A publishers guide to search engine optimisation (and why it really matters)

With the advent of downloadable eBooks, increased eBook piracy and worries over the continued dominance of Amazon, more and more publishers are looking to interact with readers directly via their website, whether to create communities around authors and subject areas or to sell directly to the customer.

But how can publishers hope to drive readers to their sites in a world where users increasingly discover content via search engines rather than home pages?

This paper is the first of a short series that will argue that publishers need to start thinking more carefully about search engine optimisation as a key marketing tool, both to drive sales and to head off the threat of eBook piracy.

These short White Papers are not 10-point guides on how to get to the top of Google, they are instead designed to help you start thinking about search in a more strategic way, to see why it is important and to give you a good starting point for developing it within your own organisation. 

Part 1looks at where to start and the importance of ownership.

Any feedback or suggestions for this series would be greatly appreciated, twitter users can comment on these White Papers or discuss the importance of SEO for the publishing industry at #shiftseo, alternatively email me ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). 

All our White Papers are free of charge but we invite you to make a voluntary donation (of any amount) to NSPCC.

SEO for Publishers - Part 1