87 Best SEO Books of All Time

This ambitious book comes with a strong pedigree. Author John Battelle was a founder of The Industry Standard and then one of the original editors of Wired, two magazines which helped shape our early perceptions of the wild world of the Internet. Battelle clearly drew from his experience and contacts in writing The Search. In addition to the sure-handed historical perspective and easy familiarity with such dot-com stalwarts as AltaVista, Lycos, and Excite, he speckles his narrative with conversational asides from a cast of fascinating characters, such Google's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin; Yahoo's, Jerry Yang and David Filo; key executives at Microsoft and different VC firms on the famed Sandhill road; and numerous other insiders, particularly at the company which currently sits atop the search world, Google.

The Search is not exactly the corporate history of Google. At the book's outset, Battelle specifically indicates his desire to understand what he calls the cultural anthropology of search, and to analyze search engines' current role as the "database of our intentions"--the repository of humanity's curiosity, exploration, and expressed desires. Interesting though that beginning is, though, Battelle's story really picks up speed when he starts dishing inside scoop on the darling business story of the decade, Google. To Battelle's credit, though, he doesn't stop just with historical retrospective: the final part of his book focuses on the potential future directions of Google and its products' development. In what Battelle himself acknowledges might just be a "digital fantasy train", he describes the possibility that Google will become the centralizing platform for our entire lives and quotes one early employee on the weightiness of Google's potential impact: "Sometimes I feel like I am on a bridge, twenty thousand feet up in the air. If I look down I'm afraid I'll fall. I don't feel like I can think about all the implications."

Some will shrug at such words; after all, similar hype has accompanied other technologies and other companies before. Many others, though, will search Battelle's story for meaning--and fast. --Peter Han

"Optimize" is designed to give readers a practical approach to integrating search and social media optimization with content marketing to boost relevance, visibility, and customer engagement. Companies, large and small, will benefit from the practical planning and creative content marketing tactics in this book that have been proven to increase online performance across marketing, public relations, and customer service. Learn to incorporate essential content optimization and social media engagement principles thereby increasing their ability to acquire and engage relevant customers online.

"Optimize" provides insights from Lee Odden, one of the leading authorities on Content and Online Marketing. This book explains how to: Create a blueprint for integrated search, social media and content marketing strategyDetermine which creative tactics will provide the best results for your companyImplement search and social optimization holistically in the organizationMeasure the business value of optimized and socialized content marketingDevelop guidelines, processes and training to scale online marketing success

"Optimize" offers a tested approach for a customer-centric and adaptive online marketing strategy that incorporates the best of content, social media marketing, and search engine optimization tactics.

Never-before-revealed tactics for optimizing your web site for Google, from one of the world's most remarkable Google search experts

With 65% of the Internet search market, Google plays an enormous role in global commerce, determining which sites will receive traffic and which won't. This entertaining, expert book shows entrepreneurs, marketers, and individuals how to tame the Google beast, and get more of that traffic. This isn't your typical guide to search engine optimization. It is written by Evan Bailyn, founder and CEO of First Page Sage, one of the world's leading SEO experts. Evan reveals the new secrets of SEO, and debunks long-held SEO myths that simply don't work. In plain English, he teaches techniques that reflect a deeply technical understanding of search engines and a broad psychological understanding of how and why people search. More than 20,000 marketers and entrepreneurs follow Bailyn's Twitter feed; more than 100,000 visit his web site; thousands more flock to his speaking engagements. This book brings together everything he's learned: what works now, and how to make the most of it.Coverage includes: " Today's five ingredients of successful SEO " The real art of choosing the right keywords " "Aging" web sites to gain trust " Using Google AdWords to complement SEO " Converting SEO results into paying customers " Optimizing for social media and other emerging trends

Used by Jason McDonald in his online SEO classes as well as classes at Stanford Continuing Studies and classes at San Francisco's Bay Area Video Coalition and AcademyX, the SEO Toolbook is a MUST HAVE for anyone who wants to dominate Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Here's what you get:

The SEO Toolbook is a wonderful companion to all books on SEO such as SEO For Dummies, SEO an Hour a Day, Search engine optimization 2016, etc.

First and foremost, the SEO Toolbook assumes a working knowledge of SEO. This toolbook has many wonderful free tools, but the tools alone are useless without a knowledge of how the game is played! (If you need that knowledge, we recommend you check out my SEO Fitness Workbook (on Amazon), online courses a, or call 800-298-4065 to learn more about my SEO one-on-one training and consulting services).

Second, this book emphasizes only free tools. Despite the fact that there are quite a few paid SEO tools out there, none are any better than the free tools identified in this Toolbook. Indeed, in today’s tight economy, why pay when you can get them for free? Not to mention, why pay when the most important element, i.e. a knowledge of how SEO is played to win, can’t be obtained from any tool?

Third, we have reviewed each tool in the Toolbook for relevance and ease of use. Almost without exception, the tools in the Toolbook require nothing more than a Web browser and active connection to the Internet. Easy is just as important as free. Generally speaking, if a tool requires registration or has only a "trial" period, it has been excluded.