I`ve seen some great guides on Search Engine Optimization, but I gotta say that this beginner`s guide to SEO by SEOMOZ.org is as good as it gets. It won`t cover everything but you can`t knock it either because it is free.

You can get the guide in 4 different forms;

1. Multi Page HTML Version
2. MS Word Document
3. OpenOffice Text Document
4. Single Page HTML Version.

I probably won`t read too much of this guide as full service SEO is not one of my primary services. I have done a little in the past but don`t care to focus on it anymore– I have enough to focus on.

 I know Rand Fishkin- the author of the guide- from the DigitalPoint Forum. He typically goes by the name/alias of Randfish and has the Jon Stewart photo of himself. So if you ever frequent the DigitalPoint Forum, then you know who to look for.

Just by skimming the guide, I can tell that Rand also covers alot of intermediate stuff as well. His guide could probably teach alot of wannabe SEO consultants as well. 

Cool. Thanks.

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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words

That is a solid guide Dean - those interested should be sure to check out some of the SEO-related tools that Rand offers through the SEOMoz website as well.  Can be very useful, particularly on the keyword research side.

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chuck fuller

It still comes down to imagination. There`s an awesome game that came out recently, called Set. It essentially works by extracting set information from a limited set of pictures on cards. The reason it`s pertinent is that a set can be a "blank" set.

A blank set is where what does NOT appear is as important as what does appear. So "nothing" matches is a successful set of information. So too with writing. What isn`t normally considered a "phrase" can be as powerful as an actual phrase.

Take for example, "cooking with gas."

Most people will try to form a sentence with the three words in the sentence. But a search engine only sees three isolated words in direct proximity. Search engines don`t see punctuation, really, so keep that in mind.

Writers have weird minds. Trust me, the voices told me so...at least until I started wearing tinfoil on my head! So writers see ways to put words together in strange combinations. As such, consider the above as two, not one sentences:

"Earthenware pots are exceptionally good for cooking. With gas, we often get divergent heat. But cooking with gas and using an earthenware pot provide much more stable results."

Note how the conjunctive "and" gives us ways to link seemingly disassociated concepts into a sentence.

 Same with "not" connections;

"Although cooking with gas is wonderful, it isn`t the same as having an orgasm, eating a hot dog, or flying an airplane!"

Same thing, and the key phrase is there. But so too are three additional concepts that the search engine will see, but that nobody would dream of connecting with cooking and gas (well orgasms and farts, maybe...)

So it isn`t about finding the key phrases. Anyone can do that. It`s about using your imagination! And that`s why creative play, music, art, and all the other "pointless" things kids don`t have to learn in school anymore matters. See things "sideways." That`ll help when it comes to search engine optimization!

:-)
craig


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Craig Landes
---
Defining the undefinable. "There are 10 kinds of people in the world---those who understand binary numbers and those who don`t." - Unknown

International Society of Curmudgeons

another option is this guide:

The Definitive Guide to Google AdWords:
http://perrymarshall.com/cmd.php?pg=nurulh01

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Grab free Google Adwords course at http://m171.infusionsoft.com/go/default/nurulh01/

Thanks, I needed that!

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---------- Tom M. http://www.cancoaster.biz

Thank you very much.

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Wireless Credit Card Machine || Merchant Credit Card Processing Services

Don't forget about Google's SEO guide. What better rersource than google itself?

http://www.google.com/webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf

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