The 11 Best SEO Books You Should Read via @sejournal, @BrianHarnish

What was the last book you read? If you are seeking additional information about SEO and search engines, there are many books to choose from to broaden your knowledge.

In this article, we have included some of the most popular books on search engine optimization, link building, local search, and search engines by well-known SEO experts.

We have also included some more recent books to help you discover new tactics for your search marketing campaigns.

Enjoy, and happy reading!

Books On Search Engine Optimization

1. SEO For Beginners: An Introduction To SEO Basics

This is a shameless plug for Search Engine Journal’s beginner’s guide to SEO.

SEO for Beginners is a large ebook where you will learn the basics of how SEO works and why it’s so important.

It really is one of the best books available if you want an introductory-level book on SEO.

Topics include:

Expert Authors Include:

You can download your guide here.

2. Entity SEO: Moving from Strings to Things

By Dixon Jones, CEO of InLinks

In his new release, Dixon Jones promises to “break down the mystique and presents Entity SEO and Semantic Search ideas in an easy-to-digest format.”

Entity SEO: Moving Search From Strings To Things explains the Knowledge Graph, the evolution of semantic search, how to become an entity in alignment with your niche, and more.

You’ll learn different semantic SEO strategies, how to add relevant structured mark-up to your content, what it takes to earn a Wikipedia listing (and what to do if you can’t get one), and how to build and view your internal link graph, among other skills and ideas.

If you’re looking to gain clarity on what entity SEO is all about and how it should be incorporated into your marketing strategy, this guide may help.

3. The Art Of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization

by Eric Enge of Stone Temple Consulting, Stephan Spencer, and Jessie C. Stricchiola

This is one of the fundamental must-reads in our industry. Whether you are an SEO beginner or a seasoned professional, Eric Enge’s The Art of SEO is a great place to go to get started or for a refresher of your SEO skills.

Eric talks about the search engine basics: their history, how they evaluate content, and how you can understand what search engines see when they spider content.

You will also gain a solid education in the areas of SEO planning, the stages of SEO implementations, keyword research, SEO-friendly website development, content marketing, social media, and its role in SEO.

You will also find updated information on the latest algorithmic factors to consider like Panda, Penguin, and search engine penalties.

For one of the best in-depth educational books on SEO in our increasingly complex and ever-evolving industry, Eric’s book should be a staple of any SEO library.

4. The Psychology Of A Website: Mastering Cognitive Biases, Conversion Triggers And Modern SEO To Achieve Massive Results

by Matthew Capala

If you want to makeover your website to ensure that visitors from search will convert into leads or customers for your business, check out this book by Matthew Capala.

This is his fourth book on digital marketing, following up beginners guides on SEO, keyword research, and Facebook.

5. The Best Damn Website & Ecommerce Marketing And Optimization Guide, Period

by Stoney DeGeyter

This is more of a recent release from none other than Stoney DeGeyter. He has been in the SEO industry for longer than I can remember.

I’m pretty sure I’ve been following him for the better part of a decade (at least).

In this book, he discusses all the basics while ensuring that you have a strong foundation for moving forward. Everything from keyword research, to meta tags, and optimizing your heading tags.

If you’re looking for a basic foundation booster for your SEO knowledge, as well as something that covers more advanced topics, this book is your guide.

6. Ecommerce SEO Mastery: 10 Huge SEO Wins For Any Online Store

by Kristina Azarenko

If you’re not familiar with Kristina Azarenko, you should be. She is an SEO who is already well-known and she’s shaking up the industry with her knowledge. From online courses to proprietary Google Chrome extensions, she does it all.

Her latest book is also no exception. If you’re looking for a book that will give you insight into the latest and greatest ecommerce SEO techniques, this is it.

7. Product-Led SEO: The Why Behind Building Your Organic Growth Strategy

by Eli Schwartz

Eli Schwartz is an SEO consultant with over a decade of experience helping brands like Shutterstock, WordPress, Blue Nile, Quora, and Zendesk with their SEO strategies.

Instead of focusing on step-by-step techniques, Product-Led SEO focuses on the logic and theory behind SEO. Find out how to not only drive traffic with organic search but also sales.

Books On Link Building

8. The Link Building Book

by Paddy Moogan

Paddy Moogan is a well-known link-building professional. He is responsible for writing one of the most comprehensive works of writing on link building I’ve ever seen.

From the basics to the history of link building, to planning and executing link building campaigns, to a wide variety of techniques to add to your link building arsenal, Moogan dives deep into a plethora of exciting techniques you can acquire.

While this book was written in 2013, it was updated in 2020 and uploaded online, and is available for free.

Books On Local SEO

9. Local SEO Secrets: 20 Local SEO Strategies You Should be Using NOW

by Roger Bryan

Do you have a local business? If so, then you need local search engine optimization to increase visibility with customers in your area. In Local SEO Secrets, you will learn 20 local SEO strategies that you can use to drive more local traffic to your business.

Topics covered include Google My Business (GMB), Optimizing eCommerce Product Pages, Ways PR Can Help Your SEO Campaign, and Google Local Services Ads (LSA).

Books On Search Engines

10. How Google Works

by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg

Google executives Eric Schmidt, former Chairman/CEO of Google, and Jonathan Rosenberg, former SVP of Products, discuss the lessons they learned while building the world’s leading search engine. Topics covered include corporate culture, strategy, talent, decision-making, communication, innovation, and dealing with disruption.

While this book may not explicitly tell you how Google search works, it will give you insight into the people and leadership behind Google.

11. Entity-Oriented Search

by Krisztian Balog

For those who want to dive into the deeper, technical details of search engines, there is Entity-Oriented Search.

Author Krisztian Balog is a Professor of Computer Science at University of Stavanger and staff research scientist at Google AI.

“A general background in information retrieval is sufficient to follow the material, including an understanding of basic probability and statistics concepts as well as a basic knowledge of machine learning concepts and supervised learning algorithms.”

More SEO & Marketing Books Worth Your Time:

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