If you only purchase one book on Search Engine Optimization, then this is that book! The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization (2010) by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Rand Fishkin & Jessie C. Stricchiola. (Published by O’Reilly Media.)  If you are a novice or newbie with web page design and search engine optimization, then this should be your first read! If you are an experienced web designer, this book will serve as a reference book regarding SEO best practices.  The authors of The Art of SEO explains the basic fundamentals, identifies guidelines for a comprehensive SEO strategy, and effective techniques. (By the way, for those of you who have a Kindle . . . you can purchase this book for your Kindle.)

Marketing in our Busy Marketplace: Imagine you were given a free storefront location in the middle of New York Times Square. Approximately, 2 million people visit Times Square on New Year's Eve alone.  All you have to do is put a sign up on the storefront to attract visitors, but you decide it costs too much or you just do not want to invest the time necessary in the effort!  You decide to just let people come in to see what you have to sell. Yet, potential customers walk right by your door because they do not realize that you might have anything that they want.  Sounds like a pretty lame marketing plan. Right?  Although that seems a bit extreme, that is exactly what you are doing when you design a website and upload it to the web without the investing a little time in optimizing your site.  Are you missing a valuable opportunity? 

When you have a website you have prime property on the Times Square of the web!  Millions of people go to a search engjine, such as, Google every day.  They type in a description of what they are shopping for today or a question they are attempting to find a solution/answer.  Search Engines provide them with a number of websites providing what they are looking for within a few seconds.  Does your website appear in the top 5 of the first page?  

Optimizing your website to appear near the top of the research results is the same as putting a sign on your storefront.  Take time now to optimize your website and increase the number of visitors to your website. Designing your website so that it appears on the search engine results page in the most effective manner is not that complicated.