The Art of SEO, 4th Edition

The Art of SEO, 4th Edition

by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Jessie Stricchiola
Released November 2022
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9781098102616

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Book description

Three acknowledged experts in search engine optimization share guidelines and innovative techniques that will help you plan and execute a comprehensive SEO strategy. Complete with an array of effective tactics from basic to advanced, this fourth edition prepares digital marketers for 2022 and beyond with updates on SEO tools and new search engine optimization methods that have reshaped the SEO landscape.

Novices will receive a thorough SEO education, while experienced SEO practitioners get an extensive reference to support ongoing engagements.

  • Learn about the various intricacies and complexities of internet search
  • Explore the underlying theory and inner workings of search engines and their algorithms
  • Understand the interplay between social media engagement and other factors
  • Discover tools to track results and measure success
  • Examine the effects of key Google algorithm updates
  • Consider opportunities for visibility in mobile, local, vertical, social, and voice search
  • Build a competent SEO team with defined roles
  • Gain insights into the future of search and internet discoverability

Publisher resources

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Table of contents

  1. 1. Search: Reflecting Consciousness and Connecting Commerce
    1. The Mission of Search Engines
    2. The Market Share of Search Engines
    3. Goals of Searching: The User’s Perspective
    4. Determining User Intent: A Challenge for Search Marketers and Search Engines
      1. Navigational Queries
      2. Informational Queries
      3. Transactional Queries
      4. Local Queries
      5. Adaptive Search
      6. Searcher Intent
    5. How Users Search
    6. How Search Engines Drive Ecommerce
    7. Click Tracking: How Users Click on Results (Organic Versus Paid)
      1. Search Traffic by Device
    8. Role of AI/Machine Learning
    9. Conclusion
  2. 2. Search Fundamentals
    1. Deconstructing Search
      1. The Language of Search
      2. Crawling
      3. The Index
      4. The Search Engine Result Page (SERP)
    2. Ranking Factors
      1. Relevance
      2. AI / Machine Learning Impact on Relevance
      3. EAT
      4. Expertise
      5. Authority
      6. Trust
      7. Local Signals and Personalization
      8. Timing and Tenure
      9. Legitimacy
      10. Source Diversity
      11. Keywords in Anchor Text
      12. Negative Ranking Factors
    3. User Behavior Data
    4. Conclusion
  3. 3. Keyword Research
    1. The Words and Phrases That Define Your Business
      1. The Different Phases of Keyword Research
      2. Expanding Your Domain Expertise
      3. Building Your Topics List
      4. Preparing Your Keyword Plan Spreadsheet
    2. Internal Resources for Keyword Research
      1. Web Logs and Analytics
      2. Competitive Analysis
      3. People
    3. External Resources for Keyword Research
      1. Researching Natural Language Questions
      2. Researching Trends, Topics, and Seasonality
    4. Keyword Valuation
      1. Importing Keyword Data
      2. Evaluating Relevance
      3. Assigning Relevance Scores
      4. Priority Ratings for Business Objectives
      5. Filtering Out Low-Traffic Keywords
      6. Breaking Down High-Difficulty Keywords
      7. Trending and Seasonality
      8. Current Rank Data
      9. Finding the Best Opportunities
    5. Keyword Reviews
    6. Conclusion
  4. 4. Google Algorithm Updates and Manual Actions/Penalties
    1. Google Algorithm Updates
      1. BERT
      2. Passages and Subtopics
      3. Page Experience and Core Web Vitals
      4. Link Spam Update
      5. Broad Core Algorithm Updates
      6. Functionality Changes
      7. Google Bug Fixes
    2. Google Webmaster Guidelines
      1. Practices to Avoid
      2. Good Hygiene Practices to Follow
      3. Quality Content
      4. Content That Google Doesn’t Like
      5. Importance of Diverse Content
      6. Role of Authority in Ranking Content
      7. Impact of Weak Content on Rankings
      8. Improving Weak Content
    3. Quality Links
      1. Links Google Does Not Like
      2. Cleaning Up Low Quality Backlinks
      3. Sources of Data for Link Cleanup
      4. Using Tools for Link Cleanup
      5. The Disavow Links tool
    4. Google Manual Actions (Penalties)
      1. Types of Manual Actions/Penalties
    5. Diagnosing the Cause of a Traffic Loss
      1. Filing Reconsideration Requests to Remediate Manual Actions/Penalties
      2. Recovering from Traffic Losses Not Due to a Manual Action/Penalty
    6. Conclusion
  5. About the Authors

Product information

  • Title: The Art of SEO, 4th Edition
  • Author(s): Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Jessie Stricchiola
  • Release date: November 2022
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9781098102616