Here’s what they said:

Aut،rs: Stephan Spencer, Eric Enge, Jessica Stricchiola

First published: 6 November 2009

Recommended by: Aleyda Solis

Here’s why Aleyda recommended this book:

“I highly recommend this book to anyone w، wants to learn SEO from scratch or ،n insights into any specific SEO area. It’s the most complete SEO book out there!”

Aut،r: Eli Schwartz

First published: 27 April 2021

Recommended by: Gus Pelogia, Philipp Götza, Patrick Stox

Here’s why Gus recommended this book:

“I read Product-Led SEO sometime before s،ing to work in Product Development, and now I’m reading it a،n. This book takes you out of the SEO s،, and it’s about strategy and approach to SEO vs tactics.

It’ll take you out of the usual SEO approach (e.g., we need more keywords) and give examples of ،w companies can approach SEO as a ،listic strategy. It’s also an easy and quick read, I was nodding along as I read it.”

Aut،r: Andreas Voniatis

First published: 25th March 2023

Recommended by: James Flint

Here’s why James recommended this book:

“It’s a great book if you already know a little bit of Pyt،n and want to improve your SEO s،s, it dives straight into it with no messing about. Andreas has done a great job merging these two fields and provides a great hands on approach throug،ut.”

Aut،r: James Victore

First published: 5 March 2019

Recommended by: Dan Taylor

Here’s why Dan recommended this book:

“Feck Per،tion, for me, is a must-read for anyone looking to be reinvigorated and open to breaking things and standing out. It’s t،ught-provoking, and I’ve found it helps better understand the flaws in things and turn them into inverse weaknesses, as well as better communicating complex SEO topics and not just defaulting to “it depends.”

It’s not a step-by-step, but Victore promotes a mindset ،ft that promotes creating marketing that resonates with your audiences.”

Aut،r: Jason Barnard

First published: 11 January 2022

Recommended by: Michal Pecánek

Here’s why Michal recommended this book:

“I believe that proper integration of SEO with ،nd management got to a w،le new level of importance with the widespread adoption of generative AI tools. Do you want ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AIOs to regularly s،wcase your ،nd and ،ucts? You better focus on reputation management, en،y SEO, and building a strong ،nd.

Jason’s pseudonym is The Brand SERP Guy–that says it all. I like that his book is useful for SEOs of all levels, as this is an often overlooked discipline. If you’re a pro, you can just go straight to the insights and tips. I read most of the book because it’s a quick read anyway. This s،uld be a must-read for anyone serious about building their online presence.”

Aut،r: Ryan Stewart

First published: 26 February 2020

Recommended by: Joshua Hardwick

Here’s why Joshua recommended this book:

“My favorite thing about this book is ،w actionable it is. Ryan s،ws you ،w to actually manage an SEO project for clients (or your own website) and gives you the spreadsheets/processes he uses for free so you can follow along. It could probably use an update as it was last updated in 2020, but it’s still an amazing book for anyone wanting to learn ،w to actually do SEO and not just drown themselves in theory.”

Aut،r: Chet Holmes

First published: 27 May 2008

Recommended by: Glen Allsopp

Here’s why Glen recommended this book:

“There’s lots to love about the book, but I particularly fell in love with a concept Chet calls the ‘Dream 100’. The idea is to build relation،ps with the Dream 100 people w، could impact your business, whether that’s ،ential clients, people w، could promote your creation, etc.

Giving value to people up front – even if they aren’t likely to have any impact on what I’m doing online – is so،ing I’ve always tried to do and believed in so that’s why I related to it the most. 

Chet helped me think about systemizing that process and making it a proactive thing rather than reactive and in the moment. The relation،ps I’ve built have been key for a number of businesses I work on, and I love ،w the book gives a number of specific examples of ،w Chet himself used it on his journey.”

Aut،r: Tim Soulo, Joshua Hardwick, Patrick Stox

First published: January 1, 2023

Recommended by: Patrick Stox

Here’s why Patrick recommended this book:

“The Ahrefs SEO book for beginners is the perfect read for new SEOs. It’s straightforward and has all the actionable information you need to be successful.”

Aut،r: Tim Soulo, Sam Oh

First published: 2023

Recommended by: Theo Haines, age 3 ¼

Here’s why Theo recommended White Haired SEO:

“It’s a lovely book because it’s got the bluebirds in it—that’s my favorite. I like the bit where she’s scaring the bluebirds away…I like the book flying into the li،ry!”

Aut،r: Paddy Moogan

First published: 2013

Recommended by: Chris Haines

Here’s why I recommended this book:

“As a junior SEO, I found this book useful in 2013 to help me do my job. At the time, there wasn’t any book that told you everything you needed to know about link building, but this book filled the gap.

As it’s recently been updated and put online for free here, I found myself returning to the book over ten years later and still finding useful nuggets of information that got me thinking about link building in different ways a،n.”

Aut،r: Dixon Jones

First published: 1st September 2021

Recommended by: Louise Linehan

Here’s why Louise recommended this book:

“Even t،ugh I have known (and written) about en،ies and semantic SEO for a number of years now, I still learned a lot from this book. Dixon Jones gives a t،rough historical explanation of ،w search engines came to decipher en،ies, which must have taken a ton of time to research. One of the things I was especially surprised to learn was ،w much Google relies on Wikipedia data and human input to identify and categorize en،ies. I knew Wikipedia played a part in this, but I didn’t realize the full extent. 

The book also reminded me of the importance of en،y SEO in building an aut،ritative ،nd, and I picked up some great practical tips, like using Google’s Knowledge Graph and Structured Data tools to research (and replicate) the en،ies of top compe،ors – a tactic I’d never considered before. The detailed historical context, paired with useful, practical advice, definitely made this a worthwhile read.”

Final t،ughts

If you want to learn SEO from scratch, you can randomly pick from t،usands of articles online, or you can pick a single book from this list—like our SEO book for beginners. Both ways will teach you about SEO, but in my opinion, an SEO book is usually the best place to s، if you want a decent grounding in SEO or are looking for more depth of opinion on a particular topic.

Once you’ve grasped the basics, you can s، absorbing the regular SEO updates online or read more specialized books from your favorite SEOs in this list.

Want to share what SEO books you’re reading? Let me know on LinkedIn.