of SEO, from title tags and headers to information architecture and linkbuilding, are all focused on the symptoms of a disease.

Truly understanding the disease – i.e. going beyond the symptoms and superficial treatment – requires a deeper understanding of SEO. It requires that you understand how search engines work.

This aspect of SEO is, in the opinion of many including me, thoroughly neglected in our industry. Too many search engine optimisers focus exclusively on the symptoms and are entirely oblivious to the underlying causes.

Understanding how search engines work and how search engineers at these search engines tackle problems is a vital aspect of becoming a truly well-rounded SEO specialist.

(more…)

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