Google is now responsible for delivering a majority of searchers to websites, and guides 50% of all would-be online purchasers. Added to this, research shows that the top ten results from an online search enjoy the overwhelming majority of referred visits. Therefore, understanding how it works and how to make the most of it is essential for anyone building a website — whether for business or for fun. 50 Ways to Make Google Love Your Web Site shows you how to make sure your website stands out over the thousands out there.
In the first section of this practical guide Steve Johnston explains in simple language how Google actually works, and the way in which it sifts through the relevant and the irrelevant while searching through the eight billion pages of information its index contains. In the second section, he shows you how to improve the performance of your own website in Google, with specific detailing of the priorities to be addressed.
The result is a superbly practical and readable guide that will be invaluable to web designers and, indeed, anyone who uses the internet on a regular basis.
Somewhat technical without going in-depth; left me bookmarking multiple pages. I am sure that I will refer back to this numerous times. Great information! Well presented. Very much liked reading it for the information; but of course, it wasn't the most enjoyable because it is business and not so much a leisurely read:)
Telling a story is key we are taught, to getting the message across effectively. This is just as important when considering Search Engine Optimisation which can seem esoteric to the uninitiated. For some it seems like advanced maths, or in the worst case gobbledegook.
Telling the story of how Google organises their search results is the basis of Steve Johnston and Liam McGee’s book “50 ways to make Google love your website”. It is written in an easy-going style that builds a story of how the algorithms work and how a website designer can adopt techniques to promote their interests.
The ‘story’ of the book guides the reader from creating a website for your users, through enhancing its reputation to changing it to fit in with Google’s mathematic formulas. Rounding off the content is a chapter on analytics and how to measure the success (or failure) of your trials.
But an added bonus to this book are the ’50 ways…’ tables that trail five of the chapters. These provide a useful checklist for key points made in the book. Items such as remembering the Tripod of Love when improving your visibility on Google, or using the long tail of search and creating quality content. This is all to push your website up the rankings and hopefully make it more profitable.
There are many SEO books out in the marketplace, but this is one that uses simple terminology and a logical process to allow beginners to this world, access to its advantages. It is a book that anyone who wants to learn SEO but is wary of being overpowered by facts.
This is an excellent handbook to what can seem to be a black art and should be read by anyone who wants an easy yet informative introduction to Google SEO.
Well it wasn't what I needed, it's more orientated towards a small business than a hobby website. It's interesting to read to see a bit about how Google takes information from a site and uses it but I missed seeing a basic one, "if your information is in a graphic, it can't be searched for" Corrected as it is in the book, see comments below. Page 25 mentions this. I think when I originally wrote it I had been trying to find information that should be readily available if the websites didn't obscure it.
Still not my book, probably more useful for small businesses than for my uses and for a small business would probably be a 4 or 5* book.