Learning Search Engine Optimization is like many things in this life, it takes effort. All to often I come across people that ask simplistic questions such as;

“What is the basic way to optimize a site?” “ Tell me how I can get better rankings” or “ How does Google rank web pages?”

The thing is, I can’t possibl answer any of those in short order. While many of the fundamentals of SEO are easy to pigeon-hole, competing for the money terms in any market that is worth getting into is going to take some more work. Lerning SEO just isn't that easy. I couldn’t easily explain it in a few sentences which is what most people are looking for.  If it was easy to get top rankings we’d all have them… and that simply doesn’t make sense.

The SEO Hand book is truly a starting point that merely touches the surface of the many aspects related to truly understanding search engine optimization. To continue that journey, here are some further resources that will also help in your path of learning SEO.

Many of these resources are from my Blog Post; ' How to Learn SEO ' - happy trails;

SEO Books – In my experience a great many people ‘poo -poo’ SEO books as they can get ‘dated’ fast unless updated frequently by the author and that many (if not most?) of them are of a poor quality and often dangerously useless information. For me, (biased author here) it can be the best starting point. It is very difficult to get the most from a forum or even a Blog without a basic foundation and grounding in the ‘Art of SEO’ – there is no point of reference. A quality reference book can give you that foundation from which to build upon.

the SEO Book by Aaron Wall  -- Mike Grehan Search Marketing Book  --
Sherpa Store - Buyers Guide to SEO -- Internet Marketing for Dummies - make a smart SEO dummy outta' yerself -- Site Point Search Engine Marketing Kit -- Web Marketing Today SEO Guide -- SEO Tutor - from Tom ( fellow SEO loner CopyScape addict - he he)

SEO and Internet Marketing Forums – Despite what the proponents of SEO forums would have you believe, it is not necesarily the best source of information. There is quality information to be found upon forums, it is often hard to find and many of the more experienced posters have tired of the ‘same old’ questions and have low participation levels. This leaves intermediate and novice enthusiasts and professionals to field your questions/thoughts... this can be troublesome. Although the interaction is a healthy part of the learning cycle, take the information with a grain of salt. I would also suggest some elementary SEO reading prior to using the forums thus giving you a better chance of understanding the concepts being discussed on the boards

Digital Point | SEO Chat | SEO Roundtable | Site Reference | Web WorkShop | Google WebMaster Help |
Warrior Forum | WebPro World | SEO Guy | Search Guild | SEO Refugee |

Dave’s SEO Forum News – I try to keep a tally of valuable threads I run into –

SEO Blogs – Blogs don’t always have the best in tutorial style learning, but they are great for up-to-date information. A good idea is to add the Blogs into your favorite news reader and simply keep an eye out for stories of interest. Many of the best minds in SEO haven’t written a book and spend very little time on the forums. The SEO blogosphere is another great resources of SEO and Internet marketing learning.

The Mad Hat - Fire Horse approved reading.
Daily SEO News by Rand Fishkin
Search Engine Land from Danny Sullivan 'and Co'
Search Engine Watch Blog - the original
Michael Gray aka Graywolf SEO Blog
SEO Book Blog, by Aaron Wall;
Bill Slawski, wise-man and Patent authority
David Naylor (UK) - uh, well it's Dave.
Top Rank by Lee Odden;
John Andrews - smart SEO cookie
Grey Hat News - Gurtie and friends
Chris Hooley’s Think Bait
Greg Boser - Web Guerilla
10e20 Search Design and Social
SEO & SEM Training from David Temple

My own offering - Trail of the FireHorse

… I shall add to this list as I go along my trail, it’s late at the moment.

Online Resources – As with books there are many sites offering SEO information and tutorials. As with anything we must consider the source. Quality, trusted sources are best as there is still a lot of mis-information in the still young industry of SEO. I would also encourage you to get in the habit of looking for dates on any online information you come across. As with many technology related fields, SEO can change quickly and older information may become invalid. Try to stay current and on reliable sources.

Search Engine Watch | Wikipedia on SEO | SEOMOZ Beginners Guide | Search Engine Roundtable |
Search Engine Guide | Reliable SEO Knowledgebase

SEO and Internet Marketing Conferences and Courses – I don’t really recommend these for the very nubile SEO enthusiast, but if you have the basics and a few bucks to spare, they can be a useful experience. I must say I do not formally recommend any of the below, as I do not have first hand knowledge of them. If they send me free copies or invitations, I shall let you know. Until then, I do feel they should at least make the list, just to cover all the bases.

Search Engine Strategies | PubCon from WebMaster World | Search Marketing Expo | Elite Retreat | Search Engine College
SE Academy (Canadian content for my Homies) | SEMPO Training Center | China Search Marketing Tour

.... and a good friend on the trail, Jordan Kasteler is launching a site that teaches SEO step-by-step via screencast which is a great place to Learn SEO Live.. ( starts Feb.18 2008)