I don't read many books, especially, books on SEO. I only got through about 2 chapters of the last one by some Fishkin character. Lets just say it wasn't exactly ground breaking stuff. However, when I read that Lee Odden was releasing a book called Optimize "How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing" I knew I wanted to buy it. I didn't even care if I read it. I bought it because Lee has been on my radar for a long time. David Harry and I had the privilege of doing podcasts as interviewing Lee on the book and another Search Geeks Speak podcast Online Publicity and Press Release panel and have been an avid reader of Lee's TopRank Blog for many years.

Classic :) RT @terryvanhorne: Just received #OptimizeBook @LeeOdden can't wait to dig in! amzn.to/IBbf7J Go buy it ya' cheap bastards!

— Lee Odden (@leeodden) April 19, 2012

Lots of Info on SEO, Social and Content Marketing Techniques

I read Optimize cover to cover and found it to be an easy read almost like sitting down with Lee and talking. Lee was a pioneer in the "SEO Press Releases" as online Publicity not just a link building exercise. The publicity angle is what first drew me to Lee's posts but it is his full package of Social combined with being at the forefront of the content marketing movement that makes him a well rounded SEO Promoter. I was most interested in the way he uses Publicity (I try to do it also) with SEO, Social and Content Marketing. My hopes for the Publicity info in the book were exceeded as I got a better idea of Lee's techniques and the tools he uses.

Lee goes over strategies for SEO, Social and Content Marketing including the role of curating and curation which is actually just a new term for the old internet practice of compiling topical resources and references. Lee' s expertise in Content Marketing with information on choosing content for various stages of the sales cycle and personas. One of the big pickups from the book is that like myself and the Gypsy do in our business Lee uses audits at the outset of retaining a new client and then does audits on an ongoing basis. Lee breaks the audit process into 5 types of Audits:

• Keywords
• Content Audit
• Technical SEO Audit
• Link Footprint
• Social SEO Audit

The audit information is provided in a way that it is easy to see the implementation of findings in strategies that are used to meet customer goals. Lee rounds this out with excellent Action Items at the end of each chapter that are a list of important tasks and questions to ask yourself in applying the principals in the book to the real world. There is a logical progression through the book making it an excellent blueprint for Online Marketing success. You definitely see all the elements that are going to be important in Online Marketing going forward in Optimize!

Optimize Should be a Primer for any New Online Marketer!

The one thing that I loved about the book and is also what makes it an outstanding book for newcomers to "real content marketing", Social, SEO and Publicity is the way that Lee stresses audits as part of the strategy and ongoing campaign. Lee does an excellent job of giving enough technical and "how to" information to give the solid practitioner an idea of what he does and enough details and tools etc. that it doesn't overwhelm someone just dipping their toes in the water!

Here's a video preview of the podcast we did with Lee over at the SEO Training Dojo;

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