Definitive SEO Books/Reads

Anybody have a suggestion?

[Fgump910]

So I was just looking at some books lying around my company's office and I came across "Search Engine Optimization for Dummies" from 2004! Oh man, I had to check this out!

While it was well written and pretty detailed, I'd say only 75% of the info in that book is even relevant to today's practices. I can't believe how much things have changed. I began to think, what would a 2010 "SEO for Dummies" be like?

I have learned everything on SEO from scouring the internet, and perhaps that is the best way since it is evolving constantly. However, there is always something about a published book that just makes me feel like the information I am getting is more....I don't know, valid (rather than speculation).

So, my question for you guys - Can anybody suggest a book on SEO that is not outdated and provides and in-depth look at the subject? I'd love to find a good new read. Thanks guys!

[roadkillu]

I've read most of "The Art of SEO" and it's a pretty updated overview of today's practices. Every chapter covers different practices (keyword research to creating linkbait). I'd say it's a solid reference book for 2010.

[OMZen]

Agree with roadkillu @ "art of seo"

It'd be desirable to read "Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer Centricity" too. ( Assuming you have already read the "web analytics an hour a day" )

(Note: the later 2 books deal strictly with seo analytics skills)

[Fgump910]

Thanks guys!

I'm about to order "The Art of SEO" from Amazon :)

[ezifun]

Your choice is best.It is great book on seo.It has simple and concrete tips about seo.when you read it and find some extra information about seo please post here for other members.

[SEO_Arbiter]

Not a book, but a good blog to read is [mattcutts.com...]

[wheel]

Not a book, but a good blog to read is [mattcutts.com...]

No thanks. That's the jim jones of SEO.

[Fgump910]

"The Jim Jones of SEO"... that is hilarious. Yeah, watch out for the Matt Cutt's Kool-Aid!

[JS_Harris]

Beware of cookie cutter approaches to SEO (books, systems, seo firms etc) unless you're good at differentiating between good stuff and fluff. If there was a definitive manual on SEO all sites would tie at #1 in the serps, instead the SEO who has "figured it out" through trial and error will always have the advantage. Thankfully there are enough things to build websites about that they don't butt heads too often.

This beast is always changing slightly, don't stop testing and never stop learning. Reading is always a good idea, just don't believe everything you read no matter who writes it. I'm reminded of a quote:

"School teaches students to ask questions, leaders are self taught to question the answers."

[ergophobe]

If there was a definitive manual on SEO all sites would tie at #1 in the serps

Ha! If only. Of course, I basically agree with everything you wrote other than this. But I know the excerpted quote is wrong. How do I know? Well, by simple analogy: There are many "definitive" guides to physical fitness that tell you everything you need to be physically fit. One might be better than another, but dozens or hundreds, followed carefully, will give you six-pack abs and rock hard thighs. Yet some astronomical percentage of Americans are obese. How can that be? By your logic, everyone the same plan will have the same percentage body fat. Ah yes, but the gap between knowledge and implementation is huge, especially when implementation involves painful sacrifice.

In fitness and SEO, the same rule applies: a so-so plan faithfully executed will give far better results than an excellent plan that does not get executed.

Of course, there is nothing more harmful than a bad plan assiduously executed. So lookout for fitness plans that include donuts and SEO plans that include link farms.

[Fgump910]

Quick update guys. I bought "The Art of SEO" and I am really enjoying it. I am about halfway through (it is about 500+ pages) and found that it has really begun to solidify my understanding of SEO.

I have not run across and new secret ideas yet, but it is useful in that it lays out everything I know about SEO and helps me see SEO in sort of a "big picture" (which elements are most important, what order you should do things, etc..)

Anyway, thanks for the recommendations!

[g1smd]

"The Art of SEO" has some killer tips in it.

The chapter on Redirects and Rewrites contains a large number of schoolboy errors that could kill your site dead in the SERPs. Almost every piece of example .htaccess code has a major flaw in it. I was truly shocked when I looked at what had been written.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Be a leader. Try something new. Promise me that if you read a book you will try some things you read and test for effect over a long enough period of time before affirming or refuting them.

Rinse and repeat, everything has an effect on something else... books help generate ideas but testing generates data on those ideas. How much data do YOU have?

[Brett_Tabke]

Best book I have read this year is by Shawn Rorick called The Emerging Marketer:

[emergingmarketer.com...]

It gives SEO the one chapter it needs in the book and then focuses on real marketing and marketing issue.

(Shawn was our keynote two years ago at PubCon vegas when he was head of marketing at Cirque)

[Makaveli2007]

@ergophobe:

I've heard this over and over again..."if people knew how google's algorithm works exactly then everybody would rank #1"...and share your opinion.

Only do I believe it's much easier to debunk :-) - Google uses certain factors in their algorithm that cannot be influenced that easily even if you know they use them (which is perhaps one of the reasons why they started to use off-page factors not just on-page factors).

Best example: We all know we need/could use tons of quality links, however most people really don't know how to get those.