Links and resources
Resources on search engine optimization, information architecture, site usability, and the user experience (UX)
The list of web sites and books that follow are resources that I consistently use as references whenever I build a new web site or redesign an existing one. These resources contain books, marketing companies, and reputable search engine marketing newsletters that will help web site owners build search-engine friendly web sites that enhance the user experience.
Web sites
Search Engine Land
If you only bookmark one web site about search engine optimization and advertising, this is the one. The most reputable source of information on the search engines, Danny Sullivan's are a "must have" for all web site designers and online marketers.
Search Engine Watch
Another great website to bookmark about search engine visibility.
Traffick.com
A search engine marketing site providing feature articles from top search engine experts and search engine news. Andrew Goodman is the world's leading expert on Google Adwords...and he's a funny guy. Always worth the read.
URLWire
Site announcements for SearchEngineBook.com courtesyof EricWard.com and URLwire. Got content, need links? Using Eric Ward's services is how great content gets linked. Since 1994.
Books
Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity
Jakob Nielsen
New Riders Publishing
Search engines, directory editors, and end users prefer sites that are simple and easy to use. Though not all advice presented in this book is search-engine friendly, the information will help web site owners create sites that enhance the end-user experience and increase sales conversions.
Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Steve Krug
New Riders Publishing
If I had to select only one book that would be required reading in a web site design class, this one would be it. Even though Don't Make Me Think is classified as a usability book, it is a must-read for all web site designers who plan on creating user-friendly web sites. Provides usability reviews and site design problem-solving.
Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed
Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir
New Riders Publishing
Usability gurus Jakob Nielson and Marie Tahir present 113 guidelines for a user-friendly home page and analyze the home pages of popular web sites such as About.com and Microsoft. Great book for determining the effectiveness of your home page.
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, 3rd Edition
Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld
O'Reilly
The infamous "polar bear book" is a must-read for EVERYONE involved in building websites. Wish there were more editions.
Search Patterns
Peter Morville and Jeffery Callendar
O'Reilly
Explores design patterns that apply across the categories of web, e-commerce, enterprise, desktop, mobile, social, and real time search and discovery. IMPORTANT: learn the Facets of Searcher Behaviors, too.
Web Redesign | Workflow that Works
Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler
New Riders Publishing
Planning is of the most cost-effective things a web site owner can do, especially when it comes to search-engine friendly design. Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler provide a framework for a cohesive web workflow plan that save web site owners time, money, and headaches. Read this book before designing your web site.
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