The topic of search engine optimization (SEO) came up during the IT Division Board meeting (I think as a possible program topic for the future).
There is a blog called SEObook.com that I've been following (http://www.seobook.com/) and I promised to post the URL for it. There are likely others...and if you find one that is useful, please let us know.
I also mentioned that Steve Arnold (Arnold IT) had some information on his web site about SEO. You can view that information here.
One important thing to realize about search engine optimization is that it is important for those sites that rely on search engines to drive traffic to them. There are some web sites that many not need SEO because they don't want every Tom, Dick and Harry finding them through a search engine, but instead use other methods to drive qualified prospects to their sites.
It's true there are countless ways to drive traffic to a site and they don't involve anything underhanded or black-hat.
Keep it real and don't worry about the search engines. They will find you based on good content which brings the people and often they return.
Great blog!
Visit my blog at http://InOutPublishing.com/press
Posted by: SEO Kelly | Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 14:41
Thank you for all the information about search engine optimization. It helps me to understand a lot of things.
Posted by: michael jones | Wednesday, August 15, 2007 at 03:16
SEO is very important, especially for people who make a living online. The main thing is quality links and targeted traffic. Word of mouth although technically not an SEO tactic is still the best way to grow a site, look at MySpace for example.
Posted by: Jonny | Friday, November 09, 2007 at 19:07
It is true that you do not have to do anything "black hat" to succeed, however, you should make it easy for your blog to be searched and discovered by the search engines.
Thanks for the good post.
I am Not John Chow.
Posted by: Not John Chow | Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 15:54
I find this a very interesting article thanks
Posted by: rainyl | Friday, December 28, 2007 at 22:09
That is a great point about the uniqueness of the seo world. Not everyone needs it.
Posted by: Fred333 | Tuesday, January 08, 2008 at 06:18
Searchboth.net is the first site to place google and yahoo side by side on one split screen. The web site takes the user's query and creates a browser window with two frames, with the results from Yahoo! on one side and those from google on the other. It has completely end up the hassles involved while searching different search engines at the same time.
Posted by: Searchboth | Tuesday, January 08, 2008 at 22:06
I agree that SEO is all about quality traffic and that is certainly not something black hat tactics can achieve.
Problem is, some people think that SEO is simple about getting a high rank in Google or Yahoo. Nothin could be farther from the truth IMO, SEO is all about becoming visible to the people who are willing to visit a site - no more, no less.
Personally, when it comes to SEO, this is my favourite definition: http://www.online-marketingsolutions.com/Search-Engine-Optimisation-pg3409.html
Posted by: JDR | Friday, January 18, 2008 at 00:15
I use that site too Fred333, it's great and i like it.
Posted by: Jacob | Friday, January 25, 2008 at 16:22
SEOBook.. Hmm, I heard its a great book for learning search engine optimization. And one gets updates as well! Maybe I'll get it.
Would you personally recommend it? :)
Jasa
Posted by: Singapore SEO | Monday, February 04, 2008 at 18:25
I previously looked at the blog SEO Book and I plan on subscribing to it so that I can comment on the posts there. It seems to be awfully complicatdd but then what isn't these days. All blogs can improve SEO in some way but I believe that Wordpress is among the best.
Posted by: Keith Stieneke | Friday, February 29, 2008 at 14:46
SEO is important for those websites that rely on the free traffic sent to them by the search engines. It is not a cure-all to the problem of traffic generation, but over the long-run, SEO will aid you to get higher rankings on the SE's. Note I stated long-run. Short-run techniques are black-hat and border on search engine spamming. I don't think anyone would like to sacrifice their rankings by being banned by the SE's for the long term rankings that they receive with white-hat SEO tactics.
Posted by: Jim Bruce | Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 09:51
Everyone can benefit from SEO. The people who don't want to be found by Tom, Dick and Harry still want to be found by someone. They should just be optimising their site for the searches which the someone performs rather than to create a wide net. To say that someone doesn't need SEO is to say they don't need traffic or customers, in which case why exist?
Posted by: Quantic | Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 12:41
seobook is at great tool to get startet... but you can get most of the knowled on the net... many hours off reading..
But all in all "Linkjuice" is what its all about
Posted by: Peter | Friday, April 25, 2008 at 13:36
SeoBook is a great source, not just for SEO techniques, but because it discusses general marketing for the start-up, right to where to find your webhost and buy your domain name. Learning SEO from a book can be tricky, especially because every industry has its own challenges and traffic sources. However, if you'd like to ask specific questions, you can always do this at my forum: http://lorenzlammens.com/forum.html - also check out the FAQ that lists the questions that most repeat in the forum.
Posted by: SEO consultant | Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 01:37
SEO is a broad topic and has so many factors. But the main aim of this application is to get listed in the first page of every search engine and to have tons of QUALITY traffic. SEOBook is a good guide not only for SEO newbies but also to those already expert in this field.
Posted by: Amihay Inbar | Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 18:59
Truly amazing post. It's incredible how most people don't realize the importance of things like this, when it comes to SEO you are bound to get some eyebrows raised.
Posted by: Germz | Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 18:03