The 11 Best SEO Books You Should Read
Brush up on your SEO knowledge with recommended reading on link building and optimizing for local, ecommerce, entities, and more.
Brian Harnish
Senior SEO Analyst
Company
Bruce Clay, Inc.
Follow Me
Expertise
Favorite Tools
About
Brian has been doing SEO since before it was called SEO, back in the days of 1998. Back then, SEO was known as “add-ons to web development,” and the marketing of the term was just beginning. SEJ’s latest Guide to SEO says the earliest beginnings of SEO saw its roots in 1997. Now, SEO has boomed and blossomed into a multi-billion dollar industry.
Proficient in website design, website development, and having tons of practical SEO knowledge and expertise, Brian’s skills run the gamut from SEO to digital marketing to website development. Brian now works at Bruce Clay, Inc. as a Senior SEO Analyst (Data Analyst).
Articles
Interaction To Next Paint (INP): Everything You Need To Know
Google is adding a new metric to their Core Web Vitals. It’s called Interaction to Next Paint, or INP.
The Ultimate Guide To SEO Audit Tools
Want to track your site’s performance, analyze keywords, and ensure mobile-friendliness? Discover the best tools for performing a comprehensive SEO audit in this guide.
How Does Mastodon Work And How Do You Get Started?
Not a fan of Twitter? Read on and find out why Mastodon can help you make better connections and have more control on your data.
20 Essential Technical SEO Tools For Agencies
Technical SEO tools for agencies abound. What’s in your toolkit and how you use them can mean the difference between great success and great failure.
How To Get Google To Index Your Site (Quickly)
Stop wasting crawl budget and start making sure Google sees your content. Try it now by optimizing your pages with this comprehensive guide.
Are Javascript Redirects SEO Friendly?
Are JavaScript redirects the best solution? Ensure you are not wasting crawl budgets by learning when and where to use them for better SEO.
8 Best Programming Languages To Learn (For SEO)
For those looking to level up their SEO, discover what you can do with programming languages. Here are the top 8 along with their benefits.
Meta Tags: What You Need To Know For SEO
Optimize your web pages and the effort to get more clicks will pay off when you follow best practices with meta tags.
Meta Descriptions: How Do You Write Them?
The best practice for meta descriptions goes beyond using keywords. This is how to impress search engines and and site visitors.
A Complete Guide To Site Taxonomy for SEO
Future-proof your site by applying the best practices for site taxonomy. Provide the correct silos for your content with this comprehensive guide.
How & Why To Prevent Bots From Crawling Your Site
Don’t fall into the same trap that others do: Block bots and spiders from crawling your site and avoid unwanted traffic with these top tips.
14 Mobile Optimization Best Practices You Need To Know
Achieve the best possible online presence across devices by optimizing for mobile with these 14 best practices.
How To Find And Fix Broken Internal Links
Broken internal links can do more harm than just turning off users. Avoid negatively impacting your SEO efforts by finding and fixing them.
The Link Title Attribute: What It Is & How To Use It
Discover the importance of link attributes for SEO. Learn how link title, alternative text, and other attributes can enhance your website’s visibility.
Analyzing Your Local Organic Search Competition
A local organic competition analysis helps you understand what your competitors are doing, so you can adapt your strategy to what’s happening in relevant SERPs.
Local SEO For Beginners: Getting Started
Just getting started with local SEO? See who needs it and how it coincides with voice search, mobile, and organic SEO, as well.
W3C Validator: What It Is & Why It Matters For SEO
Make sure your web page code validates across multiple devices and platforms. Here’s how to use the W3C Validator before you launch your site.
10 Top Reasons Why Google Isn’t Indexing Your Site
Are you having indexing problems? From glitches in Google Search Console to significant website technical issues, this guide will help you determine why.
Do You Have An SEO Triage Plan? 11 Things To Check
You have a short period of time for checks and action to bring immediate value. What should you have in your SEO triage plan?
Checking Your Page Size for SEO: A Complete Guide
Learn about checking your page size for SEO, including tips, tools, best practices, and why it’s important.
What Type of SSL Certificate Does Your Website Need?
Learn about the different types of SSL certificates, how they impact marketing here, and which one may be right for your website here.
Image Alt Text vs. Title Text vs. File Names: What’s the Difference?
What’s the difference between image alt text, title text, and file names? Learn how to optimize each one for search.
How to Optimize for Rich Snippets: A Complete Guide
What are rich snippets and how do you optimize for them? Learn how to enhance your visibility in Google Search with rich snippets.
How to Build a WordPress Site in 24 Hours
Want to learn how to set up a WordPress site in less than 24 hours? Find step-by-step instructions and get your website up and running.
The 11 Most Important Parts of SEO You Need to Get Right
Get your page speed, crawling, and all 11 important parts of SEO right for greater online visibility and higher search rankings.
50 Questions You Must Ask to Evaluate the Quality of Your Website
Does your website follow SEO best practices? Work through these 50 questions to evaluate the quality of your site and improve rankings and traffic.
Google Webmaster Guidelines: Everything You Need to Know & Understand
SEO professionals use Google’s Webmaster Guidelines to choose tactics and strategies that align with Google’s expectations. Here’s what you need to know about them.
18 More SEO Issues That Cause Search Rankings & Traffic to Drop
There are many reasons a site’s search rankings and traffic may drop, from technical on-site issues to off-site SEO. Use this checklist for diagnosis.
An SEO Guide to Google Advanced Search Operators
Advanced Google search operators can deliver powerful insights to inform your content strategy, SEO audits, and more. Use this for quick reference.