Sitepoint’s Search Engine Marketing Kit 2.0 Review

For a time after the Littlewoods incident where I lost £19,000 in three months (that’s a story for another time), I decided to give up affiliate marketing. It seemed too risky. I wanted to become a freelance web designer. I didn’t know where to start until I came across Sitepoint’s Web Design Business Kit. It’s a great guide for how to begin and grow a web design business.

I was very lucky that they had a *Real* special offer on at the time. Not a bullshit never ending special offer like those that accompany nearly every other item I’m reviewing. No this was a real 2 for 1 offer which isn’t available now. Sorry, that’s not going to help you but it does demonstrate that Sitepoint have integrity. Anyway, I needed to pick a second Kit to have and went for the Search Engine Marketing Kit 2.0.

This stands out from the crowd by being physical book. In fact it’s 345 pages of A4 paper in a folder. If nothing else, it certainly makes you look very professional. For your $197 you also get a CD containing stuff which I don’t think is that useful for anything apart from showing clients how professional you can look (which if you’re in that type of business can double your income).

The book itself is divided 9 sections:

• Search Engines – Basically a history of search engines. Not very useful but some interesting information.
• SEO Basics – This section is very good for beginners in SEO but it didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know. It covers things like picking keywords and putting them in headers and anchor text.
• Advanced SEO – This is a bit more like it. SEO tactics here include working with flash, javascript, cookies, dynamic sites, robots.txt. It didn’t really teach me much I didn’t know but it’s good for brushing up and for intermediate level SEO people.
• Pay-per-click – Just about everything you need to know about PPC.
• Link Building – Some good strategies but also some less useful ones (such as directory submission).
• Your SEO Business – Good advice if you’re into selling your SEO services, although for a fuller picture of making a business out of SEO, you should get the Web Design Business Kit too.
• Case Studies – Some examples which can be followed as a guide to getting your website off the ground.
• Interviews – Some experts share their tips, one of the best parts of the book.
• Tools – Quick overview of SEO tools on the market.

Search Engine Marketing Kit Conclusion

This is probably the ultimate beginners’ guide to SEO. By the time you’ve finished with it you’ll have all of the concepts nailed. You’ll still need to work out what really works though. If you’re already fairly experienced with SEO, you would probably be better spending your money elsewhere.

Who Should Get It?

People with an Interest in SEO with little experience and to a lesser degree, people who want to sell their SEO services.

NOTE: Version 3.0 is out very soon so hopefully it’ll be a little more up to date.