SEO book: can you learn SEO from scratch by reading books?

If you're reading this article, most probably you already know (or at least suspect) that Search Engine Optimization is like a key to Fort Knox for any online entrepreneur. Why? Because proper SEO opens your website the door to leading positions in search engines. The higher your website ranks in search results pages, the more ready-to-buy users find you, not your competitors first. And they buy from you, not from your competitors. Your top position in Google multiplies the dough you get twofold, threefold and (pardon my play on words) googol-fold.

Ok, SEO is a rock-solid way to make your on-line business flourish. But what if you hadn't even heard the word "SEO" till yesterday? The Internet sea abounds in screaming "SEO in two days" and "SEO book for dummies" headlines. But can you really zero-base learn SEO - for which SEO companies charge up to $5,000 a month - on your own? By simply reading about it? The answer is YES. SEO is no rocket science if you have the right source to ladle out your knowledge.

So where is the knowledge treasure-house for a self-taught SEO?

Some old hand SEOs would claim - the only way to get on-the-nose SEO tips is searching through forums and blogs, where professionals share their real-life experience.

Well, digging deep into these sources can be very informative. This is a perfect way to enrich your SEO wisdom: pick up some useful know-hows and savvy tricks and techniques. But only if you already have your SEO-mindset stable. I mean, if you've already learned the basics of SEO science. If not, how can you tell a worthy piece of advice from useless scribbling by muddle-heads who often swarm on such forums and blogs? Besides, it'll take you ages to gather the pieces of SEO-puzzle together and get a complete picture of how to SEO your website.

SEO books are another pair of shoes. All you need is packed together for you. No surfing through dozens of websites. But here you should also keep in mind several important points:

- The Internet world and SEO principles are changing at supersonic speed. What was good for website promotion yesterday may turn out to be a complete waste of time today. In what way would the authors keep up with this speed of changes? In no way, unless their SEO book is a day by day updated e-book. That's why the SEO book you can really trust is an e- book

- Does "Search Engine Saturation" or "Traffic Referral Rates" sound clear to you? Would you like your SEO book to speak the language you don't understand? Definitely, no. You need SEO things made easy as ABS. So you need an SEO book that speaks plain English

- The ultimate goal of your learning SEO is being able to actually optimize your website, not only use some SEO terms, isn't it? If so, a solid-cheesy-theory book is a waste of your precious time. Make sure your SEO book gives practical advice and step-by-step guidance for your page optimization

- On the other hand, learning something parrot fashion is also no good. You are to UNDERSTAND WHAT, HOW, and WHY you are doing. Otherwise, a small deviation from a studied scheme - and you are deadlocked. Pick up the SEO book that not only orders you what to do, but explains why you should do this

These criteria considerably narrow your range of choice. One of the books I've recently come across that perfectly hits the spot is "SEO in Practice". It is an all-round online SEO guide by a 9-year experienced SEO pro Dan Richmond. He leads you by the hand into the world of Search Engine Optimization, pointing each step you should take and clarifying all whys and hows so that a child could understand.
To top it all, keep in mind: whatever way to dig into SEO you choose, it's your zeal that grows the fruits to reap. There is no one but you to knock in the knowledge into your head.