[...]... So don’t think of SEO as just a way to improve your site’s ranking The term Search Engine Optimization describes a diverse set of activities that you can perform to increase the number of desirable visitors who come to your website via search engines (you may also have heard these activities called Search Engine Marketing or Search Marketing) This includes things you do to your site itself, such as... approach, the hardest part of embarking on a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign is knowing where to begin In Part I, we walk you through a little self-reflection and search engine basics to lay the groundwork for Your SEO Plan: Chapter 1 Clarify Your Goals Chapter 2 Customize Your Approach Chapter 3 Eternal Truths of SEO Chapter 4 How the Search Engines Work Right Now 26643c01.qxd 2/28/08 4:39... of search, our focus is very different This is how we think: 26643flast.qxd 2/28/08 4:35 PM Page xviii • A 2006 survey by AOL and Henley Centre, a UK research firm, found that 73 percent of respondents listed search engines as important sources of information when considering a product or service—a higher percentage than personal recommendations, TV, or print media • Research conducted by search engine. .. areas if you are especially enthusiastic INTRODUCTION ■ xxii What’s New in This Edition We’ve put a lot of thought into selecting only the new aspects of SEO that are worth your time and effort, so you can stay on the cutting edge of search while sidestepping fly-bynight fads and unproven techniques This edition of Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day now contains: • Detailed analysis and instructions... PM Page xii Chapter 3 Eternal Truths of SEO 45 Robots Deliver 46 Search Results Are Blended 47 Directories Paid Search Ads Site Feeds Other Search Sources: Image, Video, Local, Content Partners Meta Search Engines and Search Aggregators 47 48 48 49 50 Algorithms Change 50 Humans Are Smart—Computers... organizations Chapter 3: “Eternal Truths of SEO” Gives an overview of the longstanding, or “eternal,” factors in effective search engine optimization Learn these truths to bring longevity to your SEO success Chapter 4: “How the Search Engines Work Right Now” Presents a current snapshot of the world of search Part II: Strategy Chapter 5: “Get Your Team on Board” Offers been-there-done-that advice for eliminating... Friday: Paid Search Quick Check 213 217 220 222 224 Week 6: Selling Through Search 224 Monday: Store Visibility Tuesday: The Site that Sells Wednesday: Shopping Comparison Engines Thursday: Consumer Reviews Friday: Brand Busters 225 226 228 231 234 26643ftoc.qxd 2/28/08 4:34 PM Page xv Week 7: Specialty Search 236 Monday: Image Search Tuesday:... 236 Monday: Image Search Tuesday: Local Search Wednesday: Blog Search Thursday: Video Search Friday: Special Opportunities in Google 236 240 243 247 250 Week 8: Research and Development 253 Monday: SEO News and Trends Tuesday: Task Journal Investigation Wednesday: International Search Thursday: Rolling with the Hydroplaning Monkey Friday: Analytics... The trick, of course, is to figure out who those people are, develop an extremely targeted message for them, and put it where they will notice it Search Engine Optimization (SEO) encompasses a wide variety of tasks that improve a website’s presence on search engines Maybe you’ve heard a few SEO catchphrases— meta tags, link bait, or PageRank—but you don’t know exactly how to tie them all together into... ■ xii 58 59 Search Engines Don’t Like Tricks 60 SEO Is Not Brain Surgery 61 Chapter 4 How the Search Engines Work Right Now 63 In Pursuit of Right Now 64 Google Basics 64 The Best of the Rest: Yahoo!, MSN, Ask, AOL 67 Yahoo! MSN/Live Search Ask . 3:14 AM Page ii Search Engine Optimization Second Edition 26643ffirs.qxd 3/4/08 3:14 AM Page iii 26643ffirs.qxd 3/4/08 3:14 AM Page iv Search Engine Optimization An Hour a Day Second Edition Jennifer. SHERMAN, SearchEngineWatch.com Just when some say textbook search engine optimization (SEO) has crashed and burned, a great new textbook comes along. Finally, a common-sense approach to day-by-day search. Jennifer. Search engine optimization : an hour a day / Jennifer Grappone, Gradiva Couzin. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-470-22664-3 (pbk.) 1. Internet searching—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Web search engines—Handbooks,