There is a huge literature on Search Engine Optimization. Here are just a small number, but they will lead you to others. One of the richest places to search is my Web Marketing Info Center which contains links to more than 11,000 articles and resources on all aspects of Internet marketing and e-commerce. Three categories in particular include hundreds of articles. Be aware that things change, so check the date of the article or resource. The articles are generally displayed most recent first.
SearchEngineWatch.com by Danny Sullivan is the prime site for up-to-date search engine information. He also offers a free monthly newsletter that keeps you up in the field.
Online forums frequented by SEO professionals often give current tricks and rumors. Some also provide help to those with questions.
WebPosition Gold is a multipurpose search engine optimization tool from Rob Winters. It is useful for doing periodic checks of ranking as well as offering advice on improving webpage optimization from recommendations that draw upon current research of top sites. I've used it for years. $150 for up to 5 domains.
Mike Grehan's Search Engine Report: The Essential Best Practice Guide is one of the most helpful books available to help you understand how Google and other search engines really work. Based primarily on interviews with leaders from top firms such as Google.
Linking Strategies
One of the most important persons in studying the linking factor in PageRank is Leslie Rohde.
OptiLink Link Reputation Analyzer is the best tool I've found to study links to your site as well as competitors sites, in order to develop a scientific linking strategy. $150. You can try it out with a demo version.
Tools to speed up the process of finding complementary sites and tracking reciprocal links. These search for complimentary sites, help you maintain a link directory, and manage reciprocal links. But use these programs to identify the complementary sites, not to send impersonal automated e-mail spam to site owners. Zeus and Arelis
Ken Evoy's free SiteSell Value Exchange. (1) registers your site as one that is willing to exchange links with other sites that have a similar theme/topic content and (2) searches for sites with similar topical content. No charge.
There's so much literature in the field, it's difficult to know where to stop. But since we have over 750 links to these topics in the Web Marketing Info Center already (see above), I'll stop here.
