Experts share search engine optimization secrets

Posted by Elena del Valle on March 9, 2012

Search Engine Optimization Secrets book cover

Photos: Erik Dafforn, Danny Dover

As online portals gain momentum and the digital world around us continues to morph so fast it’s hard to know where it will settle one priority remains constant for many: maximizing their online presence through search engine optimization strategies. How to do that most effectively within a reasonable budget and in a timely fashion is the topic of much debate and many books.

There are a number of titles for do-it-yourself types and beginners and myriad articles that outline the basics. For those who already understand the essentials of search engine optimization, commonly referred to as SEO, a specialized title may be helpful. Search Engine Optimization Secrets (Wiley Publishing, $34.99) by Danny Dover with insights from Erik Dafforn, a 435-page softcover book written for those who already have a basic understanding of search engine optimization issues and want to improve their knowledge and for consultants who want to sell SEO services, is one such book.

Erik Dafforn, co-author, Search Engine Optimization Secrets

“From various studies, we believe about 90 percent of the Fortune 1000 have search programs in place, but we also believe the success rates fluctuate wildly, depending on whether the brand simply defends their ‘branded’ queries, or whether they aggressively pursue non-branded search traffic as well. Larger brands, those that can afford significant TV and radio reach, often have a search budget that represents about 10-25 percent of their overall marketing spend, while smaller (non-TV) clients tend to have a greater percentage devoted to search, anywhere from 25-75 percent of the overall marketing budget,” said Dafforn by email in response to a question about the percent of Fortune 1,000 companies that allocate resources to search engine optimization. “Their budgets for paid and organic search grow as they realize that budgets for other forms of advertising, such as yellow pages, outdoor, and direct mail, are often unable to match the measured results and offer the same ROI as search does.”

Published in 2011 the book is divided into 14 chapters and one appendix: Understanding Search Engine Optimization, Relearning How You See the Web, Picking the Right SEO Tools, Finding SEO Problems, Solving SEO Problems, SEO Best Practices, The SEO Consulting Process, Comprehensive Site Audit (Informational Website), Comprehensive Site Audit (E-Commerce Website), Understanding the SEO Industry, Search Engine Verticals, Optimizing for Alternative Search Engines, SEO Resources and Test, Test, Test.

Danny Dover, author, Search Engine Optimization Secrets

Danny Dover, author, Search Engine Optimization Secrets

“Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a fundamental strategy for any business that offers a product or service that can be researched or purchased online,” said Dover by email in response to a question about how knowledge of search engine optimization strategies is beneficial to business executives. “While SEO as a strategy takes a long to fully implement, it is essentially free and fantastic for driving conversions.”

The authors discuss SEO issues for practitioners in detail, outlining steps and providing examples of reports and tools of the trade. Dover is the former lead of SEO at SEOmoz.org. Daforn is executive vice president and director of Organic SEO for Intrapromote.