With well over 15 million business web sites competing for over 300 billion dollars in On-line revenues, it is becoming increasing important for Internet businesses to stand out from the myriad of rival sites. The old perennial business adage "location, location, location, location" to the Internet business and web marketer, translates more into a mantra like "AOL, MSN, Yahoo, and Google". These major four, in addition to Hotbot, Alta Vista, Netscape, and Teoma navigate the majority of web traffic today. Therefore, getting a top twenty ranking on these sites is of course critical to ones business survival. In the storming vortex of opinions on web - Internet - and e business marketing appears Dan Thies, a search engine guru and sage web marketer. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and its related fields of search engine ranking strategies, are cryptic and esoteric by nature of the major search engines and directories keeping their criteria and listing algorithms (methods) private. The search engines are being secretive to avoid manipulation of search engine lists by opportunistic marketers. Dan Thies, in his make it plain style E-book "Search Engine Fast Start", hazards a foray into the mysterious cyber-world of search engine optimization. Since the majority of sites (93%) on the web, receive just a few visitors a month, any e book that can illuminate and bring clarity to this complex subject, is a welcome addition to Internet promotion in my book. Especially, if it can do so in an easy to digest fashion (as Dan's Book does). From this vantage point Dan Thies' Search Engine Fast Start certainly delivers. In short, this is an Outstanding Search Engine Book. "I was Able to Obtain 10 Top Twenty Rankings in the Search Engines Applying the Principles in this Book!" Search Engine Fast Start (SEFS), is written for the average person running an e business who does not want to spend a lot of time deciphering geek speak and techno-babble. There is plenty of info, in plain talk, for the up and coming netpreneur or experienced web business owner, to glean from reading this PDF format e book. SEFS, is only 77 pages in length. Mr. Thies starts his book with a synopsis of his overall SEO strategy: "Select the right keywords, build a content rich web site around them, optimize the individual pages, and work to improve 'off- the-page' factors like link popularity". As you would expect, after giving an overview of the book, the author starts out explaining how search engines work. He then explains the regular topics for SEO type info like spiders, how your page gets indexed, and link popularity. Then his writing really gets interesting and insightful with the explanation of hub and authority sites, and themes in relation to SEO. Optimizing Your site for theme based search engine algorithms is the premise of his book. Subsequently, he explores a gem of a subject, especially for Internet marketers, on "How people use Search Engines and Portals". This tidbit of information alone for me was worth the $30 dollar price tag. With these insights I was able to teak my web pages and metatags further in a way to attract more site visitors with both my pay-per-click and SEO promo tactics. Dan's position that "by working with the search engines instead of against them, you'll win in the end" exudes integrity. I understand that he may have learned this hard lesson after getting one of his web site's banned from the search engines. He therefore suggests caution and integrity when dealing with the search engines. His keyword strategy, explanation of web site hierarchy, tiered web design, info on Internet directories, and insights on reciprocal linking are concise as well as illuminating. Some of Dan's perspectives are definitely contrarian in that it goes against conventional SEO beliefs. For example he counsels that one should not submit to the search engines but instead optimize, create great content, and aggressively do off the page things like reciprocal linking. He also suggests that a Yahoo listing is probably not worth the investment. I concur with him on many of his points because, I have always been listed on Google and Yahoo (via Google) in top rankings using these types of tactics. One short coming in his book is the brevity of covering the importance of pay-per-click search engine advertising (although he does mention it in a couple of chapters). Within a couple of months of applying his strategies, I obtained top twenty rankings in ten different keyword combinations from Yahoo and Google. Furthermore, my mentor John Payne, Publisher of the well respected Web Marketing Ezine, managed to break into the top 10 for the keyword web marketing using the concepts of the book! What makes this incredible is that web marketing is one of the most difficult keywords in which to get a high ranking. Overall, Search Engine Fast Start!, is an indispensable book for any serious e business person looking to optimize their sites for the search engines (especially for newer site owners). It is certainly, this Editor's choice, for one of the most relevant web marketing books to presently be on the market. You can pick up a copy by clicking on my affiliate link click here. I read a lot of Internet related books, but only recommend those of the highest quality and most effective information to my readers. This e book definitely falls into this category.

Keywords: search engine, web design, internet

About the Author
Kamau Austin, Montclair, NJ
baustin@adpronline.com
http://www.EbizbyDesign.com
Kamau Austin, is a web designer and SEO that specializes in E-business development with Internet marketing, advertising and promotion. He is the principal of AdPro Media Sales ( www.adpronline.com )and the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of www.einfonews.com and its ezine for minority and small business Keep it Real ...Profitable! Visit http://www.EbizbyDesign.com