Because having a successful online presence is almost impossible without a strong search engine presence, many people have been looking for tools and guides to help them address marketing with search engines.
It’s this need Dan Thies was looking to address when he released The Comprehensive Search Engine Marketing Kit, which arrived in partnership with SitePoint.com. As a search engine reporter, I’ve come across many sites and forums that offer what Dan presents, but never as encapsulated as this kit.
The content is presented in such a way as to not be over the head of the most novice of users, but it’s not so elementary as to be passed on by people with Dan’s level of experience. Presented in workbook form, the guide contains over 250 pages of categorized information, all designed to get you started (or provide advice experienced users may not be aware of) on a successful search marketing campaign.
When you break down the SEM Kit by chapter, you find they are presented like an academic tutorial, you find Dan went to great lengths to include as many facets of the search engine marketing industry as he could.
The first chapter deals with introducing novices to search marketing, and the kit builds from there with the following chapters becoming more advanced as the reader’s level of comprehension grows. Admittedly, experienced users may not find a lot of new material in the first couple of chapters but that does not mean there isn’t anything of value for them. For instance, the kit may help these more advanced users discover a different, more effective marketing strategy than the one they currently employ.
Also included in the kit are advanced methods of search engine optimization, which naturally comes after the beginner section. Again, this method of presentation is illustrative of Dan’s stepladder approach.
The kit also introduces tips and hints for running your own search engine marketing business. This chapter is located towards the end of the kit, and outlines the ins and outs of setting up and running a successful SEM business. This includes strategies in consulting, keyword research, SEO copywriting and link building, to name a few.
Dan also included a Tools section in order to provide a wide-ranging list of third-party tools that can assist those looking to begin a search marketing campaign. The list includes sites offering SEO-related tools like Wordtracker.com.
The appendix is also packed full of useful information including an exhaustive white paper covering search engine spam (so users know what NOT to do); information about Google’s perplexing PageRank; a list of recommended readings; a number of search related forums; a comprehensive web directory listing; and a list of SEM organizations.
Because of Dan’s commitment to delivering such a comprehensive and effective tool, I have no misgivings about recommending the SitePoint Search Engine Marketing Kit.
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest search news.
