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Brown cites studies that predict 231 million online users in 2009 spending as much as $3.7 billion. Brown shows readers how to reach those users through various online marketing techniques, in particular through PPC (pay per click) advertising. He details for owners methods for generating traffic, developing marketing strategies, budgeting, building sales, and protecting themselves from fraud. In addition to this information, useful to most business owners interested in generating Internet traffic, the book also operates on another level.

Brown goes into considerable detail on optimizing a web page for search engines and working in detail with Google and Yahoo marketing programs. No doubt, there are individuals who are equally comfortable with web page design and business operations, but it is more likely that a business owner will best use the web page design information to guide their interaction with a programmer. The book closes with case studies and more expert advice from individuals who have been there and done that. Brown has created a thorough guide loaded with a great deal of useful information.

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The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Marketing answers these and many more questions, beginning with the most obvious: What exactly is pay per click marketing, and why should the reader be interested in it? The author, Bruce Brown, explains the history and background of online marketing, and how it’s become one of the most effective forms of advertising in history.

Search engine optimization is explored in detail, as each search engine has a different algorithm and tactics for returning results. Brown shows the reader how to capitalize on how each search engine fetches their information, through META tags, keywords, feedback, and other types of website optimization. Generating traffic to your website is obviously an important part of online marketing, and the author explains what the best strategies are for getting visitors to notice your web presence.

Yahoo and Google are the two premier search engines, and each has their own advertising methods. The author walks the reader through each, offering handy tips, step-by-step comparisons of cost effectiveness, and how to avoid click fraud. Microsoft’s ad structure is also discussed.

Affiliate marketing, through eBay and other systems, can also be used effectively to net large profits, and Brown explains how to become part of an affiliate program, how to generate leads and traffic, and what the potential successes can be when using affiliates.

Included in the book are case studies that illustrate the points made and show real-life applications of the principles and strategies outlined in the book’s previous chapters. Perhaps most valuable is the last chapter, which gives tips and tricks from the professionals who use SEO marketing and pay per click on a daily basis to make a living. The reader can learn from the best and start their SEO business right.

All in all, this is a great book, with a style that is professional yet entertaining and easy to understand. If you’re looking to find out more and perhaps cash in on pay per click marketing–to augment your existing career or begin a new one–this book is a great place to start.

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The purpose of search engine optimization (SEO) is to raise the ranking of your website on a particular search engine by the use of relevant keywords or phrases. The author explains how to choose the best keywords or phrases for your site and how to use META tags to raise your website’s ranking. He also discusses keyword placement on a webpage. Did you know that some search engines only “crawl” a small portion of the text on a particular webpage?

Pay per click advertising (PPC) will reach millions of customers in a credible, cost-effective way. This type of online marketing plan can target a geographical area or demographic group, and it can be modified easily if it does not seem to be working.

The book also includes a history of online marketing and descriptions of types of online ads. Case studies, hints, tips, and advice round out the content. This is a clearly organized, easy-to-use guidebook for a person who is fairly internet-savvy. I recommend it highly.

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The topic is lightly discussed at the very beginning and then you’ll find yourself halfway through the book before PPC starts to get covered. Even then, the techniques are elementary, which is probably perfect for someone starting out. But the “Ultimate Guide”? I think there is some liberty being taken there.

[...], and while it doesn’t really affect the message, it just makes it seem haphazardly edited. I can’t knock it too much for this but you expect more from a published book.

Anyhow, for the online marketing beginner or PPC novice, it’s a fine introduction into that realm. But for those seeking a true Ultimate Guide, this isn’t it. It does have a lot of info regarding PPC but almost half the book is devoted to details that are a stretch to be directly related.

It’s kind of like buying the Ultimate Guide to Cooking Lobster only to find that the first half of the book is devoted to cooking pasta. A weak example, perhaps, but I’m trying to use an analogy.