Search Engine Marketing Kit

John Garrett writes "The Search Engine Marketing Kit is a kit aimed at professional web developers and Search Engine Marketing professionals who are seeking proven strategies and techniques for improving the search performance of websites. In fact anyone who has an interest in how well a website ranks on searches related to the website’s content or target market could benefit from the tips found in this kit." Read the rest of John's review. The Search Engine Marketing Kit author Dan Thies pages 273 publisher SitePoint rating 8 reviewer John Garrett ISBN 0-9752402-5-0 summary A kit on how to optimise and market your website for the search engines.

Dan Thies is a successful search marketing expert who shares in this kit from his years of professional experience. The book is primarily about proven yet reputable techniques to maximize a website’s chances of getting high rankings on searches. High rankings can mean the difference between lots of traffic, and no traffic at all, so for a website that needs traffic to generate business, the worth of good search rankings is invaluable.

The kit discusses techniques for both search engine optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and although the book doesn’t presume a prior familiarity with these subjects it does expect some knowledge of website design and development, at least at a basic level. Search engine optimization (SEO) looks at how a website can be designed and developed to maximize its chances of ranking well in searches, whereas Search Engine Marketing (SEM) looks at paid marketing campaigns in search engines like Google to provide advertising for your website. Both techniques are very complimentary and the kit recognizes the need to address both issues for the most effective marketing outcomes.

The kit combines both timeless and timely wisdom in that some concepts could be out-of-date in 12 months due to the rapidly evolving nature of search, whereas others have stood the test of several years and will probably continue to be sound principles for years to come. Unfortunately it is the very nature of the search industry that no book can be completely relevant for too long, however this kit is certainly a great resource for the present climate.

This “kit” is published by SitePoint, who publish quite a lot of very good material aimed at Web Professionals. The price of the kit is quite high yet SitePoint claim that their kits are more comprehensive than their books, and hence justify the higher price. Having read the kit thoroughly I can say that the kit is well worth the outlay. It represents something of a distillation of years of someone’s professional expertise and experience and therefore contains resources and information that might take years to arrive at by any other means. What I’m trying to say here is that my time is valuable and if Dan is willing to share his best secrets and insights in his kit then I think it’s worth the price! There are several other good books around on the same subject, but this would be the best I’ve come across, of what I’ve read already.

The book comes with a CD-ROM with some very useful resources aimed at professional SEM business. These resources are representative of Dan’s professional expertise and could be very helpful if you are in the business of providing SEM or SEO services to paying clients. The book also discusses software and other tools that can be used for providing SEO and SEM services and again Dan can save tears and wasted money by giving you his clear summary of the best available. (There are lots of resources available on the Web for SEO & SEM, and thankfully Dan has cut through all the hype and spelled out the must-haves very clearly.)

I found that the kit also contains numerous references to resources, both free and paid, that can benefit anyone conducting SEO and SEM for a website. These resources are ones that you might not know exist had you not had the opportunity to appreciate the experience shared by Dan, yet they are resources that can make SEO & SEM more effective and efficient. Again this kind of insight is worth paying for.

The kit is very readable and well set out so it’s not a “heavy” read by any means. I’m speaking from the perspective of someone who works in SEO and SEM, so perhaps my understanding is somewhat biased, however I made so many notes, highlights and tags throughout the book on points that I found very helpful, so I think it certainly has much valuable insight to offer everyone. Its very much a resource in the sense that you will want to refer to the content over and over as you put the techniques into practice and particularly for anyone involved in website design and development this kit should become a frequently referred to desktop reference.

As a professional web developer, providing SEO and SEM services to my clients, I have a reasonable understanding of the search industry. I obtained the kit because I wanted to further develop my understanding of this important area and I found it to be an excellent reference and resource. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has the responsibility of getting a website “found” in the search engines. Don’t be discouraged by the relatively high price as the kit still represents very good value for money. My principal advice would be to read it thoroughly, as it contains too many gems to obtain from anything but a careful study. The many tips and techniques are clearly laid out in a logical manner that enables practical application immediately.

John Garrett is a professional web developer based in Sydney Australia. His website is www.softcomweb.biz."

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