Comprehensive, current, and cogent; worthy of becoming every marketer’s go-to guide for SEO.
Two marketing mavens offer a dissection and demystification of search engine optimization.
On Page 7 of this all-encompassing SEO manual, Jantsch (Duct Tape Selling, 2014, etc.) and Singleton (Local SEO, 2016, etc.) set the tone for what follows: “SEO for Growth is as much about strategy and mindset as it is about technical know-how.” This approach blends marketing strategy with the nuts and bolts of SEO to deliver relevant content to several audiences, including business owners, marketers at any size company, Web designers, and Web coders. The authors demonstrate by discussing the subject broadly that SEO is just one tactic, albeit critically important, in building a smart digital marketing strategy. For readers who need an introduction to SEO, the first several chapters provide a levelheaded explanation, with some technical information about Google algorithms for those who want a look behind the curtain. Just as important, there is an overview of today’s preferred marketing methodology, inbound marketing, along with an examination of the value of content marketing. The authors make a strong case for the powerful application of SEO, covering keywords in detail, the crafting of a “stronger website SEO,” link building, the integration of SEO with social media, how to find the best information about SEO, and whether to rely on outside SEO professionals or do it in-house. Also included in the impressive book are sections that aren’t directly related to SEO but that are equally significant to marketers and technologists alike. For marketers, the chapters on “Managing Reputation and Reviews” and “Adwords and Paying-Per-Click” are highly educational. For techies, the useful data on Google algorithms, along with the chapter “Google Analytics and Search Console,” should be illuminating. One unique aspect of this clear and well-written book is the addition of an “Expert to Watch” section at the end of each chapter. Here, the authors highlight an individual whose expertise relates directly to the chapter topic. In addition, the references provided at the end are segmented by chapter—another nice touch.
Comprehensive, current, and cogent; worthy of becoming every marketer’s go-to guide for SEO.Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-692-76944-7
Page Count: 238
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Feb. 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A superb book about doing his job by a master of his craft.
The renowned writer offers advice on information-gathering and nonfiction composition.
The book consists of eight instructive and charming essays about creating narratives, all of them originally composed for the New Yorker, where McPhee (Silk Parachute, 2010, etc.) has been a contributor since the mid-1960s. Reading them consecutively in one volume constitutes a master class in writing, as the author clearly demonstrates why he has taught so successfully part-time for decades at Princeton University. In one of the essays, McPhee focuses on the personalities and skills of editors and publishers for whom he has worked, and his descriptions of those men and women are insightful and delightful. The main personality throughout the collection, though, is McPhee himself. He is frequently self-deprecating, occasionally openly proud of his accomplishments, and never boring. In his magazine articles and the books resulting from them, McPhee rarely injects himself except superficially. Within these essays, he offers a departure by revealing quite a bit about his journalism, his teaching life, and daughters, two of whom write professionally. Throughout the collection, there emerge passages of sly, subtle humor, a quality often absent in McPhee’s lengthy magazine pieces. Since some subjects are so weighty—especially those dealing with geology—the writing can seem dry. There is no dry prose here, however. Almost every sentence sparkles, with wordplay evident throughout. Another bonus is the detailed explanation of how McPhee decided to tackle certain topics and then how he chose to structure the resulting pieces. Readers already familiar with the author’s masterpieces—e.g., Levels of the Game, Encounters with the Archdruid, Looking for a Ship, Uncommon Carriers, Oranges, and Coming into the Country—will feel especially fulfilled by McPhee’s discussions of the specifics from his many books.
A superb book about doing his job by a master of his craft.Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-374-14274-2
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
The memoir of George Dawson, who learned to read when he was 98, places his life in the context of the entire 20th century in this inspiring, yet ultimately blighted, biography. Dawson begins his story with an emotional bang: his account of witnessing the lynching of a young African-American man falsely accused of rape. America’s racial caste system and his illiteracy emerge as the two biggest obstacles in Dawson’s life, but a full view of the man overcoming the obstacles remains oddly hidden. Travels to Ohio, Canada, and Mexico reveal little beyond Dawson’s restlessness, since nothing much happens to him during these wanderings. Similarly, the diverse activities he finds himself engaging in—bootlegging in St. Louis, breaking horses, attending cockfights—never really advance the reader’s understanding of the man. He calls himself a “ladies’ man” and hints at a score of exciting stories, but then describes only his decorous marriage. Despite the personal nature of this memoir, Dawson remains a strangely aloof figure, never quite inviting the reader to enter his world. In contrast to Dawson’s diffidence, however, Glaubman’s overbearing presence, as he repeatedly parades himself out to converse with Dawson, stifles any momentum the memoir might develop. Almost every chapter begins with Glaubman presenting Dawson with a newspaper clipping or historical fact and asking him to comment on it, despite the fact that Dawson often does not remember or never knew about the event in question. Exasperated readers may wonder whether Dawson’s life and his accomplishments, his passion for learning despite daunting obstacles, is the tale at hand, or whether the real issue is his recollections of Archduke Ferdinand. Dawson’s achievements are impressive and potentially exalting, but the gee-whiz nature of the tale degrades it to the status of yet another bowl of chicken soup for the soul, with a narrative frame as clunky as an old bone.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-375-50396-X
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1999
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