Review of Obtaining a #1 Ranking in the Search Engines

Ryan Allis's Obtaining a #1 Ranking in the Search Engines
Reviewed by Donald Nelson, SEO Consultant with A1 Optimization

When it comes to optimizing your site for search engines you basically have two choices: You can hire someone with experience to do it for you, or you can learn the basic principles of search engine optimization and do it yourself. If you choose the do-it-yourself route, then it is necessary to have the proper tools and information to optimize your site properly and not spend months learning search engine optimization by trial and error.

There are various kinds of software and guidebooks which claim to be able to help you get top rankings in the search engines. Just as it would be a waste of time to learn SEO by trial and error, it would be equally inefficient (and a big drain on your pocketbook) to read all the guidebooks that are out there. You can save time and money by getting Ryan Allis's new book, Obtaining a #1 Ranking in the Search Engines.

Allis offers a step-by-step method that can be easily understood and followed. His advice is based on sound optimization practice, and avoids "tricks" that will get you in trouble with search engines. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, you will find something of interest in this ebook.

Allis takes you through the process of keyword selection, and then optimizing pages with these keywords, and explains where and how to submit the pages. Most importantly he takes into account on-page and off page factors that will affect your ranking. On page factors are such things as keyword-density (how many keywords you have compared to your total text), properly written metatags, page structure, file-naming and your site's link structure. Off-page factors include link popularity, the quality and quantity of incoming links to your site, and the domain name. These days it is becoming very difficult to generate traffic to your site if you do not have a good amount of quality, incoming links. Allis shows you how to get these links, in the guide itself, and in a free companion book.

His basic optimizing strategy is to build a content-rich site, with a lot of articles and pages about the theme of your product or service. A large content-rich site is useful because each one of these pages serves as a mini-website attracting searchers looking for various aspects of your offerings. Also, the more content you have, the higher the page ranking and the better the placement your site will get in search results. This is a crucial factor if you are in a very competitive category.

The ebook is only around fifty pages, but its brevity is its strength. You will not get bogged down or suffocated by information overload. But if you are thinking that all you have to do is read a fifty page book and then you will get top rankings in the search engines you are dead wrong. Allis, like other competent people in this field, warns that in order to get a top rankings you will have to put in many hours of work and wait several months before you get results. If you have the time and interest to do-it-yourself, plus a reasonable command of the basics of site-building and maintenance, then Allis's Obtaining a #1 Ranking in the Search Engines is a must-read ebook for you.

Donald Nelson is a web developer, editor and social worker. He has been working on the Internet since 1995 and is currently the director of A1-Optimization (www.a1-optimization.com), a firm providing low-cost search engine optimization and web promotion services. You can subscribe to his monthly A1 Web Promotion Tips Newsletter by sending an e-mail to subscribe@a1-optimization.com.