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Search engine optimization links and resources

The list of Web sites and books that follow are resources that I consistently use as references whenever I build a new Web site or redesign an existing one. These resources contain books, marketing companies, and reputable search engine marketing newsletters that will help Web site owners build search-engine friendly Web sites that enhance the end-user experience.

Web sites
Books

Web sites

High Rankings Advisor
The High Rankings Advisor is an informative and witty, free weekly email newsletter written by search engine expert Jill Whalen. Jill keeps no secrets when it comes to optimizing sites for search engine visibility. Excellent interviews with timely, accurate information.

Microsoft bCentral Daily Digest
Free moderated discussion list focused on Web site design and marketing. Topics frequently covered include search engine marketing, graphic design, HTML coding, and more. Over 135,000 members make this list a great place to learn. Published five days a week.

PositionPro
PositionPro is a Web-based service that crawls a Web site much like a search engine. PositionPro analyzes the Web site's content and provides valuable insight into how the search engines will view it. Included in the service are tools to help you optimize your content, ranking reports and easy access to Yahoo paid inclusion programs.

Position Technologies, Inc.
Position Technologies is the leading provider of search traffic solutions. Through their partnerships with the leading search engines and value-added services, Position Technologies provides a unique platform for businesses to manage their search engine visibility and traffic.

Search Engine Forums
Online forum for discussions about current topics relating to search engine marketing. Top search engine experts moderate and contribute to forum discussions. Representatives from the major search engines and directories sometimes contribute to discussions.

Search Engine Watch
If you only bookmark one Web site about search engine marketing, this is the one. The most reputable source of information on the search engines, Danny Sullivan's Search Engine Reports are a "must have" for all Web site designers and online marketers.

SearchDay
SearchDay is a free newsletter from Search Engine Watch featuring Web search news, reviews, tools, tips, and search engine headlines from across the Web. Beyond breaking news, SearchDay also features tips and techniques for sharpening your Web searching skills, reviews of specialized search sites and tools, interviews with important people in the world of search, and a variety of additional search-related content.

SEO Consultants Directory
Directory of professional, ethical search engine marketers who follow all of the guidelines set forth by the search engines and directories. Great resource for finding search engine marketers who do not spam the search engines.

Traffick.com
A search engine marketing site providing feature articles from top search engine experts and search engine news. The Traffick Directory is a vertical that lists sites related to portals, search engines, search engine a, vertical portals, Web browsers and Web tools. Andrew Goodman is the world's leading expert on Google Adwords...and he's a funny guy. Always worth the read.

URLWire
Site announcements for SearchEngineBook.com courtesyof EricWard.com and URLwire. Got content, need links? Using Eric Ward's services is how great content gets linked. Since 1994.

Webmaster World
Online forum for discussions about current topics relating to site design and search engine marketing. Representatives from the major search engines and directories sometimes contribute to discussions. Those are the only people whose advice I would take - there are too many spammers (i.e. people who exploit the search engines rather than creating user-friendly web sites) who contribute to the discussions.

Books

Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity
Jakob Nielsen
New Riders Publishing

Search engines, directory editors, and end users prefer sites that are simple and easy to use. Though not all advice presented in this book is search-engine friendly, the information will help Web site owners create sites that enhance the end-user experience and increase sales conversions.

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Steve Krug
New Riders Publishing

If I had to select only one book that would be required reading in a Web site design class, this one would be it. Even though Don't Make Me Think is classified as a usability book, it is a must-read for all Web site designers who plan on creating user-friendly Web sites. Provides usability reviews and site design problem-solving.

Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed
Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir
New Riders Publishing

Usability gurus Jakob Nielson and Marie Tahir present 113 guidelines for a user-friendly home page and analyze the home pages of popular Web sites such as About.com and Microsoft. Great book for determining the effectiveness of your home page.

The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources the Search Engines Can't See
Chris Sherman and Gary Price
CyberAge Books

Enormous expanses of the Internet are unreachable with standard Web search engines. This book provides the key to finding these hidden resources by identifying how to uncover and use invisible Web resources. Mapping the invisible Web, when and how to use it, assessing the validity of the information, and the future of Web searching are topics covered in detail.

Net Words - Creating High-Impact Online Copy
Nick Usborne
McGraw-Hill

Nick Usborne speaks, writes, and consults on strategic copy issues for business online. For Web sites, emails and newsletters, he crafts messages that drive results. This book is a guide to creating copy that connects with customers and increases sales conversions. One of the best Web copywriting books available.

Speed Up Your Site: Web Site Optimization
Andy King
New Riders Publishing

Web site optimization (WSO) is the process of reducing web site size and complexity to maximize speed. Decreasing a site's download time is one of the basic rules of web site design, and Andy's great book teaches your how to do that: your graphic images, your code, your scripts.

Web Redesign | Workflow that Works
Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler
New Riders Publishing

Planning is of the most cost-effective things a Web site owner can do, especially when it comes to search-engine friendly design. Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler provide a framework for a cohesive Web workflow plan that save Web site owners time, money, and headaches. Read this book before designing your Web site.

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