*** Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web by Jon Wuebben ISBN: 978-0-9797629-0-1 Published: 2008 Pages: 296 pp.; hardcover Price: $19.95
Available from: Encore Publishing, 124 S. Mercedes Road, Fallbrook, CA 92028; (760) 451 -8700; www.encorepublishers.com
Although this book is clearly geared to businesses, librarians can leam a lot from the practical techniques designed to attract more people to your website. The focus of the book is on search engine optimization (SEO), using good content with appropriate keywords and phrases, as well as marketing tips for increasing your visibility and ranking on the various search engines.
The author is a self-taught SEO copywriter who has been helping hundreds of organizations with their web copy since 2003. He certainly practices what he preaches and has successfully positioned his company to be one of the top 10 on SEO copywriting.
The book is written in a very conversational style, with plenty of real-life examples to help the author make his point. He does get a bit evangelical, especially when explaining how to write the long o ne -page “direct response” sales letter- type copy, but nonmarketers will learn a lot from his style. Different chapters explain first the basics of optimizing your content for the search engines and then the reasons for writing differently for various types of online copy, from homepages to landing pages to wikis to blogs to press releases and newsletters. He highlights what is important about each media type and how the users will interact with it.
While there is much in this book that most librarians will never use, it is worth taking a look at what some more aggressive marketing techniques can do for you. After all, what good is a library if nobody knows about it?
Deborah Lynne Wiley (deb@consultnw com) is principal of Next Wave Consulting Inc.
Comments? Send email to the editor (marydee@xmission.com).
Author: Wiley, Deborah Lynne