As you probably know, I like books. And there are a number of books I think should make an appearance on a person's bookshelf depending on their area of expertise. But there are a small number of books I think are absolute musts to be read, digested, and applied. I had the pleasure of reading one of those books this week. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Growing Your Business with Google by Dave Taylor. It is truly that good...

Short of writing a two or three page review, it's really hard to cover all the things I like about this book. First off, Dave Taylor is a talented writer who is able to cut through hype and jargon and convey useful information in a compelling manner. In Growing Your Business with Google, he takes the reader through how Google works, and how it can be leveraged by businesses and web site owners to drive traffic (and dollars) their way. With the concepts and understanding conveyed here, you'll learn how best to structure your site to show up and stand out in search results. Even better, Dave doesn't resort to cheap tricks and unethical methods to accomplish these goals. The recommendations are all solid techniques that work well and won't get you in hot water with search sites.

The chapters that concentrate on Google's AdWords and AdSense programs alone would justify the cost of the book. You'll learn how to launch an effective advertising campaign by bidding on keyword searches through AdWords. On the flip side, you'll also learn how to incorporate AdSense advertising into your site so as to make money on directing people to useful information. There are no unreasonable promises that you can build a site specifically to generate AdSense revenue and retire early. It's just solid information that helps you monetize portions of your site and add to your overall revenue stream.

Finally, Dave Taylor practices what he preaches. I consider him a "virtual colleague" based on chats and email exchanges I've had with him. I also follow his blogs and see how he's put everything into place on his sites. Rather than being an author who jumps on the hot topic du jour, he is truly an expert in this area, and he writes what he knows. As a result, you can trust what he says, because it's actually worked. I'll even testify to the fact that I've increased the AdSense revenue on my site by a factor of 4 based on his recommendations. I'm nowhere near his traffic levels and income totals, but the information *does* work.

If you're a large company, your marketing communications department should read this book. If you're a small business or a website owner who wants more "findability" (and more dollars), you *absolutely* need to read this book. You'll be "the complete idiot" if you don't...

here's Duffbert's original review posting